Chapter 09
For the first time in a while, Beloni wore a regular dress instead of her maid uniform. When she first arrived at the duke’s household, she only had an old dress, but Rosalyn had thoughtfully filled her wardrobe with new ones. Standing before the mirror and adjusting her clothes, Beloni stepped out of her room and climbed the stairs. She wanted to discuss some adjustments to the terms they had agreed upon the previous day.
Reaching the third floor, she stood before Shanur’s room. Just as she was about to knock, she noticed the door was ajar. Curious, she grabbed the doorknob and called out softly.
“Your Grace, it’s Beloni…”
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks, startled by the commotion inside the room. Shanur, who usually crept, never made such a noise.
“Ah!”
Before she could peek inside, someone else made a surprised sound. Beloni stood frozen as glowing golden eyes stared back at her from the dim light. The person had slightly darker skin, and only one person in the empire matched these two distinct features.
“The Crown Prince?”
The man she had been puzzling over just yesterday was now in Shanur’s room, leaving Beloni utterly flustered. What shocked her even more was the Crown Prince’s expression—he seemed just as surprised as she was.
“Beloni?”
Shanur was the first to recover from the surprise.
“Ah, I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you had a guest…”
She started backing away, feeling awkward. The dim hallway and the absence of Michel had given her no clue that someone might be there. Just as she was about to retreat, the Crown Prince, Elnesss, quickly approached her, grabbing her hand with an enthusiastic grin.
“So you’re the lady Shanur is marrying!”
He shook her hand vigorously, and Beloni caught off guard, wobbled under his firm grip. Elness, who was just as robustly built as Shanur, seemed too overjoyed to control his strength. Feeling dizzy, Beloni tried to steady herself.
“Uh, p-please wait a moment…”
“Your Highness, that’s enough,” Shanur interjected, grabbing Elness’ arm and pulling it away.
As Elness let go, Beloni almost toppled over, but Shanur caught her and guided her to the sofa. Elness, looking sheepish, apologized.
“I’m so sorry! I was just too excited and got carried away.”
When Beloni finally regained her composure, she greeted Elness formally.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I’m Beloni Jerem.”
Elness didn’t seem surprised that she recognized him. After all, his golden eyes, dark skin, and unique hair were traits known only to the empire’s Crown Prince.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Elness had a warm and approachable demeanor, with a constant smile and a light, friendly voice. Beloni couldn’t hide her curiosity as she studied him. It wasn’t necessary to hide it, though, as Elness was doing the same to her.
Watching the two silently observe each other, Shanur felt an odd sense of déjà vu. Something about them felt similar, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Their atmosphere was undeniably alike. Clearing his throat to break the tension, Shanur addressed Beloni.
“So, why did you come here, Beloni?”
Beloni hesitated, her lips parting but no words coming out. She wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to discuss their contract in front of Elness. She quickly analyzed the situation.
Elness seemed to have come for personal reasons, given how casually he acted in Shanur’s room. They must be quite close if Shanur didn’t even bother wearing his usual mask. And from Elness’ reaction, he already knew about the contract.
“I wanted to discuss some details about the contract,” she said cautiously.
As she expected, Elness didn’t look surprised or curious. He already knew about the contract.
“We can discuss that later,” Shanur replied curtly.
“Shanur, are you keeping secrets from me now that you have a wife?” Elness teased, raising his eyebrows.
“Enough, Your Highness,” Shanur said sharply.
Relieved that her guess was correct, Beloni sighed inwardly.
“So why exactly are you here?” Shanur asked.
“How could I not come after receiving this?” Elness retorted, pulling out a letter.
It wasn’t much of a letter—just one sentence:
I’m getting married soon.
“Did you think I’d stay put after receiving this?”
Beloni nodded involuntarily, agreeing that such a brief note would intrigue anyone, even an enemy. Shanur’s blunt personality seemed to apply to everyone equally.
“I heard the story. Don’t worry, I’m not blaming you, Lady Beloni. It’s entirely Shanur’s fault, isn’t it?” Elness said, throwing a reproachful look at Shanur before turning back to Beloni.
“I’m truly grateful to you, Lady Beloni. By the way, may I ask you something?”
“Of course, Your Highness. Please ask.”
“How do you plan to break the curse? For years, many have searched for a solution, but no one has succeeded.”
Beloni hesitated. She couldn’t tell him the method involved giving her chastity—it was far too embarrassing.
“Well, um…”
Before she could decline, Shanur covered her mouth.
“That information is part of our confidential agreement.”
Elness raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Shanur’s rare display of physical contact. It only heightened his curiosity about Beloni.
“Alright, I’ll leave you two to it. I won’t interrupt,” Elness said, stepping back with a mischievous smile.
As he left, Shanur lowered his hand, suddenly realizing he’d touched Beloni without hesitation—a first for him. He stared at his palm with a strange expression, wondering if his body instinctively recognized the person who could lift his curse.
Before Elness could leave entirely, Shanur called out,
“Beloni, introduce yourself properly.”
“Again?” Beloni asked, confused.
“You’re the one who invested a thousand gold coins in his business,” Shanur explained.
“What?!” Elness exclaimed, turning back to Beloni in shock.
“You’re my only investor? How could this be?” he cried, grabbing her hands again in excitement.
Beloni, though startled, quickly pieced things together. The business she’d invested in—an affordable gossip newspaper targeting both nobles and commoners—belonged to Elness.
In her past life, this newspaper, Social Scandals, had become wildly popular but disappeared after only six months. It all made sense now; the paper stopped because Elness, its owner, had died.
Keeping her excitement in check, Beloni smiled and said,
“I came across the proposal and found it fascinating. The content is entertaining, and the pricing makes it accessible to everyone.”
As she spoke, her heart raced with excitement. Elness, now her business partner, suddenly looked incredibly promising in her eyes.
Watching their exchange, Shanur frowned.
“She’s not falling for him, is she?”
He couldn’t help but wonder. Beloni was too unpredictable not to be suspicious.
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