# 49
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The government office in Hana City was extremely risky.
Even if I sent Emily instead, it might arouse people's suspicions.
The information required for registration has become more complex.
'But the post office is a little different.'
Even members of the public who do not have accounts or are not literate can obtain a temporary identity document by simply providing the employee's home address and simple personal information.
Typically, these documents are used to receive valuables or salaries, but for a third-class ticket on a ship, they may be sufficient.
When Emily said she was "messaging her mom back in her hometown," Ariana jumped at the chance.
“Emily, so, have you been keeping in touch with your hometown since you got here?”
“Uh…no, ma’am. I was too busy to do that.”
“Really? Well, I’ll give you some free time, do you want to go during the day?”
“Really, can I?”
“Of course. But, can you send this on your way? The clerk will give you a receipt, so bring it.”
"Yes!"
Emily assumed it was an order for the party, but what Ariana gave her was a piece of paper with fake personal information.
Ariana smiled tightly, imagining her baby girl to encourage herf.
'Baby...'
Your mother committed a perfect crime.
* * *
It's been days since the argument with Ariana about the ballroom.
During this period, Kenneth felt fatigue and discomfort spreading through his mind like black ink.
After the regular examination, Dr. Piyali was in a state of extreme anxiety.
“Sir, taking more medicine is dangerous. You should stop it for a while!”
"It's okay. Prescribe me a stronger medicine. The effect of the stimulation is getting weaker and weaker."
"What? No, it can't be!"
Kenneth looked at Dr. Bialy coldly. But the doctor, who had always allowed excessive doses with caution, was stubborn this time.
“You have relied on medicine for so long because of your rapid recovery. If this continues, your health will truly be ruined...”
“Ha…”
“Try sleeping without medication for a while, and take time to rest, even if just a little.”
Kenneth scoffed at the unhelpful diagnosis. Sleeping without medication? He hadn't known nights like this in years. Even sleeping with the medication is now intermittent.
'Dreams about a baby girl.'
It all started after his visit to Saint Colette Cathedral.
In the few hours of sleep, he would always see Ariana in his dreams, tightly hugging a blonde baby girl.
Is she another man's child?
When he thought about that, he felt like strangling that unknown man.
In dreams, time passed, and the little girl grew until she reached half his leg. The girl looked exactly like her mother, and was clearly going to attract undue attention.
"my dad!"
The little girl's voice was like the trickling of water.
Whenever he tried to see Ariana's following expression, the dream was ending.
'Disgusting.'
He felt as if a non-existent dream revealed his weakness, making his mood bad.
Not only does he lust after Ariana, his subconscious seems to be whispering to him that he wants something like that.
For this reason, he was deliberately immersing himf in work to kill this sinful greed.
Despite Dr. Bialy's warnings, he continued to receive Roger's reports late into the night.
“How is the situation in the capital?”
“No suspicious points have emerged in the issues raised in Parliament so far. But it is said that the number of members of the House of Lords has increased recently.”
“…By the Emperor’s order?”
“Yes. Baronial titles were awarded due to their financial contributions to society, but...”
The more Roger listed these people's backgrounds, the darker Kenneth's face became.
On their own, they might look like ordinary capitalists, but together, a big picture seemed to be taking shape.
'They're not involved in military supplies, are they?'
Unless the Emperor was an idiot, would he mess with such a move?
But the matter could not be ignored under the pretext of caution, Kenneth had suffered from the follies of the Imperial Claude family.
There are also other members of Parliament who could agree to war for various reasons.
"Tell our group. It may not be imminent, but it should be monitored."
“Yes, understood. And-”
Roger hesitated, then lowered his head with a resigned expression.
“Sir, there is something else I must inform you of.”
"What is it?"
“Actually, I recently spoke to the lady about the opera incident.”
Kenneth was silent for a while at Roger's confession.
When he finally spoke, he was staring at his old assistant with sharp eyes as if he was going to kill someone.
“Roger.”
“I don't know what to say, I apologize. You ordered me to keep quiet about it...”
“How much did you talk?”
He was not ashamed of physical pain.
The death of his parents or the loss of the family fortune was not a shame, because they could be avenged.
The shame he felt in that incident was due to very personal feelings.
On Ariana's engagement day, he took to the streets desperate to ascertain the truth.
He heard that women wear tiaras at the opera, so he got one even through someone he hated.
It was all horrific. So he decided to let go of the stressful feelings.
Roger shouted quickly when he saw Kenneth's expression getting darker.
“All I said was that you had a massive bleed! That's all, really… and after you came back, you were ruining your health… and that the lady never helped you...”
“Ha.”
Kenneth wiped his face with his hand, trying to contain his anger, which was almost reaching its limit.
“What next?”
“The lady said she knew nothing about that day.”
“She said she didn't ask you out with bad intentions.”
“Roger.”
For a moment, his eyes reddened with anger, but he looked at him with an even harsher coldness.
“Do you remember the first thing I did when I regained consciousness?”
“Yes...”
The first thing Kenneth investigated was the guilt of the Aberdeen family.
He hoped until the last minute that they might have been threatened.
But the longer the hope lasted, the greater the disappointment and betrayal.
"Don't be fooled by empty talk without evidence. She has been strange since the spring."
“I apologize...”
Roger repeated his apology, unable to raise his head.
When he remembered Ariana's expression, he seemed sincere, but a person's sincerity cannot be known even if he cuts his heart.
“…But, sir, have you already told the lady that you are going to marry Mrs. Byrne?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The lady said she wouldn’t mind if I spent time with the lady during the opening ceremony.”
Kenneth thought again, but Ariana was good at getting on his nerves.
An ex-wife who cares about her next wife candidate that much? Never heard of this before.
He wanted to laugh sarcastically. What a great spirit of sacrifice.
But is Ariana doing this because she's really no longer attached to her status?
[Kenneth, I'll wait, just give me some time...]
Where did that woman go, who was waiting stupidly no matter how cruel he was to her?
* * *
Ariana's bedroom was connected to an indoor garden. Through the balcony door, there was a small artificial garden and the seashore.
After a stormy day, the night sea was magical as if nothing had happened.
Ariana stood, wearing only a nightgown and shawl, staring into the dark horizon.
‘The temporary identity document… I hid it in the Bible.’
The Lady of the House's sacred book was a forbidden area for servants.
She had to be careful, but the preparations were going well so far.
However, she did not feel eager to be free.
'Maybe because of Engels' words.'
Since returning to this life, she has decided not to give her heart to Kenneth.
But she felt sad today because everything from those days was sad in a new way.
'It's time to go back.'
But when she turned around, there was a long shadow standing in the darkness.