Chapter 7
The corridor outside the reception room.
A woman with a fierce expression was striding forward. With her already sharp, upturned eyes glaring fiercely, she exuded an unapproachable aura. Beside her was a man who looked somewhat vacant.
“Who came back?”
“Who came back?”
“Ian! That bastard…!”
It was none other than Duchess Rothiers and Cedric. Enraged by the news of Ian’s return, the two were hastily making their way down the corridor.
After years of staying as quiet as a mouse, why had he suddenly returned? And to make matters worse, the Duke had gone to meet him as soon as he heard the news.
The Duchess was well aware that the Duke had been searching for any trace of his second son, Ian.
The fact that he hadn’t solidified Cedric’s position as the heir while looking for Ian—what could it mean?
It was clear that Ian was the heir the Duke had in mind.
The Duchess clenched her trembling hands tightly. As the Duchess, she would never allow it.
Not as long as her son Cedric, born of the first wife, was alive.
“Don’t worry, Cedric.”
“…Mother.”
“I will never let Ian become the Duke.”
She should have dealt with him properly when he left.
How many assassins had she hired to kill that slippery eel of a man over the years? And yet, they had all failed.
Thinking about Ian and his escapades, the Duchess’s anger flared again, and her body trembled.
“Mother, nothing will happen. Please calm your anger.”
“Hoo… Yes…”
Thanks to Cedric’s soothing words and his hand holding hers gently, the Duchess barely managed to regain her composure and began walking again.
She didn’t know why that man had crawled back on his own, but she was determined to make him regret it.
—
Beyond the wide-open reception room doors, her mother-in-law, the Duchess, and Cedric, her former husband, entered.
With them was what appeared to be Cedric’s third wife.
Unlike Belle, the new wife seemed to be treated decently, as her expression looked calm.
“…Ian, you’re back!”
The Duchess, feigning joy, stepped forward and clasped Ian’s hands.
“How long has it been…? Do you know how worried I’ve been about you all this time?”
With a disgustingly tearful expression, the Duchess began thanking him for finally returning. But she soon realized something was strange.
“…What’s going on here?”
The Duke wasn’t looking at Ian; he was staring at someone else.
“Who is he looking at like that…?”
Blocked from view by Cedric, the Duchess straightened her posture to see who else was present, and let out a choking gasp.
“Hello!”
A cheerful greeting.
The person resembled someone, but their aura was completely different, which startled the Duchess.
Cedric, too, seemed to understand the situation, pointing a finger at Belle.
“…You…”
But Belle tilted her head in confusion.
“Why are you all acting like this?”
“…Wasn’t she supposed to be dead? No, more importantly, Ian. Why is Belle with you?”
When Cedric asked incredulously, Ian also looked puzzled as he responded.
“Pardon? Do you know her?”
“…What?”
What on earth was going on? A chilling silence filled the room for a long moment.
But upon reflection, Ian had never seen Belle before.
Perhaps it was natural that he didn’t recognize her.
Even though there had been news articles about her, would Ian have paid attention to them?
And even if he had seen them, would he have remembered?
“Do you seriously not know who she is? No, even so, how could you bring someone here so casually…?”
Cedric spoke in disbelief, as if someone who should never have returned had done so.
“Do you truly not know who this person is? Belle, why are you—”
“Belle?”
However, Belle seemed equally flustered by the atmosphere, responding to the unfamiliar name with confusion.
“My name isn’t Belle; it’s Annie…”
“Annie?”
A rather common name, wasn’t it?
Yet her resemblance to someone else was uncanny, enough to shock even the Duke.
“…Fine, but why did you two come here together?”
When Cedric asked, Ian dropped a bombshell.
“Well, I came to introduce her. I want to marry her.”
“What? Marry her?”
Cedric, his face pale, jumped in shock. He was already uneasy about how much this woman resembled Belle, who insisted she wasn’t her. And now Ian wanted to marry her?
“…Come to think of it, Belle might be her real name,” Ian remarked casually.
“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I mean, I met her by chance, and she told me she’d lost her memory. She even said she came up with the name herself.”
Amnesia?
The explanation only made her seem even more like Belle Agrita!
—
The Rothiers estate was thrown into chaos.
Not only had the estranged second son suddenly returned, reigniting concerns about the succession, but he had brought with him a woman he wanted to marry—one who bore an astonishing resemblance to Cedric’s second wife, Belle.
The servants who had seen the woman’s face quickly spread rumors, and no amount of effort from the Duchess could contain them. It was too shocking an event.
“Belle!”
Even the Duke, who usually maintained his composure, was rattled and unable to make an immediate decision.
For now, he assigned Ian and his prospective bride suitable quarters, as Ian had returned and formally introduced her as the woman he wished to marry.
“Belle Agrita!”
Cedric followed Belle and grabbed her wrist.
“…Um, do I really look that much like her?” She blinked at him as if meeting him for the first time.
Though a storm of bitter emotions roiled within her, Belle suppressed them as she always had, feigning indifference.
Besides, ever since Cedric had cast her aside and the Agrita family abandoned her, the name Belle Agrita had long been discarded.
“You’ve truly forgotten me?”
“Pardon? What kind of relationship did we have?”
“…Hah.”
Cedric let out a stunned, bitter laugh, at a loss for words.
“Have you really forgotten everything?”
“Brother, I don’t know what you’re trying to say, but I’d appreciate it if you stepped away,” Ian interjected, stepping between them.
Cedric’s expression turned feral in an instant.
“Earlier, Father didn’t say anything because he was too shocked, but Belle is my wife!”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“You said she has amnesia. She’s my wife! There’s no way someone could look this much like her otherwise.”
“Brother, even if she was your wife, didn’t you already remarry?” Ian countered.
“…”
Cedric’s third wife was glaring at him. By remarrying, Cedric had effectively severed ties with Belle. She had been declared dead, her records erased.
Even if her status were restored, she would no longer be his wife.
“Regardless of the past, she’s the woman I’m going to marry now.”
“Ian!” Cedric shouted, his voice filled with disbelief. As though the situation were utterly absurd, he glared at Ian and Belle.
Watching Cedric’s outburst brought back memories for Belle. Memories of the days when she lived in constant fear, wondering what harsh words he’d hurl at her next.
They had never shared a good relationship, and now he was yelling about her being his wife as if it mattered.
Why was he acting like this? Was it simply because his half-brother wanted to marry his former wife, and he couldn’t accept it?
But his blazing eyes betrayed something deeper—jealousy.
The way he clung to her wrist, pulling her closer, was almost as if he loved her.
“I don’t remember any of it,” Belle said coldly, irritated by the situation.
She thought, ‘You claim I was your wife. So what? What does it matter now?’
So she brushed off Cedric’s hand and moved closer to Ian. This only enraged Cedric further.
“How dare you!”
He was as incomprehensible now as he had been in the past.
“Even if you’ve lost your memory, you’re still my wife! The idea of you marrying my brother is absurd! Father will never allow it!”
Judging by the expression on their father’s face earlier, Cedric was sure of it.
There was more than just shock; there was unease. While part of it may have been due to her unexpected return, something else was clearly bothering him.
“This person being your ex-wife isn’t even a confirmed fact yet,” Ian replied firmly. “Even if she was, that’s a matter for us to resolve. I would appreciate it if you stayed out of it, Brother.”
Ian spoke with finality, placing a protective arm around Belle’s shoulder. His tone was almost a warning.
“And let’s be clear: Annie is going to be my wife, not yours.”
A strange smile crept onto Belle’s face.
She had always wanted to escape from the Rothiers family, and even though she had returned and was now facing them again, she no longer felt any fear.
Instead, Cedric’s stunned expression was almost comical to her.
“Pfft.”
Unable to hold it in, she let out a small laugh. Ian, who had been glaring at Cedric moments before, now turned to Belle with a gentle smile, as if none of that had ever happened.
“Why are you laughing?” he asked in a kind tone.
“It’s nothing. I just feel reassured,” she replied.
“…Of course. Even if you truly are ‘Belle Agrita,’ it doesn’t change the fact that you’re the woman I love. So don’t worry too much. We’re going to get married.”
“…Yes.”
Belle felt a bit flustered, knowing this was all based on a falsehood. Ian’s expression was so sincere and filled with affection, it made her feel unexpectedly shy.
“Let’s go now,” he said, clearing his throat as he extended his hand.
Belle nodded, her smile tinged with a trace of bashfulness, and let Ian guide her away.
Meanwhile, Cedric stood frozen in place, like a forgotten prop. He blinked, his face blank with disbelief.
“…Was she always capable of smiling like that?”
