Shuria waited at the end of a long and long patience, as Kiehl said, âWhen Bella becomes the softest.â
ââBella likes the Lady, so sheâll do whatever you want.â
She had that feeling when they had already talked about the marriage.
â âYou canât get married anyway.â
Even though Bella used to cut it off a lot, she had a different feeling about it. Just as there was a standard of âabsolute.â However, when she asked Shuria firstâŠ
âThen, Iâll follow you to the Imperial Palace.â
She thought that this was the âsoftnessâ that Kiehl was talking about.
âMiss Bella. So how about this?â
âWhat is it?â
âPlease, enter the contest for the Crown Princess instead of me.â
Shuria held Bellaâs hands tightly.
âActually, I donât want to live that kind of life either.â
âHoweverâŠâ
âIf Miss Bella went out instead of me, I donât have to be the Crown Princess.â
âWellâŠâ
âI donât want to entrust this Cruelle to my brother, I want to build it with my own hands.â
Shuria shed the tears she had been holding back as she continued her words.
ââŠAll my dreams are here.â
Tears of sadness and resentment ran down her cheeks as she spoke to Bella.
âIf you want to be with His Highness, go for it. Because it was Shuria Cruelle who was promised the Crown Princess, not Bella Cruelle.â
Bella thought for a moment.
Her decision here and now would change Shuriaâs life.
âSheâs my favorite, tooâŠâ
Bella also wished for her to live happily ever after, if possible.
âAnyway, in this situation, it would be best for Shuria not to go to the Imperial Palace.â
And, each family must let all her young children go.
âIn the end, this is the only way.â
And after much thought, she opened her mouth.
ââŠYes. I will go instead.â
She had no choice but to take Shuriaâs role.
* * *
Shuria went to Kiehl like a knight, conveying her victory.
âYour Highness.â
âSeeing you smile, you seem to have succeeded.â
Shuria clenched her fist and slid it out in front of Kiel. He unknowingly clenched his fist in the same way and bumped it with hers.
âYou know this, too. This is what I learned from Miss Bella.â
Kiehl snorted and sighed in relief.
âI donât have to call Iwer anymore.â
âIt took a long time.â
From the time he found out that Bella was a demon until now, he won Shuriaâs favor based on the novel she had written and given Shuria what she wanted in her hands.
âI almost got things wrong because of brother, but thatâs a good thing.â
âI know. Where did he hear that you were going to be the Crown Princess?â
âWho do you think?â
âSir Herod?â
Shuria shrugged her shoulders instead of saying anything.
âHe really likes Your Highness.â
Kiehl smirked and sat comfortably on the sofa.
âThe next time we meet at the Imperial Palace, you will become a duke.â
Of course, that would be nice.
Shuria Cruelle would keep her cousin in check, and she would become the Duke of the Cruelle family. For her, it was an opportunity for both. It was only natural that the Crown Princess would come from within the Cruelle family.
âYour Highness. Do you remember the saying to separate public and private life?â
âYou mean you still need Juan?â
âYes. So, donât even think about hurting him. I will take care of it.â
To be honest, he had thought about getting rid of Juan many times, so Kiehl leaned on the sofa and just nodded.
âI will.â
Kiehlâs tension was relieved, and only a smile came out. How long has it been since he felt comfortable like this?
The cat entered the trap safely.
âAnd, as an outsider, can I increase the amount of education a little more?â
* * *
Back in the present, Bella glanced out and let out a sigh. At some point, one of the three carriages headed for the Imperial Palace from the Cruelle family left the formation though she did not notice at all.
âI hope itâs a good choiceâŠâ
Recently, a dream she had often came to mind.
Over the past few weeks, she had been preparing for the Crown Princess competition on behalf of Shuria. It was not difficult for her to simply memorize the family tree or relationship chart of noble girls.
However, the problem was a social life.
She practiced drinking tea until she got tired of it and practiced dancing until she was fed up. Now, she could pretend to be elegant and smile beautifully. No matter how much she danced, she never improved.
It was difficult to move freely in a long, decorated dress.
She was practicing while her self-esteem became crumpled. Bella thought the knocking would save her from dancing.
âBella, maybe you have time⊠Are you practicing dancing?â
She raised her hand shyly and then hurriedly lowered it.
âHow are you?â
Bella avoided his gaze and answered.
âYes. WellâŠ. To a certain extent?â
Kiehl was the one who knew she was bad at dancing better than anyone. When he was a child, she showed it all at the summer festival in Daisy. Bella alone went to the other side, and she hit someoneâs butt with her hand.
âThen, would you like to dance a song with me, Lady?â
Knowing that, Kiehlâs words sounded sarcastic to her. Bella took his hand as if accepting a challenge, and he naturally kissed the back of her hand.
âWellâŠâ
She felt very bad when Juan did it. However, perhaps because it was Kiehl, she didnât feel any rejection. Beyond that, she didnât feel repulsed. The back of her hand that he touched was tickling.
Seeing the mood, the teacher immediately turned on the music, Kiehl confidently laughed.
âThis is a basic song.â
âItâs not that I havenât mastered the basics yet.â
âLetâs see.â
Kiehl took her hand and placed his hand on Bellaâs waist.
âAhâŠâ
The tickle ran down the back of her hand and rested on her waist.
Thump, thump.
Hearing music at a tempo as fast as the sound of her heart, he pulled Bellaâs waist toward him and hugged her tightly. At the same time as he started, she put her left foot in front of her and stepped on Kiehl.
âMiss⊠rigâŠâ
The teacher looked into Kiehlâs eyes as she was about to say something before closing her mouth. However, Bella didnât even realize that she had stepped on his foot.
When he rode a horse with her and hugged her from behindâŠ
When he hugs her when she dancesâŠ
âŠThere clearly was a strange tension different from when she always hugged him when he was young.
âRelax.â
âIâm⊠not being lax.â
It was not lax, it was relax. Bella was already showing she was nervous from her words.
âThen, tell me which foot to use and move so you will get used to it.â
ââŠYes.â
Even though she didnât remember a thing, Bella looked up carefully at Kiehl, making a noise through her mouth. She had never seen him up close like this. She always thought he was handsome, but why does it feel a little different?
ââŠRight foot. Left footâŠâ
This was all because of Shuriaâs question⊠Because she asked Bella what her ideal type was.
âLeft footâŠâ
No, it was from when they were riding a horse when the carriage wheel broke before.
âFright footâŠâ
âWhatâs fright foot?â
NoâŠ
All of this was because Kiehlâs smile was so pretty. It was clear that this smile cast magic on her.
âWhatâs wrong?â
âThat, that⊠I guess Iâm wrong again.â
Yeah, it was because Bella was embarrassed, she kept getting it wrong.
âBella, relax and just follow me as I move.â
Saying so, Kiehl grabbed her waist tighter and spun her around. The dress, which only felt uncomfortable the whole time, made her dance moves more beautiful.
âCome closer.â
Bella hurriedly pushed him away as the jewelry on his clothes touched her skin.
âAh.â
He looked at her with a subtle smile.
âWhy?â
âYou, you canât be this close while dancing.â
âWhy?â
âPeople may be misunderstood.â
Despite her telling him not to get too close, Kiehl secretly wrapped his arms around Bellaâs waist with both hands.
âWhat misunderstanding?â
Bella lost her breath as she couldnât speak for three seconds.
âWell⊠Because youâre an adult, too. Such misunderstandings may arise between men and women. So, if weâre too closeâŠâ
At that moment, Kiehl did not back down and whispered softly as he lowered his head slightly.
âDoes it make you flutter?â
âNâŠo? No!â
Like a thiefâs numb feet, Bella retorted loudly.
âOf course, Iâm not making such a misunderstanding! Iâm okay!â
She was so loud. It was louder than the music the teacher played.
âI see.â
âIâŠI hugged you a lot when we were little, so itâs okay. Just in case you dance to other people like this.â
ââŠI see.â
âIâm talking because youâre older now.â
âOkay.â
âYou will meet a lot of ladies in the future, so what if everyone misunderstands me?â
Kiehl raised his lips at an angle and slightly pinched her cheek.
âI know.â
Bella muttered in a low voice.
âYouâre just touching me so casuallyâŠâ
ââŠ.â
She didnât really remember a single thing after Kiehl casually messed with her.
* * *
Returning back to the present and in the carriage on the way to the imperial palace, Bella sighed as she patted her collarbone.
âIs this a really good choice? Iâm going to the contest insteadâŠâ
From the day she danced like that, her magic returned little by little as if that day had pulled a trigger. Not only that, but she also had strange dreams.
âWhy do I keep dreaming like that? .â
In the dream, Kiehl appeared slowly, surrounded by light, in the pitch-black darkness where even her hands could not be seen, and kissed her. At the thought, Bella touched her own lips with her hand.
âŠIt was a dream, but what her lips felt was so vivid.
â âTake me.â
It was soft like ice cream. His breath was filled with the scent of sunlight she had longed for.
How much she wanted it.
Bella thought so in her dream. She thought that she might have already died because there was no sunlight, so she must have been like a blooming cactus. In her dream, for every brief moment their lips fell apart, she exhaled her breath and said:
â âI love you.â
At that time, Kiehl was crying. As he choked to speak, he pressed his breath hard against her lips again. No matter how she expressed it, her heart was beating so fast that it felt like it was going to explode.
âMiss.â
ââŠUh?â
Suddenly, Jenkins on the other side called, Bella coughed a few times before turning her head.
ââŠIâm really trash, trash. What are you imagining with that kid?â
They said that dreams reflect reality.
Could this sweet poisonous heart even stimulate hidden lust?