Bella Had No Choice But to Say This
by Afuhfuihgs
For Grand Princess Kraine La Bella, there was a story that followed her like a tail. It was the story of her beautiful appearance and the Fourth Empress, who had an affair with her escort knight and was publicly executed.
The Fourth Empress lost in the imperial family’s political struggle and was executed along with her escort knight. Bella, who had been living happily in her mother’s arms, proved her purity in front of the crowd and even personally placed her mother’s head on the execution stand.
It was a tragic story, but it was merely a prologue signaling the beginning of Bella’s miserable life. Less than half a day after proving her purity, Bella, whose protector had disappeared, was raped by the First Prince in her mother’s room, where she felt safest.
As the news that Bella had been raped by the First Prince spread through the servants’ mouths, it wasn’t long before the Second and Third Princes, who were competing with the First Prince, rushed to Bella’s residence.
Ironically, it was on that day that Bella awakened her ability to discern the true intentions of others. That ability was not a blessing. Rather, it was a curse that made her aware of even the desires of the other person that she didn’t want to know.
Years of hellish time passed. Bella suffered endlessly every single day. Even now, beneath the clothes that conceal them, her skin is covered with permanent scars that even potions cannot heal.
Her uterus lost its function due to the Third Prince’s excessive sexual torture, and on rainy days, the scars on her back would burst, soaking her lower back with blood. There was even a time when the drunken First Prince strangled Bella, and she truly stopped breathing for several minutes.
There were times when she was stripped of her prosthetic left arm in front of the nobles who followed the First Prince, and she was forced to crawl on the floor with both legs tied to ropes, becoming a laughingstock. Hellish days filled with shame and humiliation continued, but Bella did not give up. No, she couldn’t give up.
Bella, realizing through her awakened ability that the goal of those who sought to destroy her was her death, endured any insult and shame.
But paradoxically, Bella wanted to die every single day. Because a person who forcibly continues to live dreams of death as they live through the day.
So, Bella hated the moon that rose at night so much. The moon rising meant a hellish night for Bella, and it was proof that she had endured a miserable day without giving up.
While being pinned down by the First Prince, Bella prayed countless times. She prayed that someone would save her, or that they would just kill her as she was. But neither God nor hero reached out to Bella. The only people who reached out to Bella were those who wanted to lust after her body.
Realizing that neither God nor hero existed, Bella was destroyed in a way that they didn’t want. Bella, who had endured by cherishing the memories of her past happiness, killed herself. And she began her revenge.
Unlike before, Bella actively utilized her beauty and abilities. Although her body was covered with hideous scars, Bella’s appearance was still beautiful, and the arrogant First Prince mistakenly believed that Bella had finally succumbed to him due to her proactive behavior.
Bella and the First Prince mingled bodies like lovers everywhere. In the dining hall, the Knights’ restroom, the imperial palace’s corridors, and even in the stables full of horse dung.
The First Prince didn’t realize anything until he fell from his horse and broke his neck. He didn’t realize that Bella, who was sharing love with him, had secretly pricked his beloved horse with a poisoned needle, and that the effect of the poison was thoroughly calculated to appear when he was riding the horse.
Bella also killed the Second and Third Princes. Realizing that there was no one suitable to be the Emperor’s successor except for herself, she tried to commit suicide to take revenge on the Emperor last.
But Bella failed to commit suicide when she met Roel on the rooftop of the academy after deciding to kill herself. Roel persistently clung to Bella and prevented her suicide attempts. He even caught Bella in mid-air as she was falling.
Bella pushed Roel away. She set cunning traps to make him suffer and looked down on him for being a commoner. But Roel just silently smiled and wordlessly stayed by Bella’s side.
Eventually, Bella gave up on suicide thanks to Roel’s persistent efforts. And she decided to use the life she was about to throw away for Roel. Because in her insignificant and miserable life, only Roel genuinely needed Bella as a person.
He didn’t approach Bella because she was a Grand Princess with power like other people, or because she was a beautiful girl. It was just for the absurd and simple reason that he felt comfortable when he was with her, but Bella decided to live for the boy who genuinely needed her.
―――That was Bella up until now.
,Eugh… eugh….
Bella groaned as Ross’s memories flooded into her head without any resistance. The suppressed voice was stuck in her throat, making it hard to breathe.
Ross’s memories were so realistic. It was as if she had experienced them herself, and she could vividly feel the emotions that Ross had felt in the memories.
The first emotion Bella felt after obtaining Ross’s memories was anger. She felt anger that Ross was actually the author who created this world.
She couldn’t easily accept the reason that her hellish life was merely for the sake of a tragic heroine character setting. She was even more furious that the very person who had destroyed her life had affection for the character Bella.
Bella genuinely wanted to kill Ross. No matter how much he was Roel’s younger brother, she couldn’t forgive him. But after that, Bella closed her eyes and read the memories that followed.
She saw the plaza in front of the imperial palace. It was an unforgettable memory that came out in her nightmares every day. But the content was completely different from Bella’s terrible memories. Bella’s anger, which had been seething like lava, subsided like a lie at the memory of Ross saving a young version of herself from another world.
On the day she proved her purity in front of everyone, Bella prayed to God. She cursed everyone there, saying that they could take her life, but to please kill everyone here. But that didn’t happen. Because God and heroes only existed in books.
But Bella from another world was saved by Ross. Becoming the hero that young Bella had so desperately wanted. Escaping the miserable and humiliating life that awaited her, she headed north with Ross’s help and even gained forces to help her.
Bella knew that it had nothing to do with her. But just by looking at the young version of herself from another world, an inexplicable emotion tormented her heart.
Just the fact that the hero she had been desperately waiting for really existed in another world… Bella was able to erase the scar that had remained deep in her heart for a very long time.
Bella, who had been enduring great pain with small happiness, was able to erase the scar that was still bleeding endlessly just by knowing that Bella from another world was not experiencing the same hell as her.
Bella continued to read Ross’s memories that came into her head. She learned how Roel, who had to win through her sacrifice, ended up failing, and what choice he ultimately made in the midst of endless destruction.
Bella opened her closed eyes. She only realized then that she was crying silently, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Slowly, very slowly, Bella raised her gaze and met Ross’s eyes, who was sitting across from her. The subsided anger seethed again from the bottom of her emotions.
Her mother’s death, the death of her escort knight who was like a friend, and the hellish days were endlessly replayed in Bella’s head.
,I… hate you to death.
Bella’s thoughts, which popped out on their own, were conveyed to Ross. Ross, who received those thoughts, stared straight at Bella with a stiff face and thought.
,…I understand.
,I can never forgive you for ruining my life.
Ross only looked at Bella with mournful eyes, but he didn’t avoid her gaze.
,I never asked for forgiveness either.
Bella could feel that it was genuine. Ross felt guilty towards Bella. That’s why he included memories and emotions that he didn’t need to include in the memories.
Even the ugly past that she had been trying to ignore, the miserable life of Bella that was created by a single line of thoughtless writing.
He could have deceived Bella as much as he wanted. But Ross no longer turned away from Bella. Rather, he wanted her to look at him with hateful eyes.
Bella stood up from her seat without saying a word. Ross’s gaze followed her. Bella approached Ross and knelt down in front of him.
Ross, who was flustered by Bella’s sudden action, flinched his shoulders and looked at Bella. As if a long silence had passed, Bella looked up at Ross without saying anything. And finally, Bella’s parched lips moved.
“Help me.”
“…”
The memories that Ross conveyed were not only about atonement for Bella. They also included the last chance to prevent the person she loved from slowly withering away and dying in the pain of eons for the salvation of everyone.
She was a girl who had already been destroyed and collapsed a long time ago to the point where she couldn’t even feel shame or humiliation. So, for the sake of the boy who uniquely needed her, the girl had no choice but to say this to the unforgivable person who had ruined her life.
“For Roel… I’ll do anything.”
That was Kraine La Bella, Roel’s lover.
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