Chapter 9

“Ah… I’m exhausted.”

Bella had accomplished something monumental today.

After stepping down from the carriage, she dragged her weary body into the estate. She entered through the back door instead of the front—if she used the main entrance, the foxes would undoubtedly have something to say.

“I’m home…”

As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, the servants bustling about preparing dinner greeted her warmly.

“Miss, did you enjoy the festival?”

“It was… all right.”

“So you didn’t have much fun.”

The head cook, stirring a large pot in the corner, laughed heartily.

The maids nearby nodded knowingly, smiling along with him.

Bella couldn’t help smiling as well.

If they found out where I’d really been today… they’d all faint from shock.

She wanted to see their astonished faces, but she couldn’t tell them. Swallowing the urge to boast, she kept her lips tightly sealed.

“Dinner will be ready soon, Miss. Go get some rest. We’ll call you when it’s time.”

“All right.”

Nodding, Bella naturally headed toward the staircase leading up to the attic.

Ordinarily she would have stayed behind to help with the cooking, but the festival was the one exception.

“During the Founding Festival, don’t even go near the kitchen. If your clothes end up smelling like grease, it’ll disgrace the Eaton family name.”

Just remembering the shrill voice of the elder fox made Bella sigh.

That woman cared far too much about appearances.

“Oh, right. This shawl belongs to Cecile. I’d better put it back before…”

Halfway up the stairs, Bella stopped.

The coat she’d worn today belonged to Cecile.

It was the same reason she had been excused from kitchen duty during the festival.

Perhaps worried that Bella’s shabby appearance would expose how poorly she was treated, the elder fox lent her Cecile’s discarded clothes whenever the festival came around.

Granted, most of them had only been thrown away because Cecile claimed they were out of fashion.

“But if I leave it in my room, she’ll throw another tantrum…”

Bella let out another small sigh.

Once, she’d picked up clothes Cecile had ordered thrown away, mended them herself, and worn them.

For that, she’d been slapped across the face.

The memory made her cheek sting all over again. She rubbed it absentmindedly with the back of her hand.

“I mean, you threw them away because you didn’t want them anymore. You never even wore them, so why be so possessive?”

As punishment, every decent outfit Bella had managed to save in her wardrobe had been reduced to rags beneath Cecile’s crazed scissors.

Now she could recall it calmly.

But back then…

Back then she’d cried herself to sleep, clutching the shredded pieces of cloth in her arms all night.

Shaking off the melancholy, she hurried down the hallway toward the laundry room.

Normally she would have taken the servants’ passage. The foxes hated seeing her wandering around the manor.

But after everything she’d gone through since morning, she was simply too exhausted.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Cecile was still out enjoying the festival.

If luck was on Bella’s side, she could return the shawl without anyone noticing.

Making up her mind, she briskly crossed the carpeted lobby.

Then—

“Father!”

The piercing cry froze her in place.

Startled, Bella turned toward the sound.

The drawing room door stood slightly ajar.

What? They’re already back?

During the festival, the younger fox usually stayed out until sunrise.

Did the sun rise in the west today?

Thinking so, Bella quickened her pace.

But then she heard—

“You know my friend Cynthia, don’t you? That illegitimate daughter from that wretched baron’s family? She went to the duke’s estate today! And she’s not the only one! Nearly every unmarried noble lady in the capital is proposing to His Grace!”

…His Grace the Duke?

Bella stopped dead.

There was no way she could ignore that.

Before she realized it, she’d quietly crept toward the crack in the door.

If she were caught eavesdropping, she’d be beaten without question.

Even so…

She couldn’t walk away.

Fortunately, none of them noticed her.

Through the narrow opening, she could see the fox mother and daughter throwing a fit.

“Now is not the time to sit around doing nothing!”

“Exactly, dear! What does our Cecile lack compared to some impoverished baron’s daughter? She’s the eldest daughter of the prestigious House of Eaton!”

The elder fox’s face was flushed with excitement.

Listening to her speak so shamelessly, as though someone else’s inheritance belonged to her…

Bella felt goosebumps crawl across her skin.

Meanwhile, Cecile instantly abandoned her hysterics.

Replacing them with an angelic smile, she glided over to the count and wrapped herself around his arm.

“Father~ You want me to become the Duchess too, don’t you? Please? They say the Duke of Avalan is one of the richest men in the Empire. Our whole family could live in luxury forever!”

“That’s right, dear. You know perfectly well how the ladies of high society look down on us. But once our Cecile becomes the Duchess…”

“They’ll all be forced to bow their heads!”

The count groaned thoughtfully.

For a brief moment, he hesitated.

Then ambition sparkled in his eyes.

After all…

Who wouldn’t be tempted by the title of the Duke of Avalan’s father-in-law?

“Very well. I’ll make the necessary preparations.”

“Thank you, Father! I knew I could count on you!”

Cecile squealed with delight, throwing her arms around his neck.

The elder fox beamed just as brightly.

“But make sure it’s an expensive gift. The finest you can find.”

“A gift?”

The count immediately frowned.

Money always made him nervous.

The foxes exchanged glances before turning to him in utter disbelief.

“You’re not expecting me to arrive empty-handed, are you? Father! Think about my reputation!”

“Exactly! I heard Countess Milo sent her daughter rare jewels imported from overseas. We need something just as impressive! Do you want Cecile to be looked down upon?”

“Fine, fine! I’ll find something by tomorrow.”

Bullied into submission, the count nodded, cold sweat pouring down his face.

Bella could practically see him wondering where he would scrape together the money.

His eyes subtly drifted toward the expensive paintings decorating the drawing room walls.

She ignored it.

Those paintings had once filled the room because her father had loved fine art.

Though now…

More than half of them had already disappeared.

At this rate, this house really will become an empty shell.

Bella sighed quietly.

Knowing those two, they would eventually sell even the Eaton family name itself if they had to.

And when that day comes…

Nothing will remain.

Not even proof that I ever lived here.

Nor any trace that my parents once called this place home.

After leaving Cecile’s shawl in the laundry room, Bella hurried toward her tiny attic room.

Each step on the old wooden staircase produced a familiar creak.

For some reason…

Today, that sound felt strangely comforting.

“I’m so tired…”

The moment she entered her room, she collapsed onto the worn-out bed and pulled the blanket over herself.

The bed was so short that if she lay flat, her feet would stick out beneath the blanket.

So she curled herself into a tight ball.

Closing her eyes…

Thump.

Thump.

Her heartbeat echoed clearly in her ears.

Huh?

Was it always this loud?

She placed a hand over the left side of her chest, tilting her head in confusion.

Usually she could barely hear it.

Sometimes she’d even wondered whether she was already dead inside.

And yet…

Now, after deciding to die…

She had become acutely aware that she was still alive.

What a ridiculous irony.

“It’s okay, Bella.”

She whispered softly to herself.

“Don’t worry.”

“Everything will work out.”

Yes.

It would.

She chose to believe that.

* * *

“Well?”

The man’s quiet question echoed through the study.

Standing beside the desk, the butler cautiously glanced toward his master.

Countless reports lay piled across the desk.

Yet only one had captured the duke’s attention.

“What exactly are you referring to, Your Grace?”

Though he already knew the answer, the butler asked anyway.

Perhaps…

Just perhaps…

There was still hope.

“This woman.”

The duke left him no room to escape.

His finger tapped a single sheet of paper.

A woman’s name was written across it.

“Bella Eaton…”

The duke slowly repeated the name.

Something about rolling it across his tongue felt…

Strange.

Unfamiliar.

Compelling.

The butler, unaware of his master’s thoughts, watched him with growing concern.

He cared nothing for the woman in the report.

“She’s a fraud.”

Silence.

“I’m certain she’s a fraud.”

Another voice suddenly cut into the conversation.

The red-haired knight lounging carelessly in his chair shot to his feet.

The sword at his waist clattered against his armor.

“I’m telling you, she’s obviously lying!”

“Kyle.”

The duke spoke calmly, warning him to rein in his temper.

It had little effect.

The knight’s golden eyes still blazed with indignation.

“No, think about it! It makes no sense from the beginning! How can anyone guarantee they don’t have long to live? And if she doesn’t die, then what? What are you planning to do?”

“He’s not entirely wrong.”

Even the butler found himself nodding.

“It is something we should consider.”

He cleared his throat.

“She lost everything to relatives she’d never even met. If she became desperate enough… perhaps she’d resort to such an outrageous lie…”

“So even you think it’s impossible, Greg?”

The butler hesitated after hearing his name.

“Ahem… speaking purely from a practical standpoint, yes.”

The duke fell silent.

Certainly…

A woman asking him to marry her because she supposedly didn’t have long to live…

It was hardly a normal request.

“And yet…”

A faint smile curved his lips.

“The world occasionally produces things that defy common sense.”

At those words, both the knight and the butler stiffened.

The room suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

Watching their uneasy expressions, Ray chuckled under his breath.

“Oh?”

“I wasn’t trying to make either of you uncomfortable.”

“N-Not at all, Your Grace.”

The butler hurriedly shook his head.

“…Then does that mean you’ve decided to believe her?”

“I’m not sure.”

It was hardly a reassuring answer.

The vague response only made his retainers more anxious.

The duke finally set the report down.

The two men quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

But only for a moment.

“Still…”

He smiled as his gaze returned to the woman’s name.

“I find myself… strangely drawn to her.”

The butler’s expression immediately darkened with worry.

For some reason…

He had a very bad feeling about this.

“D-Drawn to her… in what way, exactly?”

“Exactly as I said.”

The duke answered absentmindedly, as though the question were obvious.

“I can’t explain it.”

“My eyes simply keep wandering back to her.”