Dawn came soon enough, but to her horror this alternate reality did not end with the night. She found herself roused at first light by two young maids. Elven weddings aren't merely ceremonies, they are sacred rites, woven with magic and tradition. The preparation is extensive. The two young maids immediately drag her off to begin the Bath of Blessing, a ritual cleansing of the bride to be in a pool infused with moonwater and leaves from the sampling of the world tree. She feels discomfort as they undress and wash her, but the alternative is equally scary. What if she had to bathe herself! Arie isn't ready to confront her full transformation yet. As long as she doesn't have to interact with certain lady parts, she could still pretend everything is fine.
When they return to her chamber, Ariellia stands in front of a tall mirror framed in carved silverwood, her hands trembling slightly as the maids fussed about. She robotically follows their instructions like a doll as they dress her up. If she were a regular girl, she would swoon over the pearl-white silk dress, embroidered with silver thread in the shape of vines, stars, and moon blossoms adorning her body. It's truly a testament to her father's wealth and the designer's imagination just how beautiful the dress is. Any girl would kill to wear such an exquisite piece of fabric…but not Arie. She watches with dread as the two maids begin to fix her long hair.
"Miss, you look so pretty. Rei is truly fortunate to have such a pretty bride."
"Yes, our young lady outshines the moon itself!" The clueless maid compliments her.
Arie can't accept it, she knows the only reason Rei even agreed to marry her was because of her underhanded trick. In fact, she can't help but wish if she's to be transmigrated anyway why couldn't it have been a week prior. At least then she wouldn't be forced to marry the protagonist. She could have sincerely apologized for arresting-no kidnapping his childhood friend, given him a heap of money, then sent him out of the beginner's village with joy. Yet here she is, days too late to change her fate.
'No, this won't do. There must be a way.'
It's a few short minutes into the game but she must remember the reasons why Ariellia dies. One, she kidnapped the protagonist's childhood friend/second wife. Two, one of her goons gets too handsy in the cell and ruins the Protagonist's friend and causes both to hate her even more. Three, her father goes out of town and the village is overrun by monsters. It's that last bit that seals her demise along with the rest of the city.
For some reason, a hero's past must always be traumatizing. A hero can't simply leave the beginner village. No, there must be something to drive him out of it in search of power to get stronger. When evil actors send assassins from the capital to kill the protagonist, the helpless little fiefdom of Duke Garrod gets burnt down in the process. They set off a chain of monster waves that no one in the city is prepared for, killing everyone but the protagonist and his future wife who manage to escape.
Since marriage can no longer be avoided, she must at least avoid the last two things. First, she must check the status of the true heroine and make sure nothing untoward has happened to her. Two, she must prepare for the monster wave. Afterwards she can just annul the marriage between her and Rei, then send him on his merry way. Living as a Duke's daughter on its own isn't necessarily bad, she can slowly get used to it without death flags hanging over her head.
"Miss?"
The maids share worried glances. It's strange to see their mistress so quiet with such deep thoughts. They're used to seeing her lively expressions while acting spoilt most of the time. It's no secret how much she's been pining away for Rei. The whole town knows it. She's never been too shy to chase off the competition before. Now that she's finally about to get what she's always wanted, for her to be this silent and thoughtful is a bit strange, no?
Arie catches onto their thoughts a second too late. She realizes she's been acting quite out of character. If the servants start spreading rumors of how strange their mistress has been acting who's to say no one will investigate. If the Duke grows suspicious, from how much she can see he loves his daughter, she's not sure he wouldn't destroy her soul for possessing his daughter's body. She's still too new to this, she's not even sure if 'this' can be called a possession.
Either way, she's walking on thin ice so it's best not to act out for now. Later, she can slowly begin to act like herself but for now she must still act like a pampered princess. Looking at the intricate beautifully braided design on her head she can't help but wince for what she's about to do.
"What kind of rubbish are you doing to my hair! I can't go out looking like a country bumpkin, all the big city lords will be at the wedding. Do it again!" without the slightest hesitation she ruins their fine work and demands they redo the whole thing. That's certainly something a spoiled brat would do.
In fact, this shouldn't be the first time 'Ariellia' has done something of this nature. Her maids don't seem shocked in the least, there's the initial annoyance, but for the most part they seem used to it. The hairstyle is redone in a more complex, more fanciful manner within minutes. Inside, she laments on how hard it must be for them to serve such a childish miss. Once the style is done, she makes a show of inspecting the new style to make sure it's done 'right.' She then places down her hand-held mirror in satisfaction.
"Good, I like this one more. I think Rei will love this style too." On the inside she gags but outward she pretends to be an excited bride. "By the way, has anyone heard from the guards. What happened to that girl?"
"Miss?" the two maids glance at each other in dismay.
Ariellia becomes impatient. "That girl, you know the one who's always hanging around my man!"
"Oh, the miss means Ms. Ayna. Clad and his group are keeping her in the dungeons. She will be let out after the wedding just as the miss instructed."
Ariellia frowns, by then it might be too late. She promptly stands up, startling the other two. They inch back a bit, unsure of what she's likely to do next.
"Take me to her, I want her to see me at my finest. To let her know better than to compete with me in her next life."
"B-but miss…your dress!" they fret knowing how filthy and dank the dungeon's likely to be.
"Don't you have hands, it's fine as long as it doesn't touch the floor." She snaps back.
"Yes, miss." They bow their heads, sure enough they seem quite used to her irrational demands.
And so, the trio sneak out of the main castle building. She makes her way to the dungeon wearing a violet cloak, her wedding gown shimmering faintly with enchantments beneath it. This is the time she should be resting before the ceremony. She too would rather not ruin such an expensive masterpiece, so she moves carefully down the stone steps. The mana torches casting long eerie shadows across the damp stone walls. The festivities are yet to begin so the guards are yet to start drinking. They are sober when they greet her at the bottom of the steps.
"Miss, you shouldn't be down here!" They yell in fright at the sight of her.
"You dare bring the young miss down to this filthy place, have you lost your mind Miranda!" the head guard, Clad chides one of her maids.
"Leave them, I told them I wanted to come down here. What, is there a place in this castle I dare not go!"
"No miss!" he quickly replies, knowing better than to refute her.
"Good, now show me where that girl is held. I'd like to talk to her."
"…" he likely knows she's come down here to gloat, but he knows better than to advise her otherwise. Reluctantly, he leads her down through the lower levels of the dungeon, past the final stairs into the deepest floor. Here, she spots a small cell at the corner. Its door made of enchanted blacksteel, resistant to all types of magic. A small window allows a sliver of light to enter, illuminating the crumpled figure within. The smell here is so rank she has to hold her nose. What sane person would brave this smell just to gloat.
"What do you want!" angry green eyes glare at her from behind bars. Seating on a narrow cot, with her hands bound by silver cuffs. Ayna's once-lustrous brown hair now tangled and dull, her plain gown torn and stained. But her eyes—those sharp, emerald eyes—still burning with defiance.
Ariellia steps back a bit in fright. It's amazing to see the 2d characters she's familiar with appearing before her as living breathing individuals. Ayna Valencia, the heroine of the game and the hero's second wife. A cute hybrid; part human, part wolf demon. The developers of the game were following the furry trend, so they made the main heroine a furry as well. Even now it's a bit surreal for her to see those fluffy grey wolf ears and that swishing tail by her waist.
She must have been staring hard for too long, the brunette retreats a bit, her fur bristling with her growing discomfort. Her reaction is understandable; it's never a good sign when your enemy goes silent just staring at you. She didn't mean to but already she's on the wrong foot with the heroine. Still, she must think up some excuse to set the other free before the wedding. At least this way the hero might see her sincerity and avoid being the cause of a traumatic experience for the young couple.
"I see you're making yourself quite at home here. It's too bad you won't be able to see my wedding with Rei." She tries to play the part of the villain, even adds an extra wicked laugh for good measure.
"Who'd want to see that farce anyway! Rei doesn't even like you."
'Trust me honey, I know' internally she can't help but agree.
Still, she pretends to frown at her words. "What do you know, I'm the one he's marrying. After today you will have no way to claim him in public, not unless you want to be seen as a homewrecker."
"What are you even talking about, I'm his best friend!"
"You know what, I've changed my mind. Since you're such a good friend, it won't do to have you to miss your best friend's big moment. I think you should come to the wedding, see me get married to Rei in front of the entire town in this beautiful dress while you bark from the stands. That doesn't sound too bad."
"You won't win, the moment Rei sees I'm safe he'll dump your sorry ass at the altar."
'Must you make things difficult for me'
She wants to help the other get out of the dungeon, but Ayna isn't exactly being helpful. What she's saying is likely the case. The moment Rei sees Ayna's safe he'd likely stop the wedding. Any other time she'd be grateful for it, but this is the Garrod family we're talking about. David Garrod is not likely to take the sabotage of his only daughter's wedding lightly. If Rei does try to purposely ruin their wedding this holding cell scenario will look like child's play. He's an elven lord and a duke for a reason, don't let the pampering smiles fool you!
"Who says he'll be able to see you. I'm not stupid you know, I just have to keep you out of sight. I'm sure those dog eyes and ears of yours are pretty sharp. You'll be able to get an eye full no matter where I put you. Be good now and don't struggle anymore, I don't have time to keep playing with you." With that she gives Clad the side eye and hopes to God he knows what to do. It's not like she's ever aspired to be a hated villain or anything.