Chapter 83

Chapter 83 – When The Cactus Blooms

When Shuria did not return until dawn, Bella headed to the Imperial Palace with Kiehl’s carriage.

“I hope there’s nothing wrong?”

Kiehl, knowing what was going on, only shrugged his shoulders.

“If I know that she has left first, I will follow her.”

Bella was a little worried.

It was Kiehl who suggested that they go separately to avoid attracting attention as much as possible. She had already received all the attention the night before, and she could even feel the unfamiliar gaze.

Still, those worries quickly disappeared.

First of all, the crown prince’s procession was quite long, so she did not collide with the carriages of other young ladies. She kept stopping on the way but never bumped into anyone. Besides, Bella had never been literally ‘stopped at the entrance’ like she did yesterday.

‘…It’s a very VIP free pass.’

In addition, the best thing was when the carriages all stopped for a meal. Because of that, Bella came out and enjoyed an unexpected picnic with Kiehl.

“Oh my gosh, it’s so good.”

“I like it, too.”

Kiehl was happy to see her, even for that brief moment. He thought they were going separately, but perhaps the goddess of fate was on his side.

“What kind of lunch box is all wrapped in meat like this?”

Unlike him, Bella liked the lunch boxes more.

“Miss, no matter how much you’re the adopted daughter, don’t talk like a person who got a job in the Duke’s family and lived too much.”

“I know, who has been buying sandwiches? Did you buy it?”

Jenkins said, blushing his face.

“There are a lot of escorts here, so we have to eat. We can eat in moderation.”

The truth was, he had bought it the night before in a hurry, not knowing that he had to prepare a meal.

“If that’s the case, then I should eat the most healthy food. I can defeat a hundred.”

Jenkins was at a loss for words hearing her absurd logic. It was not very wrong, though.

“Ugh… Miss, you know, since you came to the human world, you gained a lot of weight. Your food cravings are sky-high.”

Bella murmured and stared at Jenkins while Kiehl rebuked him resolutely.

“What if she gains some weight?”

Then, he gently grabbed Bella’s arm and went on.

“Better than being this skinny. Eat more.”

Bella swallowed the meat in her mouth and looked at him with moving eyes.

“Oh, my gosh… One well-raised Kiehl, ten demons do not equal you.”

Saying so, she smiled brightly as she rubbed her head in his arms. And Bella’s favorite demon, Pur, did not miss the appearance and intervened.

“I like ten demons better!”

“What kind of bear are you talking about? Even if you bring in a whole truck, it’s not as good as Kiehl’s toe.”

“Hinng…”

It felt like a cat was sticking her head out as Bella was rubbing her hair more and more though Kiehl liked that.

“Is there anything else you want to eat?”

“Then I’ll have potato stew… Pasta and…”

Kiehl’s voice tickled as he listened to her small breath.

“Yes. Bella can do whatever you want.”

“I love you so much.”

For the sake of hearing this.

“Miss, doesn’t it mean that everything is good if we just give you food?”

However, Bella didn’t respond and held out her middle finger to Jenkins.

It had been three days since she went out to the Imperial Palace in such a peaceful and enjoyable way.

When she arrived at the annex right in front of the capital of the Imperial Palace. It seemed that Shuria had been running without stopping on her horse, and she was already standing at the entrance of the annex, waiting for Bella and the others.

As soon as Kiehl saw Shuria, his face was filled with regret. He had confirmed Bella’s identity, but there was no need for that anymore.

Kiehl got off first and greeted Shuria.

“Your Highness Kiehl.”

“Did the job go well?”

“Yes. I was a little late due to an accident. By the way…”

Answering him, she glanced at the Cruelle family’s carriage a little further away and sighed.

“Why would you come with Miss Bella?”

Shuria put her hand on her forehead.

“I told you not to draw attention like that.”

“If anyone hears it, they would think she was riding in the carriage with me. It’s just that the carriage came with me on the way back.”

Rio heard that from behind and nodded his head. It was because he barely stopped him from wanting to ride the same carriage.

“There was an accident on the first day, too. Because Lady Shuria is not here, everyone treats Bella rudely.”

“…I heard it.”

Shuria let out a long sigh.

She purposely broke the carriage and rented a horse, lest Juan would chase after her. She never thought it would make the guards more vigilant.

“I am worried. I’m afraid that the twisted ladies might even bother Miss Bella.”

Rio continued to listen and then raised his hand.

“Are you worried that Miss Bella will kill those ladies?”

Shuria frowned.

“Everyone thinks that Miss Bella is a vicious person, like some kind of demon king.”

“….”

“In my opinion, Miss Bella is a person who will endure bullying. I’m afraid she might be harmed by Your Highness for nothing.”

It seemed that Shuria was mistaken, so Rinne helped, too.

“Miss Bella won’t endure it.”

“I don’t mean that…”

At that time, whether she knew Shuria’s concerns or not, Bella approached them, waving her hand warmly.

“Lady Shuria! I thought I was going into the Imperial Palace without seeing you.”

“Haha… You wouldn’t. I ran.”

“I heard that the carriage was overturned, are you okay?”

“There was a little accident. I’m okay.”

“That’s a relief.”

With her innocent smile, Shuria saw the black-haired maid she had loved for a long time superimposed.

“Come in. The night is chilly.”

She carefully hoped that this person would not disappear from the world.

* * *

That night.

Bella couldn’t sleep until the cold dawn air was thick. Laying on her side, she turned on her cell phone and stared intently at the usual picture. Looking at it like this, it felt like yesterday when Kiehl was as cute as a puppy.

‘Time really flies…’

Sometimes when she looked at Kiehl as an adult, the freshness of that time remained, but she had a different feeling. When he was joking, he looked like the Kiehl she had always met.

However, seeing him working as the Crown Prince or seeing him with other people. It seemed as if she had suddenly just met that Kiehl, whom she knew only through words… Her favorite in the novel she had read until it wore out.

‘Now, if we go to the Imperial Palace…’

In this novel, after a long wait, the main characters would have an amazing reunion.

‘Would he love it to death when the two of them met each other again?’

It was an obvious cliché, with a short kiss and a love that grew bigger and bigger. As Rosanne established herself as the Crown Princess, he devoted his affection, giving all he had for the sake of his beloved Rosanne.

‘Still, he’s so good to me… How good would he be to the person he loves?’

Thinking so, Bella gazed over her cell phone at the cactus on the table. Since there was no sunlight in the Demon Realm, she had always put it under the moonlight and put it in the shade, but the flower still didn’t seem to bloom.

She hugged the blanket tightly and repeated the words that Shuria had said.

— “They would demand the love they deserve in moderation.”

The moonlight was dimly illuminating the room by the window. Bella exhaled slowly, looking at the night sky of the human world, which was beautiful even in darkness.

‘…Yes. I am satisfied with this.’

* * *

Meanwhile, one of the three carriages from the Cruelle family was abandoned on the mountainside. Not long after that, there was Juan in a place where bandits used to make their stronghold for a long time.

Also, under a deep pit.

“Shuria!”

When he fell, he injured his leg, unable to stand up, only calling out Shuria’s name. However, after hours had passed, he had no choice but to admit his plight.

“…Is anyone there?”

As he thought, Shuria had already left. She got him into this trap. He knew Shuria didn’t like him, but he didn’t expect it to be this much.

‘…That must have been the cause of the trouble.’

A dark-haired maid who worked for the Cruelle family.

Was her name Ellen…?

He had memories of having slept with her a few times. He didn’t think the maid would be Bella anyway, so he took her lightly. However, he did not know that it was a person Shuria loved so much.

— “Did Brother know that she had a baby from brother?”

He didn’t even know that. Had he known, he would have given her some money though the maid had long since left Cruelle.

— “I closed my eyes to whomever you touched… Still, you shouldn’t have touched mine.”

At that time, Herod Cruelle rebuked Shuria for giving too much heart to a mere maid, but Juan could not forget the gaze.

‘Is it retribution?’

How many days have passed?

Whether he would starve to death or die of thirst, it seemed appropriate to send him away without having blood on her hands.

Juan didn’t even laugh anymore. He couldn’t wait until the day he died like this.

‘…I finally found her.’

He could assertively say that he searched for Bella far more than Kiehl had.

Unlike Kiehl, who was locked in the Imperial Palace and rolled his feet to hear the news, he went looking for her himself. If Shuria entered the contest for the Crown Princess, he would become the head of the Cruelle family.

He was confident that he could slowly make Bella his without any rush. Because in Bella’s eyes, she seemed to want him.

‘I have underestimated His Highness too much.’

Knowing how the people of the Empire are fascinated with another world, he thought it was a needlessly big deal.

‘He’s like an evil lion bastard…’

All of this must have been so meticulously planned. Still, the more he did, the more he found a gap.

Everyone knew that Bella was a person from another world called the Animal Kingdom. If Bella was Kiehl’s childhood friend, even if it were true, he would have no choice but to doubt it. The question was whether the story may have been made up to keep a commoner by his side.

Whatever the truth may be, it could be distorted once doubts begin to emerge.

‘And, I have the cards.’

Juan decided to look at the sun shining in the sky. He had to get out somehow. And, as if the Goddess of fate was on his side…

“Miss! Why are you here!”

A human voice came.

“Is anyone there?”

Juan did not miss this opportunity.

“Myu! There must be someone here!”

This was a story that did not exist in the original novel. It was the first meeting between the female lead, Rosanne, and the sub-male lead, Juan, who was the scheming mastermind… The winds of fate ripped through the earth and blew wildly upon them.

However, no one knew where that fate was headed for.