Chapter 9
Ian and Belle stood before the Duke of Rothiers.
The duke narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Ian and Belle. With the duchess and Cedric absent—likely because their presence would cause a commotion—it was clear the duke had summoned them deliberately.
“…Do you truly not remember anything?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t approach deliberately?”
“Excuse me? How could I? I truly woke up with no memory at all. I was told I had walked to a village on the outskirts of the capital while gravely injured, but I don’t recall anything before that.”
Belle spoke with a tone that conveyed her frustration.
Yet, the ever-skeptical Duke of Rothiers seemed unconvinced. It wasn’t an easy story to believe, after all.
“Father, is that really what matters? I just want to marry her. Please, just give us your blessing. I don’t mind leaving the family again if necessary.”
Ian intervened, shielding Belle and pleading for the duke’s approval.
“Do you think such a marriage is possible?”
“Even if Annie truly is Belle Agrita, she no longer has any ties to my brother.”
It was the same argument Ian had made to Cedric the day before.
Of course, they knew it was far from a simple situation. Ian and Belle both understood that.
But they hadn’t come here with the sole intention of marrying. They were merely buying time, with plans for revenge in mind.
“It’s not happening.”
At last, the duke declared it outright.
“Father!”
Ian reacted as though his relationship with the woman he loved had been completely invalidated.
“Forget the marriage and accept the dukedom.”
“I refuse.”
“Ian, no one can live their life doing only what they want.”
“That’s fine. In any case, with my brother already here, I have no intention of accepting the title.”
“Cedric cannot become the duke. He’s unfit for it.”
Of course.
The Duke of Rothiers had never truly considered Cedric as his heir. The only reason he hadn’t completely cast him aside was likely because he was still his son.
That, and the fact that Ian—his preferred choice—had once run away.
“In that case, please allow me to marry Annie. I might consider it then. Though, to be honest, even without your approval, I will marry her anyway.”
“Even if this woman really is Belle Agrita?”
“I’ve already told you that doesn’t matter to me.”
The duke let out a deep sigh. Ian’s fiery gaze revealed a determination to marry the woman no matter what, as though nothing could stand in his way.
“…Even if you insist, the people around you won’t sit idly by.”
The duke smirked faintly and shook his head.
“If you truly desire this woman, you’ll need the status and power to ensure no one can interfere.”
“Even so, Father, I still want your blessing.”
“Does my approval matter? Words of permission mean nothing without substance.”
While the duke’s words were indirect, they essentially amounted to approval. If Ian would accept the dukedom, the duke didn’t care who he chose to marry.
This was the answer Ian had been seeking.
Someday, once his revenge was complete, he truly wanted to start anew with Belle.
* * *
As the duke had predicted, those around them did not leave Belle and Ian in peace.
“Belle.”
It started with Cedric, who came to see her unannounced.
“Please call me Annie. But what brings you here all of a sudden…?”
Unfortunately, Ian was away at the time.
Belle wasn’t curious about Cedric’s reason for coming; it was obvious it wouldn’t be anything significant. She only asked out of politeness.
Cedric, however, suddenly leaned in and spoke in a whisper.
“There’s someone I want you to meet.”
“Excuse me?”
“Someone who can confirm that you are Belle.”
Belle frowned.
At that moment, the door opened, and in walked Count Agrita.
It was the same face she had seen last before her marriage—unchanged in the three years since.
Belle found it amusing.
How could it be that meeting her family for the first time in three years neither surprised her nor filled her with joy?
“Belle.”
Count Agrita approached her with a somewhat emotional expression.
“So it really is you.”
He stared at her face for a moment, his eyes wide in what seemed to be genuine amazement, but the look in his eyes made it clear that his words were nothing but a pretentious act. His drooping eyebrows and the coldness in his eyes, despite the concerned words, revealed his true feelings.
What on earth do these people want from me?
“Who are you?”
But Belle asked as if she didn’t recognize him at all, staring at the count.
“You said you lost your memory… I’m your father.”
The count, his eyes welling up with fake tears, reached out and tightly grabbed Belle’s hand. But at that moment, something suddenly became clear to Belle—something she had not seen in the past year. After meeting Belle, the count seemed to fall deep into thought. Her face—yes, it was truly her daughter. No matter how cruel he was, there was no way he would fail to recognize his own child. When he subtly checked her hand, even the birthmark matched.
“What do you think? It seems like she is Belle, doesn’t it?”
“…It’s true.”
The count chuckled in disbelief.
“Living like a filthy commoner… her hands have become so rough. Thinking she lived like that… it doesn’t feel good at all.”
He clicked his tongue and fixed his gaze on Cedric, standing before him.
“So, you want to live with the Belle who lost her memory? Do you think that’s possible?”
“She was already my woman.”
“…Hmm.”
“If you join me again, father-in-law, you can solidify your position even more.”
The count squinted as he looked at his former son-in-law. Their relationship had already been severed once. When Belle died, Cedric had quickly distanced himself, claiming there was nothing to gain from it. But even so, he had received some help from the count in the past. There was a time when he hadn’t needed the count’s help, believing he could manage on his own. But now, with Belle alive, Cedric had come back.
“You want to marry her again?”
“Yes. Ian has no interest in the dukedom anyway.”
The count had long realized that Cedric was not the heir the Duke of Rothiers had in mind. However, since Ian was out of the picture, he figured things would work out eventually.
“No, the real question is, would Belle accept?”
“All you need to do is testify, father-in-law. A marriage with Ian was never going to happen. Once Belle’s family registry is revived, the marriage with me will be revived as well. There’s no need for anything complicated.”
Should he join forces with this foolish firstborn? It might actually be easier to back Ian. After all, he was back. But someone like Cedric would be easier to manipulate.
Ian—although he had never met him—was surely someone clever enough to be the next Duke of Rothiers. If Cedric became the Duke, the future of Rothiers would be a sure thing. The count knew the duke was aware of this as well. Count Agrita wanted everything the Duke of Rothiers had, not just his backing.
“Fine.”
Thinking this, Count Agrita spoke his approval.
Now that his daughter had returned, he believed he could make use of her again. Cedric, grinning widely, looked as though he had just gained the world.
“Father-in-law!”
“We’ll make it work again.”
“Trust me!”
If Cedric could become the Duke of Rothiers…
The two of them smiled and shook hands, dreaming of the same future.
Belle, who had been silently watching all of this, stared at the count with a furrowed brow, still holding his hand.
“…No, how hard must you have lived to make your hands this rough?”
“…It wasn’t that bad. I lived just like everyone else.”
“Everyone else? I hope you’re not talking about those lowborn people.”
The count’s brow furrowed deeper.
“You’re the daughter of Agrita. You’ve never lived like everyone else. You must’ve had a hard time.”
Perhaps because he had already seen the future, the count’s true thoughts were easy for Belle to discern. Even if he hadn’t seen it, she would have known. It wasn’t that he was upset about her suffering, but that he feared her value as a “commodity” might diminish.
But more importantly, the idea of marrying her again…
Despite having seen a shocking future, Belle remained calm.
