# 69
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“Ma’am, good night!”
“Well, good night to you too, Emily.”
With Emily's final cheerful greeting, the door gradually closed, and the thread of light that had been seeping through the crack faded, plunging the room into darkness.
Ariana remained silent for a while, immersed in the echo of Emily's voice.
At first, she decided not to get attached to her, but in the end, Emily was one of the few people who had been pleasant companions throughout her many lives.
'...Should I leave a message?'
At least as a reward for everything she did for her...
But if she left such a trace carelessly, Emily might be suspected of helping her escape and receiving a reward for it.
'I'd better not leave anything behind.'
At least, with the extra paycheck she got, she hoped Emily wouldn't be too disappointed.
Ariana, who could never be a saint, decided to forget the feeling of guilt that was creeping up on her.
As long as Kenneth remained in this land, it was best for the two of them not to communicate forever.
'I can't leave through the main gate or the balcony door.'
Logically, there were countless security personnel, and even with shift change times, there was no one who did not recognize her figure. In the end, a simple disguise was needed.
Ariana opened the cover of the dressing table chair cushion.
Although this room did not offer any privacy, there were places that the servants did not carefully inspect.
They apparently didn't feel the need to clean the dust from inside a chair that was sometimes used to store newspapers or perfume oils.
'Luckily I got a hotel uniform.'
It was good that she noticed the clothes that were accidentally mixed with the laundry that Emily brought and secretly hidden…
Ariana quickly began changing her clothes into a hotel valet uniform.
She carefully arranged her hair so that not a single strand was visible, then covered it completely with a white scarf.
During the day, she might be noticed, but in the dark, she might look like a night cleaning lady.
Except to put a temporary ID document and some money in a small leather bag.
She had prepared enough money for Lady Greta.
I decided not to touch the jewelry because it might be tracked.
'Even with this disguise, penetrating the main gate is impossible.'
Walking boldly down the hallway like that? That was crazy. Instead, Ariana took off the cover of the vent next to the bed wall.
“Kh, h, kh.”
Ariana held back a sneeze hard by clenching her teeth. The place was spacious enough for someone like her, but the floor she would be crawling on was covered in dust.
'Baby, I'm sorry...'
She's just held her baby, and the first thing she takes in is vent dust. You will make sure to fulfill the baby's every wish once the morning sickness starts.
The building's vents were of different sizes, but the exits were usually in the same direction. Towards the outer wall facing the “less beautiful” part of the building.
'I can go out the back door next to the incinerator.'
Ariana felt dizzy from the frequent sneezing and the feeling of being cramped in the confined space. Sometimes she even heard a mouse screeching, which made her hair stand up.
“Ha, ha…”
At times, there was little motivation to return to the comfort of the bedroom for fear of the unknown.
There was an instinct to stay within the safety of the fence rather than the unknown outside world, but she bit her lower lip hard.
'Be careful.'
Now that she has Baby, she can't live with someone who called her "wrong."
She clung to this thought as she struggled through the tunnel that seemed like hell. Finally, a wind blew that smelled of grass and salt, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Ha!”
Ariana pushed the vent cover with all her might and got out.
Perhaps the description “rolled like a mass of dust” would have been more accurate.
The fresh air outside the dust was amazingly sweet. Ariana quickly dusted herf off and rushed toward the back door.
Her mind was whirling quickly thinking of the next step.
‘Should I go directly to Port Elisia? I can reach it on foot.'
This way, she wouldn't be discovered even if she went to the nearest port.
But if that's not possible, she can take an overnight train to Port Ritchie or Miller...
But her racing thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the shaking of the gravel road.
'What is this?'
Ariana looked puzzled as she bent over.
'Why do I hear a car sound this late?'
Although there were many families with cars in the area, moving this late was usually for a doctor on an emergency visit.
Even though it was a warm autumn night, she felt a line of cold sweat sliding down her back.
There weren't many people in this area who owned cars with clean, modern engines like this.
But this sound...
'Similar to the sound of the car Kenneth used when he drove from the station.'
Because of her daily sensitivity to other people's movements, she recognized the voice immediately. It seemed impossible, but he returned from the capital this late night.
'Why, for heaven's sake?'
If the master was returning, the hotel should have been in chaos since the morning… no, at least three days ago to prepare for his reception. Even if he was traveling by train, he could easily communicate if he wanted.
'He returned without notice on purpose.'
When she came to this idea, her mind froze. She didn't know why he did it, but her delay in confirming her period had set her off.
There was no time to go back to the bedroom like this.
It was impossible to explain that it was covered in dust.
'There is no way out.'
Ariana bit her sore lower lip from the repeated bites inside the vent. She tasted the dirty, acrid taste of dust on her tongue.
But this time, she was so afraid that she did not cough, and started running with all her might towards the port.
* * *
When Kenneth arrived, the quiet hotel lobby had turned into silent chaos.
Normally, they should have received at least half an hour's notice to receive the master, but this return was unprecedented.
Roger, who had quickly put on his uniform after being in comfortable clothes, was in the same state.
“Sir, how come at this time...! Why didn’t you give notice-”
“Because everyone will act like this.”
"What …?"
Roger wanted to ask, but he closed his mouth when he saw Kenneth's expression.
During his stay here, he suddenly realized how relaxed his master's expression was.
Before leaving for the capital, the master was content and relaxed, looking human.
But the now returned Kenneth, although his tone was calm, had a look so sharp as if it would cut the skin of whoever saw it.
At the same time, his eyes were shining like someone bewitched by an evil spirit.
Despite Dr. Bialy's warnings, Kenneth resumed taking the medication. He had no choice but to do so in this situation.
Throughout his train journey, he and his assistants struggled to solve two problems without getting any sleep.
First:
Parliament was held after his departure. As his war ambition was revealed, the Emperor quickly announced his intentions.
If his original plan would have worked, he would have prevented this, but that was impossible.
'I should have gone back quickly before I completely crushed them.'
If he had stayed in the capital longer, he would have strengthened his allies' position and returned. But the second issue made that impossible.
The source of that damned message.
The problem was that the handwriting looked too similar to Ariana's, but what was even more surprising was how the Crown Gazette obtained the letter.
They put someone in a post office near Port Elysia to spy on the Duchess.
They claimed that a maid who frequented errands for the Duke's mistress was sending letters.
If that was true, it would mean that this woman, while living in the Duke's Palace, had been secretly sending information and money to Andrew Claude the whole time—an incredible conclusion.