CH 18

lurelia10-12 minutes 18.03.2023

“Belle.”

“Is it because I’m a bad kid? But even if I’m a…… bad kid, I want to be my uncle’s real daughter!”

With that, Belinda ran to her room and sobbed for several minutes.

It was ridiculous that he would act like he would do anything for her, and yet he wouldn’t give her what she wanted most.

‘He’s a coward, and he’s a liar.’

As Belinda’s sobs finally subsided, she heard her uncle’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Belinda, did I ever tell you about my wife who died giving birth to our daughter?”

Belinda didn’t answer, but her uncle knew she was listening.

“I consider you not as a niece, but as the daughter I lost along with my wife. Isn’t that enough?”

The uncle’s words, uttered in a low voice, became the key that unlocked Belinda’s tightly closed door.

Click. The sound of the latch turning echoed, and Belinda, with swollen eyes, poked her head out.

Her face was pale with tears, but her expression was stubborn.

“It’s not good enough – I need proof that I’m my uncle’s real daughter, so I can be at peace.”

“Belinda, this uncle is confident that he will be a good guardian for you, but a good father… I may not be able to fulfill that role.”

“It’s okay! I can’t say I’ll be a good daughter, either, so, Uncle…. Please?”

The uncle said nothing but stared for a long time at his niece’s small, delicate hand, which clutched desperately at his own.

And then, after four seasons had passed, on the day of the ex-marquis’s anniversary.

The uncle placed the adoption papers into Belinda’s hands and casually scratched his cheek.

“Thank you so much for becoming my daughter, Belle.”

Instead of answering, Belinda hugged him tightly around the neck.

Unlike the day of the funeral, he didn’t smell like rain, but more like her beloved father.

It was the second time she had a real family.

The scene of Belinda’s memory fragment slowly began to fade away. My vision darkened, and a ringing noise throbbed in my ears.

The system window suddenly appeared on the screen.

***

Belinda’s childhood memories washed over me like a torrential downpour.

The sudden influx of information momentarily made my legs wobble, but I managed to regain my balance.

The tutorial reward sucked.

I tightly clenched the glasses that had appeared out of nowhere.

I wasn’t the real Belinda, and yet her emotions felt poignant, as if they were my own. No, I was actually Belinda herself as I glimpsed into her childhood.

Belinda’s life, which had been unfamiliar to me, felt somewhat like a part of me, and my memories intertwined with hers.

I untied the choker I was wearing and touched the ruby pendant.

It looked like a simple piece of jewelry, but it was actually a locket, hollow inside.

I twisted the pendant open and gazed at the portrait of the couple inside.

Before, they were just strangers, but now I knew who they were.

Belinda’s real parents.

I stared at them for a while, then closed the pendant and ran my fingertips over the engraved words on the back.

[To my precious Belle]

“Uncle…….”

I mouthed the words without realizing it. I was standing in front of Belinda’s uncle’s grave. It was a strange feeling.

I didn’t even recognize his face before I acquired the fragment of memory, and now I felt a deep longing.

‘Calm down. These are Belinda’s feelings, not mine.’

It was the moment I shook my head to push away Belinda’s emotions.

“Miss Belinda?”

I turned around instinctively at the cautious voice.

Leo was standing there, looking helpless. He must have been scared to come to the cemetery, but it seems he ended up here while looking for me.

“Well, um……” Leo hesitated, barely saying a word, and then turned and ran away without uttering a proper sentence.

Am I really wearing such a terrifying expression? What kind of face am I making?

Just when I was sulking and absentmindedly scribbling the ground with my shoe, it happened.

“Miss Belinda!”

Leo quickly returned, panting heavily, and handed me a handkerchief.

“Use this to wipe your tears.”

Huh? Tears?

Out of curiosity, I lightly wiped my cheek, and to my surprise, there were indeed tears. 

I finally realized that I had been crying.

I nonchalantly wiped away my tears with the handkerchief and blew my nose.

Ugh, embarrassing.

I felt frustrated because I couldn’t explain that these tears weren’t mine, but genuine tears from Belinda.

“Miss Belinda, are you okay?”

Leo cautiously approached me and asked while examining my complexion.

Is he worried because I cried?

‘He’s a good boy.’

Due to the emotional drain from the quest reward, I felt exhausted.

I gently stroked Leo’s fluffy head. He froze instantly, so I quickly withdrew my hand.

“Ahem, ahem. I’ll take care of this handkerchief,” I awkwardly coughed and then changed the subject.

However, Leo fidgeted with his fingers and made an incomprehensible sound.

“Um, I borrowed that from a guest, so I should return it.”

Guest? Suddenly, a guest?

“You don’t have to return it.”

The answer to my unspoken question came from not too far away.

When I turned my head, I saw the figure of Penadel. How long had he been there?

I quickly hid the handkerchief, which was soaked with my tears and snot, behind me.

Ah, if I had known it was from you, I wouldn’t have blown my nose.

* * *

Sir Penadel’s purpose in visiting me again was simple.

“I came to inquire about the proposal again.”

“His Grace has informed me that if there are any conditions you wish to impose, they shall prevail.”

Sir Penadel still wore his mask, so I couldn’t read his expression.

On the day of Sir Penadel’s visit, I had investigated the Herrington Mine to determine the Grand Duke’s intentions.

The Herrington Mine was the only place on the continent where advanced magic stones were currently being generated.

Magic stones were minerals imbued with magical power, serving as the energy source for magical devices, and therefore, they were extremely valuable.

So, one might assume that the Herrington Mine’s worth would be astronomically high.

But you’d be wrong.

There was one pitfall.

Somewhere within the intricately tangled mine, there was a gate that connected to the demon realm and other dimensions.

The polluted magical power flowing in from that gate transformed the minerals in the mine into magic stones, but at the same time, it also transformed the creatures within the mine into grotesque and monstrous forms.

In other words, to harvest the magic stones, one needed workers with strength strong enough to fend off demons, not ordinary miners.

Herrington Mine was too dangerous to mine, too valuable to leave untouched, but the Blanches had a wise solution.

They retained ownership of the mines but handed over the mining rights to the Baluasten family, known as demon hunters.

The Baluastens were promised exclusive mining rights in exchange for a certain amount of spirit stones each year, and the Blanches would have exclusive access to higher-grade spirit stones.

It was a mutually beneficial deal.

There was no reason for the Grand Duke to suddenly desire ownership of the mine.

‘This is fishy.’

If Sir Penadel had come one day earlier, I would have simply dismissed him without even listening to his words.

But now, it’s a strangely opportune timing in many ways.

“He could instigate your death.”

Since hearing those words from Sybel, one particular thing had been stuck in a corner of my mind like a stain.

In the endings of the game involving Belinda, there were often cases where she met her end in accidents.

Before, I had simply thought it was showing the endings of retribution, but now, I had a suspicion.

Were all of those deaths really just “accidents”?

‘What if Sybel had a hand in it…….?’

Then a simple marriage would be no safe haven.

Someone powerful enough to stand up to Sybel, a high-ranking noble who wouldn’t be swayed by the wealth of the Blanche family, which could be considered the kingdom’s money maker.

Furthermore, if I could have a capable knight as my personal guard, who would protect me around the clock, it would be even better.

‘…..There’s no one else but Baluasten.’

I couldn’t afford to be picky.

But I couldn’t simply trust the Grand Duke, notorious for allegedly killing his family, and I certainly couldn’t entrust myself to him without any reservations.

‘At the very least, we need to know if the Grand Duke is trustworthy.’

“If the Grand duke is so eager to satisfy me, I’ll take a look at the contract.”

I took out my glasses and pretended to examine the contract disguised as a marriage proposal from Sir Penadel.

Lazy potato who loves to dive into other worlds through books ✌(ツ)