CHAPTER 41: BIRTHDAY BANQUET 5

"Lady Arianna, there you are! I've been looking for you," the girl in the red gown exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention back to Arianna, who had now returned into the hall.

Arianna smirked as she looked at this clown she had completely forgotten about after going to look for her mysterious man earlier.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting," Arianna joked as she sashed her way to the gang's location.

The girl was irritated because Arianna didn't fall for the trap, but she couldn't stop now. She had no idea how to proceed, but someone had already done so.

A shrill was heard, and the next thing that happened was quite unexpected. A young girl on her knees stood directly in front of Arianna.

Even Arianna, the victim, was taken aback; she had no idea these people would pull such an old trick on her in front of so many people. How was she supposed to deal with this at this point?

"Is it really necessary for you to be on your knees like this, as if you've committed some major crime?" Arianna inquired, her brow furrowed.

"I sincerely apologize. I didn't intend for it to happen. I will make amends," the girl pleaded, tears streaming down her cheeks like a waterfall.

Arianna couldn't believe she was going to get in trouble for this. Why did she have to leave Maxim and come down now, just to meet this person?

"It's just a stain on the gown, and you don't need to compensate for it," she said softly as she reached out her small hands to pull the sobbing girl up, but she dodged and made a bigger scene.

As she looked at this girl, Arianna's head exploded with rage. She had no idea how to deal with this at all. Amy wasn't this cold-blooded, and she hadn't seen her in a long time after that fiasco at the movies.

Everyone was staring at Arianna at this point, and some were even whispering, while others couldn't help but speak louder for Arianna to hear.

[I can't believe she's still throwing some air in another duchy.]

[How come she can't let her go?]

[I can't believe she's attempting to steal Lady Nadia's spotlight.]

Arianna shook her head in disbelief; these people weren't all blind.  How can they all twist the truth as they want? When she walked into the hall, she didn't even notice or touch the other girl.

She was walking towards the girl in the red gown one second, and the next she was on her knees with a shattered glass and her gown ruined by the wine.

A number of people may have witnessed all of this, but it didn't matter because this day was set aside to humiliate her and tarnish her name once more.

"If you like to kneel, keep doing so," Arianna stated flatly as she circled around the kneeling girl, causing the rest of the guests to gasp in surprise.

[Did she really just do that?]

[I can't believe she's so cruel? Why must she remain on her knees?]

Nadia was smiling inwardly as she observed Arianna's brazen behavior. Arianna was already in big trouble, so she didn't need to do anything or raise a finger.

She scanned the crowd and noticed a few people holding their phones; she knew what they were doing and she wasn't going to stop them. Nadia was overjoyed and was about to go talk things out and make herself feel better, but someone stole her spotlight.

"You must be Lady Arianna; this commoner Ruby is overjoyed to finally meet you," says Ruby. Ruby's voice rang out in the hall, drawing everyone's attention to both Ruby and Arianna.

Arianna came to a halt and turned around to face the person who was exacerbating the situation. She was taken aback for a moment before regaining her composure.

"This is the famous Ruby, and it's great to finally meet you in person. I've been dying to see you," Arianna replied shamelessly, causing everyone to stare in awe.

"I just didn't expect you to flaunt your authority like this at our first meeting. You really made me see you in a new light," Ruby said as she approached Arianna.

A few people laughed when they heard Ruby's snide remark. . Even Arianna could tell she was being mocked, but she didn't retort right away, instead smiling faintly at Ruby, who was attempting to step on her.

"It's good that you see me in this light. For someone who will marry into nobility in the future, you must make it a priority to check your facts before making a judgement, or the entire duchy or kingdom will be jeopardized if the leaders are biased like you are," Arianna fought back viciously, shocking the guests once more.

Ruby choked on her saliva as she listened to Arianna's words. She expected Arianna to try to maintain her image, but she never expected her to handle the situation in this manner. Arianna couldn't possibly be speaking to her in this manner.

Wasn't she being humiliated in front of so many people?

"Can't you let the young girl stand up before we talk about bias?" Ruby quickly shifted the conversation back to the kneeling girl.

"I asked her repeatedly to stand up, but I can't stop someone who is so in love with kneeling from going against it," Arianna joked, shrugging her shoulders as if she herself was out of options.

Ruby approached the kneeling girl and helped her get to her feet with her own hands. The young lady began to wipe her tears away as she gazed gratefully at Ruby.

"You didn't have to. I will compensate her even if it means slaving myself for the rest of my life," the girl said in a sympathetic tone to the guests.

Surely, that worked, and Arianna was viewed as the villain, while Ruby was viewed as the heroine. This was so amusing that even the man watching the video in a low-key sedan couldn't help but laugh.

He wondered how the little girl was going to solve this problem; if she did a good job, he might consider rewarding her for her efforts. Maxim had taken the time after leaving her to thoroughly investigate Arianna, and the results had piqued his interest. The little girl was certainly intriguing.

And he couldn't wait to dig and discover what the little girl was keeping hidden.