7. The Lost Memories

Ariana returned to her room after she finished talking to her grandfather. Before they started a conversation, Ariana already knew that she couldn't hide everything from her grandfather. Ariana was lucky to be able to come with an agreement so easily this time. Using an excuse about learning swordsmanship, was indeed the right choice for Ariana. As long as she continues to defy royal policies and act casually, Ariana is sure not even the king will protest when their family decides to break off her engagement to Crown Prince Emilio.

About the possible consequences of going against the palace's orders, Ariana believed she could use her accident to pretend to be acting crazy. In her previous life, Ariana remembered well that both the queen, the crown prince, and the king were very shocked when they heard the news that Ariana had deliberately thrown herself into the pool after returning from the royal palace.

Even though it wasn't necessarily their fault, the people were still afraid to offend Andrew, who was known to really love his granddaughter. From the other maids, Ariana knew that the palace people would visit from time to time when Ariana fainted earlier. They know Ariana's head was badly injured in the accident. So using the same excuse to explain her sudden change of attitude, it definitely wouldn't look suspicious even in the eyes of cunning people like the queen and the crown prince.

“Hm … Let's see ….” the girl mumbled to herself. Even though Ariana had been fine in both this and previous life, Ariana began to realize that she couldn't remember anything about why she had fallen in the first place. It's not like Ariana really wants to die. The girl remembered that she had been very tormented and lonely after the death of her parents. However, it didn't get to the point where she even tried to take her own life at such a young age.

In the past, Ariana ignored this oddity because she was easily persuaded by the hard work of the queen and crown prince, who tried to visit her from time to time. But this time it's different. Even if everyone asked her to forget what had happened, Ariana would still try to remember what really happened back then.

However, no matter how hard Ariana attempted to remember, she couldn't figure out the exact reason why she had to throw herself into the pool at that moment. The truth frustrated her greatly, as there was a high possibility that her accident was related to something she had not managed to solve in her previous life.

“Valencia!”

“I'm here, Lady Aria.”

Not long after Ariana called out to the maid, Valencia actually appeared before Ariana with her usual respectful attitude. Valencia is Ariana's personal maid and playmate since Ariana moved to her grandfather's house. With her status, Ariana was sure that Valencia must have followed her to visit the royal palace before this.

“The last time we went to the royal palace, did you notice that there was something strange about my behavior?” asked Ariana curiously. Valencia looked a little surprised when she heard Ariana's question. The maid was silent, and did not immediately answer Ariana's question this time.

“Valencia, I'm asking you.”

In response to Valencia's silence, Ariana began to emphasize her words a little. This is an important question. If only Ariana could confirm that she was indeed acting strangely after returning from the royal palace, perhaps her accident did have something to do with what happened at that place.

“That … Lady Aria always seems sad ever since His Grace brought The Young Lady to this residence. Lady Aria also doesn't really like it when we get too close to you. So, I don't know for sure … Whether The Young Lady behaved strangely after returning from royal palace or not.”

After being pressured by Ariana, Valencia began to answer Ariana's question with a feeling of a little fear. Just today, Valencia was happy that her young lady was finally willing to get a little closer to them. But the question asked seriously by the girl, reminded Valencia of her young lady who was always cold and difficult to approach by other people.

Valencia looked up to see that Ariana was looking deep in thought with a furrowed brow. Valencia bit her lip, before she tried to muster up the courage to add her words.

“However … If I remember correctly, Lady Aria did look sadder and daydreaming a lot after returning from the royal palace. Lady Aria was slow in answering questions, and immediately locked yourself in your bedroom after returning to this residence. The maids and knights think that you might remember your parents again, so no one dare to disturb you that time. But as The Young Lady's personal maid … I think it was the first time you looked so sad and dispirited.”

“Really?”

“That, that's just my opinion,” Valencia replied solemnly.

Because Ariana was used to Valencia's honesty and loyalty, Ariana did not doubt every word that was spoked by Valencia. If Ariana's guess was correct, maybe her accident this time did have something to do with her last visit to the royal palace.

If only Ariana could remember what happened until she decided to jump into the pool, perhaps the girl wouldn't be so frustrated like this. The girl snorted loudly, before asking Valencia another question.

“Then, when I went to the pool, why won't somebody try to follow me? Grandpa must have given you orders to always follow me, right?”

Coupled with James, it felt really strange that her family could be so misled. Ariana is the only heir to the Alison family. For as long as she could remember, even her grandfather, who was not close to her in the past, would continually try to protect and give her the first priority. Her grandfather would definitely not let Ariana play alone. Their family had lost too many people. They absolutely wouldn't risk letting Ariana get hurt even for the slightest bit.

“That day, Lady Aria insisted on going alone. We, The Young Lady's personal servants and knights, have been trying to beg to be allowed to continue following you. After all, the backyard can be a dangerous place for you. Yet, you threatened to fire all of us and even punished our families if we disobeyed your orders. We were wrong, Young Lady. We should have followed you, no matter what happened at that time.”

“No, no. You're not wrong. Sorry for being selfish in the past,” Ariana said apologetically. Her thoughts grew more and more chaotic as she tried to piece together these pieces of clues. She, who was suddenly more moody after returning from the palace, she who insisted on going to the backyard alone, and she who suddenly decided to throw herself into a deep pool. Ariana is trying to piece things together, but she still lacks some evidence for now.

“In the backyard. Was anyone there when I decided to go there?”

“His Grace and Mr. James have asked all the servants, knights, and gardeners the same thing. But the backyard is always deserted, so it is rare for anyone to spend their time going there if it's not for work. From the results of Mr. James's investigation, I can be sure that none of the maids were in the backyard when it happened.”

“Then, how did you guys find me?" asked Ariana again.

“When we heard the loud sound of something entering the water, we rushed forward to look for The Young Lady while ignoring your threat. We were all terrified when we saw you actually fall in the pool. One of the knights immediately jumped to save you, but you've already passed out at the time. The doctor immediately came after that. But The Young Lady only regained consciousness today.”

If Ariana remembers correctly, the last time she came to the palace was three days ago. This meant he had been unconscious for three days. Her memory is disturbed, and she happens to go back in time after the incident.

“Lady Aria, we apologize for breaking our boundaries on this matter. However, after that incident, we decided to stay by your side even if The Young Lady threatened our lives. Lady Aria is the future of this family. What should we do if something happens to you?”

Guilt immediately overtook Ariana when she saw the sad expression on Valencia's honest face. Ariana was utterly embarrassed as she recalled how selfish she had been in the past. After hearing everything, Ariana doubted that her grandfather would just let go of her personal maid and knight after their mistake. Ariana approached Valencia, before holding the maid's hand in a gentle motion.

“I see. I must have been causing trouble for you all this time. Grandpa must have punished you for my mistakes, right?”

Seeing Ariana who was close to her again, Valencia was surprised before the maid immediately shook her head strongly. “Of course no, Lady Aria. His Grace only punished us according to our mistakes. We are fine, you don't have to worry about it.”

“Still, I apologize for all the trouble I've caused in the past. My personal knights … Where are they now? I want to meet them.”

“They … are on the leave for a while.”

Didn't want her lady to know that Andrew had punished them harshly, then sent the two of them on a tough mission afterwards, Valencia was a little awkward as she answered Ariana's question. But now, Ariana is no longer a naive little girl and doesn't know many things. From Valencia's answer alone, she could tell that her grandfather had truly taught the knights a lesson they would never forget for the rest of their lives.

“Do you know who they are?"

“They are called Cale and Luke, Young Lady,” Valencia replied smoothly. Ariana nodded when she heard the girl's answer. Luke and Cale … Ariana would remember those two names well from now on.

She really needs to apologize to the both of them, if they're come back to the Duke's residence in the future.