The Useless Duchess' Second Chance

Birthday Party

“His Grace the Duke of Alison and Lady Ariana entered the room!”

When someone announced their arrival, the attention of the people inside the Crown Prince's Palace almost immediately focused on Duke Andrew and Ariana. Not quite there, the sound of whispers immediately sounded when they saw Ariana come wearing pants instead of a dress as usual. People's gazes seemed to scorn Ariana, who was considered crazy. But under her grandfather's tutelage, no one was crazy enough to dare to mock the girl directly.

With the confidence that she managed to cultivate during her life in the palace, Ariana walked gracefully and confidently to approach Queen Melisa and Crown Prince Emilio, who were the center of attention at this event. Ariana bowed respectfully in front of the two. Her graceful style was completely unmatched, with an appearance that could be called inappropriate for a young girl like her.

“Duke Andrew greets Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Ariana greets Her Majesty the Queen and Her Highness the Crown Prince.”

Even though Ariana had to stand beside her famously strong and extraordinary grandfather, Ariana didn't lose her dignity at all when she joined in greeting politely. If the girl wasn't crazy enough to dare to wear the panties at an official palace party, people wouldn't believe that this graceful girl was a girl who had been declared insane after falling in the pool behind her house. Her manners were impeccable for a high-class noble. Even Queen Melisa and Emilio, couldn't help but feel amazed when they saw Ariana who was so polite and well-mannered.

It is nothing. As a child who was spoiled by her family all this time, Ariana never displayed a polite attitude, even when she was dealing with the queen or the crown prince. Only her status as the future queen could save Ariana from various problems due to the lack of attitude she showed at that time.

“There's no need to be so polite to us, Duke Andrew. And Ariana, are you all right now? I really couldn't stop worrying when your grandfather brought the news that you fell into the pool that time.”

Ariana's heart felt cold when she saw the worried expression Queen Melisa made. If it were her in the past, Ariana might not hesitate at all to start complaining to the woman. But her crimes were exposed in front of Ariana this time. The girl couldn't help but smile slightly, as she answered the question in a polite tone that sounded a bit too formal.

“I'm fine, Your Majesty. However, the doctor said that I had lost part of my memory because of the incident. The accident also almost took my life. The doctor said no one knows how long I will survive, with my damaged brain, after this."

“How come!? You should still be recovering. I can ask someone to find the greatest doctor to cure you, Ana."

The smile on Ariana's face faded as she watched Emilio act worried about her condition. Even more than the queen, Ariana hated a situation where she had to talk to Emilio. He had been pretending to love her all along. Emilio repays all her sacrifices with poison and exile. Her family and life are destroyed, because of the fake love made by the man in front of her.

“You don't have to bother for my sake, Your Majesty. This condition is indeed unavoidable. Even the royal doctor who can be considered one of the best doctors in the kingdom can't do much about my condition.”

Ariana's words weren't an exaggeration at all. But even with her condition, Ariana was able to live to adulthood without the slightest problem in her previous life. Ariana's condition only turned worse because of the poison she consumed. If Ariana could take good care of herself, living longer than before shouldn't be that hard for the girl.

“Ariana … Even if we're not engaged anymore, I still care about you like before. Please have no hesitation to come to me if you need any help. Please remember, we were friends before we got engaged.”

Ariana had no idea how worried Emilio was when he heard about the girl's condition after the accident. This time, Emilio was longingly expecting to meet Ariana even more than his birthday. But the man felt lost when he saw Ariana suddenly seem so far away from him. Her smile and demeanor were probably more polite than usual. Yet Emilio no longer finds love and sincerity, in the calm face of her ex-fiancé.

“His Highness Prince Raoul de Sigmund entered the room!”

Ariana was grateful that she didn't have to answer Emilio's words when someone announced the arrival of Emilio's half-brother. Prince Raoul is a pathetic prince who is the victim of a power struggle within the palace. His mother, who was an ordinary woman, died after giving birth to him. And because of problems with his birth, Raoul grew up with a brain problem that made it difficult for him to study, let alone fulfill his duties as a prince. Ariana only knew that Prince Raoul lived in his palace and lived quietly all this time. Until when Emilio ascended the throne, Raoul was finally sacrificed to maintain peace and prevent wars from breaking out with other kingdoms.

Faced with such a sad story, Ariana couldn't help but feel curious about the figure of the pathetic prince. Ariana also turned to look at the prince she had never met in her previous life. However, her body suddenly stiffened, when she saw the true figure of the pitiful prince.

Although Emilio could be called the most handsome man in the kingdom, his handsomeness could not be compared to the other princes' faces, which looked gentle and contained elements of magical beauty. His slightly wistful gaze added to the subtle impression on the prince's young face. If Emilio could be described as having the face of a hero, then Prince Raoul could only be described as a fairy born in the middle of the royal family.

But what surprised Ariana was not the rare handsome face. Prince Raoul's face, surprisingly, was the same face as Mr. Fairy that kept appearing in Ariana's dreams lately. Ariana secretly thought in that situation. The girl never thought the person she had forgotten about was a pathetic prince destined to die as an offering in the future.

As Raoul walked closer to her, Ariana's heart was already filled with panic because she didn't know how to greet Prince Raoul when they finally met at a formal event. She was someone from the Duke family, while Raoul was a Prince. Ariana kept thinking about how she should react until Raoul passed her and greeted the Queen and Emilio while ignoring her existence.