Chapter 07
The day after Shanur chased away the noisy Elness, he sat in the faint light and read through a document. The file contained all the information gathered about “Beloni Jerem.” The details were scarce, likely due to her limited social activity, and the file barely filled one page.
Beloni Jerem, 20 years old, had never appeared publicly before her debutante ball at 18.She was the illegitimate child of Jerem Marquis’s fiancée, a former noblewoman who had considerable wealth but lost her family after their engagement. Just as the Marquis was about to call off the engagement, the fiancée became pregnant and tragically passed away during childbirth. The fiancée left her entire dowry to the Marquis in exchange for legitimizing the child, and the Marquis immediately married a second woman from a similar noble background, which helped maintain his title.
Most of the document focused more on her background rather than on Beloni herself.
The only notable event was that she mysteriously disappeared on the day of her wedding to Ian Beckham.
Ian claimed to have been attacked and that his fiancée was kidnapped.
The noble world didn’t focus on purity, but the disappearance of a noblewoman naturally lowered her reputation, further damaged by false rumors spread by Beckham’s wife.
As a result, the best solution for the Jerem Marquis was to find Beloni quickly and marry her off to Ian.
Despite Ian’s strong opposition, Beckham’s wife forced the marriage, already having paid half of Beloni’s dowry.
This was Beloni’s current predicament—far from the peaceful image she had been maintaining.
Shanur now understood why she had sought his refuge. The Marquis and the Beckhams were both actively looking for her, and even with all the money in the world, rumors couldn’t be stopped.
Without protection, Beloni would eventually be caught by those hunting her.
Shanur admired her clever choice of hiding in the cursed Duke’s mansion; no one would ever guess she’d be there.
“Nosel,” he called softly. A figure hidden in the shadows stepped forward.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“From now on, when this woman leaves, you’ll be in charge of her surveillance, pretending to be her guard.”
“I understand. I’ve been investigating the events in the alley, but the people there are tight-lipped… It will take some time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shanur couldn’t help but chuckle.
The people in the alley were known for selling the darkest secrets of nobles for money without fear. That they were keeping quiet about Beloni’s whereabouts was very odd.
Nosel, equally confused, replied, “Yes, it’s strange. But I’ve found out who they were talking to.”
“Who?” Shanur asked.
“The leader of the alley.”
“Ha,” Shanur murmured, rubbing his face. The leader of the alley was someone he hadn’t expected to hear about.
Nosel had uncovered that the leader had close ties with Beloni’s mother, even receiving special treatment. They had even invested in secret businesses run by Elness to raise money.
“Do you think she could have another plan?” Shanur asked.
“Another plan?” Nosel responded.
“Like… trying to get into the Duke’s family?”
After a moment’s thought, Nosel shook his head. “I don’t get that feeling.”
“Then could it all just be a coincidence?” Shanur mused, suspecting there might be more to the situation.
Just then, a knock echoed through the door.
“Your Highness, it’s Beloni.”
“Keep investigating, especially her connection with the alley leader,” Shanur ordered before the figure disappeared into the shadows.
“Come in.”
As the door opened, Beloni entered, dressed in a maid’s outfit.
“Oh? You’ve lit the candles today,” she remarked, noticing the light in the room, which had not been used before.
Shanur waved his hand irritably, extinguishing the candles.
“There’s something I need to ask,” he began, surprising Beloni, who eagerly sat down across from him.
“Anything! Ask away. I’ll answer everything.”
“Good. First, why are you here?”
“I came to clean. You didn’t do it yesterday,” Beloni answered, already looking for something to do.
“Alright. What’s your name?”
“Beloni Jerem.”
“How old are you?”
“20 years old.”
“Why did you attack Ian Beckham?”
“I didn’t want to marry him.”
“Why not?”
“Ian plans to get a mistress and make her his wife, eventually killing his current wife in the process.”
She spoke with a voice full of anger and frustration.
“Can you tell these things just by looking at his face?” Shanur asked skeptically.
Beloni stared at him directly.
“Would you like me to tell you too, Your Highness?”
Her composed attitude made Shanur subconsciously meet her gaze. As they locked eyes, he realized she was waiting for his answer.
Beloni leaned in closer, captivated by the beauty of his clear, golden eyes. Shanur was stunningly handsome, to the point where she forgot about her reflection in the mirror.
“I think if you give me your purity, the curse will be lifted, and we’ll part ways peacefully, each living well after,” she said. “And, of course, there will be a large alimony payment.”
Shanur frowned. “Wasn’t it agreed there wouldn’t be any alimony?”
“Oops,” Beloni said, realizing she had been caught.
Shanur, noticing her casual demeanor, frowned further. “Are you planning to take the alimony too?”
She smiled brightly. “So, you’ll marry me then?”
“Not happening,” Shanur said firmly, though he couldn’t help but smile at her boldness.
“Now, tell me why you didn’t marry Ian Beckham.”
“I’m telling the truth. I never lied.”
“I thought you and Ian were on good terms before,” Shanur continued.
“Yes, he did like my face,” Beloni nodded. “But I realized he wasn’t someone I wanted to spend my life with.”
Beloni continued, explaining she had run away on her wedding day because she couldn’t marry someone like him.
Shanur didn’t press further; this wasn’t the reason he was asking. Instead, he casually asked, “So how do you know the leader of the alley?”
“Auntie’s friend,” Beloni said casually.
Shanur froze, unsure whether he should be shocked by the bombshell about her mother or the connection with the alley leader. Either way, it seemed Beloni was a lot more complicated than he had first assumed.
He had to admit: this woman was truly strange.
