Chapter 12
“Ida. You acted so well, I had quite a struggle.”
The person Samuel brought wasn’t Christine. It was Ida, the woman who had been cutting carrots in the kitchen.
Ida hiccupped and trembled violently, while Samuel watched her intently.
Belle asked with a relaxed smile:
“Was I wrong?”
“You’re more useful than you look.”
The Grand Duke withdrew his sword and threw it on the floor. Only then did Belle exhale a shallow breath.
“I don’t know who instructed her, but it wouldn’t be the royal family. It would be difficult for the royal family to find a sword-wielding woman who could evade the Grand Ducal family’s eyes.”
“Samuel. Put her in prison.”
“Yes.”
“No, no! It’s not me! It’s not me!”
Ida screamed. If the Grand Duke had concluded she was the informant and Belle had passed his test, it didn’t matter if Ida wasn’t actually the informant.
That would be an issue between Ida and the Grand Duke. Ida was dragged away by Samuel.
“Then I am now the Grand Duke’s assistant.”
“Yes. However, trust is something you must earn.”
Belle hadn’t held out until Samuel appeared. Since she had just thrown it out there knowing it would be difficult, she didn’t mind.
“I’ll tell you what your job will be.”
“Yes.”
“In two days, we will depart for a wolf hunt. Your first task will be to return from there alive.”
The Grand Duke must be a pervert. Staking her life again? After all this struggle to survive!
However, knowing how to adapt to any unfair situation, she acquiesced to the orders of the Grand Duke, who was now her superior.
“Your tongue—”
The Grand Duke looked directly into Belle’s eyes. They were the eyes of someone who knew how to face fear head-on.
“I will not pull it out.”
“You won’t feel the need to.”
He liked her spirit, gritting her teeth to avoid appearing intimidated. A faint smile appeared on Samuel’s lips as he stood behind Belle, having returned unnoticed. The Grand Duke, disliking Samuel’s smile, hardened his face and said spitefully:
“That will be if you survive the wolf hunt. You may leave now.”
After Belle left, only Samuel and the Grand Duke remained. Though the smile had already disappeared from Samuel’s face, the Grand Duke twisted his lips in displeasure.
“What you desire will not happen.”
“Do you believe Rosaline’s incident will repeat itself?”
“Isn’t that already in the past?”
Samuel didn’t answer. He merely looked at the place where Belle had passed with a bitter expression.
Upon returning to her room, Belle slumped down the moment she closed the door and exhaled deeply.
Her heart wouldn’t calm down, making her breathing irregular.
“Haha.”
She had succeeded. She had finally done it. She had won that damned wager.
Belle unconsciously rubbed her neck.
It was a habit that emerged when tension released. Only then did Belle realize she was crying.
“I’m going to survive.”
I’m going to survive, Mother.
And then I’ll go to Siphronon as I’ve always wanted. Then everything will end.
This cursed life, and the shackles you placed on me.
***
The day before the wolf hunt, it was announced that Belle had become the Grand Duke’s assistant and would accompany him on the hunt. People showed two different reactions.
Some were shocked that a woman of uncertain identity and skill had become an assistant, while others clicked their tongues, saying the Grand Duke’s bloodthirsty condition had flared up again.
Ludvico belonged to the former group, the employees to the latter, while Bertrand and Nestor showed some of the few unusual reactions. That reaction was—
“Belle! Congratulations! Does this mean you’re our boss now? Is Ludvico’s era over?”
Bertrand, who had been scolded daily by Ludvico while learning to read, couldn’t hide his joy at the fact that Belle would now be in charge of him.
Bertrand fearlessly said this in front of Ludvico and got smacked on the back of his head.
On her way out after seeing Bertrand, Belle encountered Nestor. Perhaps because the training grounds were near each other. Nestor greeted her brightly.
“Congratulations. I hear you’ve become His Grace the Grand Duke’s first assistant.”
“Yes. I passed the test proudly, breaking through many suspicious gazes.”
“Many knights were shocked to learn that what you were looking for wasn’t a brooch but an informant. Some even felt betrayed.”
“There’s no reason to be shocked or feel betrayed. I was just someone who would soon disappear by dying or going insane.”
“The woman you found is being tortured.”
“And?”
When Belle didn’t even blink, Nestor giggled. He found it refreshing that she was extremely self-centered, cunning, and completely devoid of sympathy.
She wasn’t gripped by fear like the other employees, nor did she sink into defeatism and melt into reality.
The position of assistant that she had earned through such efforts was perfectly suited for Belle. It required intelligence, boldness, and the ability to maintain balance.
Nestor felt curiosity and attraction toward Belle for her impressive feat of boldly risking her life in the wager and passing the difficult problem posed by the Grand Duke.
His suspicion of Belle had long since disappeared when the Grand Duke made her his assistant.
“Do you have any questions about the castle?”
“How much has His Grace revealed to you?”
Nestor rubbed his nape as if troubled. His brilliant honey-colored blonde hair sparkled in the sunlight, and his playful eyes folded heavily yet pleasantly. Nestor was a handsome man with a boyish atmosphere.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that question, as it seems neither right to ask nor to answer.”
“Fair enough. Then let me ask something else. When did you come to the Balzac territory?”
“When I was twelve. It’s been well over ten years now. My brother also lost his parents at a young age, so I think he felt a sense of kinship with me.”
“I see. It’s surprising that you took a knight’s oath despite being relatives.”
“I wanted to repay the kindness I received.”
“Was Samuel already here when you arrived?”
“Now you’re curious about Samuel, I see.”
He was more suspicious than arrogant, and the atmosphere was as ominous as it was haughty. Moreover, his gaze, alternating between the Grand Duke and Belle, was indecipherable, leaving her with an uneasy feeling.
“I may be in debt and in this position now, but I come from an old noble family in the south. I know well enough that ordinary butlers aren’t like Samuel. This isn’t a question about my superior or castle gossip, just pure curiosity, so please don’t misunderstand.”
“Samuel was here before I came, from what I’ve heard. I don’t know the details myself, so you’d have to ask the stable master or long-serving employees about that.”
“Alright. I have some business to attend to in the kitchen. Keep up with your training.”
Belle left Nestor behind, and he spoke to her retreating figure.
“Miss Belle Sevigne.”
“What is it?”
Belle turned around and asked. Her long blonde hair fluttered, and her white skin shone transparently. Nestor made a suggestion.
“After returning from the wolf hunt, come on a territory patrol with me. We’ll be back by 4 PM.”
“I’m not sure.”
“It would be good for you to come. There will be a public execution of the informant that day.”
“…Alright.”
Though her attitude was indifferent, Nestor seemed quite satisfied. The place Belle went wasn’t the kitchen where Christine was, but the stable where the stable master was.
“Stable master.”
“Ah, why are you here again? I’m dying of work, for heaven’s sake!”
“Thanks to you, my neck is still attached, so I came to say hello.”
“Enough. Go away, you’re bothersome.”
“Yes, yes. Stable master, thank you for your advice on the first day.”
“Do you want to get hit with horse dung? Won’t you leave?”
Belle burst into hearty laughter. The stable master looked at her strangely.
“You don’t need to be wary of me. Just live as you always have—pretending not to know, not to see, not to hear. That’s what I came to tell you.”
“Hmph. Taking advice from a rookie.”
“I’m just returning what I received. I’ll be going now.”
If there was anyone in the castle who genuinely worried about Belle and gave her advice, it would be the stable master.
Belle wanted to thank him for that sentiment and tell him he didn’t need to be particularly wary of her.
As she was leaving the stable, the stable master called out to her from a distance.
“Hey, assistant my lady. This is the horse you’ll be riding tomorrow. Would you like to take a look?”
It was his own way of showing goodwill, instead of throwing horse dung. So Belle smiled faintly.