Meanwhile, inside the crowd…
'Imbecile! Royal jerkass! Asshole! Pervert! I swear I'll get you back for this!'
Ariel cursed furiously at Daniel as she glared at him, all while being bombarded by the press and noble ladies—both competitors and spectators alike.
"How did you meet the prince?"
"Were the two of you already acquainted before this?"
"Is that why the Queen Dowager chose you as a pardon of the Crown in the competition?"
"Lady Ariel, do you think this will give you a great advantage in the competition?"
The questions swirled around her like a hurricane, leaving her lightheaded and suffocated.
She turned to the gruesome crowd, forcing a polite smile before opening her mouth to speak when—
"If the competition were that easy and cheap, do you think any of us would be here participating?"
A sweet yet arrogant voice echoed through the space. Everyone turned to see Lady Catherine Slovak walking toward the crowd in slow, deliberate steps. She stopped in front of Ariel, eyeing her up and down with disdain.
"I have to say—something I truly hate to admit—you are indeed an exceptional beauty. But perhaps I should remind you that beauty isn't a bargaining chip to win the race. Boldness, fierceness, and intellectual intelligence are the qualities that truly get you ahead, the qualities that make one acceptable for the winner's cup. Not just a pretty face. Isn't that right, ladies?"
The other ladies quickly agreed with Catherine, most of them jealous of Ariel and eager for a jab that could ease their envious minds.
Ariel heard them, smiled, and replied, "Is that so, my lady?"
Catherine snorted and rolled her eyes. "Of course. If you were more than just a pretty face, but a person with good intelligence, then surely you would have had the decency not to walk through that door looking all dolled up to impress. Your.. intelligence would have already told you that you don't belong here—that you were simply lucky to be picked by grace."
Ariel scoffed. 'Of course. Figures. So she is the one with the good intelligence. The one that truly belongs here and not me..huh..how pathetic. Now I have to deal with another arrogant bitch like...Leticia. Thanks a lot, royal fleabag.' She grumbled in her mind before rolling her eyes, which only irritated Catherine further.
Catherine stepped toward Ariel, her gaze menacing. "What? You think I'm lying? You think you're really something special? Just beause the Crown Prince danced with you? Is that it?"
Ariel smiled. "No, of course not. I wouldn't dare think I'm better than you, Miss. Besides… like you said, I'm just a nobody. A mere pardon—someone beneath you. So I wouldn't dream of being more."
Catherine smirked. "Good. I'm glad you understand." She leaned closer, whispering, "At least now you know your place. And I hope you keep it that way. Because I don't tolerate two-faced bitches who think they can outsmart me by trying to get into my way of getting what I want. You're lucky that today I was just caught of guard and allowed you to steal my spotlight. But I promise you that next time...you won't be so lucky. So keep yourself in check, and use that little pea-sized brain of yours not to cross me again, bitch. Okay?"
Ariel leaned in, smiling sweetly. "Don't worry, Miss. I can assure you that, me and my little pea-sized brain will definitely keep myself in check—and safe. Unlike you, who claim to be smarter and more progressive than me, but just openly, brazenly, and blatantly insulted the Crown Prince by looking down on his dance partner in public. You've made him look like a fool for choosing me for the dance. Way to go, Miss. Let's see how you explain this to the real wolves."
Catherine's face turned ashen as she looked around, realizing the crowd's eyes were now filled with pity and disdain. Then she caught sight of her father's fury-twisted face—and understood she had just made a terrible mistake.
As if to add fuel to the fire, Ariel spoke in a sweet, broken voice:
"I am sorry for stepping out of my boundaries, Miss. A mere pardon like me shouldn't have tried to outshine the real noble ladies competing for His Highness's hand in marriage. If it's any consolation, I will go and change my attire so I won't outshine you anymore. Excuse me."
She sniffled back tears before turning to leave the ball.
Immediately, the room erupted into an uproar.
"Barbarian!"
"Shameless!"
"A jealous freak!"
"That woman doesn't deserve to be in the competition!"
"It is now proof that blood is thicker than water. A person of vile birth can also be vile in nature!"
"A true Draskian indeed—a venomous monster!"
"She just insulted our Crown Prince by looking down on Lady Ariel. She thinks our Prince is a fool!"
"Away with you, wretched woman!"
"Draskia filth! Pwee!"
The insults poured out at Catherine from all sides. In the blink of an eye, the entire room had turned against her. Some even began throwing things.
She shielded herself from the barrage, and in the middle of the frenzy she turned—only to see Ariel looking at her with a tiny smile before quickly changing it into a hurtful expression, wiping away fake tears.
'You bitch! I underestimated you! But don't worry… this is definitely not over!' Catherine roared inside her thoughts.
Just then, she felt her hand grabbed and herself dragged out of the mobbing crowd. At first, she was grateful for the save—until her blood turned cold when she saw who it was that had pulled her from the massacre.
Uncle Ezekiel Slovak.
If the humiliation from the crowd had been painfully unbearable, the reprimand she was about to receive would be far worse—especially on the painful side.
She swallowed hard as she allowed him to drag her out of the ballroom.
.....
"Everyone! Everyone, please calm down!" The voice of the master of ceremonies echoed across the hall. "Please, calm down! The frenzy is over. I kindly ask you all to compose yourselves."
Gradually, the crowd settled, standing at attention and facing the podium.
"Thank you, everyone. My apologies for the commotion—especially to our dear guests from beyond our borders. Please rest assured, the situation is now under control and everything will be settled accordingly. Now, with all due respect, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome once again our beloved mother, the glorious fortress of our kingdom, Her Majesty, the Queen Dowager, to deliver the closing remarks of our event. Thank you."
The room erupted into soft applause as Alicia approached the podium with poise.
"Thank you, everyone," Alicia began as the room fell silent. "Thank you once again for attending this extraordinary event. My apologies for the earlier commotion, and I assure you that strict disciplinary measures will be enforced to settle this matter. Let me also warn you, ladies—these measures will extend into the selection itself. I expect all of you to be on your best behavior, so that the competition remains fair and square.
"With that said, all noble ladies participating in the selection will be staying at the Royal Villa until the first part of the competition, which will take place the day after tomorrow in the fief of Fortshire. The details will be provided in due time.
"For the families of the noble ladies participating—if you are not from this kingdom and wish to stay and watch your daughter's progress—you are kindly advised to remain at the designated accommodations allocated by the Royal Office of Hospitality.
"So, without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our evening. Please have a good night, and good luck to the ladies. We shall see you tomorrow. Thank you."
With those final words, she stepped down from the podium and walked gracefully down the dais. The crowd cleared the way, applauding as she passed.
Soon after, the royal family was escorted out of the ballroom.
Ariel sighed as she watched the royal family disappear from the room. Just then, her eyes caught sight of Raymond signaling for her to leave the ballroom as well.
Ariel nodded softly before moving toward the exit.
As she walked, she bumped into someone.
"Oops! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. Please excuse me," she apologized quickly, composing herself before turning to continue on her way.
However…
"Lady Ariel…"
The sweet, gentle voice stopped her in her tracks.
The voice… it sounded so familiar.
No. It couldn't be.
Could it?
Ariel gripped the edges of her dress as she turned to face the person who had addressed her. Her heart hammered in her chest.
Her eyes widened in shock and recognition as she stood face to face with the one who had called her name.
A person from her past.
From a memory she thought she had buried deep in the abyss of her mind—never to be recalled again.
But the unwanted memory was back.
And it was standing right in front of her.
Back to haunt her once more.
And one question lingered in her mind:
What will she do?