Our Reliable Ally

,N-no way. I never expected that the Imperial Princess-nim would feel uncomfortable about such a trivial matter as a single freshman dropping out. I had no intention of turning the Imperial Princess-nim into an enemy either.”

Duke Yousef said in a flustered voice, and Bella put down her knife and swept back her side hair.

,Are you now evaluating things as trivial on my behalf? Should I be thankful for this?

At Bella’s quiet murmur, Duke Yousef rubbed his furrowed brow.

,…Haha. Of course not. I’m just curious why Princess Bella-nim is interested in the affairs of a mere illegitimate child.”

,Because he’s outstanding.”

At Bella’s immediate answer, Duke Yousef asked back with a bewildered face.

,…Pardon?

,Kane’s alchemic talent is outstanding, so I wanted to make him my man. When I become the Emperor, I’ll need many talented people around me. I’ve been secretly supporting several students who show talent in the Academy… but someone suddenly started interfering? So, I came to find out. I’m curious about their intentions.”

Duke Yousef and Kyle’s gazes briefly turned to Kane.

,…We didn’t hear any explanation from Kane, so we didn’t know the Imperial Princess-nim’s intentions at all.”

Bella, who was silent for a moment as if pondering at those words, grabbed the knife with oil on it, making the blade gleam, and pointed it towards the Duke.

,Come to think of it… Duke Yousef was the biggest supporter of the First Imperial Prince when he was alive, right?

At Bella’s sharp question, Duke Yousef swallowed hard.

,…That was before a formal successor was decided.”

,How unfortunate. You probably never imagined that a prince would fall off his horse while drunk and break his neck.”

The knife Bella was holding slowly moved, pointing at Kyle.

,Perhaps the successor of the Yousef Dukedom will follow in his footsteps.”

Ttanggeurang-!

No sooner had Bella finished speaking than Duke Yousef abruptly rose to his feet, causing the wine-filled glass to tip over, roll across the table, and fall to the floor.

As a result, the olive-colored tablecloth, worth several thousand gold, with beautiful golden lace at the edges made by a famous artisan in the capital and embroidered with the Yousef Dukedom’s crest, was stained with bright pink wine.

But right now, a mere few thousand gold tablecloth wasn’t important to Duke Yousef. Duke Yousef hunched his back and cowered like an old man who had been whipped, looking at Bella with fearful eyes.

Having wiped away his affable smile and hunched over, making his neck as thick as a toad’s, Duke Yousef stared at Bella with bulging eyes.

,…Is there something you want?

,What could the Imperial Princess, who will have the whole world, possibly want?

Bella said with an enchanting smile, and Duke Yousef, who was sweating profusely, quietly sat down and said in a low voice.

,…I will cancel Kane’s withdrawal immediately.”

No sooner had Duke Yousef finished speaking than Kyle slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

,Imperial Princess-nim! Are you threatening a Southern Duchy just because of one illegitimate child?

,You stupid bastard! Can’t you just stay still!

Duke Yousef urgently shouted and tried to stop Kyle, but the hot-blooded heir had no intention of holding back his anger towards the opponent who had crossed the line first.

,Just like the First Imperial Prince-nim, the Fourth Imperial Princess-nim might follow in his footsteps. Just like the Imperial Princess-nim said, perhaps.”

Silence fell for a moment.

Duke Yousef, with a look of dismay, took out a handkerchief from his pocket and kept wiping the sweat from his forehead, while Kyle glared at Bella, panting. Bella simply tapped the table with her finger with an amused expression.

,Ian.”

,Yes, Imperial Princess-nim.”

At Bella’s low voice, Ian, who was sitting next to me, stood up and stood behind Bella. Ian’s voice, which I heard for the first time, was very low and resonant.

Bella looked around and then ordered in a gentle voice.

,If anyone interrupts the conversation without my permission, blow their head off immediately.”

,Understood.”

No sooner had those words been spoken than Ian slung a huge red hammer, which seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, over his shoulder. Ian exuded an immense sense of intimidation just by standing there.

In an instant, the atmosphere of the banquet hall became heavy. People didn’t even try to make a sound, keeping their mouths tightly shut and busy avoiding Ian’s sharp gaze.

Bella asked Duke Yousef in a beautiful voice filled with innocence.

,Do you remember the short conversation we had at the banquet held a few days before the First Imperial Prince died in an accident?

However, Duke Yousef trembled as if he had heard the voice of a ghost.

,I, I remember. I can’t… forget it.”

Kyle, who had been glaring at Bella until then, lowered his gaze slightly, noticing that Duke Yousef’s attitude, who was answering in a stammering voice, was unusual.

Bella asked, her golden eyes shining like a snake’s.

,I don’t remember well… what did I say back then?

All eyes and ears in the banquet hall were focused on Duke Yousef. Pathetically, Duke Yousef, whose neckline was wet with sweat, stammered and opened his trembling mouth.

,The First Imperial Prince… will definitely die with his neck, neck broken….”

At that moment, the strange sound of several people simultaneously exhaling the breath they had inhaled filled the banquet hall. Bella asked in a nonchalant voice, as if she hadn’t heard anything.

,Do you think my prediction will come true this time too?

Kutangtang-!

No sooner had Bella finished speaking than Duke Yousef kicked away his chair and knelt on the bare floor. The family members, in an awkward posture of neither standing nor sitting, turned their gazes away at the sight of the head of the family’s abject appearance.

Duke Yousef said as if wailing, like a person who had lost his mind.

,Anything! I’ll do anything…! I’ll let Kane continue to attend the Academy, and I’ll find a house where he can live separately in the capital, away from the dormitory. I, I’ll give a lot of money to a famous alchemist so that he can take him as a disciple! “

,No. Kane is already my man. There’s no need for you to do that.”

Bella took out a piece of paper she had folded in her bosom and dropped it on the floor so that Duke Yousef could see it. It was the paper Kane had written in the carriage before arriving at the Yousef Dukedom, giving up his rights as an illegitimate child.

Duke Yousef, having checked the paper that had fallen to the ground, looked up at Bella powerlessly.

,Th, then… what do you, what do you want me to do?

Bella smiled innocently.

,I hope we can maintain a good relationship like we do now in the future too.”

Along with a gesture of flicking her fingers, telling him to bow his head to the ground.

***

We left the mansion and took a carriage to return to the portal station.

Duke Yousef, in order to maintain a ‘good relationship’ with Bella, sent his fifth daughter as Bella’s maid and promised that no one from the family would come near the capital.

Bella showed her strengths to the fullest in front of us. Thanks to that, the Yousef Dukedom was no longer a concern. I couldn’t help but be satisfied with her quick handling of things and skillful intimidation.

When she’s an enemy, she’s endlessly like a dog… but when she’s on our team, she can be so reliable. That might be why Yonghali’s readers didn’t criticize the heroine Bella’s obvious misdeeds so much. Because it was a misdeed for Roel, not for herself.

I put my hand on Kane’s shoulder, who had been silent since the banquet. Kane’s gaze turned to me.

,Are you okay.”

At my question, Kane answered in a firm voice.

,No, it’s the worst.”

Then he sighed deeply and said.

,I saw Duke Yousef’s despicable and ugly appearance. It was an appearance I had never imagined. But while watching it, I didn’t feel any catharsis. Rather… I felt a sense of futility.”

,Futility?

,As you said, he was just a duke after all. The great position of duke, which seemed impossible to reach, is actually nothing in front of the Imperial Princess. Well, that’s how great the position of Imperial Princess is, but….”

Kane gave a bitter smile.

,I thought I could never bring him down, but seeing him collapse so easily… it feels like an illusion has been shattered, so I feel a sense of futility for no reason.”

I was worried that Kane might lose his goal like this. Revenge can be the driving force of life for some people. But that was a needless worry.

,After all, it seems more satisfying to make them kneel myself than to feel vicarious satisfaction from what others do.”

Kane, who smiled refreshingly as if shaking something off, looked at me and said.

,Now I’m going to try to do the things I’ve given up on until now.”

Kane’s appearance hadn’t changed. His sickly appearance remained the same. The life he had given up on and lived cautiously for his entire life naturally flowed out of his hunched posture.

But I felt that Kane had completely changed. In his dead eyes, which always contained annoyance, there was a small, burning ember.

Now, that ember will grow in size as various emotions are added over time, and it will become a flame that is not easy to extinguish again.

Kane had gained a new driving force in his life.

I slightly raised the corners of my lips and said.

,There’s no need to rush. Vacation has just begun.”

,No, I’m tired of a lazy life now. It’s been too long.”

Kane, having said that, took something out of his bosom. It was a coupon card given by the cafe.

The coupon card had the name of a famous dessert cafe that I had gone to with Luna on Aria’s recommendation. I hesitated for a moment and then tentatively asked.

,…Are you suggesting we go to a cafe?

Two guys going to a cafe to eat sweet desserts… that’s a pretty high level start. If it’s for a friend, I think I can do that much….

,Wh, what crazy talk are you saying? What cafe would two guys go to? Aria gave me this.”

I was able to feel relieved thanks to Kane, who was disgusted. I’m glad it was a misunderstanding.

,…So why do you have that?

,Aria likes the macarons here… she’ll probably want to eat them already.”

At those words, I smiled silently. As expected, I had a feeling since they were always together. There’s a reason why they say that you become attached while fighting.

Kane, having checked my expression with twitching lips, bit his lip for no reason and turned his gaze elsewhere.

,…I also have a fault for pretending not to know Aria’s feelings until now.”

I smiled and replied to Kane, who was mumbling.

,You’re going to be living under her thumb from now on.”

,…I can’t help it.”

Kane’s matter was resolved. By abandoning the name Yousef, Kane was able to start a new life. Now, all that’s left is to put Kalakum’s roots back in place. I had a feeling that if I explained the situation to Headmaster Nelson, I wouldn’t receive a big punishment.

I was able to smile with genuine relief even at Bella’s gaze, who was observing me with an interested look.