22. Demonic Beast Dragon

Issiliad summer palace had no dark places, just as Bella said. Every room had lights on and people were talking. Men gathered in the smoking room discussing what had happened at the ball.

Few had directly witnessed such a demonic beast being brought down before their eyes despite countless wars, so people competed to recite what they’d seen and heard.

Alcohol flowed, and they’d experienced danger threatening their lives, so people felt like swimming through faint excitement. They didn’t even hear what others said. Each told their own story. There were no listeners. Only speakers.

Issiliad summer palace was noisy until dawn. No one would notice if someone disappeared.

“Bella, how far are we going?”

“Almost there.”

No one paid attention to Clementina and Bella wandering through Issiliad summer palace without any disguise or hood. No, there were no people on their path. Everyone was holed up in rooms.

Clementina felt like only the two of them existed in the seemingly empty palace. This was when she should persuade her with kind words. The man’s intentions seemed impure no matter how she looked at it.

But would Bella listen to her? She never had before.

Bella kept glancing back throughout their walk to check if Clementina was following. Seeing her worry suggested their relationship wasn’t bad yet, but she kept wondering how much space she occupied in her heart, making her hesitate to speak.

“Bella, how did you meet that person?”

So she decided to take the easiest approach. If Bella liked him so much, she had to at least show the sincerity of being interested.

The question seemed effective. Bella stopped briefly before resuming her steps.

“I met him in the forest near Sustain village. He said he was injured while hunting. So I treated him. He looked so pitiful.”

“Pitiful? Him? Injured while hunting? Him?”

When Clementina tilted her head and asked back, Bella turned around.

“What kind of person is the Duke of Kowan that you know to say that? You don’t know him well. You’re full of prejudice. Do you really know anything proper about him?”

“……”

Clementina was speechless. She’d only seen him for about half a day at Dicon port. So Bella was right. Having seen him briefly, she might be prejudiced. But he was a man she could judge from just one glimpse.

Clementina shook her head. She’d promised to listen to Bella’s story today, so she had to follow through with her decision.

No matter how difficult.

“I’m sorry. Then will you tell me? What kind of person he is.”

“He’s a really good person. He sends nice clothes and writes lots of letters. And most of all, he never interrupts when I talk. He listens to me until the end. Such a person is really…… the first.”

Clementina felt like she’d been struck with a hammer. She’d thought only she wasn’t listened to by family. But Bella thought the same.

Come to think of it, once she’d thought Bella was poking at her wounds, she’d never responded warmly. No matter how much she said no, Bella only talked about herself. So she dismissed everything Bella said as useless words, words that hurt her, and let them pass.

Because that was how Clementina could endure her.

“What did you talk about?”

The two passed through the back corridor of Issiliad summer palace and went outside. Instead of a splendid garden, a maze was arranged with rose bushes. It was a dim place with few candles.

To think he planned to meet Bella in such a secret place—no matter how favorably she tried to view it, he was truly a terrible man.

“Bella, this won’t do. Let’s go back first. Let’s meet properly later. I absolutely won’t oppose then. I’ll definitely listen to you and that person’s story.”

Clementina pleaded with a trembling voice and grabbed Bella’s hand. But Bella seemed distracted and didn’t even think to properly listen to Clementina’s words.

“Bella, Bella.”

Still, Clementina didn’t give up. She kept calling Bella’s name, but Bella only looked around and passed through the maze. This way they’d likely get lost. When had she even been here to go without any hesitation?

“Bella!”

Clementina couldn’t stand it anymore and yanked Bella’s hand. Then Bella whipped around and thr*st her face close to Clementina’s. Bella’s trembling brown eyes were visible, and her rough breathing was audible.

“You should have done this earlier. Even after coming to Drasia, I kept talking. Please listen to me. I said I liked someone! I asked you to help me! I said that!”

Bella’s large eyes welled up with water. Clementina was dumbfounded by her tears.

“It’s already too late. We agreed to meet. So we meet. That’s how I can have that person, she said.”

“What?”

Clementina grimaced and shook her head finely. Then she gripped Bella’s shoulders tightly.

“What are you talking about? Who said such things?”

Only then did Bella seem to come to her senses and quickly avoided Clementina’s gaze.

Clementina had a strange premonition. But Bella didn’t smell strange. And her pupils were fine. She didn’t seem brainwashed by anyone.

“You just have to meet. She said nothing bad will happen. Just meet and talk. That’s all.”

“Bella!”

“Over here.”

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind. A low, attractive baritone voice with a slow, gentle tone—definitely a voice in Clementina’s memory.

Clementina whirled around. But no one was where the voice came from.

“Over here.”

The voice came from another place. But no matter how she turned, the woman’s figure wasn’t visible. Even Bella had disappeared. Where did Bella go?

“Where? Where are you? Bella!”

“I said over here.”

At that moment, the voice came from behind Clementina. At the same time, she felt a cool touch grabbing her waist from behind. One hand wrapped around Clementina’s waist, and one hand wrapped around her neck.

She didn’t feel forcing power, but still couldn’t move. Clementina’s heart beat rapidly. Her hands sweated.

All the training with dragon riders came to mind, but her body wouldn’t obey.

It felt like facing a snake stalking its prey. Even though they weren’t making eye contact.

“Stop right now. I’ll scream.”

Clementina’s voice trembled thinly. She didn’t want to be caught trembling, but it wouldn’t go as she wished.

“Hoho. Do you think someone will come? There’s no one here. Everyone passed out drunk and drugged. And even if someone comes, what will you say? That you came here alone? For what? To meet a man?”

Only then did strength enter Clementina’s fingers. What nonsense!

“Don’t talk nonsense. Where’s a man here that you’d spread such strange false rumors!”

“Then? Will you say you came because of your sister?”

If it were about herself, it would be just a false rumor, but Bella was different. Bella really came here to meet a man. If that fact was revealed, Bella would be buried in society. Not only that, but Count Sustain would suffer humiliation, and Dion would bear dishonor.

Because Bella came here now by the Duke of Drasia’s invitation.

Clementina clenched her fist. She quickly racked her brain for what to do here.

“Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?”

“Will you really grant it?”

“Yes. I have to grant it for you to let Bella go.”

“Oh my! How clever. Good. If you cooperate, the cute brown-haired miss will return safely to her room.”

“L-let’s go. Anywhere! I want to know why you’re so obsessed with me too. There must be a reason, right?”

“They call you the mother of dragons? Kyahaha.”

A mocking laugh came from behind her. For a moment, Clementina felt ashamed of that title.

Sue, the mage from the Akarti Kingdom disguised as Bella’s maid, whispered in Clementina’s ear with a moist voice.

“The dragons are waiting for you, mother of dragons. Come with me.”

Bella was out of breath. The moment she heard the maid’s voice, she hid behind the rose bushes as promised. She’d only crawled along the ground to change position, yet one black dragon was glaring at Bella from the darkness.

Bella covered her mouth to prevent any sound from escaping, then slowly crawled sideways. The dragon didn’t take its eyes off Bella but didn’t follow. Once out of the dragon’s sight, Bella crawled relentlessly across the ground toward the gazebo in the center of the maze.

Her brown hair tangled, and leaves and dirt soiled her dress. But inside the gazebo bathed in moonlight sat the man Bella had been waiting for so desperately. When Bella stood up panting, the man emerged from the shadows.

Jerbek Sichenti greeted Bella with an innocent, clueless face.

“Lady Bella. What’s this? Why are you covered in dirt?”

“Duke of Kowan!”

Bella practically ran and threw herself into Jerbek’s arms. Jerbek gripped both of Bella’s shoulders firmly with his hands to keep dirt off his clothes. But Bella overcame the force pushing her away and rushed into Jerbek’s embrace, rubbing her face against him.

Dirt and rose petals stuck all over Jerbek Sichenti’s white doublet.

“Hnngh! Wahhh!”

When Bella raised her voice and began crying, Jerbek quickly looked around. No matter how drunk people were, it would be troublesome if they were caught here alone together like this.

To have this woman, he knew he had to follow proper procedures first. Only then could he legitimately exercise his rights over her.

“Calm down, Lady Bella. It’s troublesome if you make such noise here. Do you want me to just leave?”

“Hic!“

Jerbek skillfully stopped Bella’s tears. Manipulating young, naive women like Bella was nothing to him. But there was one thing even he didn’t know. No matter how different they looked, Bella was also Caroline’s daughter and Clementina’s sister.

“Are you hic! threatening me right now?”

Moreover, she was Count Sustain’s daughter. She’d seen and heard what kind of threats her father made to Clementina. And every time Clementina suffered, she’d resolved:

Being fooled like that was also a talent. Bella had thought Clementina was stupid.