Chapter 4: Reunion

Thwack!

“Ah!”

The boy, roughly shoved by the shoulder, tumbled to the floor with a clatter. Stunned by what had happened in the blink of an eye, he looked up at me with a bewildered expression as I spoke coldly.

“Watch your mouth.”

“You… Did you just hit me?”

“The Princess is not someone a nobody like you can casually talk about.”

I could tolerate insults directed at me, but I couldn’t stand anyone disrespecting Princess Kesera. Even if rumors about the Princess’s promiscuity were true, she didn’t deserve to be insulted by being associated with someone as lowly as me.

“I’ve seen plenty of kids like you and know exactly what you’re about. You don’t know anything firsthand, but you’ve picked up gossip here and there and spread vulgar rumors. Isn’t that right?”

“You crazy b*tch! You’re really asking to die!”

The boy, sitting awkwardly on the ground, lunged forward with a face red with fury and fists clenched. I quickly dodged him and ran toward the opposite corridor.

“S-stop right there!”

Unable to shout loudly in the palace hallway, the boy chased after me, snorting with rage like a rhinoceros.

“Huff, huff…”

Shaking him off wasn’t difficult. With my nimble beastkin body, I quickly put distance between us and caught my breath. Then I surveyed my surroundings. Though I had escaped safely, I could have been in trouble if I’d let my guard down.

Fortunately, the boy seemed to have given up the chase. The only sounds around me were the gentle splashing of water and leaves rustling in the night breeze—everything else was quiet as a mouse.

But where was I?

In my haste to escape, I hadn’t paid attention to where I was going. Before me stood a fountain carved from pure white marble, surrounded by blooming lily-of-the-valley flowers. Breathing in the fresh scent of grass and sweet floral fragrance, I walked into the small garden.

‘Is this the garden behind the banquet hall?’

It seemed likely, as I could hear classical music from the banquet not far away. The garden, though small, was tastefully arranged and perfect for hiding. Since returning immediately might mean running into that ill-mannered boy, I flopped down on a garden bench, intending to rest a while.

The garden, bathed in moonlight, was extraordinarily quiet and mysterious. Though I had worked in the imperial palace for years, this was my first time setting foot in the rear garden. I approached the fountain and watched the trickling water while stifling a yawn.

Having started physical labor less than half a day after escaping from the demon, I was exhausted. The classical melodies from the banquet gradually faded in my ears. I dipped my hands in the rippling water, trying to shake off my drowsiness.

Splash, splash.

Quietly playing with the water, careful not to be discovered, I moistened my heavy, sleepy eyes. Unconcerned about getting wet, my blouse quickly became damp at the front and sleeves.

The black petticoat dress, billowing around my waist, rustled in the night breeze. My pale thighs, exposed beneath the skirt, trembled slightly in the cold air.

‘It’s chilly at night. Should I go back inside? That bastard Kenneth, he wasn’t seriously planning to summon me to his bedroom, was he? I hope he was too drunk to remember. What if he spots me when I return to the banquet hall? Maybe I just shouldn’t go.’

Rustle.

Just then, the sound of fabric brushing against leaves melted into the silence. Being a rabbit beastkin, I jumped in surprise at the faint noise. My heart felt like it was shrinking in all directions.

“Who’s there?”

A man, who had been standing behind me for who knows how long, slid out of the darkness. The moment I recognized his face, I let out an audible gasp. My frantically beating heart plummeted into a muddy swamp.

The envoy from Helcamber, now with his hood completely removed, looked down at me with a calm, unwavering gaze. His golden eyes, shining like Venus, were as unfathomably deep as they had been that night when he whispered words of love to me.

Those dense red eyelashes like crimson embroidery, those sensual eyes that contorted with passion when he was aroused, and those full lips that had relentlessly explored my body—all of it.

I stared up at him blankly, shocked like I was seeing a ghost. My lips moved wordlessly, opening and closing repeatedly.

“Be…”

At that moment, the man turned his back. Slowly, step by step, he moved away from me. He seemed to expect me to call his name without hesitation.

The sound of splashing water seemed to pierce my eardrums with unusual intensity.

Why did watching him turn away make my heart crumble like a sand castle? I pressed my trembling hands against the fountain and squeezed my eyes shut.

“Bel.”

How could he pretend not to know me? I knew better than anyone that he had taken me for a night of pleasure and discarded me. I also knew that I was the one who had romanticized even the false declarations of love he had whispered.

Someone once said that love makes you mature. Perhaps that doesn’t apply to me. The affection that suddenly rushed in like a tide was too overwhelming for my young self back then, and the way it manifested wasn’t appropriate for my age.

Despite barely approaching adulthood on the outside, I had s*x with Bel multiple times in an adult manner and believed it was true love.

Did he ever say he loved me? No, I don’t think so. Not even once.

I alone admitted to having a crush on Bel, and I never asked for anything more.

I was simply happy to see him again.

Now I really wanted to cry.

I never asked him to love me, but it seemed Bel couldn’t even bear to face me anymore.

Abandoned once again, I crouched in front of the fountain and sniffled quietly. The pathetic, wretched sight of myself made me cry even harder.

“Bel.”

I should have called louder. Maybe then he would have turned around.

“Bel.”

No, why should I go to such lengths? Get a grip, you fool. Bel is an absolute scum!

I remember Princess Kesera saying there’s nothing more pathetic than an ex-boyfriend interfering in your life. Of course, Bel was neither my lover nor anything else. So was I just Bel’s s*x partner, like Shahan was to Princess Kesera?

No, I didn’t even reach that level—I was merely a pitiful one-night stand. That bastard! His handsome face and my-type looks made him all the more infuriating!

“Bel! Bael! You goddamn—”

“Vivi, stop it.”

“Ah!”

I jumped in fright, hit my head on the marble fountain, and collapsed. Lying on the grass, breathing heavily, I opened my eyes to see Bel quietly looking down at me.

Just seeing his face gazing down at me made my heart pound wildly. I swallowed hard and fixed my gaze on his handsome, sensual face.

“Get up.”

Pulling me up and seating me on the bench, Bel’s expression looked somewhat tired. Seeing a kamora cigarette in his other hand, I figured he must have come to the garden for a smoke before going back inside.

“Bel…”

Despite hurling curses at him just moments ago, my lips trembled foolishly once more.

He must have wrapped his hood around my waist simply because my skirt was too short and the night air was cold, but I didn’t mind.

With his hooded cloak removed, Bel wore a thin white shirt with an ill-fitting tie.

“Bel, you used to say you hated wearing ties because they felt restrictive.”

“Given the formal occasion, I had no choice but to wear one.”

When I first saw Bel at Eodiphia’s Founding Day celebration, he was dressed in such formal attire. He said something similar when he undressed after laying me on the bed and removing my clothes.

My goodness, it’s amazing how I remember every little conversation with Bel.

“I called out to you earlier. Why were you going to leave?”

I carefully asked, wanting to hear more of Bel’s voice that lazily wrapped around my ears. I promised myself I wouldn’t take his answer to heart, whatever it might be.

Instead of answering, he sat down beside me.

Come to think of it, I knew nothing about him. Well, except that he was from Helcamber and disliked ties.

I didn’t know his real name, his age, whether he had family, what race he belonged to… nothing at all.

‘Bel’ was just his code name; he had a different real name. But we never revealed our true names to each other and tacitly used nicknames. Like intimate lovers or secret partners.

At that time, I had just been given the alias ‘Momo’ by the Princess but wasn’t used to it. So when Bel asked for my name, I had none to give and told him to call me whatever he wished.

After pondering for a moment, Bel started calling me ‘Vivian.’ I asked him why, but never received an answer until he left.

A mysterious person veiled in secrecy. There were many times when I felt disappointed that he didn’t seem as curious about me as I was about him, but I tried not to dwell on it.

“So the reason you never showed up again after that night was because you’re from Helcamber.”

The awkward silence made things even more uncomfortable. Watching Bel stuff his kamora back into his pocket, I wondered if I should have given him space.

But wait a minute. Bel is the empire’s top assassin, favored by the Emperor himself.

My hands on my knees suddenly stiffened at the thought that crossed my mind. That night, during the Founding Day celebration, could the reason Bel spent the night in the Princess’s chambers be…

I blinked blankly before shaking my head vigorously to dispel such blasphemous thoughts.

That couldn’t be possible. If Bel had approached the Princess with malicious intent, she should have been assassinated the next day according to his plan, but nothing happened.

If he had failed in his mission, he wouldn’t have dared set foot in the palace again. Yet Bel came looking for me the next day.

If my suspicion was correct, he had essentially sought me out again despite the risk.

Bel, an enemy assassin with magical powers.