“Even if I am found out, I’ll take full responsibility somehow. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”
“Bella, for you to go that far…”
“Exactly. I’m going that far for you, yet you don’t have a single thought to offer?”
“…Huh?”
‘What is she talking about now?’
Elijah’s eyes widened as she scanned my face. She probably thought I had already been acting strange, only to get stranger, but for me, this was just the beginning.
“You saw my luggage just now, didn’t you? I lived under this roof for twenty years, and all I leave with is that single crate. Don’t you feel even a scrap of guilt?”
“W-well, Bella, that’s just because you’ve never had any interest in material things…”
“Or is that just what you tell yourselves so you can sleep at night?”
“…”
“Doesn’t it strike you as a bit odd? We share the exact same blood, yet one of us is greedy while another has no desires at all?”
I drew out a neatly folded handkerchief and toyed with it. To the knights standing far off, it would look like I was preparing to dab away tears of farewell, but my sisters before me were thoroughly flustered.
“S-so what do you want us to do! We were only worried about you…”
“You were only worried to soothe your own consciences. That doesn't do a thing to bring me peace of mind, so let’s get things straight right now.”
“Get what straight!”
“What do you think? Debt collection… no, settling accounts.”
At the rare mention of money, the corners of my mouth curled into a demure smile. As my sisters took a step back, I matched them by stepping forward without letting them off the hook.
“My twenty years of unpaid labor in this house could be chalked up to sisterly duty, but this is a different story. A hazard allowance is only fair.”
“Hey… you said you’d go! You said everyone would survive only if you went…”
“Yes, that’s right. And the man I am marrying in your place is precisely that kind of person.”
“…”
“The incarnation of evil. The ruler of slaughter. The blood-soaked Grand Duke. And… the cursed beast.”
I enunciated every single word.
Each time I rattled off one of his grim monikers, my sisters grew paler. They wouldn't have looked this terrified if two swords were being swung in their faces. Even so, Melanie gathered her wits and clung stubbornly to her pride, wheezing through her teeth.
“So what are you going to do about it now? If you don’t go, everyone goes down. Even Father and Rose, whom you love so much!”
“How funny. Why are you leaving yourselves out?”
“…What?”
“You’ll die just the same. Whether I go or stay, my fate ends up the same, so what does it matter? If I’m going to die anyway, having company on the road to the underworld sounds rather nice, doesn't it?”
See you there, sisters of the mortal world.
I made a beckoning gesture as if waiting at the threshold of the underworld. Now completely at a loss, my sisters swallowed hard in quick succession.
“B-Bella! Were you always this kind of person?”
“Yes. Now that you know, hand over everything you have.”
“Hey! Where would we get any money…”
“Melanie, the five thousand gold tucked into the bookmark of *The Northern Economy and Chaos* on your second shelf, and the three thousand gold hidden at the back of *Practical Imperial Accounting*. And for you, Elijah, since you don't have cash, bring me the emerald hairpins and ruby brooches you got from your exes.”
“…How did you know about that?!”
“How wouldn't I? Who do you think has been cleaning this house all along? A magical brownie fairy?”
How delightfully naive.
Hiding a smirk, I gave them a stern look. There was no more time to stall.
“You have one minute.”
“…Bella! Even so, this is ridiculous! If you’d told us earlier, we could have had it ready!”
“Right. And if I’d told you earlier, you would have stashed it somewhere else that very day. Don’t I know you by now?”
“You…”
“You really don't want to cooperate, do you? Fine. Excuse me, Sir Jerome! Earlier, I didn't get a chance to mention my actual name—”
“A-all right! We’ll give it to you!”
They bolted into the house like streaks of lightning. Who would have ever guessed these were the same people who usually stayed melted into their beds and floors like warm pudding?
Seeing Sir Jerome step forward as if to ask what was wrong, I shook my head with a mournful expression to wave him off.
“No, it’s all right. Saying goodbye to my sisters just made me a little emotional… I only need a moment to offer Father a final farewell.”
“B-Bella.”
When I gripped his lapel, Father froze stiff.
He had stood frozen in shock the entire time I was collecting from my sisters, and now that his own turn had arrived, he couldn't seem to part his lips.
Tsk, tsk. Really, what gave you the nerve to gamble when you're this faint of heart?
“…Don’t worry. I won’t ask you for money, Father.”
“Bella.”
“You have nothing to give anyway. But remember this one thing clearly: anywhere in this world, parents who sell off their own children don’t get treated like parents.”
“…”
Sobbing for show, I diligently dabbed at the corners of my eyes with my handkerchief since Sir Jerome was watching. Regardless of what Father looked like, saying farewell to the man who gave me life meant I couldn't say I felt nothing at all.
“Well, take care of yourself, mister.”
“…”
With a couple of light pats on Father's empty pocket as I rested my head against him, my twenty years of neglected life came to an end. From here on, whether I left behind my skin, or my soul along with it, depended entirely on me.
◇ ◆ ◇
The interior of the carriage, which looked so imposing from the outside, proved surprisingly comfortable. Aside from the fact that everything from the velvet seats to the door handles was pitch black, it was outfitted with the finest luxuries.
If asked how I could tell despite having never seen high-end goods before, it was simply because I couldn't imagine anything finer existing in this world.
“…Ugh.”
Leaning back into the plush upholstery, my whole body felt as if it were melting. A pang of angst and a sigh brushed past simultaneously at the thought of traveling in such luxury toward certain doom.
Yet the fact that this carriage felt far more comfortable than home gave me a clear idea of just how miserable my life had been.
“My lady, this journey will take at least three days. As there are no villages along the way to stop or rest, you will have to sleep inside the carriage. Will that be all right?”
“…Sir Jerome.”
“I have prepared bedding and provisions inside. Please let me know if there is anything you lack.”
Sir Jerome’s voice came from outside the window.
He was surprisingly attentive. Offering a quiet hum of appreciation, I peeled my back from the seat. Now was no time to drown in sentiment over leaving home.
“I think I’d like to rest my eyes quietly for a while. Would that be fine?”
“Of course.”
Given his strict adherence to courtesy, he wouldn't yank the door open without warning, but it never hurt to be certain. Even after hearing Jerome’s horse trotting away, I checked outside just in case.
“Wow…”
Vast plains and the scent of lush, green fields.
These were things I had never experienced during my decade of living as the shack's house elf. Only now did it truly sink in that I was finally leaving that place behind. After making sure the knights were lined up far in the distance, I locked the carriage door tight.
Gulp.
I swallowed to moisten my dry mouth. Keeping my movements discreet, I crouched on the carriage floor, pretending to rummage through the basket of snacks he had set out.
With an anxious heart, I cracked open the piece of luggage loaded earlier, and a wave of silver hair brightened the carriage interior.
“…Bella.”
“Shh, Rose.”
It hadn't been very loud, but I pressed a finger to my lips to warn her. Clinging to the rim of the bag like a kitten, Rose was so tiny that a mere gust of wind felt like it could blow her away.
“Come here.”
She was so light that even my slender arms could lift her in one motion, making my heart ache. I had told her repeatedly to stay quiet until I said it was safe, but in the end, she was only a five-year-old child.
A lump rose in my throat at the thought of this little girl holding her breath so desperately just to survive.
“Look at me. Did you feel suffocated in there?”
“…No. I’m okay.”
“You don’t have to whisper that quietly, Rose.”
Her voice, hushed so only I could hear, tickled my ear. Just how frightened had she been to act like this? Pained by the sight, I handed her the first bread and drink I could grab, but our youngest sister shook her head.
“What is it? You missed breakfast hiding in there. We have a long journey ahead, so you need to eat something.”
“…Then eat with me. You didn’t eat either, Bella.”
Oh, my sweet little thing. My precious pup. My absolute treasure!
Unable to hide my overwhelming affection, I patted Rose’s bottom praisefully, and her face flushed bright red.
‘You haven't lived entirely in vain, Bella.’
At least one member of my family cared about me.
When I tore off a piece of bread and fed it to her, the scrawny girl began to chew. Even though she was five, she was so malnourished that she could easily pass for three or four.
“…”
Which meant that I was just as starved and scrawny. Having shouldered the burden of feeding the entire household on my own, it was essentially no different from feeding them my own flesh and blood. To make matters worse, our hollow noble title meant we couldn't even lower ourselves to beg for help.
Hah. Dignity? They could feed it to the dogs.
Now that I had broken free of that house, I didn't have to walk on eggshells around anyone. Except for the man who was to be my husband, nothing in this world frightened me anymore.
Even if things went terribly wrong, what was the worst he could do, skin me alive?
I didn't know where this newfound boldness came from, but while the thought of becoming the Grand Duchess had felt suffocating at first, a strange surge of confidence was welling up inside me. Whether I stayed home after sending Elijah off or went myself and caused a disaster, the day of my death would only differ by a few days anyway.
If that was the case, committing a crime worthy of death with my own two hands before dying would be far more rewarding and far less unfair.
“…Bella, what’s wrong? Did I eat too much?”
“No, not at all.”
I scooped Rose into my arms as she nervously checked my reaction after taking barely a single bite. Rage flared up inside me all over again at the thought of our father, the pathetic excuse of a man who had left a child in such neglect.
