Chapter 6
Ian recognized her as Belle Agrita at first sight.
Although he had fled the Rothiers family, he was always on edge, knowing his father was tracking him.
This constant vigilance led him to naturally gather information.
As he continued to collect information, it went beyond just matters related to Rothiers, and he began handling diverse intelligence.
It was a matter of survival, after all.
In time, people began to gather around him, and before he knew it, Ian was running a guild.
Thanks to this, he recognized Belle Agrita immediately.
From the start, when Cedric’s second wife was suddenly reported to have died in an accident, something felt off.
What were the odds of a noblewoman climbing a mountain alone and falling to her death?
The likelihood of Cedric having done something suspicious seemed much higher.
So, two years ago, Ian dug through old newspapers to reexamine the articles about Cedric’s marriage and found a photograph of the couple.
The woman’s face was stiff and devoid of expression.
At the time, Ian didn’t think much of it.
“…Belle Agrita.”
He hadn’t expected to meet her in this city. Frankly, the odds of such a coincidence were almost miraculous.
But it seemed that the wife of his late brother recognized him, despite never having met him before.
Even though the portraits hanging in the family estate were quite old, and her appearance had likely changed significantly since then.
It was curious, but Ian merely assumed she had sharp instincts.
What concerned him more was how terribly subdued she seemed. Clearly, she had not experienced anything pleasant in Rothiers.
“Talking isn’t difficult, but… I’d prefer if we just pretended not to know each other. Whether I ran away or whatever else, I don’t want to be tied to Rothiers… I hope you can understand that…”
Her voice was strained, as if even speaking was an exhausting ordeal.
He could tell she was uneasy around him—not only because he was from the Rothiers family but also because she seemed to struggle with interacting with people.
She admitted as much herself.
Hearing that she couldn’t rely on her parents either, Ian thought bitterly that she must not have had any good people around her.
It made him pity her, reminding him of his own childhood.
He wanted to help her, but he gave up quickly. With her so wary, any attempt to assist her would likely be unwelcome.
Still, when she came into a café looking for a job, they crossed paths again. Though she had seemed ready to leave at any moment, things apparently weren’t going as planned. Ian even happened to learn where she was staying.
‘That innkeeper’s the worst.’
He clicked his tongue unconsciously.
Of all the inns in town, why did she have to pick that one?
The place was infamous for scamming travelers, most of whom didn’t even realize they were being cheated.
And for a woman staying alone, she would’ve been seen as an easy target.
Ian stared at the inn Belle had entered for a while before deciding to keep an eye on her until she left the city.
Then, that very night, he encountered assassins targeting Belle.
“My name is Ian.”
Seeing her frozen in terror and not knowing what to do, Ian couldn’t help but see a reflection of his younger self. He closed his eyes tightly, as if bracing himself.
How could he possibly ignore this?
“Just to be clear, does anyone know you’re alive?”
Frankly, Ian was getting tired of running away. Besides, the duchess had failed to keep her promise to him.
Why should he be the only one forced to keep running?
The truth was, he had only lived this way because returning to Rothiers meant suffocating under the expectations of the family’s prestige.
But more than that, he wanted to help this woman.
Meeting her like this didn’t feel like a coincidence. Perhaps it was because she reminded him of his mother.
Even though they didn’t resemble each other at all, he couldn’t bring himself to walk away.
Maybe it was fate.
Perhaps it was a sign to stop running. His life hadn’t been easy, after all—a life without anything real or genuine anywhere in it.
“Take my hand.”
And so, I reached out my hand. Let’s take revenge together.
I against the Duchess, and Belle against those who tormented her.
She hesitated as if unsure what to do, eventually took my hand.
“I don’t trust you… but I don’t want to die like this.”
Her eyes, as she said this, were sharper than I’d ever seen them.
She had always seemed like a frightened little mouse from the moment we first met. But now, she looked like a mouse ready to stand its ground.
Still, with her timid demeanor, she wouldn’t be able to face Cedric and the Duchess as she was.
“For this to work, everything about you needs to change. Can you do that?”
“Can I… really change?”
“You have to. You said you didn’t want to die like this.”
Though she reverted to being a scared little mouse, Belle seemed to ponder deeply before eventually nodding.
“I’ll try. Whatever it takes…!”
Watching her, he couldn’t help but smile.
For now, just the determination to change was enough.
—
One Year Later
In just a year, Belle had become a completely different person.
She had learned much from me, but the change in her environment had also played a role.
All her life, she had been treated like a burden. She was always the unwanted daughter, wife, and daughter-in-law.
But after meeting me, she realized just how small her world had been, and something new awakened within her.
“Ian!”
The Belle who once feared everyone, especially those with brown hair or murky gold eyes like Cedric, was gone.
Now, she could call my name without hesitation and smile brightly.
“Don’t run. You’ll hurt yourself.”
I, too, had changed a lot while spending time with her.
To be honest, I had always preferred being alone.
Back in Rothiers, it was because of the constant hostility from Cedric and the Duchess.
After leaving the ducal house, I kept my distance from others, fearing that getting too close might put them in danger because of me.
But with Belle, there was no need for that.
She was someone who shared my pain. For the first time, I let someone stay by my side.
I had thought I was fine on my own, but living with Belle turned out to be so much more enjoyable.
Thanks to her, I could finally laugh—a genuine laugh, not a fake one.
Of course, she had no idea.
“Now, it’s truly about to begin.”
“…Yes, it is.”
Even though I was the one who suggested we take revenge together, I often found myself wondering if we could just live peacefully together like this.
“I’m nervous.”
“…So am I.”
But I couldn’t say it out loud. Not after the year Belle had spent living for the sole purpose of taking revenge on Rothiers.
Besides, during the past year, we had to avoid several trackers sent by the Duke.
It was no longer safe to stay in the city. Belle had been targeted before, and if someone was still after her, we needed to ensure her safety.
We had to abandon our noble lives and live like simple villagers in the countryside.
Belle had truly given up everything.
One year wasn’t a long time, but she had worked tirelessly, even sacrificing sleep, to reach her current level.
While living in hiding, I had occasional contact with her, but she never looked forward to the future.
She assumed her newfound sense of peace came from a lack of threats.
But returning to Rothiers? That was another story entirely.
“At the same time, I’m excited. I wonder what expressions they’ll make when they see me.”
“Aren’t you worried?”
“Of course I am. But the excitement outweighs the worry. The fact that I can even feel this way is all thanks to you, Ian.”
She answered with a radiant smile.
“…Don’t mention it.”
Feeling my face heat up, I cleared my throat awkwardly.
I couldn’t even meet her gaze and instead looked out the carriage window.
“Why so shy all of a sudden?”
“…I’m not.”
We had spent a long time discussing how to blend back into Rothiers naturally.
Cedric had already remarried.
Belle’s guess that Deloni might be Cedric’s new wife was wrong—he had married into a prestigious family, just as he always claimed he wanted.
Still, Cedric remained the eternally inadequate eldest son.
Even if Belle returned alive, there was no place for her in Rothiers anymore.
And Agrita family wouldn’t welcome her back either.
Anyone who cared to investigate would’ve realized something was amiss, but Agrita had been silent the entire time.
They simply didn’t care about her.
“So, we’ll have to pretend to be married now.”
That was the plan we came up with: for Ian and Belle to pose as a married couple.
Or more specifically, for Ian to claim he wanted to marry and seek permission from Rothiers. It was him who suggested this idea.
When he asked if she was okay with it, she simply said it didn’t matter.
“Ahem.”
To be honest, Ian was well past the typical age for marriage.
Noblemen usually married in their early twenties, and he was already in his mid-thirties.
“You’ll have to act well.”
“…I will. You be prepared, too, Belle.”
Though there were other ways to return to Rothiers, even Belle agreed that this plan was the most reliable.
Ian suggested they officially register their marriage before leaving, but she refused.
She didn’t want to burden him with a divorce record because of her.
Besides, her own status was ambiguous.
Her marriage hadn’t ended in divorce but was rather declared over due to her being presumed dead.
“We’ve arrived.”
“…Finally.”
The carriage came to a stop in front of the Rothiers Ducal Estate.
The sight of it stirred mixed emotions in Belle, seeing it again after so long.
