CHAPTER 47…..
Kant Mende
Belle had practically taken up residence in the castle. Days passed without her leaving, and though people whispered, no one dared to stop her. After all, Fionero—the head of the house—couldn’t care less where Belle wandered, as long as she was Ruffian’s guest.
Every time Ruffian caught sight of her, he’d shoot a glare sharp enough to cut glass, as if silently begging her to leave. Belle, of course, pretended not to notice.
And most importantly—she had the strongest backing possible: me, the one person who actually needed her here.
“Noona, that woman terrifies me!”
Haula, looking like he’d just escaped the clutches of a predator, came trembling to hide behind me. His shoulder strap had slipped down, and he was tugging it back into place with a pitiful air. Normally, he was the sort who made you want to scold him, but right now he just looked… pathetic.
“What do you mean, ‘that woman’? Isn’t that a bit much?”
Like a predator closing in on prey, Belle advanced at a slow, deliberate pace.
“Lady Belle, aren’t you supposed to be running your merchant company?” Haula asked.
“Technically, yes. But that’s only on paper. I’ve got my own work, and it’s work I can do perfectly fine while staying here. So don’t mind me, Haula.”
“Aaagh!”
I’d thought Haula liked all demons indiscriminately, but his panicked retreat said otherwise. Maybe it was instinct warning him away. Or maybe he just preferred chasing things over being chased.
Either way, after several days of this cat-and-mouse, he finally made up his mind.
“I’m going back to the Academy.”
A drastic decision, especially from the man who had so casually dropped out and sworn to freeload at the Cabre estate until he earned his diploma.
But with Ulysses already gone, there was little left to keep Haula here—though if Belle hadn’t been around, I’m sure he would have stayed until I personally kicked him out.
Before leaving, Haula even asked Ruffian to take care of my sister, Ailey. Ruffian only smiled wordlessly, then flicked Haula’s forehead hard enough to knock him out for several minutes. He left for the Academy half a day later.
The Cabre estate grew quieter without him. Peaceful. Almost too peaceful. I found myself missing the constant chatter at my side… until I realized I could now read a book without anyone interrupting me.
At least, that’s what I thought—right up until an arm wrapped around my waist.
If not for the soft press against my back, I would have assumed it was Ruffian. Instead, Belle appeared soundlessly and pulled me into her lap.
“Now that the nuisance is gone, it’s just the two of us, Ellie.”
The air around us fell silent as if cut off from the world.
“That almost sounds like you chased him away on purpose,” I said.
“Half right, half wrong.”
She licked her lips with a sly smile. “When you chase him long enough, the way he shakes is adorable.”
I could only sigh. Perhaps Haula’s dislike of Belle was just a reflection of his own kind.
“Tonight’s the night.”
It had been nearly a week since we’d made our plan. I hadn’t been delaying on purpose, but… when you dread something, you put it off until the very last second.
Belle leaned in like she was sharing a secret. “The harvest this year will be rich. The Kingdom of Delicia—famed for its beautiful women—has become a vassal state. They’ll be sending their finest. There’s no way the Mende heir will pass up the chance.”
From her tone, it was obvious she was enjoying herself.
She had been coaching me for days—tone of voice, gaze, expressions, responses in conversation. Seduction required more acting and nerve than I’d imagined. Until now, I’d relied mostly on my face and my demon powers.
Maximilian had been easy—appeal to his sympathy, sense of responsibility, and weakness for beauty.
Dior had been easier still—press on his inferiority complex and exhaustion from pretense.
Both had weaknesses like ripe fruit, ready to pluck.
But Kant Mende?
Unlike the others, he was utterly unhinged—selfish, violent, cruel, and guided only by his whims. Sharp enough to notice everything, clever enough not to be fooled by the same tricks.
“To seduce a madman,” Belle said, “you’ve got to be just as mad.”
Her offer to take my place earned a quick, panicked refusal.
She tilted her head. “Then what’s holding you back?”
“I just… your techniques don’t suit me.”
“With a demon’s looks, pretending to be innocent is like a lion eating grass. And with Mende’s heir, unless you’re vicious, you’ll only ever be a toy.”
“But making sexy faces and stuff—”
Belle froze mid-motion, staring at me.
“Sweetie, how exactly did you seduce those other young masters?”
“…Mostly with my face?”
“That’s it?”
“I acted innocent, fragile, delicate… and I made a connection with them.”
“That’s friendship, not seduction.”
“I comforted them? Helped them move forward?”
Belle’s expression grew darker. “…Sweetie, are you trying to be their mother?”
I floundered under her scrutiny. “I guess I exploited their weaknesses?”
She leaned in, eyes glinting. “Seduce me. Right now.”
“What?”
Pretending not to hear was useless. But seducing Belle—the embodiment of seduction—was absurd.
With trembling hands, I clutched the hem of her dress, looking up with tearful eyes. “Don’t be mad at me…”
Belle’s face softened instantly. She crushed me in a hug, sighing. “God, you’re cute.”
Like Ruffian, she couldn’t resist my childishness.
“But you know, acting like this just makes me want to tease you more,” she murmured.
“I know. I only do it with you.”
Her smile deepened. “Such sweet words. I wish you’d always stay like this.”
After mussing my hair, she suddenly caught my cheeks in her hands. “You’ve got zero resistance to sexual appeal.”
“I try, though.”
“How?”
“…By imitating Ruffian?”
She burst into laughter, and I pouted in her lap. Even without trying, she radiated the kind of effortless allure I could never imitate.
“Face alone can draw someone in,” Belle said, now serious again. “But if you want more than friendship, you’ll need to stir their fantasies too.”
I grimaced. “Disgusting.”
“Sweetie, you are trying to seduce them,” she reminded me gently.
I knew she was right. And yet…
When I first set out to do this, I’d wanted to be like Lydia—to be their goddess, their sun. Someone they couldn’t live without.
But I wasn’t Lydia. The cracks in the harmony between Maximilian, Dior, and Kant told me that much.
And maybe, I thought, that was exactly what I could use.
“Belle.”
We both jumped at the sound of Ruffian’s voice. He stood leaning against the doorway, deceptively relaxed, though the faint vein on his forehead betrayed his irritation.
“I told you—teach her anything weird and I’ll kick you out.”
“I didn’t teach her anything!”
“Then why block the sound? If you’ve got nothing to hide…”
Belle smirked. “Spying on a lady’s private conversation? Clingy men aren’t attractive.”
Ruffian only beckoned, and I slipped away to his side.
Belle sighed in defeat. “Tch. Such a lovesick fool.”
His hand closed gently around mine. When I glanced up, his usual warm smile had shifted—mischievous, dangerous.
Belle’s earlier warning echoed in my head: The more they love you, the more they’ll want to cut away everything else around you.
As Ruffian led me away, Belle mouthed something silently, a sly smile on her lips:
If you’re uncomfortable, try it with Ruffian. That’s what I’ve been teaching you for.
“Eh?”
She winked.
