Ariellia woke up the next morning feeling groggy and lifeless. It took all her strength not to fall back to sleep. Her limbs felt heavy and stiff, it was a struggle just to sit up in bed. She doesn't even remember getting to bed last night. The last thing she recalls is Rei confronting her and then everything fades into a blur. Frowning, she shakes her head. Trying to remember more only makes her head hurt.
"Oh, thank heavens. Our lady is awake!"
She hears an unexpected cry from an older maid, who appears close to tears. At this point, she becomes aware of the others in her room. They all share a similar expression of concern and apprehension. The group stands near her bed, and she is unsure about their unusual behavior. While aiding her, they handle her with noticeable caution, almost like they're worried she'd keel over at any minute.
"What's going on?" infuriated by the strange atmosphere she has to clear the air.
"My lady, you were asleep for two whole days. No one could wake you up. You gave the duke a big fright. He rushed back to the dutchy on horseback just to watch over you. The doctors and healers said you collapsed from mana exhaustion." The voice of the old maid trembled as she spoke, explaining the situation with a grave face.
"Oh"
They all look ill-at-ease with her lack of fear, but she can't think of a better response. She never expected something like that could happen. There was no such thing as mana in her past life. She had no way of understanding the warning signs. The feeling of guilt washed over her when she considered the loving duke rushing from his official business just to return to her side.
She wants to apologize but that would be out of character for her, so she just lets them dress her in silence. Today's gown is in fine taste as well, showing off the refined craftmanship of the elves. It's effortless flowing sleeves, lovely fit bodice, and cloudy grey hue made of rare fabric spun from silk spiders from the witch's forest. Coupled with her stunning appearance, it makes her look like a celestial stepping right out of the clouds. With Miranda's nod of approval, she is led to the dining hall for breakfast.
"Arie, my little moonshine!" The duke rushes to embrace her the moment he spots her. She's stunned silly by the sudden warmth. Tentatively, she returns the gesture. He must have been really worried. Again, the guilt from before returns and she feels her heart grow heavy. This is what it feels like to have a parent that genuinely worries about you.
"You must promise me never to scare me like that again. I swear I'd lose my mind if anything happened to you my dear."
"Don't cry father, I promise this won't happen again." She'll definitely stock up on mana potions before heading out next time.
"What were you even doing to get to such a state?" dabbing his tears with a handkerchief, David looks at her suspiciously.
Grrrr
Right when she is about to answer her stomach embarrasses her. Feeling her face heat up, she firmly presses down on her flat belly.
"Ah, of course! You were asleep for so long, you must be so hungry. Please come sit and eat, it'll help you recover faster." He doesn't give her an opportunity to protest, pushing her into the seat right beside him and loading her plate with food. If it were before, despite the awesome spread of dishes in front of her, she might only nibble a bit here and there.
Today, however, she feels like a starving refugee. Several times she sees her father look back at her in surprise, so she eventually has to slow down the pace. If an outsider sees this, they might think the duke is raising a pig and not a lady. Finally, after several mouthfuls her stomach is satisfied.
She's too stuffed to move so she strolls into the lounge and stretches out on the couch without a care for her image. She tries to rest her eyes for a minute but a prominent stare from above won't let her be. The concentrated force of the stare is hard to ignore. Eventually she opens her amethyst eyes to meet Rei's red glaring down at her.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"Hardly." It's the honest truth. She hasn't had a day of rest since she got to this world. She's always been walking a tightrope, constantly fearing discovery and death.
"Are you going to tell me why you're suddenly so fascinated with beast hunting?"
"…"
"So much so that you nearly put yourself into a magic deprived coma." His handsome face doesn't look pleased.
Should she lie? It's hard to say how far she can trust the hero right now. No matter what she does end up telling him, there's no way she's telling him her secret about transmigrating into this world. If anyone finds out she's possessing Arie's body, who's to say someone like the duke, who loves his daughter more than his own life, might try to exorcise her. She'd be dead all over again.
Rei frowns at her persistent silence. If she were the real 'Arie' she'd be jumping at the chance to hold a conversation with him. However, there are just some things she can't bring herself to say. It's not like her character setting is that of a seer like some of the mages in the white tower. She can't suddenly claim to foresee the future destruction of Rahnoff. Who'd believe it?
She can't tell him the whole truth but the best she can do is show him some clues of the upcoming monster march. Maybe if she points out the frequency of her encounters with monsters outside the city, or their strange bursts of strength, he'd believe her. Clad could be a witness and then she'd have another ally to fight them off with. She doesn't necessarily have to tell him every little detail.
"I thought you like independent women. I'm training my magic, maybe one day I might be good enough to fight at your side." That sounds like a reason an infatuated Arie might be willing to push herself to the brink of death.
"Who said that, and why would you even need to fight?"
Fair enough, she's been a pampered princess all her life. It would be strange for her to have a sudden sense of crisis over her powerless nature now. Still, she must get him to believe that she honestly wants to change. She admits having a bodyguard like Clad is helpful, but in the heat of the moment it's abundantly clear that he can't always protect her. Just thinking of the harrowing battles of the past week makes her wince.
"I need to get stronger if I am to help my father rule the dutchy. I know I've embarrassed myself countless times shamelessly chasing after you before. Even just recently, I apologize for kidnapping Ayna. But you must understand the safety and stability of my father's reign is more important to me." She's essentially saying, 'I was a brat before but now as a married woman I've grown up, please forgive me.'
Rei looks doubtful for the most part. While he can't deny the changes he's seen with his own eyes, their history runs so deep it's only natural he doubts her motives.
"But you can't keep going as you've been doing. If you're not careful one of you will get badly hurt. Maybe you'll over draw your mana like you did last time and Clad can't get you to a healer fast enough. Or maybe Clad gets hurt, how will you save him? Have you ever thought of that?"
She frowns. Yes, she has, and her options don't look very promising. It would be safer to hunt in a larger group, but the more people that know about her recent activities the more likely someone will report back to the duke. One must know, second only to the protagonist one of her biggest fears is the duke himself. It's as they say, a parent knows their child better than anybody else.
For the most part the duke has always been too busy to stay in the estate for too long. That's partly why Ariellia grew up to be so spoiled. David always tried to overcompensate for the lost time with material gifts, feeling guilty for not being there. That's why he turns a blind eye to some of her naughtier escapades in town. As long as she doesn't cross his bottom line or tarnish the family name, he's perfectly fine with doting on her. If he got wind of stories about her rapid changes in character all hell might break loose.
No, it's for the best that she hunts in smaller numbers for now. When the monster presence becomes a prevalent issue, no one would bat an eyelash at her joining the fray. For now, she just has to focus on raising her levels and improving her control on magic. She sighs, not sure how to rope in the hero when they stand on opposite spectrums.
"You know there's talk that the lady Ariellia, just a day into her marriage is already tired of her husband and seeking fun outside?"
!
How could it be? Is she mad, where did she grow the courage to tempt death? It's important to note the protagonist of any story is the author's anointed one. Authors are cruel bastards who'd orphan their main characters right from the start, stripping them of loving homes and a happy family. In exchange for all that unfairness and angst, there is but one unspoken rule. The Protagonists can't be cuckolded.
Any character that dare do this is just looking for death. As a minor villainess, said to die even before the first arc of the game, Arie dare not even dream of it. She's from the twenty first century, completely unaware of the stricter social norms of a monarchy. Who knew going hunting with just a guard, several days a week would turn into such a scandal. She can only rest her hand over her face in resignation.
"Would you believe me if I said I have had no relations with Clad in that sense whatsoever?"
"Yes."
"You would!" she quickly seats up, shocked by his flat answer. The thought that he might not hate her to the bone gives her some hope.
Rei rolls his eyes at her obvious reaction and scoffs. "Sure, you're spoiled but you're not the sort to backstab people in the back. You're too narcissistic and bold, if you were having an affair, you'd probably be the first one to tell me yourself."
True, Arie's character was simply meant to be a troublemaker. She was never meant to be a sinister calculating individual.
'I suppose that's a positive I guess.' She's not quite sure what to think of her husband's assessment.
"If you need more members for your hunt let me know. At least if I am there it'll stop people from saying improper things about you."
Ah, there's no way Rei knows how much those words mean to her. Angels above, this day just keeps getting better by the minute. Everyone knows the hero is protected by the strongest plot armor known to man. As long as he's in the party with them their chance of success just skyrocketed to the moon. Arie flashes him a brilliant smile, so excited for the new addition she can't even think straight.
"Thank you! Yes, please join us brother whale. Save my image from further attacks." She rushes to grab and shake his hands like a conman.
"…brother whale?" he suddenly looks unsure of his decision. Perhaps he jumped on the bandwagon too soon, not looking at the fine print. Maybe she purposely used this rouse to attract his attention and force him to participate. Either way, it's too late now. Arie wasn't about to let him back out. She needs his golden finger on their team. What's done is done, no take backs.
"Wait for me, I'll go get changed!"
"You just woke up from a magic coma!" He tries to call her back but it's too late. She rushed out of the lounge like a typhoon. He's left standing with his mouth gaping like a fool.
'Did I just get tricked into something crazy?'