Chapter 5
“Samuel. Bring ‘that thing.'”
Louise Balzac, who had referred to Bell as “that thing,” left for somewhere first.
Samuel led Bell to the assembly hall, which was filled with employees who had been hiding somewhere unknown.
It was strange that dozens of managers were present in the spacious castle, yet they had been completely hidden until now.
Upon reaching the assembly hall, the commander of the Ponce Knight Order and a body-modified member of the Dandelion Knight Order dragged in a bloodied man, each holding one side.
Despite being accustomed to injuries from working in the mercenary group, Bell couldn’t help but grimace at the sight of the man.
For good reason—the man showed clear signs of torture.
“Take it.”
The Grand Duke held out a sword. Bell, who had received it in confusion, looked at him with disbelief.
“This man attacked me last month. Kill him.”
“……”
“Can’t do it? Didn’t you say you could do anything?”
It was a malicious test. Bell felt the cool touch of the handle.
She immediately removed the scabbard and examined the blade. The well-honed edge looked sharp enough to cut hair that merely brushed against it.
Her pale face reflected in the silver surface. She approached the bound attacker.
Trying not to face the attacker, she kept her gaze on the floor. She raised the sword with both hands.
The sword cut through the air with a swish and passed by the assassin’s ear. The tortured man wet himself, causing a foul smell.
She had deliberately avoided cutting the man. Bell turned around lightly. The Grand Duke’s face frowned slightly.
“I can do it. However.”
Bell raised her chin and stared directly at the Grand Duke.
“That’s only possible when I’m a sworn subordinate. If I execute this man on your behalf with just a debt relationship binding us, I could be charged with murder under kingdom law. So if you want me to kill him, you must first clarify my position at this moment.”
The Grand Duke’s blue eyes pierced through Bell. She firmly met his gaze. His eyes settled with terrible coldness.
She had said that to test how far she could go, the Grand Duke would need to give her a position as a retainer of the Grand Ducal family, and now he was assessing Bell’s qualities for having uttered such words.
The Grand Duke emanated a predatory aura like a beast before prey. He found Bell amusing for reacting differently from previous women.
“Something entertaining has arrived after a long time.”
Amidst the ominous atmosphere, she waited for the Grand Duke to speak next.
Bell took a low, deep breath, feeling suffocated by the pressure emanating from the Grand Duke.
“What do you trust to demand clarity of position?”
“Since you won’t trust me based on debt alone, I’ll stake my name and family. Trust the name Bell Sevigne.”
“Very well. Nestor, hang that man in the square and watch until he dies. Samuel, prepare a dining table.”
The Grand Duke left the assembly hall. Samuel took the sword from Bell. The assassin was dragged away, and the trembling employees disappeared as if fleeing.
Left alone, the tension finally released. Bell staggered and bit her lip. Meira came and supported her. Samuel spoke:
“Come down to the dining hall in thirty minutes.”
Damn it.
Bell swallowed a curse and nodded.
As soon as she reached her room, she threw herself on the bed. She worried whether her attempt to appear composed had actually made her look more foolish.
But she decided to praise herself for handling the situation quite well. After all, Louise Balzac was the most terrifying man she had ever encountered in her life.
“Does ‘beast’ refer to the Grand Duke?”
Judging by the example made of the employees, there must have been many assassins disguised as employees, and the innocent employees likely suspected newcomers of being assassins.
Then what about the previous women?
She decided that further speculation would only increase her fear. She hummed a favorite song.
“I want to fly in the sky.
Seeking freedom, seeking my love, I want to soar far beyond this world.
With white wings attached, I will free myself. Hmmm.
Complete happiness hangs there.
Fluttering my two wings, I will reach that place.”
But as she sang, it seemed increasingly absurd, so she stopped. What freedom could there be above the sky?
Talk of soaring beyond the world and happiness hanging there—it was all nonsense like cows eating grass.
A moment later, entering the dining hall, she could see the Grand Duke seated at the end of the long table.
The Grand Duke of Balzac had rough yet elegant lines, with features both intense and delicate, like a prince from a fairy tale.
However, Bell had no interest in the Grand Duke’s handsome face with blue eyes and dark eyebrows, his broad shoulders, wealth, or honor.
If she hadn’t come here, she would have been fulfilling her lifelong aspiration by now.
The Grand Duke glanced at Bell and made a sardonic face. It was close to a habit derived from his characteristically cold attitude.
“Sit.”
His voice had a deep resonance. Bell gripped her dress tightly to hide her nervousness. Yet from her throat came a slightly hoarse greeting.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Bell Sevigne. I wanted to express my gratitude for the help you provided to my family.”
“Where did you learn to use a sword?”
The Grand Duke showed not the slightest interest in Bell’s greeting. While Joanna might have blushed with shame at the Grand Duke’s rudeness, Bell, who had lived among rough mercenaries and even cursed depending on her mood, stoically ignored Louise’s rudeness.
“…I learned from the commander of the mercenary group where I worked.”
“That’s unusual. Why did you learn it?”
“I have no obligation to discuss personal matters.”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll consider you an assassin and behead you right here.”
Being in Balzac territory, if the Grand Duke killed Bell and disposed of her properly, no one would punish him for the killing. Bell swallowed and answered carefully:
“I learned it to protect myself. Working in rough places, I faced frequent threats and was often looked down upon, so despite knowing it’s socially unacceptable, I studied hard.”
The Grand Duke’s eyes had an intimidating presence that made her feel small no matter how much courage she mustered. However, she straightened her back even more, determined not to be cowed.
“You must know there’s no need to be wary of me. There are many knights here, including body-modified ones. No matter how skilled I might be, I can’t overcome innate physical abilities. Why did you bring me here?”
The Grand Duke snorted at Bell’s challenging question.
“Because you owe 18 million berks.”
“Then why did you save our family?”
The Grand Duke’s gaze shifted to Samuel, who was serving beside him. Following his gaze, Bell’s eyes also focused on Samuel.
Samuel, maintaining a mechanical face as he stood by, showed no reaction, pretending not to hear their conversation.
Realizing it wasn’t the atmosphere for an answer, Bell asked a different question.
“What do you need from me?”
“Nothing.”
At his cool tone, Samuel’s brow furrowed microscopically. It was so subtle that one wouldn’t notice without looking closely.
“Then what am I supposed to do here?”
Bell glared at Samuel, asking the same question as on her first day. The Grand Duke laughed as if watching an absurd jester’s play.
“I have already explained, Miss Sevigne.”
Samuel spoke with a polite smile. However, his inorganic eyes didn’t look polite at all.
“You simply need to survive here.”
“What significance is there in my survival?”
“The significance lies in not being dead.”
“I’m neither an employee nor a slave. If we’re in a debtor-creditor relationship and what you want from me is survival, are you engaging in a malicious survival game for entertainment?”
“Entertainment, entertainment.”
The Grand Duke’s red wine rippled as he murmured sardonically. Suddenly, Bell perceived it as thick blood.
She felt nauseated by the meat brought by the maid, which still retained traces of blood.
“Let me repay the 18 million berks myself.”
She could hear her heartbeat in the tension filling the dining hall. Not only that, she even felt the illusion of her body swaying with each beat.
No matter how much Bell pretended to be at ease, this was Balzac’s domain, and she had no means to overcome the Grand Duke’s absolute power.
Nevertheless, Bell continued speaking, afraid but not intimidated:
“That’s my way. My way of surviving. I have talents. I know commercial law, civil law, and criminal law well, and I’m proficient in accounting and administrative knowledge enough to be immediately deployed in practical work. You needn’t worry about etiquette either. Until just over a decade ago, Sevigne was at the center of southern society.”
The Grand Duke scrutinized Bell with a languid and arrogant face.
“Though humble, I also have enough swordsmanship skills to protect myself.”
She had learned desperately to survive, never imagining she would actually need to mention it for survival.
Bell found this situation quite amusing as she uttered her final words:
“So, use me as your assistant.”
It felt like walking into a beast’s jaws of her own accord. But if she had to struggle to survive anyway, wasn’t it better to raise the stakes? She had no intention of staying here forever.
“……”
There was no answer from the Grand Duke. Bell suppressed her anxiety by cutting the meat into pieces.