Back in the garden...
The entire court stood frozen, holding their collective breath as Ariel walked toward the bucket filled with garden manure, intent on executing her orders against Lady Catherine Slovak—just as Duchess Dowager Francisca had ordered.
Ariel lifted the heavy bucket and approached Lady Catherine with slow, deliberate steps.
Catherine stared at her in sheer terror, her face completely drained of color as Ariel drew near.
"No... no. Don't come any closer! Stay back!" Catherine whimpered, taking frantic steps backward. "Don't come near me!"
She turned to flee, but the Duchess Dowager's maids reacted instantly, grabbing Catherine and forcing her to her knees. Under Francisca's strict orders, they held her fast to ensure she endured her punishment without escape.
"No, no! Let me go! Let me go!" Catherine shrieked, turning her desperate eyes toward her aunties. "Aunties, please help me!"
The aunt standing nearby refused to even spare her a glance. She merely shook her head and kept her eyes glued to the ground. Seeing Ariel approach with that foul bucket, she didn't dare intervene, she knew that a single word in Catherine's defense would land her on the receiving end of the same horrifying punishment. So, she wisely held her tongue.
Queen Esmeralda offered Catherine a brief, pained glance before stepping forward to plead with Duchess Dowager Francisca to show mercy to her foolish niece. They had already suffered immense humiliation from the palace scandal two days prior, compounded by the disgrace at the Introduction Ball.
Allowing Catherine to be thoroughly degraded like this would destroy their standing completely. Worse still, if news of this spectacle reached the ears of that beastly monster—cousin of hers, Ezekiel Slovak—they would all face a devastating reckoning.
Big trouble. Massive, terrifying trouble.
So Esmeralda stepped forward, preparing to plead for Catherine's life—but before she could even take a step, the Queen Dowager's voice rang out behind her.
"If you wish to have that bucket of manure doused over your own face instead, ruining your pristine posture and that ridiculously over-the-top ensemble, I suggest you remain perfectly still. Otherwise, all of Draskian filth present today will receive precisely what they deserve."
Esmeralda whipped her head around toward Alicia, boring into her with a fierce glare that would have melted the Queen Dowager on the spot had she been made of wax.
'You damned old hag, how dare you! Oh, you will see... you shall see very soon. You are going to pay dearly for this!' she fumed silently, taking a sharp breath to master her rage.
Unfortunately, Alicia's threat was entirely real. Intervening now would only trigger an even greater catastrophe. It was far wiser to hold her tongue and distance herself completely, lest Catherine not be the only one facing public disgrace today.
Esmeralda offered Catherine a brief, cold glance—a look that communicated with absolute clarity, 'You are on your own.'
Catherine's spirits deflated instantly at her
aunt's betrayal. She was utterly doomed.
She had assumed this entire plan would be effortless. After all, nearly every high-ranking noblewoman present held some allegiance to her grand-uncle, King Damascus Brentford, or her uncle, Ezekiel Slovak. Many of them were actively working on their payroll.
The organizers had deliberately excluded the elder noble ladies loyal to Flambodia's inner royal court from this gathering, clearing the field to eliminate every single competitor who posed a threat to Catherine's claim as the future Crown Princess. And that included that damned pardoned girl, Ariel Fortmore.
Now, that very same girl was standing over her, about to inflict a humiliation so vile and uncouth that the stench of it would haunt Catherine for the rest of her life.
Catherine had believed everything was within her grasp. Instead, she was paying the ultimate price for underestimating that girl time and time again.
'I will never let this go,' Catherine vowed inwardly, her blood boiling with pure venom. 'I will make this pardoned bitch pay for what she does today. I will have my revenge, no matter what it takes!'
Catherine glared up at Ariel, who now stood directly in front of her, holding the heavy bucket with a faint, ice-cold smirk playing upon her lips.
Ariel snickered, looking down at Catherine's ashen face, before speaking to her in a low, chilling whisper. "This would have never happened if you had simply chosen to be the flower instead of drowning yourself in the very filth you claim to despise. Your petty arrogance will not save you today, Lady Catherine... and I truly wonder how many baths it will take to rid yourself of this stench."
"You bitch," Catherine spat beneath her breath.
Ariel's smirk widened as she raised the heavy bucket, drawing it back to hurl its contents directly at her tormentor. The entire court gasped, holding their collective breath as Ariel swung the bucket of garden manure straight toward Lady Catherine.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Catherine braced herself for the inevitable ruin of her dignity.
"HAA!"
The collective, ear-splitting scream from the surrounding crowd was all the confirmation she needed.
She was utterly doomed.
She couldn't bear to look.
The deafening silence that settled over the garden convinced Catherine that the deed was done—that she was now the supreme laughingstock of the entire court. Yet, as she hesitantly peeked through her eyelashes to inspect the horrifying filth covering her, she was stunned to find that not a single drop of manure had landed on her skin or gown. She was completely untainted.
Perplexed, she slowly raised her eyes—only for them to widen in sheer disbelief.
Ariel stood before her, entirely drenched in manure, decaying leaves, dry grass, and foul sludge. The suffocating stench radiated directly from her.
Shock waves rippled through the onlookers, their eyes wide and mouths agape. They couldn't fathom what had just transpired.
Lady Ariel had not thrown the bucket of manure at Lady Catherine as Duchess Dowager Francisca had explicitly commanded. Instead, she had dumped the entire bucket directly over herself.
Everyone stared at her in total, utter bewilderment. Why on earth had she done that?
She had actually disobeyed the supreme Duchess Dowager—a feat even Queen Dowager Alicia herself had never dared to attempt. Alicia stared in complete shock; she had never anticipated such a daring gamble from Ariel. 'Why on earth would she do it?' She asked herself, holding her breath alongside the rest of the court as they awaited the inevitable fallout.
Duchess Dowager Francisca was equally taken aback, though she concealed her surprise behind a mask of icy indifference. Disobeying a direct decree from the matriarch was tantamount to treason—a crime that, in ancient times, carried the penalty of swift execution.
Francisca studied Ariel intently. She could have instantly disqualified the girl for blatant insubordination, yet a flicker of intrigue stayed her hand. She genuinely wanted to understand the motive behind this shocking display.
Steepling her posture with absolute regal authority, Francisca spoke in a stern, carrying tone. "Lady Ariel. How dare you disobey my explicit command? I thought you were smarter than this. Tsk... it seems I expected too much of you."
Instantly, the surrounding crowd erupted into a flurry of harsh whispers and mocking insults directed at Ariel. The Flambodian noblewomen were particularly dismayed—they had been eagerly anticipating Catherine's public humiliation, only to watch their supposed champion pour filth over her own head while defying the highest authority in the realm.
To the onlookers, this pardoned girl was actively courting her own execution.
Queen Dowager Alicia felt a cold knot of dread form in her stomach. Yet, she knew Ariel was no fool, the girl possessed a sharp, calculating mind. Still, with every odd stacked against her, Alicia prepared to step in and mediate before Francisca passed an irrevocable sentence.
Just as Alicia opened her mouth to plead on her behalf...
Ariel stunned the entire court once more by dropping to her knees. She bowed her head low before looking up into the Duchess Dowager's unyielding eyes, her voice ringing out clear and steady.
"Forgive me, Your Supreme Eminence, for my bold and audacious actions. You have every right to unleash your wrath or punish me as you see fit. But... I simply could not bring myself to do it. To throw that bucket would be to violate the very spirit of your words, that this gathering is meant to foster unity and build future alliances. Such petty squabbles only sow seeds of war and ruin sacred bonds over trivial matters. That is why I dared to defy your command and turn the punishment upon myself. As one of the participants in that shameful brawl who disrupted the harmony of this event, it is only fitting that I bear the disgrace as well."
Everyone gasped as a fresh wave of murmurs rippled across the garden.
"I understand her logic, but how could she dare defy the Duchess Dowager's direct orders?"
"This will only bring down a far harsher punishment upon her head."
"What was she thinking?"
Duchess Dowager Francisca raised a single hand, instantly plunging the entire garden into complete silence. She studied Ariel intently before speaking, her voice echoing with regal authority.
"Wise words, Lady Ariel. I must admit that I am deeply impressed by your humility, as well as the unwavering devotion you have shown toward the virtues and values expected of a true noblewoman of the Royal Court." Francisca paused, taking a slow, deliberate breath before continuing. "However... you still dared to defy my command. Are you aware that disobeying a sovereign's direct order carries grave consequences? No matter how altruistic, generous, or humble your intentions may be, insubordination to the crown remains a serious crime—one that can easily be interpreted as treason. Are you aware of this?"
Ariel bowed her head lower, her voice calm and measured. "I am fully aware, Your Grace."
"Hmm." Francisca nodded slowly. "Then what have you to say for yourself?"
Ariel lifted her eyes, meeting the Duchess Dowager's unyielding gaze directly. "I would do it again, even if it meant my death, so long as I die with my values and integrity intact. Rather than dying with guilt upon my conscience, I would rest proudly knowing that though my end was shameful in the eyes of the court, it was noble, honorable, and unforgettable."
Duchess Dowager Francisca let a faint smirk grace her lips as she turned briefly toward Alicia. 'No wonder Alicia chose you as her pardon', Francisca mused silently. 'You are very intriguing, Lady Ariel. Yet still a touch naive for my taste. Who willingly spares their enemy? Who takes the fall for the very person who attacked them? It was obvious that woman provoked you, and I gave you the perfect weapon to break her—yet you took the blow yourself. If that isn't foolishness, I don't know what is.'
Francisca shook her head with a quiet sigh, opening her mouth to render judgment, when...
"However," Ariel continued smoothly, her voice carrying across the silent garden, "though we were both at fault, that does not mean we ought to receive the exact same measure of punishment."
Ariel turned her gaze toward Catherine.
Catherine was already nursing a triumphant, mocking smirk, delighting in the fact that Ariel had dumped the foul bucket over her own head instead.
'I believed this girl was cunning and dangerous,' Catherine sneered internally. 'Yet she turns out to be this utterly foolish?
Watching Ariel rise to her feet and take slow, deliberate steps toward her, the smirk on Catherine's lips suddenly froze.
Instinctively, she knew, this was far from over.
"I believe Her Supreme Eminence can agree with me that..." Ariel continued, taking slow, deliberate steps toward Catherine, "...when provoked, a true Flambodian does not resort to such cheap and petty tricks to get even. Instead..."
In a flash, she lunged forward and grabbed Lady Catherine by her hair.
"HAA!"
Shocked gasps echoed throughout the garden.
Lady Catherine shrieked in agony as Ariel tightened her iron grip. "Let me go! Aah! Let me go! What do you think you are doing?! Release me!"
Ariel looked down at her with an ice-cold, ruthless smile before finishing her sentence: "...we repay our enemies a thousandfold."
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
The sharp, brutal crack of palm hitting flesh resounded through the silent garden as Ariel slapped Catherine senseless, striking her until her cheeks were crimson and swollen, and her lower lip split open.
Only then did Ariel release her grip, casually massaging her own knuckle. "'A slap for a foul mouth, that is how you discipline an unruly child before the insolence festers out of control.' Parent's Guide, Rule Number 15."
Ariel glanced down at Catherine, who lay whimpering and glaring up at her in agonized humiliation, before sweeping her gaze across the dumbstruck crowd staring back in absolute disbelief.
Then, with perfect, composed grace, Ariel dropped back to her knees and bowed her head low before the Duchess Dowager.
Everyone held their breath as Catherine whimpered and sobbed on the ground in agony.
It was a brilliantly ruthless, badass move—one that not a single soul in the garden had anticipated.
Even Duchess Dowager Francisca remained wide-eyed with astonishment. As for Alicia, she was utterly speechless, she had always known Ariel was no pushover, but she never imagined the girl possessed this level of raw, uncompromising fire.
And she loved every single second of it.
Catherine shrieked, clutching her swollen, crimson cheeks and split lip. Consumed by rage, she tried to lunge at Ariel to tear into her, but her aunt instantly yanked her back to the ground, hissing a fierce warning to stay still and control herself.
The entire court waited on edge, desperate to see how the Queen Dowager and Duchess Dowager would respond to Ariel's audacious display.
The rival noblewomen silently prayed that Lady Ariel would face brutal retribution. Striking another lady of the court in broad daylight was a catastrophic violation of etiquette—one that should result in immediate disqualification, stripping of titles, and public banishment for such uncouth violence.
Instead...
"Ha... hahahaha!"
Duchess Dowager Francisca burst into a ringing, boisterous laugh. She laughed so hard her frame shook, nearly tumbling backward until Alicia rushed over to steady her before the matriarch could lose her footing entirely.
Francisca laughed for several moments more before finally stopping to wheeze and catch her breath.
"Unbelievable... completely unbelievable! A true Flambodian by blood, through and through!" She paused, taking a steadying breath before turning toward Alicia. "Oh, Alicia, your pardon is truly something extraordinary. I am truly impressed by her."
Turning back to face the stunned crowd, Francisca's tone shifted to one of undisputed royal authority. "I see no need to continue this charade any longer. The victor has clearly proven herself. And I am certain that those among you who are true Flambodians by blood would not dare question my decision... correct?"
Immediately, the elder noblewomen of the court began nodding and murmuring in enthusiastic agreement with the Duchess Dowager.
"Yes, yes, indeed!" One of the senior noble judges stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Lady Ariel has unequivocally proved her worth today. She is, without a doubt, the undisputed victor of this trial."
"Hmm," Francisca hummed softly. "Indeed. She proved herself in ways even I could not have anticipated."
She then turned her gaze toward Queen Esmeralda, her expression turning into a mask of pure ice.
"And as for you... I had hoped that the disgrace two days ago at the palace would have taught you and your foolish niece to keep your heads low and refrain from causing further trouble. But I suppose the old proverb holds true, a snake will always remain a snake. No matter how sleek, golden, or meek it may appear on the surface, it remains venomous to its very core."
"Must we truly institute far harsher measures before certain people learn their lesson? Is that what you desire?!"
At Francisca's thunderous demand, Queen Esmeralda instantly dropped to her knees.
"My most humble apologies, Your Supreme Grace! I failed to properly discipline my niece, but I swear to you that I will not let this insolence pass unpunished!" She whipped her head around, boring a ruthless glare into Lady Catherine, who was still squirming on the grass and weeping over her swollen, battered face.
Francisca hummed coldly. "Good. Ensure you fulfill that promise to the letter—otherwise, it will be your royal standing on the line instead of your unruly niece's." She scoffed, her gaze sweeping over them in utter contempt. "Draskian filth. Pfft."
She spat on the ground before turning to face Ariel, who remained kneeling with her head bowed low. "Lady Ariel, rise."
Ariel immediately stood up, though she kept her head respectfully inclined.
"You have proven yourself exceptionally worthy," Francisca declared, studying her closely. "At first, I mistook you for a mere push-over—a weakling. But now I see that Alicia truly made the right choice in appointing you as her pardoned contender in this competition. Still, you must remember my warning so that you never lose your edge: danger will inevitably come for you. When it does, ensure you face it head-on... just like a true Flambodian."
Ariel inclined her head gracefully, her voice melodious and composed. "I shall, Your Supreme Grace. Thank you."
"Good," Francisca hummed in approval. "Now go and get yourself cleaned up. You are excused for the remainder of the day—go and mingle with the people of the fief. Since you claimed victory in this round, you have earned it."
Ariel bowed deeply. "Thank you, Your Grace."
Francisca turned her stern gaze back toward the rest of the noblewomen. "As for the rest of you... because you chose to ostracize Lady Ariel all day—demonstrating that your arrogant pride far outweighs your humility, dignity, and the core virtues expected of noblewomen, you are all hereby confined to Flower Manor for the remainder of the day."
Outraged gasps and frantic protests immediately broke out among the crowd.
"Indeed," Francisca cut through the noise, her voice like iron. "Not a single one of you displayed the character Lady Ariel demonstrated today, which makes her the undisputed victor of this trial. Every last one of you failed. Perhaps it was a mistake on my part to assume someone had properly instructed you on what this task truly required." She cast a lethal glance directly at Queen Esmeralda.
"Though I suppose expecting wisdom from someone outside our kingdom was a fool's errand. Tsk..."
She snickered in cold disdain before turning back to the group. "Since Lady Ariel has passed this trial with flying colors, the rest of you are granted a reprieve—for now. But ensure that during the next task, you do not repeat this embarrassing charade. Otherwise, I will declare Lady Ariel the Crown Princess before any of you even have a chance to compete! Is that understood?!"
All the noblewomen bowed their heads low, murmuring in terrified agreement.
"Good." Duchess Dowager Francisca turned to Alicia. "A word in my chambers. Now."
Queen Dowager Alicia inclined her head respectfully. Before following, she turned toward Ariel, who bowed low in reverence. Alicia returned the gesture with a soft, proud smile and a subtle nod, then turned and followed Francisca toward the manor.
Queen Esmeralda scrambled to her feet, desperate to catch up with the senior matriarchs. She paused only to cast a furious, disgusted look back at Catherine—who was still whimpering on the grass as her other aunt struggled to pull her to her feet.
Huffing in irritation, Esmeralda hurried off after the royal dowagers.
Ariel glanced back at Catherine, who stood wobbling on her feet, barely held upright by her aunt.
"You had better go find some pesticide immediately, Lady Catherine, and spray yourself down," Ariel jeered smoothly. "It appears you were viciously attacked by a rogue bee that mistook you for a deadly garden weed." She let out a cold, melodic chuckle. "Once you are finished, do give me a call so we can continue spending time together... after all, filth simply loves the company of other filth, wouldn't you agree?"
With that final parting sting, she turned on her heel and glided away.
"You... you! Ow! Ow!" Catherine shrieked after her, wincing in agony as the shouting sent sharp, throbbing pains through her swollen jaw. Left with no other recourse, she could only glare helplessly at Ariel's retreating back.
....
Meanwhile...
From high above on the terrace, a pair of sharp, golden-honeydew eyes silently observed the entire spectacle unfold.
His gaze tracked Ariel as she stepped out of the garden, making her way back into the manor toward her quarters.
"Interesting," he murmured softly. "I suppose I truly did underestimate you after all, my dear Flamingo. Which raises the question... are you genuinely who you claim to be? Or are you someone else entirely? No matter—I shall uncover the truth soon enough."
His eyes drifted back across the garden to the secluded spot where he had stood earlier, remembering the vibrant blue flower he had seen earlier.
A slow, enigmatic smirk touched his lips as he whispered once more into the breeze, "Very soon."