Ariellia woke up in a daze, her mind set adrift by the latest revelations from the dream. The real Arie isn't dead, just sealed in her own body in some form of purgatory. It wasn't due to some random cosmic joke but rather her misguided attempt to ensnare Rei and tie him to her fate, channeling a spell beyond her capabilities. He'd been summoned here because she claims he's the missing half of her soul. What does that even mean? How does one function without a complete soul and how did she come to know this?
That implies this world has some link to earth. Subconsciously, he's been drowning in denial and refusing to take this world seriously, always referring to the game he played on earth. While pretending to be logical about his sudden death, deep down he's always held a sliver of hope that he might wake up in a hospital somewhere, in his real body. If Ariellia can summon him, could she also send him back once he clears her death flags?
It's been weighing on him, what will happen once he sends off the hero. Is it enough just to save Ariellia from her fated death, does she have to follow Rei to ensure he reclaims his birthright? There's always the possibility that as an extra in the story, if she doesn't stick closely to the hero's party she might be eliminated by the narrative of this world. Ariellia frowns, feeling her head broiling with all sorts of heavy thoughts.
'It's far too early for this' she lightly pats her cheeks to fully wake up before hopping out of bed. She feels her face heat right back up at the sight of her indecent slip of a nightgown. As a former player of the opposing team, it was always a delight to see his girlfriend dolled up in something like this.
It's only now Eren realizes how much confidence it takes for a woman to pull something like this off without dying of embarrassment. She's relieved to tear it off for her morning bath. Miranda really should take up playing cards, her poker face is flawless. For her part she pretends like she has nothing to do with her mistress's awkward predicament. It's as though her secret attempts to aid the young couple to consummate their marriage never happened.
Ariellia is too embarrassed to even bring it up. She quickly gets ready for the day with the aid of her maids, joining the duke for breakfast. Without meaning to, she turns to the other end of the table, fully expecting to see Rei scowling at her for taking so long. She's slightly surprised to see his usual seat empty.
"Father, where is Rei?"
Yet another oddity of the day, Duke Garrod doesn't immediately answer. His gaze lingers on her face with a complicated look in his amethyst eyes.
"I heard he won't be joining us today my little moonshine. He's gone to visit the orphanage."
"Oh, that's good. He's with his friends, that should be good for him." She no longer pays it any mind, grabbing a piece of bread to butter up.
"That's strange, you would have usually rushed out to prevent him from meeting the wolf girl Anya."
The hint of suspicion in the older elf's voice nearly causes Arie to choke on the bread in her mouth. She has to restrain her urge to spit it out. As a noblewoman, she can't do something so uncouth in the presence of the duke. She forces herself to swallow the piece of bread with difficulty while thinking of a plausible reason to placate him. It's true, Arie would never be so calm while Rei is out of her sight and fraternizing with Anya.
"We're married now father, everyone in the city knows this. Even if Anya forgets herself and comes onto Rei, he wouldn't be so thoughtless as to play along. He has an image to uphold now." It started out as a quick excuse but the more she said the more she realized it's the truth. Due to her unfair contract, Rei now must maintain a certain distance from his closest friends.
"Oh my, looks like my little moonshine has grown up. That being said, I'm behind on my tour of the dutchy. I need to return to my schedule, but I don't feel comfortable leaving you by yourself. I'm headed to Draghdom next, would you like to accompany me?" There was an air of expectation from the duke, but Ariellia didn't know what to say at first.
Spending a longer time with the duke would give him more time to pick apart her poor acting, possibly exposing her. However, this might be the opportunity she needs to see more of this world and confirm some of her theories. Could she survive outside of the written plot? She could also use the excuse of touring with the duke to convince him to hire more guards to protect the city. This is an opportunity to see areas not mentioned in the game and grasp things from a new perspective.
"I'd love to father!" She couldn't help her curiosity, so she bit the bullet and agreed. Her positive response seems to greatly please David.
"Remember to tell your maids to pack the things you'll need, we'll leave later this evening. Be sure to inform Rei so he doesn't misunderstand." David didn't say much more, leaving the dining hall to finish some work in his study before the trip.
Arie waits until he's out of earshot before sighing, feeling like a sinner who's been given amnesty. She doesn't enjoy lying to the warm-hearted duke, but living is more important. Taking the initiative, she decides to head to the orphanage to tell Rei of the new development. After the recent incident, Miranda looked like she might have a heart attack at the thought of her lady going out on her own. After listening to her miserable pleas Ariellia finally relented, picking three knights and two maids to go with her.
The orphanage was on the west outskirts of town on a wide-open field of daisies. The lone church looked old with its faded roof tiles and cracked brick siding, but it still retains its original beauty. She sees the kids playing in the open field, singing, and horsing around as they should at this age. She's caught by surprise when a young boy spots her and begins to cry.
"It's the mean lady! The mean lady is here to bully sister Anya again!"
'Am I that infamous? Arie just what have you been doing?' Once again Eren is forced to bear the sins of this body's original owner.
"Hello there, I'm not here to bully anyone. Is Rei here?" She tries to speak softly, hoping her lovely face would lessen some of the boy's distress.
"Ah!"
She's left speechless to see him run off like she's some monster bent on eating him alive. It didn't matter how nicely she tried to ask, every kid she approached ran away from her in tears like they're remembering one trauma or the other. The cheerful field that had been full of singing and laughter cleared out in record time due to her presence.
'Again, Arie, just what the hell have you been up to!'
It's a scary thing to have an illustrious past.