Chapter 2
“Arbella, I want to be friends with you. If you don’t mind, shall we be friends?”
“…Do as you like.”
“Really? Then can I call you Bella? You call me Shua!”
On the way to the garden, Bella—who’d quickly warmed to me after my one-sided pestering—and I sat in a corner of the garden and made a flower crown.
My hands moved without pause and the crown was finished quickly. After I put it on Bella’s head I went straight to the table where the mothers were sitting.
“Mother! How is Bella? Isn’t she pretty?”
I held Bella’s hand and gushed, and Duchess Chelnistana and my mother responded enthusiastically.
“Oh my, Shua, you’re so handy. Our daughter looks so pleased with that pretty crown.”
“My goodness~ Bella, it really suits you.”
“…Thank you.”
Still holding Bella’s hand, I looked up at my mother with shining eyes.
“Mother, I like playing with Bella — could we come here often?”
“Oh? If you come often, I’d be delighted.”
Because my mother happened to be close friends with Duchess Chelnistana, she agreed immediately.
“You are always welcome, Shua. Bella, do you like that?”
Duchess Chelnistana smiled and turned her gaze to Bella.
“Mm…”
Bella nodded with a coy expression. Watching her, I felt anew the gap between the Arbella in the original story and the Arbella sitting in front of me.
Bella readily allowed a nickname, and rather than being fierce as in the original, she seemed more shy and easily embarrassed — just a pure child of that age.
Why would a sweet nine-year-old Bella become the villainess at fifteen, six years from now?
The original didn’t show the villainess’s past.
So I took this as a positive: being reincarnated six years before the story properly begins let me observe things in person.
‘I should find out why she becomes the villainess while hanging around here so often.’
Today was already a week since I got close to Bella.
After our unexpected first meeting, I’d followed the proper formalities — sending letters first — before stepping into the Chelnistana household.
Today was the same, but for some reason, unlike yesterday the ducal residence was in disarray.
I wondered at the hallways, noticeably messier than usual, when shouting came from inside Bella’s room.
“Get out! I said no!”
I scratched my cheek awkwardly as I looked at the butler waiting in front of the door.
“…Hmm, Bella is very sensitive today.”
“I’m terribly sorry, Lady Tebion. We’ll clean it up right away…”
Clatter—.
A teacup flew past the butler and hit the door.
“Are you all right?”
The butler calmly wiped the black tea splashed on his face and answered, “Yes. The young lady tends to be especially upset on the days the young master comes by.”
‘Cancel my previous impression — she’s really touchy.’
“Get out! Right now—!”
I felt the commotion would go on if I let it, so I quickly intervened.
“Bella. When can I come in?”
“…When did you come again?”
Bella seemed genuinely unaware I had arrived; she peeked through the slit of the door, plate in hand, and looked startled when our eyes met.
“I want to come in. Could you tell them to all leave?”
“My lady, it’s dangerous—”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll scream if anything happens.”
The butler, clearly not expecting me to step in like this, looked more flustered than Bella had a moment ago.
“You alone may come in. The others must leave.”
“…Please be careful, my lady.”
The door closed, and only Bella and I remained in the room.
‘So the reason this kid is in such a state is because of that young master, huh.’
There was only one person in this house the butler could be referring to as the young master.
Lord Chelnistana.
In the original, he appeared more often than I did — I remembered lines like:
“Perhaps even the noble Head of the Mage Tower would have to bow to Miss Bess’s beauty.”
“My older brother holds the title of youngest Head of the Mage Tower; I can’t believe anyone could sully such a name.”
He was used once to praise the heroine’s beauty, and once to describe the villainess’s ugliness. If I recalled correctly, he was mentioned maybe two or three other times.
“Bella, your hair’s a mess.”
“What business is that of yours?”
The girl who’d looked cute yesterday had suddenly turned so scary that she could be intimidating.
‘Is the relationship between Kashen and me and him not that good? Surely the future Head of the Mage Tower wouldn’t enjoy tormenting a nine-year-old for fun…’
Sadly, every time he appeared in the original he was referred to as “the youngest Head of the Mage Tower,” not as Lord Chelnistana, so even I, who’d read the original, didn’t know much about him as the person behind that title.
“What are you so angry about?” I asked.
I smoothed my hair casually as I spoke — her breathing, which had been ragged and angry, slowly steadied.
“Bella, I’m not a mind reader. If you won’t talk, I can’t know what you’re thinking.”
“I can guess that much.”
“Then for the sake of your one and only friend, won’t you tell me what’s on your mind? You’re tired spending the whole day angry. If you tell me, you might feel better…”
Persuaded by my kind touch and words, Bella gave a small nod.
“…You heard from the butler earlier, didn’t you?”
“What… oh, that the young master’s coming?”
“Yes.”
Bella grimaced and continued.
“I hate that boy the most in the world.”
“Lord Chelnistana? Why?”
“He just happened to be born with strong magic, and that’s it. Other than that, he’s got nothing special, but he grew up getting every ounce of love from people.”
“Hmm…”
“Then he thinks receiving that love is his right. That’s what I hate most. He knows he’s so wonderful, so he looks down on everything.”
As she spoke, Bella seemed to spew her rage.
‘…Jealousy? No, inferiority complex.’
Given that she had a talented older brother, I’d thought she wouldn’t have a normal life, but I hadn’t realized she’d grown up steeped in jealousy and inferiority from such a young age.
“Is that really the only reason you hate your brother?” I asked.
“Only? You don’t understand. Our father is stingy with praise. That brat gets praised constantly by that father and still pulls a sulky face, you know?”
Seeing Bella’s exasperated face, I finally understood.
The villainess Arbella Chelnistana’s backstory began at this point.
Growing up filled with a crushing inferiority toward her own brother, Bella met a heroine who was loved, and she must have thought the heroine didn’t appreciate being loved.
Seeing the heroine made her think of her brother — that likely became the reason for the bullying.
If Bella’s inferiority complex is the problem, now — during her childhood — is the time to solve it. It’d be ideal to fix her relationship with Lord Chelnistana before the rift deepened.
“Do you really think Lord Chelnistana takes that love for granted?” I asked.
“Of course he does.”
“Could it be that you’re seeing him that way because you’re the one viewing him so negatively?”
“Me? What would I do?”
“Maybe he’s grateful for his gifts and for the love he receives. Maybe you look at him so badly that he comes across as arrogant.”
Bella’s expression flickered, as if scenes were passing through her mind.
‘Half of that was a bit of a probe, but it looks like their relationship isn’t entirely bad.’
“…He’d never be grateful by nature.”
“Then watch him. I hear he’s coming today.”
Watching me smile, the venom Bella’d had a moment ago had already faded from her eyes.
“Today’s not my day. I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“…Okay.”
‘I wonder if prickly Bella can force herself to look at her brother differently.’
I left her room and headed for the carriage, but then spotted the garden and changed my mind.
‘…Would she like one if I made one for her?’
When we first met, I’d made a crown to befriend her; maybe giving one to the girl who looked displeased would cheer her up.
After looking around a few times, I entered the garden.
“Today I’ll use orange flowers again.”
Thinking of Bella, I began to make a tiny flower crown.
I fussed around and before I knew it the crown was complete.
‘Should I give it to the butler or the maid?’
I inspected the finished crown for any loose parts when a breeze blew from ahead.
Confused, I lowered the crown — and saw a whirl forming in midair.
“W-what is that…?”
I stepped back quickly as if I might be drawn in, but someone popped out of the whirl faster than I could retreat.
The person who appeared right before my eyes was honestly—
“Oh, a guest.”
‘Wow.’
A man who could have been the Duchess Chelnistana’s twin stood there.
“Nice to meet you.”
Anyone could tell at a glance he was Lord Chelnistana.
“I am Dierden Chelnistana,” he said.
‘Damn, he’s ridiculously handsome…’
He had the same hairline and golden eyes as Duchess Chelnistana.
Unlike Bella’s round cat-like eyes, his fox-like narrow eyes suited his golden irises very well.
Aside from his looks, his piercing gaze felt like it could see right through you, and his presence was overwhelming.
I almost stumbled back from feeling intimidated, but—
“Ah, careful.”
He caught me, and I avoided the embarrassment of falling in front of him at our first meeting.
Clutching the crown tightly, cradled like a scene from a romance drama in Lord Chelnistana’s arms, the silence in the garden was broken by a butler who had entered.
“…Young master?”
Lord Chelnistana, staring at my face, asked the butler.
“Is this the one who’s your sister’s only close friend?”
“Yes. The young master’s close friend is Lord Tebion, and his sister is Lady Tebion over here.”
Even without the original’s details, I’d heard a little about him from my older brother — I knew the Chelnistana boy was a candidate for the Head of the Mage Tower.
At ten years old, he possessed powerful mana, an excellent capacity for learning, and the ability to wield it in real situations — qualities that marked him as a promising future Head of the Tower.
But his first impression to me wasn’t good.
Tap—.
‘Huh? Look at this kid…’
He had been polite enough a moment ago, but when he heard my name, he coldly pulled his hand away.
“I only stopped by to greet my mother before the exam. I’ll go right away, so don’t prepare anything.”
He even brushed his right hand, which had touched me, as if to rid himself of the contact.
‘Ten years old and gorgeous, but manners are trash.’
My impression: rude, but very handsome.
After touching me once, Lord Chelnistana wouldn’t even glance in my direction. He said a word to the butler and was about to leave the garden.
A soul that had lived over twenty years in the land of refined manners wanted to smack this insolent child, but thinking of Bella — who might still be steeped in jealousy and pain — I held myself back.
I hurriedly grabbed Lord Chelnistana’s wrist as he began to walk toward the garden entrance, following the butler.
“Lord Chelnistana.”
“…Yes?”
“This may seem rude to do at our first meeting, but may I say one thing?”
