Chapter 11

“Bella!”

The bedroom door slammed open with a deafening bang, followed by an enraged shout.

Bella had just opened her mouth to tell them that people ought to knock before barging into someone else’s room when—

“You! Just what… what have you done?!”

The little fox stormed in, breathing hard, her face twisted with fury.

Bella could only stare at her in bewilderment.

What’s gotten into her?

Normally, the girl was the type to lash out physically whenever she was in a bad mood, and the reasons were almost always laughably petty.

Which also meant Bella had never actually seen her truly angry before.

But now—

The little fox was trembling from head to toe with rage.

…This is strangely satisfying.

The corners of Bella’s lips curled upward ever so slightly.

Beside her, Roxy stood frozen with her mouth hanging open, equally stunned by the scene unfolding before them.

The commotion had drawn the household servants into the hallway, and they too watched in speechless disbelief.

“You’re smiling? You’re actually smiling right now?!”

“First, calm down. Then tell me what’s going on—”

“Shut up! Do you think I’m a joke? Is this funny to you?!”

The little fox screamed at the top of her lungs.

Bella swallowed a sigh.

Reasoning with her was clearly impossible, but she couldn’t simply stand there and take this abuse either. She was about to suggest they explain the situation like civilized people when—

Smack!

A burning sting exploded across one side of her face.

“Wha—”

Still dazed, Bella instinctively touched her cheek.

It was scorching hot.

Before she could even turn her head—

Smack!

Another blow landed on the opposite side.

The second slap hurt even more.

This one had come from the elder fox, who had arrived moments later.

“M-Madam!”

“Out of my way!”

Roxy rushed between them to stop her, but it was useless.

Consumed by fury, the fox mother and daughter grabbed Roxy by the hair and flung her violently aside.

Only then did Bella snap back to her senses.

“…Why are you doing this to me?”

The sudden assault had left her completely stunned, but the moment she saw Roxy sprawled across the floor, the blood boiling through her body turned ice cold.

“Have you both gone insane?!”

Unable to hold back any longer, Bella shouted.

The two foxes, who had been about to kick the fallen Roxy, froze.

Then they turned toward Bella with murderous eyes.

“What? You’re asking why? You seriously don’t know?!”

“You started hitting me without a word! Of course I don’t know! At least explain what’s going on!”

Bella finally raised her voice.

She stood up in one swift motion and glared at them.

Apparently, neither of them had expected her to fight back.

The elder fox’s momentum faltered for a split second.

But the venom in her eyes remained.

Then Bella noticed something.

She glanced toward the younger fox, who clung tightly to her mother’s side, sniffling.

What happened to her?

Her eyes were swollen red, as though she’d spent hours crying before coming here.

On top of that, she was draped from head to toe in outrageously expensive jewelry and extravagant clothing.

It was so excessive that it bordered on comical.

…Come to think of it.

“Weren’t you supposed to meet His Grace today?”

Bella smiled openly now, the mockery unmistakable in her expression.

“If that’s what you wore to see him…”

Cecil had never possessed much fashion sense.

But today was on another level.

Well… ever since she was little, she believed piling on pretty things would magically make her prettier.

Bella clicked her tongue inwardly.

The foxes had never understood moderation.

Did she really cling to the duke looking like that?

If it was Cecil…

She absolutely would.

A laugh nearly escaped Bella.

She hurriedly covered her mouth before it could.

That icy duke must have been completely bewildered.

The image of the Duke of Avalin’s perpetually expressionless face slowly cracking with discomfort instantly brightened Bella’s mood.

“So? What did His Grace say?”

She smiled sweetly.

“Did he promise to make you his duchess?”

“…I never even got to meet him!”

“…What?”

Bella’s smile vanished.

She looked at Cecil in confusion.

Before the younger woman could answer, the elder fox exploded.

“His Grace announced that he will no longer accept any marriage proposals! We waited in line since dawn for nothing!”

“…Excuse me?”

“We stood there from sunrise! And this is what we get!”

The duke had refused to receive any more prospective brides.

As a result, every noble lady who had lined up outside the estate since dawn had been sent home furious.

Could it be…

Hope stirred inside Bella once more.

She quickly forced herself to suppress it.

She’d already suffered enough false hope.

She refused to let herself believe again.

But…

No matter how hard she tried, the thought wouldn’t disappear.

In moments like this…

Fate could be unbearably cruel.

Bella smiled bitterly.

Still, that wasn’t the issue at hand.

“So His Grace stopped accepting suitors…”

She looked at them calmly.

“And you came here to take your frustration out on me?”

She understood why they were upset now.

What she didn’t understand was what any of it had to do with slapping her.

Cecil’s lips twisted.

“Stop pretending. It’s already the biggest rumor in high society.”

“…Rumor? What rumor?”

“I knew this would happen! I told you, Mother! We should’ve gotten rid of this bitch long ago! I said this would happen!”

“Quit changing the subject.”

Bella’s voice turned cold.

“What rumor?”

Cecil was nearly hysterical now, muttering almost incoherently.

Whatever this was…

It was serious.

Then her bloodshot eyes stabbed into Bella like sharpened blades.

“You scheming little witch!”

She practically shrieked.

“Everyone’s saying the Duke has fallen for the Count of Eton’s daughter!”

“…What?”

Bella’s mind went blank.

The elder fox gently patted her sobbing daughter’s back before snapping at Bella herself.

“Yesterday, after one particular young lady visited the duke’s estate, His Grace dismissed every other woman waiting to see him!”

“And this morning,” Cecil continued, “every noble family that had proposed marriage to him received letters of rejection!”

“…”

“And today he refused to see any more suitors at all and sent everyone away!”

The mother and daughter shouted over one another.

But Bella barely heard a word.

She was too shocked.

According to them…

The duke’s sudden actions had thrown all of high society into chaos.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know only one thing.

Who was the mysterious young lady the Duke had chosen to see last?

People had become obsessed with uncovering her identity.

The noblewomen who had been present that day eagerly shared every detail they remembered.

Several of them had recognized Bella’s face.

Before long, word that the mysterious woman belonged to the House of Eton spread like wildfire.

Soon, the entire capital buzzed with a single rumor.

The daughter of Count Eton had emerged victorious in the battle to win the Duke of Avalin’s hand.

“What are you going to do?!”

Cecil screamed.

“Look what you’ve done to me!”

Bella simply stared.

If someone had told her to laugh right then, she probably could have.

Ironically…

Whenever people mentioned the daughter of Count Eton, the first person they thought of wasn’t Bella.

It was Cecil.

Without meaning to, Cecil had become the object of every noblewoman’s jealousy…

The common enemy of high society.

Serves you right.

Bella smiled to herself.

After all, Cecil had merely been one more among the countless young ladies rejected by the duke.

“Then just tell everyone it was me.”

“…What?”

The elder fox stiffened.

“If you do that—”

She stopped herself mid-sentence.

Of course she did.

If people discovered that I—not Cecil—was the Count of Eton’s daughter the duke had favored…

…then everything they’ve spent the last thirteen years trying to erase would collapse.

The title “the Count of Eton’s daughter who captured the duke’s attention” carried unimaginable influence.

People would inevitably ask who she was.

And once they investigated this previously unknown daughter…

The foxes’ treatment of Bella over the past thirteen years might finally come to light.

Then the truth would be impossible to hide.

The woman who had won the duke’s attention…

Was Bella.

Not Cecil.

This is getting interesting.

Bella smiled to herself.

She had never intended for events to unfold this way.

But somehow…

They had become far more entertaining than she ever could have imagined.

Unlike her mother, however, Cecil seemed too blinded by rage to grasp the danger they were actually in.

“It was you, wasn’t it?”

Her voice trembled.

“You met His Grace.”

“Yes.”

Bella answered without hesitation.

“I met him yesterday.”

The instant she admitted it, Cecil’s face twisted beyond recognition.

“You dare…”

She lunged.

“You dare! How dare you!”

Her hands shot around Bella’s throat.

“Y-You… let go…!”

Caught completely off guard, Bella clawed desperately at the fingers crushing her windpipe.

Fortunately, Roxy rushed in and pried Cecil away before things became worse.

“Miss Bella!”

“Ghk…”

Her throat burned.

She felt something warm trickling down her neck.

Running the back of her hand across it, she found streaks of bright red blood.

Cecil’s nails had left deep scratches.

No surprise.

She really is a fox.

The pain was unpleasant.

But strangely enough…

Watching Cecil lose all composure felt even more satisfying.

“You boasted that you’d find yourself a husband…”

Cecil hissed through clenched teeth.

“And yet you actually dared to—”

“Dared?”

Bella cut her off.

“I don’t think you’re the one who gets to say that.”

Perhaps Cecil had gone half-mad.

But Bella wasn’t entirely sane herself anymore.

Even after being clawed bloody…

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this exhilarated.

“After all…”

She smiled coldly.

“Who was it that stole what belonged to someone else?”

Bella refused to retreat.

From the very beginning…

They had stolen the name Eton from her.

So they had no right to lecture her now.

“Shut up!”

Cecil snarled.

“Do you really think this changes anything? Do you think you can escape us? Dream on!”

She raised her sharp nails threateningly once again.

The servants, who had been watching helplessly until now, finally stepped forward.

They had clearly decided enough was enough.

As Cecil charged at Bella once more, the servants rushed to pull her away.

Within moments, the room dissolved into utter chaos.

Shouting.

Struggling.

Furniture scraping across the floor.

No one knew how long the turmoil lasted.

“Enough!”

The elder fox’s piercing voice sliced through the noise.

Bella turned toward her.

The woman who had been silently suppressing her anger until now stood perfectly still.

Her face had gone deathly pale.

She looked less like a living person…

And more like a ghost drained of every drop of blood.

The sight made Bella frown.

A very bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.