She had made up her mind at best. Bella never imagined that Shuria would say no.
ââŚWhy?â
âHow can I get Miss Bella to serve me? Youâre like a teacher teaching me swordsmanship.â
âI guess you donât have to worry about thatâŚâ
âWould you like some tea?â
Instead of hot tea, it was tea with ice floating around.
âIt was quite hot, so I served it a little cooler. By the way, ice is also a rare item to find, so itâs perfect for luxury.â
A long time ago, there was a time when a room was made like an ice rink.
âThen, we were sitting on a pile of money then.â
After taking a sip of the cool tea, Shuria continued with a bitter smile.
âHonor is very difficult to obtain. The Cruelle family has been trying hard to make big contributions for several generations.â
âAh⌠yes.â
âEveryone knows, but we were using this as a comfort. Nice clothes, nice tea, and nice furniture to show that we are still alive.â
Saying so, she tapped the teacup.
âI just wanted to stand up fairly. If it goes on like this, I thought the Duchyâs name would collapse.â
Bella couldnât say anything.
Shuriaâs emotions, which were passed over because she was packaged as a villain in the novel, were felt intact.
âBut, father really hated me being a knight. I donât know if he would have liked it if I was a man.â
In addition, her emotions were quite different from what Bella had understood in her head while reading the novel.
âWhen His Highness first came to the Imperial Palace. We saw this as an opportunity.â
Shuriaâs trembling voice represented how patient she had endured.
âFather was expecting something different from me.â
ââŚ.â
âEven if I didnât get appointed, I would have had to compete.â
âŚIt was the same in the novel.
âBut now that I have made a promise, there is no way to avoid it.â
âAvoid itâŚ?â
âI donât want to live as Shuria Cruelle myself, I do not want to live as the Empress of the Empire.â
Even though she was smiling, Shuria looked somewhat sad.
ââŚI feel like I was being sold.â
To be honest, it felt more like Kiehl being sold because of Bella, butâŚ
âBesides, if I go to the Imperial Palace, brother will become the heir. Thatâs what Iâm worried about.â
âI thought you had a good relationship with Sir Juan.â
âHeâs not someone who will lead the family, and that is separate from liking brother.â
They said that blood ran thick, but Shuriaâs blood with her family was not.
âWhy does Miss Bella want to follow me to the Imperial Palace?â
âŚThe novel had to end well. However, she couldnât say that. Still, the truth that suddenly started touched Bellaâs sincerity.
âI justâŚ. want to be next to Kiehl.â
Hering her unexpected words, Shuria remained frozen for a moment and gazed at her.
âMiss Bella seems to like His Highness very much.â
She really liked him. It wasnât something she could just say lightly.
âRather than that⌠I want him to be happy.â
Even now, his work was piling up a mountain, and he couldnât even rest properly. She hoped he would be happy to see his dearly loved Rosanne again.
How sad it would be if she wasnât even there.
âI hope that the happiness that he deserves will not be extinguished because of me.â
From the first time they met until now, this was always how it had been. Since Bella came to the human world, she touched on his important setting.
âAt the end of this novel, I want Kiehl to smile.â
Bella swallowed the numerous words and faced Shuria.
âThatâs why Iâll follow you to the Imperial Palace.â
* * *
The news of the Crown Princess competition was sent by letter to the whole family. It was the same with Count Psilia.
âMiss Rosanne!â
Myu came into Rosanneâs room so quickly that she stumbled while running. Rosanne, who always looked immature and young, was glancing at the window before she quietly turned to Myu.
âA letter from the Imperial PalaceâŚâ
âI know.â
âYou know?â
Rosanne stood up with another letter in her hand.
âYes. I got a contact from Kiehl.â
Myu doubted her own ears.
âWho? Kiehl?â
âYes.â
Myu grumbled, frowning.
âWhy that guy?â
After Rosanne returned to the County, they never came to visit her. Kiehl and the twins. Even after traveling for such a long time, he didnât even understand Rosanneâs heart.
âHow dare they contact the Miss?â
âHaha. Thereâs nothing Kiehl did wrong. I liked him one-sidedly.â
âNo, though⌠Wait. Donât tell me, Miss, you still have a crush on him?â
At the question, Rosanne hesitated for a moment.
âMiss. A letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace! All the girls of all families were invited to the Crown Princess competition.â
âAhâŚÂ I know?â
âForget about that guy, letâs go to the Imperial Palace and attack the Crown Prince!â
Rosanne asked with a puzzled smile.
âMyu, do you know the Crown Princeâs name?â
Myu clenched her fists and answered.
âThat, Kiehl Herian⌠ElysiaâŚâ
However, the end of her words was clouded by unfamiliar anxiety.
âDonât tell me, MissâŚ. That KiehlâŚ.â
The existence of the illegitimate Crown Prince was not widely known in the Empire until after the tour of the holy relics.
There were quite a few stories.
A story about a prince who was kidnapped as a child and returned home after collecting all the relics of the empire. Rosanne, who was naive, didnât even know that what she had collected at that time were âholy relics.â She just thought he was an adventurer who collected treasure and lived day to day.
âHahaâŚÂ I canât believe it either, right?â
* * *
A few weeks have passed since then, the carriage from the Cruelle family to the Imperial Palace was decorated with splendid decorations unlike what they usually use.
âAnyone who sees this will say itâs âa high nobleman rides..â
Jenkins clicked his tongue.
âIsnât that a very blunt advertisement to the bandits, âHere is some treasureâ?â
Bella slapped him in the back at Jenkinsâ sarcasm.
âI havenât seen you in a long time? What are you doing these days?â
âAhâŚÂ Miss. The radio magic with Miss RinneâŚâ
âI heard you did the final experiment a week ago. So, what have you been doing for the last week?â
Jenkins swallowed his saliva.
âI saw you walking around with Zanbar, but I think itâs nice to get reconciled.â
âAhâŚâ
âI think all demons reconciled with a kiss.â
âAre you mad?â
Bella kicked Jenkins in the butt.
âHuh? Are you not my assistant? How come you are not always there when I need you?â
âAm I the Missâ assistant?â
Now, Bella grabbed Jenkinsâ ear and hung him from there.
âYou have to control my throne so that the demons donât ignore you.â
ââŚ.â
âSo, do it properly. Because you are the only one with a brain among them.â
Hearing that, Iwer, who was riding above Zanbarâs head like a toy horse, raised her hand.
âMiss! I use my brain, too!â
At those words, Bella and Jenkins looked up at Iwer with very cold expressions.
âI am still thinking about it. I donât know if you guys will also be summoned.â
âPur will follow!â
Bella grinned and patted Purâs hair.
âWell then, sure. Youâre my favorite demon, so I have to take you with me.â
She spoke as if she was dealing with things but even made Pur feel good.
âBy the way, canât the returned magical power disappear again?â
When Zanbar asked a question-like sentence after a long time, Bella glanced at him in a moment of perplexity.
âYou⌠You came to the human world and became really smart.â
Zanbarâs face turned red at that.
âIt wonât go away. I am certain that the magic is gradually returning.â
At some point, the magic was slowly returning, but it had not recovered completely. Her ankle sprained from jumping out of a window the other day and would sometimes go cold.
âI didnât know that the Holy Sword would be that powerful.â
âDonât tell Kiehl. He will be sorry.â
âKiehl have it easy.â
âAnyway, there are barriers around the Imperial Palace, so Iâm going to go in and summon you. Everyone, please donât make a mess and stay still.â
She said to them many times and got into the carriage.
There were a total of three carriages departing from the Cruelle family. In front was Kiehlâs carriage. The middle was Bella, and the last was Shuriaâs carriage.
How gorgeous are all three carriages?
In addition, the Cruelleâs familyâs symbol was unabashedly shown, and quite a few escorts besides the carriage were accompanied on horseback. Kiehl looked out the window and sighed loudly to the vibrations of the rattling wagon.
âKiehl, are you protesting that you didnât ride with Miss Bella right now?â
ââŚRight.â
âDo you know that officially we are going from the territory of Marquis Vivre?â
âWe can change in the middle.â
âHow many eyes are watching? Close the windows, too. We are the escort carriage.â
As Rio closed the window, Kiehl sighed again. It wasnât just him that was annoyed by this situation. In the carriage that Shuria was riding in, Juan was protesting with anger.
âI donât know why you want to take that girl to the Imperial Palace.â
He didnât understand Shuri at all.
âIf you had known just how obsessed His Highness is with that girl, you would never have allowed itâ
Shuria shook her head and resolutely rolled her eyes.
âBrother. Do you know that I gave brother a lot of opportunities?â
When the word âopportunitiesâ was mentioned, Juan had no choice but to let out a sigh while keeping his mouth shut.
It was just immature wandering.
In order to forget his first love, whom he had seen only once as a child, he met many women and broke up repeatedly. Many women were enamored and lined up at Duchy Cruelle to be his one-night lover. He was kicked out several years ago because he was considered a shame to his family.
âYou remember I told you not to come back.â
âThatâŚâ
He couldnât help but come after hearing the news that the Crown Prince had asked to have a dark-haired girl as the adopted daughter of the Cruelle family.
ââŚWhy are you looking at me like that?â
Juan peered at Shuriaâs twinkling eyes and swallowed a gulp.
âI think I have already given you enough opportunities.â
He knew how scary she was.
ââŚNow, where are we going?â
He hurriedly opened the tightly closed window. It wasnât the usual way. Rather, it was mountainous terrain. Near Daisy, with a large sinkhole in the center, it was home to bandits a long time ago.
âHaha. Shuria, isnât this a bit too much? I will lead the family soonâŚâ
Juan lost the end of his words, then met her eyes again.
âHa⌠haha. Could it be that you set it up like this?â
Meanwhile, Bella leaned against the wall of the carriage and fiddled with the sleeping Purâs hair.
âI hope itâs a good choiceâŚâ
And as she recalled Shuriaâs words, she closed her eyes.
â âMiss Bella. So how about this? Please enter the Crown Princessâ competition instead of me.â