#divorce proposal

FL: Countess Ariana Astaroth ML: Rowen/Wendy, second Prince of the Crosel Principality, “Baron Seir”. Ariana punched him in the nose as a child & doesn’t know it’s him Allies: Kazen (brown/green), works with Wendy & Winslet Daniel Wright & his son Dylan, restorers Ariana’s trusted maids: Gwen (glasses), Helen (grey bun), & most of the staff, except for Alhena's maid Duchess Etzelle (red/blue), Ariana’s godmother Winslet Etzelle (red/blue) & his twin sister Lydia

On Ariana's side: Emperor Hector Crawford (blonde/blue) Empress Grace Crawford (brunette/blue) Marquez Lafayette, Hector’s cousin, a friend of Ariana’s father, & head of the imperial museum

Enemies: Rowen Green, his sister Florie & mother. His mother is Baron Alpena’s mistress. Alhena, Rowen’s mistress & Ariana’s former maid Baras (blue), currently the most likely father of Alhena’s child House of Lords & namely Kaimo

Ariana Astaroth married Rowen Green to pay off her family debt. 5 years later, he knocked up her maid & nanny's daughter, Alhena. Ariana refuses to register Rowen's illegitimate child & asks for a divorce. Rowen says she'll have to pay 5x 100 billion if she asks for a divorce. Ariana plans to make him ask for it instead. Ariana's friend Winslet told her about an investigation agency, which is actually a secret organization under the Emperor. She meets "Rowen"/Wendy & Kazen & hires them to get dirt on Rowan. Ariana plans to get money for herself & make Rowen file for divorce. Ariana will pay them 30 mil via purchasing an artifact at auction. Wendy & Kazen need to investigate Rowen anyway because he's funding the House of Lords, anti-royal family nobles. Rowen's sister Florie has been stealing Ariana's things & breaks the ring she was trying to steal when finally caught. Florie cries to Rowen & their mother, who tries to tell Ariana off. Ariana said if the maids are a reflection of her training, then Rowen being a cheater must be a reflection of MIL being a mistress. Ariana tells the bank to only accept checks in her name now, cutting off Florie & MIL. At the auction, after purchasing the statue, Ariana breaks it, revealing a beautiful statue under it, having been encased in plaster to protect it. Ariana's in the papers. Rowen vents to Kaimo, who is the only reason Rowen has money, & tells him to be careful if he wants Ariana to accept his child on the registry & that house Asteroth must stay barely afloat for their plans. Ariana finds restorer Daniel Wright, who was cast out for a scandal. Daniel has Ariana hire his son Dylan for her restoration work. Florie tells Rowen that Ariana has a lover, so he tries to hit her when she comes home with Dylan, who immediately detains Rowen. Dylan will stay with Wendy & Kazen; he'll fix vintage plates. Wendy is the second Prince of the Crosel Principality, who Ariana punched in the face as a child. Alhena gets Rowen to say he'll throw a ball for her. Rowen tells his family it's so Florie can get a husband. Ariana refuses to help. Florie & MIL take Ariana's invitation to the Imperial Ball, where they're put in prison for impersonating nobles, mocked in the papers, & Rowen slaps Ariana saying she did it on purpose (1-15).

Ariana tells the doctor his son, Baras, is working with Alhena & sets a trap - Alhena told Rowen that Ariana is infertile, when it’s obviously him. Rowen starts a rumor that Wendy's alias, Baron Seir, is a womanizer. Ariana attends the Imperial Vault reveal with Marquez Lafayette, a friend of her father's. Empress Grace & Emperor Hector attend & Ariana reveals a light-reflecting mirror with the first Emperor's portrait, earning Emperor Hector's favor & embarrassing Count Glosse. Dylan finishes repairing a vintage plate with gold (kintsugi). Ariana will invite a rich man from Linette to dinner on the same night as Rowen's party, which Florie & MIL are forging Ariana's name on invites for, to show him Dylan's plates. Barras tells Alhena that Ariana is pregnant & Ariana says it's obviously her husband's, which Alhena believes then thinks it's Baron Seir's. Wendy kicks butt at polo. Hector offers to help Ariana, but she says she'll handle it; he wants her as a daughter-in-law (24). Rowen’s ball starts with Duke & Duchess Etzelle are the first to arrive because Ariana wrote them & asked they handle things. Since you can’t start a conversation with someone of higher status, Rowen can’t even question them; everyone has a higher rank than Rowen because he wanted Florie’s husband to be higher than count. That night, Ariana hosts a dinner with a rich couple from the principality to show them the plates. Wendy sneaks in to try & steal the account book, but doesn’t find it. Rowen slaps Florie when she says she was more embarrassed tonight than when she was in a cell. Rowen barges into Ariana’s room, says he could throw her in the dungeon, that she married him without telling him she’s infertile, & Ariana says he’s taking Alhena’s claims over his wife’s. He says he needs her, but that doesn’t mean she needs to be in the best condition & she should behave while he’s behaving like a nobleman. While Wendy didn’t find the account book, he found a blue sack. Alhena runs into Wendy & learns he isn’t the father of Ariana’s baby “either” (she isn’t pregnant). Rowen locks Ariana in the annex, but Wendy gets her out through the second story. Rowen is finally hit with the bills from his sister & mother (since Ariana cut them off) (25-30). Ariana sells the restored statue at Marquez Lafayette’s auction. Alhena’s convinced Wendy must be the father & that she can’t afford to use abortion drugs on Ariana, in case she retaliates because Alhena needs her baby in case her lies get exposed. Winslet returns & learns the situation, from the cheating to that Wendy-Rowen is helping Ariana. Rowen tells Kaimo to pay his mom & sister’s bill, learns Ariana was living modestly, & is told that orders have increased, but production is struggling to keep up. Dylan learns Winslet & Wendy, are knights; they debate telling Ariana. Ariana sells Dylan’s first batch of plates for 160 million Weohn. Winslet drops Ariana off at home, confronts Alhena, telling her she doesn’t know her place, he couldn’t care less about her child, threatens the baby, & says she better stay shut up in her room if she knows what’s good for her. Winslet finds Ariana a shop, the ghost house on the exclusive blonde street. Alhena fakes sick. Rowen locks Ariana in her room & threatens to cut off the hands of anyone that helps her.

Wendy & Winslet learn that the blue sacks were made by a dyeing workshop just outside the capital. Gwen finds them to tell them Ariana’s been locked up for 3 days. They break down the door. Ariana is finally clued in. Alhena realizes that Rowen can’t protect her. Winslet goes to the manor to investigate Rowen & runs into Alhena. He tells her he was only ever nice because of Ariana, that Rowen only fell for her lies & tears because he’s stupid, & it’s no fun to bother with her because she’s so shallow.