Chapter 9
“Damn Balzac! To think I’d be working at this age. What a cursed life!”
The old man had grown a long silver beard and braided it in the middle. His face was so wrinkled from frowning that he looked angry even when at rest.
The old man’s cloudy eyes fell on Nestor.
“What brings you here, my lord?”
Though he used polite terms, his speech was rough and unrefined.
“This young lady here has some business. Belle, this is the stable master.”
Only then did the stable master’s gaze fall on Belle. Not knowing he was being rude, he looked Belle up and down and muttered:
“She doesn’t look suited for kitchen work.”
“I’ll be doing work with a pen. I’m Belle Sevigne. I have something to ask, do you have a moment?”
“Time? Hah! With over a dozen horses entrusted to this old man alone, I wonder if I’ll have time to lie down, close my eyes, and go to the next world!”
“Oh my. There you go again with the inappropriate talk.”
Nestor lightly accepted the stable master’s complaints as if it were a regular occurrence. The stable master twisted his lips and asked:
“So, what brings you here, miss? If you’re asking what color the Grand Duke likes or what style of woman he prefers, you’ve come to the wrong place. Though I’ve worked since the previous Balzac’s time, I only wash these damned colts and clean up their dung and sewage, so I know nothing. You’d better go back.”
“I’m not interested in that.”
“Then what?”
Belle glanced at Nestor and spoke loudly enough for him to hear:
“I want to know about the paths used by employees.”
“The separation of paths was a tradition that existed before I came here, so I don’t know much, and the paths employees take are obvious. Everyone stays within their assigned areas.”
“Does everyone live in the castle?”
“Isn’t that obvious? How would they climb this high hill every morning?”
“Then is everyone working because of debt? I mean—”
Interrupting Belle, the stable master said irritably:
“We all work to make a living, what good is knowing that!”
Nestor let out a small laugh. Belle felt her face reddening but spoke as calmly as possible, pretending to be unaffected:
“His Grace told me he would behead me if I didn’t find his lost item. It seems someone stole it, so I’m searching for the culprit. I heard there are a few employees who suspect each other.”
Though there weren’t any, Belle threw out bait blindly. If she kept casting, something would eventually bite.
“Young lady, stay quiet if you don’t know anything.”
“Pardon?”
“If you don’t want to end up like Anaïs, just get assigned to the kitchen, corridor cleaning, or somewhere and work.”
“I don’t know who Anaïs is, but you don’t need to worry. Are there any places the Grand Duke frequently visits or where his path overlaps with the employees’?”
“Why ask the stable manager? For that, you should go to those who work inside the castle or Samuel.”
“They’re wary of me and won’t meet with me.”
“Are you perhaps a noble? I heard the lady who came this time was of noble birth.”
“That’s right.”
“That explains it.”
“What does my being a noble have to do with…”
“Ah, nobles are all dangerous, that’s why! I don’t have time! It’s feeding time for those beasts!”
The stable master waved his hand and passed by Belle and Nestor. He pulled a cart full of hay, and it was amazing how such a skinny old man had such strength.
Belle followed the stable master, helping push the cart from behind, and asked again:
“I heard you’re friendly with the employees. Could you arrange for me to talk with them?”
“Friendly? Damn, oh my, I shouldn’t use such language in front of my lord. I apologize, Sir Le Moyne.”
“It’s nothing. Old man, why not help her a bit?”
“Would helping her get me killed too? Even though I’m at an age to die, I’d like to decide how I die myself. Serving my master my whole life, I’d rather not die by his blade, so please don’t say such things.”
“Why would you die because of me? Do you think I have ulterior motives? I’m purely—”
“Miss. Let me give you one warning.”
His cloudy brown eyes turned and seriously gazed at Belle.
“The way to survive in this castle is to pretend not to know even if you do, pretend not to see even if you do, pretend not to hear even if you do. Just lower yourself, act stupid, and live quietly. Stir things up, and your head will roll.”
He seemed to know something, whether it was a secret or about Anaïs. If not, it must be a conclusion drawn from long experience.
As Belle was about to ask the stable master a few more questions, Nestor said:
“Let’s go now. I’ll show you the way back to the castle.”
“No. Stable master, were the employees afraid of Anaïs? How was their relationship with her?”
“Ah, I don’t know! I told you to go! If you don’t leave now, I’ll strike you with horse dung!”
“…I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Belle greeted him, suppressing the urge to overturn the cart.
After leaving the stables, Belle glared at Nestor and asked:
“Do I still look suspicious to you?”
“Well…”
“……”
“At least now I understand why you lied about looking for a brooch. You’re searching for a person, not a brooch. Isn’t that right?”
Belle’s eyes wavered ever so slightly. Nestor didn’t miss it.
“Anaïs was publicly executed in the square for attempting to steal a family heirloom. Afterward, they hung her body at the territory entrance for a month.”
Nestor’s words implied that Anaïs had been an informant.
“Tell me more details.”
“I’m afraid that would be difficult.”
Following Nestor’s gaze, Belle turned to see Bertrand gliding toward them.
“Beeeeeell!”
From the angle, it was obvious that Bertrand and Belle were about to collide. Without hesitation, she twisted her body sideways, and contrary to her expectation that he would tumble to the ground, Bertrand landed firmly and showed a sulky face.
“I’ll be going now. I don’t wish to deal with them.”
Nestor left with a look of disgust, and Bertrand took his attitude in stride.
“Belle! I heard you’ll be helping with my studies from now on?”
“Your studies? If you mean reading lessons, yes, that’s the plan.”
“Goodness! The day I escape from Ludvico’s clutches has finally come—this is a miracle!”
“But are you alright?”
“What do you mean?”
“No, earlier…”
How could he so calmly accept such hateful looks? It was a gaze filled with malice, as if looking at an enemy.
Though Belle didn’t typically empathize with body-modified individuals, even she felt uncomfortable with such cruel treatment toward a boy who still looked so young.
“It’s not like he chased after me threatening to burn me at the stake, so why make such a fuss over that?”
“Burn at the stake?”
If there was one type of body-modified individual that was permitted, it was those with white wings.
They had long been symbols of power under the name of divine messengers, and throughout generations, the royal family had used body-modified individuals with white wings to deliver important official documents and letters.
In contrast, body-modified individuals with black wings suffered greatly from birth, believed to be possessed by demons while still in their mother’s womb.
Sometimes mothers would strangle their children to death, crying out that they had given birth to a demon, or if families tried to hide them, entire families would be subjected to witch hunts by villagers claiming they had fallen to demons.
“You have black wings.”
However, since the Balzac territory was different in its attitude toward body-modified individuals due to labor shortages, Belle was surprised by Nestor’s unexpectedly cold demeanor.
“Anyway, Belle. What were you talking about? You looked very serious.”
“Oh right. Do you remember what Anaïs was like before she died?”
“Are you planning to steal the family heirloom too?”
“No. Did Anaïs say or do anything suspicious before she died?”
“There was someone she was afraid of.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know her name. She was a quiet, skinny woman.”
“Was there anyone she was particularly close with?”
“Hmm… someone who sometimes gave me leftover eggs, but I don’t know her name either.”
“What did she look like?”
Bertrand looked up at the sky, tilted his head around, and began to describe haltingly.
“She had brown hair and was also very skinny.”
“And?”
“Um… she had a mole near her mouth.”
“A mole?”
“I thought it was a bread crumb at first, but when I looked closely, it was a mole.”
“I see. Could you show me the way back to the castle?”
“I’ll just throw you there.”
“What?”
Bertrand grabbed Belle’s arm. Before she could react, her body rose from the ground. His strong grip tightened as Belle struggled, causing Bertrand to stagger and shout.
“Whoa! You could fall! Be careful!”
“This is ridiculous! You’ll be dead after I get down!”
“Walking all the way to the entrance is too much trouble.”
Belle held her breath when she saw trees beneath her feet. Her legs dangled helplessly.
Each time Bertrand’s massive wings beat, she could hear the sound of wind being cut. Her heart pounded at the rare experience of her body floating in the air.
Bertrand glided smoothly across the castle and tossed Belle onto the third-floor corridor window.