Chapter 2

“W-What did you just say?”

Bella tilted her head over and over before asking in a calm voice, hoping she had simply misheard.

But judging by the fox-like smiles slowly spreading across the women’s lips, it clearly hadn’t been her imagination.

“Why are you so surprised? You’re a proper adult now. It’s time for you to get married.”

The moment the elder fox spoke, Bella froze in shock.

Of course she was shocked.

The moment she—the only direct descendant of House Eton—was gone, every title and every piece of property would legally become theirs.

I thought they’d lock me away in some forgotten corner of the castle until I died of old age.

This…

This was something she had never expected.

As Bella stood lost in thought, the elder fox, still wearing that pleasant smile, suddenly spoke again.

“Well, enough talking. Why don’t you see him with your own eyes?”

…See?

See what?

The woman smiled sweetly before gesturing toward someone behind her.

A servant who had been waiting quietly stepped forward, carrying a large object draped in crimson cloth.

The cloth was whisked away, revealing a portrait beneath.

It was the bust of a young man.

Bella stared blankly at the painting.

Watching her reaction, the elder fox grinned.

“This is the man who’ll become your husband. Well? Do you like him? You’re such a fortunate child.”

“…”

“My, look at you staring in a daze. Have you already fallen for him? Hoho. I knew I had an excellent eye for people…”

The fox puffed herself up proudly.

She went on and on about what an extraordinary marriage proposal this was and how much effort she had gone through to secure it.

Anyone listening would have thought she’d unearthed some priceless treasure.

Ignoring most of the woman’s boasting, Bella continued staring at the portrait.

The longer she looked…

The stranger it felt.

For some reason, the face seemed oddly familiar.

“Who is he?”

Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Bella finally asked.

The elder fox, who had been singing the man’s praises without pause, stiffened.

Her expression soured immediately.

“If I told you, would you even know who he is?”

“Of course I would.”

Bella nodded without hesitation.

Then she looked straight at the woman as if the answer were obvious.

“Unlike certain people who used to plow fields for a living, I’m a noble through and through.”

“…What did you say?”

The implication—that she had been born fundamentally different from them—caused the elder fox’s face to flush crimson.

The younger fox, who had been giggling from across the table, wasn’t much different.

Their reactions were so satisfying that Bella couldn’t help smiling.

They had one weakness.

Their birth.

Their bloodline.

No matter how desperately they played at being aristocrats, those were things they could never possess.

That inferiority complex was exactly why they treated Bella so cruelly.

Knowing that, she deliberately answered them with even greater confidence.

The elder fox trembled with rage before letting out a long breath and taking a large gulp of wine.

Moments later, she fixed Bella with a venomous glare.

Silence stretched between them.

Then she finally spoke.

“Baron LeBlanc.”

Bella’s eyes widened.

“Wait… LeBlanc? You don’t mean that LeBlanc?”

“Yes.”

The fox nodded as though she had been waiting for that question.

“Baron LeBlanc.”

The confirmation landed like a death sentence.

Bella stopped breathing for a moment.

Baron LeBlanc.

She certainly knew the name.

She had even met him before.

There was just one problem.

The LeBlanc she remembered was a white-haired old man well past sixty.

And that’s supposed to be my groom?

Is this some kind of joke?

“He may be nearly seventy,” the elder fox said dismissively, “but I’ve heard he’s stronger than most middle-aged men. If you’re lucky, you might even bear him another heir.”

“…”

“Don’t look so worried. You’re still young, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Why, Baron Luac down in the south fathered a child when he was eighty. What’s seventy these days?”

The fox chatted cheerfully, clearly enjoying herself.

Her lips, painted an even deeper shade of red than usual, curled into an unsettling grin.

She looked like a witch intoxicated by dark magic.

But she wasn’t finished.

“Oh, Mother, come now. Another heir? Baron LeBlanc already has two sons around Bella’s age.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

“Of course. And if you count all the illegitimate children, he probably has five or more. I’ve heard the old man is absolutely obsessed with women.”

Cecile chimed in with a mischievous giggle.

According to the rumors, Baron LeBlanc was one of the capital’s most infamous perverts.

Within his own territory, he’d committed every sort of atrocity imaginable.

Even his own subjects had long since turned their backs on him.

“I hear both of his sons are still unmarried. If you’re lucky, Bella, you might have some fun with them too. Aren’t you fortunate?”

The foxes burst into mocking laughter.

Bella felt her head spinning.

She shook it, trying to clear her thoughts, but it did little good.

The two women laughed so loudly that anyone passing by might have mistaken the dining room for a festival.

Bella stared at them blankly.

So… if I had to sum up this situation in one sentence…

These people have completely decided to ruin my life.

✦ ✦ ✦

“So…”

The grand ballroom glittered beneath countless chandeliers.

“You actually declared to those hateful foxes that you’d find your own husband?”

Hearing the voice beside her, Bella turned her head wearily.

Standing there with a relaxed slouch was a handsome blond man who fit the luxurious atmosphere perfectly.

It was Evan.

Her childhood friend.

And the Crown Prince of the Empire of Argen.

The face that was constantly praised as the most handsome in the empire was now clouded with concern.

“Yeah.”

Bella nodded honestly.

“I said exactly that.”

The shadow over Evan’s face deepened.

“What if people start spreading unpleasant rumors about you?”

“Rumors aren’t the problem right now.”

She muttered gloomily.

She knew exactly what worried him.

Among the nobility, it was almost unheard of for a young lady to personally search for her own husband.

Even if someone did, she’d immediately become the target of gossip for being improper and lacking modesty.

But Bella didn’t have the luxury of worrying about appearances.

“I don’t have time.”

Time was running out.

She sighed and lowered her head.

As the pounding in her temples gradually dulled, yesterday’s events resurfaced in her mind.

✦ ✦ ✦

“How many years old is this portrait?”

Still unable to recover from the shock, Bella finally asked.

According to Cecile’s entirely unnecessary commentary, the baron was sixty-eight years old this year.

That meant there was more than fifty years between them.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

“Oh, that’s right. Since his previous wife committed suicide, this will already be his third marriage…”

“I heard he keeps at least a dozen mistresses too.”

The elder and younger fox excitedly chattered away.

Before long, the dining room echoed with their shrill laughter and tasteless gossip.

Bella was speechless.

“So you drove away every one of my previous suitors… just so you could marry me off to someone like him?”

“Oh, Bella. Someone like him? Baron LeBlanc is an excellent gentleman.”

“Exactly. He even agreed not to interfere with your title. Better yet, he doesn’t require a dowry. Do you have any idea how rare such a match is these days?”

Her title.

The dowry.

At last, everything clicked into place.

So that was it.

They had sold her.

They treated me like a thorn in their side all these years, yet refused to marry me off… Now I finally know why. The inheritance… and the dowry.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

Bang!

Bella pushed back her chair and stood.

Then she glared directly at them.

“I refuse this marriage.”

“What?”

The noblewoman’s smiling eyes sharpened instantly.

But it was the younger fox who answered first.

“And if you refuse? What exactly are you going to do?”

“That’s right. Will you spend the rest of your life rotting away in the attic? Is that what you want?”

“I said I won’t marry him. I never said I wouldn’t marry at all.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Exactly what I said.”

Bella answered without hesitation.

“I’ll find my own husband.”

The foxes’ faces twisted immediately.

Bella smiled crookedly.

“I don’t trust your judgment.”

The moment she criticized their taste, the noblewoman’s elegant mask shattered completely.

She was furious.

Bella didn’t even blink.

Instead, she smiled brighter than ever.

Go ahead.

Let’s see if everything really goes according to your plans.

A husband?

Fine.

She would find one herself.

There was no way she would let herself be sold off to some depraved old baron for the price of a dowry.

Bella steeled her resolve.

She truly had.

But then—

“No matter how much you struggle, it won’t change anything.”

The elder fox, who had looked momentarily flustered, suddenly smirked.

“What do you mean?”

“It means the arrangements have already been finalized.”

In that instant…

Bella felt as though the sky had collapsed.

The hope she’d been clutching so tightly slipped through her fingers like grains of sand.

Beneath it waited only despair.

“They’ll be sending someone next week. There’s no possible way you’ll find a husband before then, so stop exhausting yourself and obediently go with Baron LeBlanc.”

“…”

“You should be grateful. Living as his cherished wife is far better than spending the rest of your life locked in an attic.”

The fox’s lips curled upward once more.

She looked as though she could burst into laughter at any second, biting her lip to hold it back.

After a long silence, she rose from her chair and walked over to Bella.

Leaning close, she whispered softly into her ear.

“You’ve always looked down on us, haven’t you? Well, look carefully. We’re the ones who decide your fate. And from this day forward… your life is going to sink straight into the mud.”

Those quiet words made the ground disappear beneath Bella’s feet.

It felt as though she were falling…

Falling endlessly…

Into a dark abyss she could never escape.

✦ ✦ ✦

“So that’s why you came to today’s party.”

“Exactly.”

“To find yourself a husband?”

“You got it.”

Bella admitted it without hesitation.

Evan let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

“I was wondering why you suddenly decided to attend something like this.”

“Well, today just happens to be the one night each year without curfew. If I don’t come out now, when will I ever get another chance?”

“That’s true.”

He nodded.

“The Founding Festival is held at night.”

Bella nodded back.

The foxes had strictly forbidden her from leaving the estate.

Even so, perhaps worried about keeping up appearances, they still allowed her to attend the imperial palace’s grand annual ball.

And today was that day.

The country they lived in—

The Empire of Argen—

had worshipped the God of Dreams since ancient times.

Because of that, the five-day Founding Festival was celebrated after sunset instead of during the day.

In other words…

This was her final opportunity.

“Evan.”

“Hm?”

“Do you happen to know any decent men?”

“What?”

“Just pick anyone.”

“Why are you asking me?”

He crossed one leg lazily and looked at her in disbelief.

Bella merely shrugged.

“Because if His Highness the Crown Prince approves of him, then he should make a perfectly acceptable husband.”

She grinned.

“Come on. Let me enjoy at least one benefit of having the Crown Prince as my childhood friend.”

Evan frowned as he stared at her.

Then, after a brief silence, he finally spoke.

“Well… there is one person I could recommend.”