Arie is none the wiser the next morning, she awakes to the ringing of the bells from the belltower still dressed in her wedding dress. She's embarrassed by the speculative looks on the maids' faces. It's unclear whether they're secretly ridiculing her for being snubbed on her wedding night or guessing if the deed was done. Either way, their thoughts are traveling down disturbing paths. She quickly orders them to prepare her for the day and stop making a fuss.
Miranda seems to understand her the most, dismissing most of the staff and leaving only her closest aids. When they take her to the bath it's very clear she is untouched. Miranda and the other two maids share troubled looks, but their mouths remain sealed. Brash as she maybe she's still their young miss, they watched her grow up. They can't bear it to see this child be shamed or badmouthed by others.
She's undressed, washed, and redressed in a plain green gown for the morning. It must be said that Ariellia is truly a good-looking girl. Her natural grace shines through no matter what she wears. As a former member of the male gender, Eren has to give Rei props for being able to resist the temptation of touching her last night. Truly worthy of being called the hero, stubborn to a 'T' and as unyielding as steel.
"Miss, the duke has requested your presence for breakfast in the east hall. The young lord is also waiting for you to join them."
"Thank you, now bring me to them." She can't be overly nice overnight, but she can offer the carrot and the stick. Say the nicest things in the rudest ways, that should keep them from suspecting anything.
"Yes, miss" they bow and help direct her through the halls. Arie must give it to Garrod, being a duke certainly has its benefits. Even in this backwater part of the kingdom, the Garrod family can still afford to live lavishly due to their mineral mines. Her father's net worth isn't something anyone can wrap their minds around. Its wealth accumulated over several generations. One might question his parenting but not his leadership as a Lord of his fiefdom.
"Ariellia, my darling! Did you sleep well? Come, sit, and eat something. I know you've been dieting to fit into your dress."
She barely enters the room and already she can feel his overbearing love. She's so unused to such open displays of affection it makes her hesitant to step forward. She eyes the other silent occupant on the long table. Rei sits at the other end of the table, intently staring at his plate. He doesn't seem to be able to bear the sight of her, so he intends to ignore her existence entirely.
Arie can't blame him, he has every right to be angry, so she doesn't say anything. She takes her seat by her father's side and gives him a soft peck on the cheek. It looks like it was the right call, David seems extremely pleased by her actions. He immediately begins to load up her plate, pampering her in every way possible. Arie feels a chill down her spine. She glances back towards the other end of the table in caution.
It's just a second, but she catches Rei's eye before he drops his gaze. The displeasure she saw in that split second was far too frightening to be ignored. It seems she needs to do a better job of minimizing her existence in his presence. Breakfast passes in a blur, she can barely remember what she discussed with her father. Her mind's too strained, thinking of how to go about averting her imminent demise.
She orders the maids to take her to the library after breakfast. She doesn't dare approach her 'husband' for fear of raising his distaste any further. If the Garrod estate is something to behold, the immense library even more so. The moment she steps in it she's embraced by the scent of ink, parchment, and lilies.
The flowers hang at the edge of each shelf. She stares in awe at the high dome ceiling, the soft rainbow hues of sunlight streaming through the stained-glass dance along her skin. Her eyes can't help but dart from one tall shelf to the next. This level of carpentry is pure art, with depictions of mythical beasts and deities she can't even name carved into the Silverwood. She wouldn't mind being lost in here forever…no focus! She's here for a purpose.
Quickly, she snaps back to reality. She orders the maids to bring books pertaining to the world's geography, history, and lore. As a former citizen of a modern democracy, she'd rather abstain from ordering people around and gathering more 'aggro' from the staff, but her hands are tied. She's completely clueless and would likely get no results if she searched for these books herself. In fact, she didn't order the maids to leave just in case of the unfortunate event where she can't read the contents of the books.
Thankfully, it appears she can read this world's writing system as though it were her native tongue. It appears the skills learned by this body were not forgotten. She finally orders the maids to leave, only allowing them to return when it's time for dinner. She intends to spend her whole day in the library gathering knowledge of this world. The status window from last night got her thinking of all sorts of things. Just what exactly is considered normal here?
It's strange, some of the things she finds she already knows from the game. However, she finds a lot of things were glossed over by the game creators. The world map still looks the same, however the history is much richer. The King's return only centered around Rei and his journey to retrieve his birthright. Things like the continent's history, the several tribes and cultures of this world were never truly explained.
The first thing she learns about is the current year. It's the forty-fifth year of Umbra, a month before the main game's event begins. There are seven continents within Gaea and seven empires. She currently resides on the continent of Aska, a hot region towards the south. People often say imagination doesn't come from nothing, most authors take from what they know and build on it.
Aska is similar to the continent of Africa on Earth. A region full of vast lush land, tropical forest, and exotic creatures. Arie herself is part dark elf, a descendant of the elder race and follower of the moon goddess Selene. The monsters of this world are said to come from negative mana created by ill feelings from all living things. They will exist for as long as the denizens of Gaea continue to amass impure thoughts and commit atrocities to one another. The monsters are a manifestation of their sinful hearts and desires.
The monsters that will attack Rahnoff will come from the witch's forest in the east. She must find a way to construct some defense structures before the month is up. Not only that, but she also has to find a way to raise her level and power up. If she's to survive a monster march, a measly 150 HP won't be enough to keep her alive. Thankfully, this world isn't too far removed from the game she's familiar with.
The terms are the same, there are still adventurers, dungeons, and bounties. Apparently, most people can't see their levels unless they get them appraised by one of the seers at the temple of Lunair. However, they are aware of the term levels and how to raise them by hunting monsters. The act of killing monsters is akin to vanquishing evil, in return the celestials of this world offer power to those willing to fight.
Speaking of fighting, she's honestly never fought in real life. She's lived the life of a peaceful civil servant for 27 years prior to this. She can't honestly imagine herself stabbing anything with a sword. She'd likely trip on her heels and fall on the pointy end. To avoid hastening her death due to inexperience she decides to try other avenues.
'Mage'
The last time she pulled up her stats she'd been too tired to really think. Now that she pulls it up again, she notices the glaring difference between her magical strength and that of her physical attack power. Her higher intelligence means she's likely capable of casting magic. The trick now is to find an amateur book on magic. It's unlikely she'll be able to do anything amazing with only a month to practice, but it's a start.
"Do you plan to sleep here tonight?"
The question comes out of nowhere. She's so startled she nearly falls off the ladder. Thankfully, large sturdy hands grab her slim waist and steady her. She leans forwards and tries to calm her beating heart, taking a deep breath before looking back. Her heart rate rushes right back to the top again as she stares into Rei's sharp scarlet eyes.
They share an awkward moment of silence, unsure of what to say. Rei retracts his hands, frowning as he looks over the piles of books littering the floor. He probably thinks she is an illiterate princess, preferring to throw books about than read them. Arie carefully climbs down the ladder with the novice book on shadow magic in her arms.
She's been so deep in her studies she didn't even notice it as time passed. The maids were probably too scared of what she might do to them if they disturbed her. So, they shifted the responsibility onto her newlywed 'husband.'
Rei doesn't particularly look happy to 'fetch' her. In fact, he looks about ready to leave.
"Your father wants you to come have dinner." He leaves as soon as the message is passed. Arie has no choice but to halt her research for now. She orders the maid in charge of the library to return the books to their proper places before she leaves. Secretly she wonders if it's a good thing to be treated like a ghost by her husband.