Chapter 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Breaking Off the Engagement
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"You know full well that's rude."
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Then Fred cut in.
"Come on, let's not do this. Sit down and talk first, alright? Bella, you too, sit here. I'll..."
"Duke Fred."
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry, but I'd like to speak with the lady alone."
"I-is that so?"
Fred, who had been about to sit on the sofa, shot back up to his feet.
"Ahaha... I see... I barged in without reading the room. W-well then, you two talk it over slowly. I'll go for a walk or"
"Father."
Fred paused on his way out and turned around.
There stood Lady Bella, smiling at Fred.
Her mouth was smiling, but her eyes weren't.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"We'll see you at dinner tonight, right?"
"Uh..."
"You have to come. No running away, Father. Hehe..."
"Y-yeah, sure."
If Fred had a tail, it would have been drooping pathetically.
Pitiful for a duke of his stature.
With Fred gone, only silence flowed between Bella and me.
Wendy, who had been glancing nervously at me from my side, began pouring tea with a clatter.
I spoke first.
"How long are you going to stand there? Sit down."
"......"
Bella stood there without a word.
She wouldn't even glance my way, as if sharing the same space with me was unbearable.
Even that icy demeanor was stunningly beautiful, they said.
Just as described in the original novel.
It really hit me that I was now inside the world I had loved so much.
"Huh..."
"...Why are you laughing?"
Bella furrowed her brow and spoke.
"Did you come here to mock me? If so, leave right now."
I mustn't forget why I came here.
I straightened my expression.
"I've come to apologize for the other day."
"What... did you say? Apologize?"
"Yes. I came to apologize in person."
Bella's eyes widened, then narrowed.
"Ha... I see what you're up to. You think I'll be moved by your apology now and go through with the engagement? Don't delude yourself."
She clearly didn't believe I was actually apologizing.
Considering Tristan's reputation, her suspicion was justified.
I played my trump card.
"I'm calling off the engagement."
"...What did you say?"
"As a gesture of apology, I'll call off the engagement. Isn't that what you wanted, Lady?"
She looked completely caught off guard, as if this was the last thing she expected.
"You're joking, right?"
No. Dead serious.
"Here... have some tea..."
I took a sip of the tea Wendy had poured.
Mmm, wonderful aroma.
Unlike my calm self, Bella looked utterly baffled.
"It's hard to believe... When you were threatening my father to force the engagement through, where was this attitude?"
"Threatening? That's offensive. I merely asked the duke a favor."
"You shameless man..."
50 billion kaels.
The debt the Izarkhel family owed the Ruelverta family.
That was how Tristan, a mere count, had been able to manipulate Duke Fred.
....
Trait: Tycoon
Rank: S-
Details: You gain exceptional financial power. Anything you touch turns to value, and your vaults overflow with gold and treasures. Those indebted to you grovel. In turn, people dislike and envy you. Unfair? Suck it up, rich boy.
Among Tristan's traits, the one you could call the least bad: 'Tycoon.'
Money to rot.
Thanks to it, the engagement with the ducal house had been easy to arrange.
Though now, I planned to scrap it.
"We haven't even held the engagement ceremony yet. Calling it off shouldn't be too hard."
"Hmm."
At this point, even Bella seemed to realize I wasn't lying.
Still eyeing me suspiciously, she asked,
"What wind blew this change? When you were stalking me like a creep for years."
Fair point.
Tristan had been obsessed with her.
The funny thing was, it wasn't love.
It was just his innate trait, 'Greed.'
Trait: Greed
Rank: SS
Details: You are filled with desire. You are constantly driven by the urge to possess. To own what you want, no means is off-limits.
This trait is one of the Seven Sins.
Not love, but possessiveness.
Simply wanting to own the empire's most beautiful woman.
His greed ultimately led both to a tragic end.
I wouldn't follow in those footsteps.
"Bella."
Staring straight into her eyes, I continued.
"I've spent the past week thinking hard. Even if we went through with the engagement, you wouldn't accept my feelings. Right?"
Bella looked at me like, About time you realized.
"Right. I hate you. So what?"
"I wanted to have you. To make you completely mine. I tried my best... but I couldn't win your heart. If anything, it just pushed us further apart."
"What? Who ever said I had feelings for"
"So I've decided to give up. I don't like wasting time needlessly. And I don't have enough time to invest in a hopeless romance."
I paused, then spoke again.
"Still... the time we spent together was enjoyable. Thank you."
"Ha...?"
Bella was speechless.
Slurp.
The only sound in the room was me calmly savoring my tea.
But only for a moment.
"D-don't lie! You're calling off the engagement for that?! You think I'll buy it?"
Ugh... she still doesn't believe me.
Time for the final play.
"Believe me or not, your call. Oh, right. How about a cup of the tea my servant brought? It's quite good."
"I don't need it!"
"Kyaa!"
Crash!
Wendy, holding the teacup tray, got elbowed by Bella and tumbled over.
She'd been jittery ever since we arrived at the ducal estate, and sure enough, she messed up just as I'd predicted.
Yes. Exactly as I'd predicted.
"A-are you okay?"
"I'm sorry! I-I'll clean it up right away!"
Wendy scrambled on all fours to wipe up the spilled tea.
Her small frame and wildly curling hair made her look just like a cute little animal.
Apparently, I wasn't the only one who thought soBella's expression softened faintly as she watched Wendy.
Perfect. That was enough.
Looking at the spill, I said,
"What a shame. I liked that tea."
"Eek! S-sorry! I-I messed up and..."
"Don't worry about it. Everyone makes mistakes."
"Th-thank you."
"But... Wendy, how much is your monthly salary again?"
"H-huh? My salary...?"
"Yes. I need to know that to calculate how many years of unpaid work it'll take to cover this damage."
"Hic?!"
At my words, Wendy's face drained of color, and she started hiccuping.
Her eyes welled up, making her look like the world's most pitiful child.
Her trait, 'Misfortune,' was probably at play too.
"...Stop it."
Bella was the one who intervened.
"It was my fault it spilled, so the responsibility is mine. Leave her alone."
That was her personality.
Always sticking her nose in to help anyone.
Character Profile.
Name: Bella Izarkhel.
Age: 22.
Occupation: Lady of the Izarkhel Ducal House.
Traits: Chastity, Justice, Peerless Beauty, Frugal, Noble Bloodline.
Bella was a key NPC in this game.
A kind soul who never ignored injustice.
That's why she could never forgive a villain like Tristan.
In the end, Tristan failed to claim her.
Like water and oil.
Bella and Tristan could never mix.
"Does bullying a little kid like this make you feel good? I can just pay for the tea."
"20 million kaels."
"Pardon...?"
"That's the cost of what this one just spilled."
I glanced at the mess.
Name: Premium Oranje Herb Tea.
Description: Herb tea cultivated in the highlands of distant Oranje, in the East. Difficult to grow and extremely rare, it fetches a very high price.
Appraised Value: 20 million kaels.
"20,000... kaels?"
"No. 20 million kaels."
The astronomical sum made Bella groan.
"I had no idea... that you drank tea this expensive, Count."
"This isn't even that pricey for me."
"Oh, really?"
"Anyway, how do you plan to pay it back? 20 million is steep, but this amount is probably around 2 million kaels."
"W-wait a second. Give me some time."
Bella looked troubled as she spoke.
Even if I said forget it, she seemed genuinely intent on paying me for the tea.
That's Bella's weakness...
Too kind for her own good.
It was her innate nature to do her utmost to show goodwill to those around her.
Not as much a pushover as her father Duke Fred, but in the original story, this personality often got her in trouble.
Of course, I hadn't come here planning to actually collect tea money from her.
"You don't have to force yourself. I know the ducal house's situation well enough."
"...Spare me the pity. I'll sell whatever I can in the mansion to pay you back."
"No need. I came to apologize for the other day, not to collect debts."
"..."
"If you really want to make it up to me, how about granting me one little favor instead?"
"A favor?"
Bella clicked her tongue as if she'd known it all along and sat on the sofa.
As far from me as possible, of course.
"Tsk. No wonder you were so quick to call off the engagement. Let's hear it. If it's anything weird, I'm refusing."
"The other day, after you rejected me, I felt so restless I couldn't sleep."
"...And?"
"I want to go somewhere to recuperate. From what I know, there's a 'nice place' in the Izarkhel ducal territory..."
"No."
Bella shot it down flat.
"That's a sanctuary. Not a place someone like you can set foot in."
"True. But if you guide me there personally, it should be fine."
That had been my goal from the start.
Bella seemed to realize it too.
"You... what's your game? What's the real purpose?"
"Recuperation."
"Don't lie. You think I'll just lead you straight to 'Eden'?"
I shrugged.
"Fine if you don't. If you refuse, I'll just ask Duke Fred anyway. I'm sure he'd kindly show me the way."
"So what? I'd actually prefer my 'former fiancé' guide me personally, if possible."
Bella turned her back to me.
I paused before continuing.
Her shoulders were trembling with anger.
Pretending not to notice, I waited for her response.
It was already decided, anyway...
"If that's how it is..."
She couldn't help it, despite her reluctance.
Bella grudgingly accepted my proposal.
"In two days, I'll send a carriage your way."
"Thanks."
"...Just try anything funny when you get there. You'll get divine punishment, you."
"That's scary."
Bella sighed as if fed up.
"Sigh... Whatever. This ends things between us. Got it?"
"Sure."
Of course, it was a lie.
Bella was an essential character for facing off against the players a year from now.
Someone I couldn't avoid running into again.
Sure, aside from her kind heart and stunning looks, she had a prickly personality, so I wasn't thrilled about it either...
"Hey. Why do you keep staring at my face?"
"Just... you're still as beautiful as ever."
"Ha?"
Bella gave me a look of utter disbelief.
"Took you long enough to figure that out, ex-fiancé?"