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Chapter 20
“…….”
The baby wolf, who had started dozing while clinging to her arm, suddenly lifted its head.
“Gyu?”
“…Ugh!”
The knight, who had intended to catch the wolf cub, froze in stunned disbelief as he watched the Marchioness dash away.
As her silvery, cloud-like hair fluttered in the air, a few red maple leaves caught in her hair drifted down.
“M-Marchioness!”
The agents, who had regained their senses a step too late, hurried after her, while everyone else in the office watched the scene as if it were unreal.
The Duke’s office, usually filled with a sacred silence, was now saturated with a chaotic quiet, like a storm had just passed.
The proof that what had just happened wasn’t a dream were the five or six maple leaves the Marchioness had left behind.
Edwin furrowed his brows, holding his head, while Count Rodik even bent down to pick up one of the fallen leaves.
It was a real maple leaf.
So that meant… what had just happened was real.
“…Oh dear, this is bad.”
Calterion, who had been silent the entire time, leaned back against his chair—a rare display of relaxation for him.
A little later, he let out the smallest sigh, which only the attendant beside him noticed.
“Ahh!”
Despite the screams from beyond the door, the agents stood with their backs to it.
This was because the Marchioness had threatened, “If you come in, I’ll kill you!”
Bella crawled under the covers, plugging her ears.
But what good is it to cover your ears?!
“I can’t live without Kero!”
“Ahh!”
Bella shouted in frustration, kicking the blankets.
“What did you do to me?”
[Hey, you should be thanking me! Standing there all stiff, saying things like ‘Kero is a different color’! Just wait! This will definitely work! This is how you bond!]
“Work? Did you see the humans’ faces? They were so shocked, they looked stunned! Am I being punished now?”
[Hmph! Do you even know what ‘bonding’ is?]
To a being born as the strongest warrior in the Celestial Realm, the concept of a “friend” was unnecessary.
There might be companions to watch your back, but there were no friends to lean on.
She simply never felt the need.
[Humans, Bella, give their lives to those they trust. Sometimes that’s stronger than a sword.]
But Bella ignored Ophaniell’s words, lost in thought.
“I need a plan. They said they’d take him today. Soon the knights will come to fetch him, and if that letter really was a summoning letter…”
A little white fluff trailed behind Bella as she paced the room, lost in thought.
When Bella suddenly stopped, Kero got caught in the folds of her dress, then began playing with the fabric.
If she had to return to the palace today…
There was no choice but to put all her abilities on display and beg Calterion to trust her.
It was daunting to think of his red eyes, which seemed completely devoid of trust, but for now…
“Ha, how did I end up in a body like this?”
Kero tilted his head as he looked up at Bella, who groaned while holding her head.
“Gyu?”
Tick-tock, tick-tock. Time passed, and the sun slowly tilted across the sky outside the window.
The maids and agents occasionally checked on her, but Bella simply stood there, motionless.
Night deepened, and still she remained by the window. The agents’ expressions grew darker with each passing hour.
“Marchioness, perhaps you should rest for the night?”
“…….”
Without receiving an answer, the agents left the room. The head maid turned to them and asked,
“How is she?”
“She’s been standing still for hours.”
The head maid’s expression darkened, just like the agents’.
Bella’s behavior had changed so drastically, it was clearly abnormal.
After surviving death, perhaps the princess had already lost part of her mind.
If anything were to happen to her at the Duke’s residence, Calypse would…
“Head maid, perhaps we should leave the wolf be for now. Until she’s calm, it’s best not to provoke her…”
The Countess Fillmore nodded in agreement.
“I have already reported to His Highness and received permission. Watch over her closely. Report anything immediately.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A quiet night of worry stretched on.
Belladis Calypse remained at the window, awake.
She simply sat on the sofa, staring at the clock.
Tick-tock.
Finally, as the clock hands passed midnight and a new day began, Bella slowly stood.
And murmured in a daze,
“Crazy.”
Her pink eyes flickered relentlessly.
“There’s no compromise in orders, Belladis.”
“I can’t live without Kero! I want to live here with Kero!”
“Unbelievable that such a ridiculous tactic actually works.”
Perhaps the palace hadn’t summoned her at all.
But wasn’t the wolf about to be taken immediately?
Calterion had warned her to prepare her mind today.
Yet even after midnight, no one had come for the wolf.
[See? What did I tell you?]
Bella realized that her previous thoughts of using divine power were pointless.
[You see, fighting humans blindly isn’t the answer. Do you trust me now?]
Faced with this clear evidence, Bella could no longer deny Ophaniell’s words.
The main reason Bella could be called the strongest warrior of the Celestial Realm was, of course, her innate power.
But equally important was her personality: once she decided a path to victory, she charged forward without fear.
If necessary, she could even don a demon’s guise.
[Winning over human hearts is amazing! Efficient! If you try to use power here, what would you do? Human hearts are the key.]
Ophaniell twitched his toes, chuckling.
[You can achieve by words what would take a fight to get.]
Just like now!
“…But do I really have to act that way?”
Bella grimaced at the thought of having to say something like “I want to live with Kero!” again.
[Then you can keep getting stabbed in the belly while using your powers.]
Given the choice, Bella quickly chose discomfort over injury.
“How should I do it?”
[Heh, listen carefully.]
And so began Ophaniell’s “Humanology 101.”
The small problem: the lecturer wasn’t human.
But, well, there are humans who give lessons in entomology, right?
Humans lecture insects all the time, and the insects themselves don’t object.
“…Marchioness?”
Early in the morning, Bella burst through the door, and the agents stared in surprise.
It seemed she had dressed herself before the maids arrived.
Her coat was bright yellow, like forsythia, and beneath it, a purple dress peeked out.
Their eyes followed her as she strode past.
Accustomed to such behavior, the agents turned instinctively to follow.
Deep in thought, Bella suddenly spoke,
“Hello.”
…Huh?
Seeing their blank expressions, she furrowed her brow and called out louder,
“HELLO!”
It wasn’t just a greeting—it sounded like a commander scolding her subordinates for not understanding at once. Instinctively, the two straightened and responded,
“Ah, yes! Good morning, ma’am!”
“Good morning, ma’am!”
Satisfied with their quick response, her frown softened slightly.
Then she asked,
“What are your names?”
Finally, she asked their names. Now, of all times.
