CH 3

As soon as Bella left the parlor, she headed to the basement at a brisk pace. Most of the maids were in the parlor, though there were a few who wandered in the hallway, and, as usual, none of the maids paid any attention to her. When Bella reached the entrance to the basement, she let out a small sigh.

“Oh no.”

The door was securely locked with a solid padlock. On days when the mansion had guests, they kept the door to the basement locked—even if Bella was out of the basement—because they were worried that a curious guest might wander down the stairs.

“What do I do…” If she didn’t hurry back, it’d arouse suspicion, but at the same time, she couldn’t show her bare feet in front of the maids. As she was lost in thought, a sudden voice called out for her.

“Miss Isabella.”

Flinch–!

Bella whirled around at the low whisper in her ear. It was Jenos Ferdian. He was looking down at her with his great height and bulk. He was smiling in an easygoing manner, but his eyes showed how cold-blooded he was. 

“It looks like you’re in a bit of trouble.”

“. . .”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to help.”

“N-no trouble at all. There is no such thing, and I’m infinitely honored that you even asked, Your Highness.”

Bella bowed and turned to leave, but Jenos took a step, blocking her path.

“If there is an empty room nearby, please show me the way. My aide will return shortly with your shoes.”

“My… shoes?” 

“Isn’t that Miss Isabella’s predicament?” Jenos spoke straightforwardly. Bella hesitated for a moment, but it was true that she had no other choice.

“This, this way.”

Bella pushed on the wall right next to the door leading to the basement. The wall gently turned, revealing a very small pantry area. It was a secret room that an outsider wouldn’t even know existed unless they pushed it accidentally. 

Inside, flimsy wooden crates filled with grain bars—desiccated and devoid of flavor and texture—were piled up. Whenever Bella made a mistake, according to the White family, these bars were her only food. Just by looking at the boxes, Bella could taste the crunchy sawdust. 

She quickly ducked inside, and Jenos raised a hand toward the butler, Phil, who had arrived at the far end of the hall just in time. The old-looking man rushed over at a brisk pace that didn’t match his appearance and handed over a pair of shoes. They were plain, patternless, beige shoes that matched the dress.

Jenos glanced at the butler and then stepped into Isabella’s space. Phil closed the door behind him, and the room went pitch black. There was no lighting system inside the place. At that moment, Jenos snapped his fingers lightly, emitting a small blue light from the tip of his index finger; the room brightened as if a dim light had been turned on. Bella looked around in surprise. 

“Do you know how to use magic?” Bella asked, her eyes sparkling like a child’s.

“You ask as if you’ve never seen anyone use magic before.”

Bella flinched at Jenos’s words, avoiding his eyes.

“Ma- magic is a strange thing to- to behold at any time, and young ladies don’t get the chance to learn it properly, so I apologize if I was rude, Your Highness.” Bella’s words sounded like an excuse, but Jenos did not probe further. It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious, but there was no time.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Jenos went down on one knee in front of Bella and held out the shoes.

“Gr- Grand Duke! Your Highness…” 

To Bella’s dismay, Jenos’s posture did not waver. 

“There is no time, Miss Isabella.”

It bothered her terribly to show her scarred bare feet in front of him. Chewing on her dry lips, she carefully slipped both feet into the shoes he held out to her. They fit like a glove.

“I’m glad to see there’s no problem with the size.” Jenos lifted his head and looked up at Bella, his heavy voice echoing in the small space. 

Such a deep, manly voice made Bella nervous. It was the first time she’d ever been this close to a member of the opposite gender other than Ethan. As if reading her nervousness, the Grand Duke turned his gaze away from her and slowly rose to his feet. 

“If you’ll excuse me, then.”

As Jenos turned to leave the room, Bella’s heart raced. She had to thank him. 

“You-Your Highness, Grand Duke.”

The man looked back at her as he pushed open the door. Bella placed her hand atop her apron and opened her mouth to speak. She was about to convey her gratitude when a sharp pain came from her chest—the place where she had been stabbed with the brooch.

Jenos’ brow furrowed slightly. 

“I will remember this favor; thank you, Your Highness,” Bella said calmly despite her pain.

The man contemplated pretending he hadn’t seen it, but his interest in the oddly barefoot lady was too strong to ignore.

“Are you hurt?”

“…Yes?”

“You look uncomfortable.”

“Oh, that’s…” Bella hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It’s because I was… poked by a brooch. It happened because I couldn’t paint it.” 

“Did you put the brooch on yourself instead of the maids helping you?”

“Oh, that—yes. Because I overslept, I didn’t have enough time to prepare. There was no time to ask the maids for a favor.”

“Then where is the brooch now?” 

“That…” Bella could say no more. Looking into Jenos’s cold, wood-colored eyes, she was rendered speechless. She had heard that the knights of the neighboring kingdoms on the borders were especially afraid of Jenos, and now that she was face to face with him and had experienced the depth of his eyes, she understood why.

“Your Highness, you have to come out now.” Bella looked motionless until she heard the butler’s voice at the door, and the tension between them vanished. Jenos opened the door, and Bella followed.

“You go in first. I’ll join you in a moment.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” 

Bella bowed to him and headed straight to the parlor. A maid held the door open for her, and as she went inside, Rosalie’s expression—smiling brightly, thinking the grand duke had returned—hardened. 

“What do you think you’re doing, coming back from wherever you’ve been? Don’t you realize that there can’t be any flaws today?” Rosalie lowered her voice, glancing at the door in case Jenos had returned. 

Seeing Rosalie’s face and hearing her harsh voice, Bella walked reluctantly to the table and took a seat.

“Where have you been?” Martha asked.

Bella blurted out the excuse she’d been thinking of since she’d left the drawing room. 

“I was so nervous I thought I would get hiccups, so I went out to calm down and came back.” 

“You should’ve said you were sick, not uselessly come back.” Rosalie glared at her sister viciously, her teeth chattering.

Bella held her tongue.

“Calm your nerves, Rosalie; the grand duke will be back soon.” 

Rosalie gritted her teeth at Martha’s advice.

“Watch when it’s all over. I’ll starve for three days. You won’t even be able to eat those grain bars.” 

Just then, the parlor door opened, and Jenos entered. As the family rose to their feet, he held up a hand as if to stop them, then sat down.

“I apologize. There was a message I need to check.” 

“Not at all, Your Highness; I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you took time out of your busy schedule to visit.” At Rosalie’s blush, Jenos raised the corners of his mouth into a gregarious smile. 

They all sat down again, and Bella kept her eyes on her own mug.

“You must have your hands full of state affairs; at this rate, you won’t have time to hunt,” Ethan said playfully, shaking his head.

Jenos replied, matching his beat moderately. 

“That’s true; I’m afraid we won’t get a chance to hunt together for a while.” 

“On top of that, today’s Witch’s Day, how troubled you must be,” Martha chimed in.

‘Right, it’s today.’ Bella’s eyes widened for a moment, then her expression softened. This year was the year of the witch’s birth in the Latus Empire, which came around once every hundred years, and today, the 33rd day of spring, was the day of the witch’s birth.

“Goodness, how scary! I’ve only heard of it, but it’s really here.” Rosalie opened her rabbit eyes and softly shrugged her shoulders, a technique taught to her by Martha.

“The knights are keeping all pregnant women who are about to give birth in quarantine so that I can be contacted immediately if anything looks suspicious. You have nothing to worry about.” 

Jenos explained softly, and Rosalie nodded with the face of a girl in love.

“I can’t tell you how pleased I am that you came to the mansion, even though you must have had so little time to prepare for such a big event.”

Jenos chuckled at Rosalie’s shyness and shook his head.

“Don’t you worry, it’s not like that, and besides, it gives me greater joy.”

Rosalie flushed and bowed her head at his words.

“I’m not sure what kind of demon will be born this time; I heard the last witch born a hundred years ago killed three knights upon birth,” Ethan said, intrigued. 

“I find it most creepy that all witches kill their own mothers at birth. How could a newborn child do such a thing?”

Martha closed her eyes and shook her head. 

“Still, aren’t you curious about the witch’s appearance? I heard that her whole body would glow with a blood-like light, and that she tore her mother’s belly apart. Don’t you want to see something like that? I want to see it. Just out of intellectual curiosity, of course,” Ethan said seriously, leaning slightly toward Jenos. 

His words were treading a fine line. If Bella had said something like this, she would have been flogged to death, but Martha and Rosalie thought he was just being ‘mischievous.’ After Baron Derek White’s death, Ethan became the man of the house, so he felt like he needed to show off to the others his so-called ‘manliness.’ even if it meant being cruel and violent.

“What does Your Highness think?”

“Well, I just think we should deal with it before it causes any harm to the country,” Jenos replied calmly to Ethan’s question.

“They say that if you don’t subdue the witch on the day she’s born, she won’t stop until she’s murdered a thousand people. Is that true?” Martha asked.

The grand duke smiled lightly and nodded.

“Yes. That’s what it says in the imperial registers.”

“Goodness!” Rosalie covered her mouth in surprise. 

“Don’t worry too much, Rose; by the time the sun rises tomorrow morning, you will hear that the witch has been dealt with.”

Jenos’s kind words made Rosalie feel like she had the world at her feet. 

“I feel greatly reassured having His Highness here.”

“Now, then, I suggest we stop talking about witches and discuss the marriage of our beautiful young lovers, for I fear the subject is becoming too heavy.” At Martha’s words, Jenos nodded.

Whether the topic changed or stayed the same, Bella continued to sip her tea with a tight-lipped expression. None of the White family paid her any mind, but Jenos would occasionally steal a furtive glance at her that no one noticed.

The time had come for Grand Duke Ferdian to return. When the butler, Phil, approached and respectfully conveyed the information, Jenos exited the drawing room, apologizing for his departure. Rosalie was deeply disappointed that the wedding had not yet been fully discussed, but she didn’t stop the grand duke. 

“I will see you at the upcoming Imperial Ball; the invitations should be arriving in ten days.” At Jenos’ words, Martha asked. 

“I believe you said that you would announce your marriage to our Rosalie at the ball, if I recall correctly, Your Highness?”

Balls were the perfect stage for announcing a marriage; thus, most highborn nobles would announce their marriages at lavish balls. But an imperial ball? It would be the envy of everyone. 

“Yes. The marriage will be announced on the spot.”

Jenos answered calmly, and Rosalie tried to compose herself. She was already excited. Grand Duchess! A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of such an elegant title placed before her name.

“I see. I will work hard to make sure that my Rosalie does not become a hindrance to His Highness. She’ll be the perfect grand duchess, clad in blue diamonds.”

“What do you mean? You have no idea the infinite pleasure it gives me to promise myself to Miss Rosalie.” 

“Your Highness…” Rosalie stretched her words, exchanging an affectionate glance with Jenos.

Martha and even Ethan watched the exchange with satisfaction, but Bella was the only one with a raised eyebrow. As far as she could see, there was no love in Jenos’ eyes. There was a feigned warmth, but underneath was a very business-like, worn-out gaze, as if he were surveying state affairs.

At that moment, as if reading Bella’s mind, Jenos shifted his gaze. His eyes locked with hers, and Bella quickly averted his eyes. 

“Rose, walk him to the front gate.” At Martha’s words, Rosalie happily followed Jenos across the yard. 

Bella, noticing a glimpse of tension in Jenos’ last glance, didn’t even look at his back as he walked away.