CTETL Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The Duchess surely wanted to bury this scandal as quietly as possible.

Since she was already planning to ruin the wedding, she would also be sensitive to rumors.

On the other hand, Ian and I actually wanted the rumors to spread.

That way, the Duchess’s actions would be restricted.

Of course, she wasn’t ignorant of this fact either.

As it stood, no one knew that Belle had returned yet.

There were only whispers about Ian’s return—with some mentioning that he had come back with a woman.

There were also rumors about their marriage registration, but because of the name ‘Annie,’ people assumed she was a commoner.

That could work to our advantage.

Just then, the door suddenly burst open, and Cedric barged in.

‘Ha. Again.’

“Belle.”

And for once, he wasn’t drunk or filled with irritation. It was the first time I had seen Cedric so well-dressed.

“…Please call me Annie.”

The old me would have kept my mouth shut, too overwhelmed to even look at him.

But not anymore.

“Sure. You wouldn’t remember right now.”

“…Ha. I’d appreciate it if you got to the point instead of saying strange things.”

“Do I need a reason? Considering our relationship?”

‘What relationship?’

Belle cut him off without hesitation.

There was no need to drag this conversation out.

“Just tell me what you came for.”

“I just wanted to spend some time together.”

“And why would we do that?”

“We used to talk often when we were married, even if you don’t remember.”

‘Where does he get this audacity from?’

Belle was dumbfounded, but after thinking about it, she realized this might not be a bad opportunity.

If she played this right, spreading rumors might be easier than expected.

“…Ha. So we even went out together?”

“Of course. We lived just like any other married couple.”

‘A normal married couple…’

It was so absurd that she was left speechless.

“What did we usually do, then?”

She should have ignored him, but his blatant lies made her ask the question before she realized it.

“Want to go out?”

Cedric’s face lit up as he eagerly suggested it.

It was obvious he had dressed up just for this moment.

And since Belle had taken the initiative to ask, he jumped at the chance.

She hesitated for a moment, wondering if he had some ulterior motive.

But if they were seen together in public, who would suffer more damage?

It was obviously Cedric.

“Where are we going?”

“…Huh?”

He hadn’t thought that far.

Flustered for a moment, Cedric quickly answered.

“Uh, um. The art district! Y-you had a hobby for painting, so we often visited the workshops!”

‘A hobby for painting? The art district?’

Belle had never learned to paint in her life.

Of course, she had visited many galleries to develop an appreciation for art, but she had never formally studied it.

Art and music were seen as pursuits for men.

For a woman like Belle, simply having an eye for art was considered enough.

“I was interested in painting?”

The reason Cedric was making up such a blatant lie was obvious—because the art district wasn’t a place frequented by nobles.

Nobles in Bernou might learn to paint, but they wouldn’t go out to buy supplies themselves.

They had servants for that.

Or, workshop owners would personally deliver the materials.

‘So he does know, after all.’

He knew they weren’t supposed to be seen together.

Belle barely stopped herself from scoffing and shook her head.

“I’m not interested. And besides, I can’t paint.”

“…W-well, you’ve never tried, have you? You might discover a talent for it if you give it a shot.”

Not to mention, the art district wasn’t exactly safe since there weren’t many nobles around.

Going there alone with Cedric could be dangerous.

Belle had considered going with him just to cause a stir, but she quickly changed her mind.

“No. And more importantly, the one who was interested in painting wasn’t me—it was your ex-wife. Not me.”

“How many times do I have to say it? You are Belle.”

The conversation was going in circles.

Cedric kept insisting she was Belle.

And Belle kept denying it.

“Anyway, I’m not interested in the artisan district.”

“…T-then, is there somewhere else you’d like to go?”

“I don’t see why I should tell you that. If I want to go out, I can just go with Ian. There’s no need for you—or should I say brother-in-law?—to concern yourself with it.”

“…Brother-in-law?”

Cedric’s jaw dropped in disbelief at the title.

“Though no one except Father acknowledges it, I did register my marriage with Ian. So, the proper way to address you is brother-in-law. Bro.ther.in.law.”

Belle enunciated each syllable slowly for emphasis, leaving Cedric momentarily stunned.

“Agh, anyway! Stop wasting my time and get out!”

Annoyed, she raised her voice. Cedric fumbled for a response but made no move to leave, so Belle simply shoved him out the door and slammed it shut.

“…W-wait, Belle! Belle, what the—!”

Outside, Cedric pounded on the door in disbelief.

But Belle just yelled from inside.

“Ugh, just go already!”

“…….”

Whether he was too shocked to respond or actually intimidated, Cedric remained silent for a long moment.

* * *

There was no need to ponder how to spread rumors.

Cedric had handed her the perfect method himself.

So Belle went straight to Ian and said,

“Ian, let’s go on a date.”

“…Excuse me?”

Since returning to the duchy, Ian had started gradually learning about the family’s affairs. He wasn’t officially being trained yet, since the Duchess was still holding her position, and the Duke hadn’t publicly declared him as his successor.

Still, the Duke clearly considered Ian his heir, as he had begun assigning him work.

For now, Ian was only managing a small business venture, but it was a start.

At that moment, Ian had been busy working when Belle’s sudden suggestion caught him off guard. He simply blinked up at her.

“A date. Do you not want to?”

“N-no, it’s not that—I do want to!”

Though flustered, he quickly brightened with a wide smile.

Belle grinned back.

“I’d like to go now. Are you busy? Should I wait a little?”

“I’m done!”

Ian immediately dropped his papers haphazardly and jumped to his feet, his enthusiasm unmistakable.

“My outfit’s probably too casual, right? Should I dress up more?”

His eagerness was amusing.

“You don’t need to go that far.”

“But it’s our first date. I should put in some effort.”

Ian was completely serious about dressing up properly. Seeing his determination, Belle thought dressing up a little more herself wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Her current outfit was too plain for a date.

‘If we’re doing this, we should do it right.’

“Alright. Let’s change and meet at the entrance.”

“Got it.”

Since she hadn’t been back at the duchy for long, she didn’t even have a proper dressing room.

Honestly, Belle was surprised the Duchess hadn’t thrown her out yet.

She was probably being cautious, afraid that upsetting Ian too soon might backfire.

The idea of the Duchess watching her step was oddly refreshing.

Since she was heading out anyway, Belle figured she might as well buy some new clothes and make an appearance around town.

She chose the nicest dress she had and headed to the entrance.

But Ian wasn’t there yet.

“Hm?”

She waited for a while.

“…Ian?”

Then she finally saw him descending the stairs—his hair neatly styled, dressed in a luxurious outfit.

Belle had always known he was handsome, but she was used to his casual look.

Seeing him all dressed up for the first time left her speechless.

“Uh… Did I overdo it…?”

Uh…

Honestly, Belle had invited him on a date, but she hadn’t expected this level of formality.

It wasn’t like they were attending a grand ball.

But now, compared to him, she looked way too underdressed.

“More importantly… You look amazing.”

“O-oh, really?”

“Yeah. I always knew you were handsome, but dressed like this, you look incredibly dashing.”

Ian’s lips curled into an unmistakable smirk.

“But now I feel underdressed in comparison. I don’t have many clothes… Sorry.”

“We can just pick out a dress for you while we’re out. I should’ve thought of that first—my mistake.”

“No, it’s fine. I was already thinking about buying one anyway. So, shall we go?”

Belle took Ian’s outstretched hand, and they started walking toward the carriage.

Just as they were about to board—

“What the hell is this?”

They turned to see Cedric, looking at them with an unmistakably displeased expression.