Chapter 5
Once the conversation was over, Ian asked me,
“Didn’t you get angry?”
“…Angry?”
Was I angry? Not really.
I wasn’t angry, just frustrated, saddened, and felt pity for my life up until now. But honestly, was there anything here that I should be angry about?
“What about the Agrita family?”
“Oh, my father… he wanted me to live in Rothiers until the day I die. By now, he’s probably forgotten about me since I’m supposed to be dead…”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking if you thought of asking for help. That’s my question.”
“…Help from my father?”
Most likely, I would have been caught and dragged back to Rothiers. For my father, it would have been better if I were considered a dead child. After all, I was never the child who satisfied him.
“And, I know this might be an impolite question, but can I ask it?”
“…What is it?”
“Do you stutter normally?”
“Excuse me?”
“I haven’t seen anything in the newspapers about it, but you keep stuttering.”
The reason I stuttered was because I was scared.
Just like in that brief glimpse of the future, I was afraid that Ian might take me away, but in truth, I was afraid of men in general.
I had no good memories of decent men in my life.
My father, Count Agrita, and then my husband, Cedric. All the men who were close to me were violent and verbally abusive.
The Duke of Rothiers wasn’t violent, but he was merely a passive bystander.
He knew everything but ignored it all, making him no different from the others in my eyes.
“I… I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”
“No! No, that’s not what I meant!”
“I’m… I don’t stutter normally.”
“…Then is it because I scare you? I’m really innocent. I don’t plan on doing anything improper to you.”
Ian raised both his hands, as if to show he was innocent.
“…That’s not it. I… I just find people a little difficult…”
Since the Deloni incident, it had become hard to trust anyone.
It wasn’t easy to let anyone close. The scars from that still lingered, so I hadn’t been able to settle in the first village I stayed in.
Even though I knew the people there were good, I still feared getting closer.
I wrapped it up with the word “benefactor,” but in truth, I was afraid.
“…I don’t know the details, but it seems like your life hasn’t been easy either.”
“Well, just pretend you don’t know me, please. I’ll… I’ll leave. I wasn’t planning on staying here long anyway.”
“Hmm. I see.”
He nodded and then stood up smoothly.
“Actually, I wanted to help a bit. That’s why I brought you here and asked about your situation.”
“What?”
“Well, seeing someone who’s supposed to be dead showing up here made me think that Cedric must have done something terrible. But let’s end things here. I won’t tell anyone I saw you.”
I rolled my eyes.
So, does this mean I can leave now? Is this where it ends?
I awkwardly stood up, unsure of what to do, and Ian, with a bitter look, opened the door for me.
Then, after hesitating for a moment, he spoke carefully.
“If you ever need help, just let me know.”
But I left without responding, quickly exiting the place as if running away.
* * *
I had a problem.
I tried to leave right away, but the innkeeper told me he couldn’t return the money I had already paid.
I had already spent all my money to secure a place to stay for a few days, so now I couldn’t leave right away. Seeing me in distress, the innkeeper, thinking of it as a contract, warned me that if I was going to leave, I might as well just go and stop wasting time.
Belle couldn’t even think of arguing, as she clearly looked too awkward and out of place. Even though it was obvious that the innkeeper was being harsh on her.
“…What will you do? Should I accept guests?”
“I’ll… just stay here.”
“Alright, then.”
As planned, Belle went to the guild to find a new job. She found a place where she could work for just a few days, and when she went for an interview, she ran into him again.
“Eh?”
“…”
Ian Rothiers.
No matter how much he had severed ties and left home, as a noble son of the Duke’s family, he was working menial jobs.
“Looks like you’re ready to leave at any moment, but now you’re here to work?”
“…”
“Boss, hire this person!”
This wasn’t some remote pub like the one she’d been to with Ian before, but an actual bright café. The manager coming out looked like a decent person.
However, the fact that Ian was here made her uncomfortable.
“Who are you? Is this person someone you know?”
“Yeah, well, family, something like that.”
Family? What nonsense was he talking about all of a sudden? Belle was stunned, unable to react, and before she could say anything, the manager looked back and forth between Ian and herself in surprise.
“What? You don’t look alike.”
Without saying a word, she turned and left the café. There was no need for further explanation. Ian was there, and that meant she couldn’t work there. He had said something about being family, but he didn’t chase after her, so she left without a word.
Eventually, she went back to the guild and found another job before returning to the inn.
She felt uneasy. Ian Rothiers.
She had this ominous feeling that somehow, she would continue to get entangled with him.
* * *
That night.
Belle tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
It wasn’t just because she was in a strange bed, but also because knowing there was someone who knew her true identity made her feel unsettled.
“Sigh…”
After another long sigh, she finally decided she couldn’t keep lying there and gave up on trying to sleep.
She sat up and stared out the window, watching the moonlight come through, lost in thought about how she should live from now on.
She had come to Yul, leaving the village because she was afraid of getting close to people.
She had no real plan. When she thought about it, she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at herself.
Then,
Clang—clink—
There was a commotion outside, the sound of metal clashing and frantic voices. What was going on?
Instinctively, she knew she shouldn’t look outside, so she hid herself in the corner and waited for the noise to subside.
How long had it been? After what seemed like an eternity, when the sounds finally stopped, the window suddenly burst open and a shadowy figure entered.
Startled, Belle was about to scream, but before she could, the figure came closer and covered her mouth.
“Shh…”
“It’s me, Ian.”
She turned to look, and sure enough, it was him.
But why?
“I just wanted to ask, is there anyone who knows you’re alive?”
Since her mouth was covered, she couldn’t respond.
But Belle, despite her weak resistance, couldn’t even look Ian in the eye.
“Ah! I see, you can’t answer… I’m sorry.”
Only then did he remove his hand from covering her mouth and apologized, before asking again.
“So, is there anyone who knows you’re alive?”
“…No…”
It was clear that Agrita wouldn’t be of any help, so Belle had simply fled. That was all.
“In that case, it doesn’t seem like it’s from Rothiers, but someone is definitely after you.”
“Excuse me?”
“…The world is rough, and you seem too fragile. I was worried, so I came out for a walk to check things out, and I happened to see someone trying to enter through the window.”
Could it be that Cedric found out she was still alive?
It was possible that after her long disappearance and the lack of a body, he might have begun to suspect something.
Belle turned pale and was at a loss for what to do. What would happen from here?
At that moment, Ian spoke.
“I’ll help you.”
“…What? Why?”
Honestly, she didn’t understand.
There was no reason for him to go this far. In fact, just like her, he should have been pretending not to know her.
After all, he had said he left home because he couldn’t stand the abuse from the Duchess. He likely didn’t want to go back either.
“I’m at my limit too. My father has been searching for me all this time.”
“Your father… the Duke?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Come to think of it, could the future vision she had seen earlier have been related to this?
She had thought he was just captured, but maybe he had gone willingly.
Someone was after her life, and it was highly likely that it was Cedric and Deloni. She had come this far, struggling to survive, but if she was going to die anyway, maybe she would have tried to resist.
“So, how are you going to help me?”
“Neither you nor I can live hiding forever, being constantly hunted. So, let’s go back to Rothiers.”
As expected.
“Of course, I won’t betray you. I’m someone who keeps my promises, unlike some others.”
“Someone else…?”
“You don’t need to know that. How about we take revenge together?”
“Revenge?”
“Coincidentally, we have the same target for revenge.”
Ian was the Duke’s illegitimate son, and had suffered under the Duchess’s threats.
Naturally, he must have had a bad relationship with his half-brother Cedric. And just like Belle, she had suffered under a violent husband and harsh mother-in-law.
But revenge was a concept she had never considered. She had always been obedient in Agrita and Rothiers, because that was what she had been taught was the right way for a woman to live.
“As you can see, I have quite a bit of ability. I can handle something like an assassin on my own. So if you trust me, you won’t regret it.”
Ian said this and suddenly extended his hand.
“I’ll help you, so take my hand.”
“…Why?”
“If you refuse, I promise I won’t show up in front of you again.”
Help her? Why?
Ian was from Rothiers. He was the infamous second son who was rumored to be worse than Cedric.
But Belle couldn’t bring herself to ask. Just the fact that he was from Rothiers made her terrified.
Yet, despite the rumors, he only showed her a kind look, not like a reckless troublemaker like Cedric.
Could it be that the rumors were false?
There were still doubts. Ian seemed to have enough ability on his own.
It seemed more likely that he would succeed in revenge by carrying it out alone, rather than bringing along someone like her.
But looking into his honest and sincere eyes, she didn’t think he was lying. He truly wanted to help her.
