Chapter 117: Chapter 120: Bella's Welcome

Chapter 120 – Bella's Welcome

After a few days had passed, Bella's steps arrived in the countryside, where the mansion was located.

It was Aloha.

[ The largest inn in Aloha! Shower room available! ]

Did she even have a homing instinct? How did she get here?

“…Is that Zanbar b*stard really a fool?”

When she realized it, she had already come here.

While trudging toward the mansion instinctively, she could see the cobwebs and dust-filled place made it feel more desolate than when she first bought the house. There, with nothing left, she washed lightly and headed to the study.

As she looked at the safe just in case, as expected, the safe was open, and it didn't have her notes in it.

“….”

She couldn’t even remember how long she had been wandering around. She was going to sleep on her bed for the first time in a while.

“Ah… I put this away as well.”

Her room was also empty.

The next moment, Bella slowly turned back. The room directly opposite was Kiehl's room. She knew there was a soft bed, albeit dusty when she opened that door.

However, she couldn't even open it.

From the time Kiehl left until now…

She was getting choked up.

Beyond this door lived two people who knew nothing of such a future.

When she made up stories by making princesses and princes out of little dolls, Kiehl would press his fingers into her hand. She would read him fairy tales and fall asleep together, and sometimes Jenkins would come and click his tongue and cover them with the blanket.

And when she woke up in the morning, she would wake the sleeping Kiehl up by fiddling with his cheek.

While Pur always slammed the door open and her eyes flashed to clean, Iwer put off her imagination, saying that it was regrettable that he was still young. And even though Zanbar was nothing but a complainer, he did not hide his liking when Kiehl gave him a compliment.

‘I want to go back to that time…’

When she didn't know anything. To that time she missed so much, so she couldn't open this door because the memories should remain as beautiful as they are.

Once broken, glass remains cracked even if they were put back together.

It was better not to know.

It was better to just think that all of this happened because of her greed, and that it got twisted because of Rohan.

Accept your heart, share your life, when the curtain falls on your story… I will dwell on the glory of the stage from behind the curtain, longing for you who don't exist.

Now every time I see you, I will remember what you did.

I'm afraid of the time I'll have to go through.

* * *

Ahead of the harvest festival, a hunting contest was held in the Imperial Palace.

“Miss would love something like this!”

Zanbar was only sorry in words, and he made a fist with Pur excitedly.

“Sir Zanbar! Make a bet with me!”

“Who catches more!”

Jenkins got excited and intervened between the two demons who were about to kill all living things on the mountain.

“We have limited the prey to one. Bet who will catch the bigger one.”

“Wow!”

Unlike them, who were excited, Kiehl stood on his horse and remained dazed for a while.

“Young Master, what’s wrong?”

“Ah… nothing.”

He was seeing Bella’s vision again.

He sat in front as they rode. It was nice that he showed up.

— “…Disgusting.”

She pierced her heart, saying to not be mistaken.

“Your Highness, are you okay? Your complexion doesn't look very good.”

It was the same with Rohan, who had a bad complexion.

He asserted that the Crown Princess would not have gone to the Animal Kingdom. Otherwise, there was no way she wouldn't show up for more than two months.

Even though he waited for Kiehl to admit it and a new crown princess to quickly be crowned, Kiehl muttered like crazy that Bella would return soon.

What kind of royal families only have sick people? The Emperor was bedridden, and the Crown Prince sometimes looked exhausted as if he was going to pass out. If this was the case, he thought it would be better for Bella to return quickly and become the Crown Princess, so the Empire could run properly.

In the hunting contest that began, Kiehl rode aimlessly on horseback, escorted by the twins.

“…Doesn’t it seem like he’s going anywhere without thinking?”

“I think so, too.”

“Should we catch something?”

If it continued like this, the hunting contest would almost certainly end without the Crown Prince getting a single prey.

“Rio. I’ll catch it, so keep an eye on Kiehl.”

“Yes.”

As Rio followed Kiehl for a long time, when they reached the foot of the mountain, he saw the familiar pink head moving in the bushes.

“…Rosanne?”

“Rio!”

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to try some dyeing… I’m trying to find flowers…”

With Bella gone, Rosanne devoted much of her free time to making her own clothes. At first, she said that she would make the dress a little more comfortable though it was difficult for her to make a dress that was comfortable and fancy.

Recently, she said that she would be able to make up for the shortcomings while dyeing the fabric. Still, he didn’t expect her to get the ingredients herself in a place like this.

“…You can buy flowers.”

“Haha… Flowers are expensive…”

After all, it was her personal business, so Rosanne couldn't use the imperial palace's budget, so she had been using her personal expenses.

“Today, a hunting contest is being held here. You didn’t know?”

“Is that today?”

Rio sighed and got off his horse and took Rosanne's hand.

“For now, until the hunting contest is over…”

Then, he looked around anxiously.

At first, Rio was sometimes worried that Kiehl would fall for a woman and not be able to do his job properly. But now, he was ashamed of himself for worrying about her like that.

“…Ki… Kiehl?”

Kiehl's escort missed his master like that.

At that time, Kiehl had no energy to think about his surroundings. Bella's visions and hallucinations came momentarily and dominated him.

‘…It’s driving me crazy.'

Although he tried to pretend nothing was wrong, he kept getting sick to his stomach.

It was then.

Bang!

A loud tree fell in the distance.

The horse he was riding might have been startled by the sudden sound and raised its front legs with a neigh. Normally, he would have held the reins to calm the horse down, but Kiehl, who did not have the strength to do so, fell off his horse.

“…Ah.”

To make matters worse, he happened to roll down the slope.

After hitting a big rock, he soon lost consciousness.

* * *

Bella eventually left the mansion and came to the village.

‘…I should go to the inn or something.’

Then, all of a sudden, she looked blankly at the house she had never seen before.

[ Bwen's Carrot Kingdom ]

He gave her a basket of carrots even when he was young, so he must have gone crazy with carrots. As she opened the door, Bwen, a fairly well-stout young man now, turned to look behind back.

“We’re closed for today…”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Bwen blinked with wide eyes.

“Be… Bella?”

Then, the pretty lady who was sewing beside him raised her head and looked at her.

“…Oh my?”

“I’m hungry, can you give me something to eat? The money….”

Bella took off her bracelet and laid it on the table.

“I’ll pay with this.”

“Oh, oh…”

Bwen, dumbfounded, thought about what to prepare and brought carrot cake.

‘…Did she ask for a meal or carrots?’

As she asked how he was doing, Bwen said that not long after Bella left the village, he married the person next to him, as fate would have it. He seemed to live a normal and happy life.

“You know, people have been looking for you a lot.”

“Why?”

“That… I don't know about that. Hey, have you met Kiehl by any chance?”

Bella held the warm tea in her hand and stopped when she was about to put it in her mouth.

“…Kiehl was looking for you, too.”

Then, his wife, who was next to him, thumped the table with the palm of her hand and opened her mouth.

“That handsome young man?”

“Yes.”

“I've only seen that young man once, and I can't forget him.”

“Because he’s handsome?”

Bwen glared at his wife, finding his ego hurt.

“No, it’s because he looked so tired then. Right, honey?”

Bella lowered her gaze, watching the surface of the tea shake.

* * *

When Kiehl opened his eyes again, it was a cold night. His shoulder was dislocated, and he couldn't move. In addition, his legs swelled up and the pain enveloped him every time he walked. Seeing a small cave in front of him, he took refuge there.

Tired, he slept on the cold floor, opening and closing his eyes in a cold sweat. It was as if day and night had changed each time.

It was the smell of death he hadn't felt in a long time.

As the heat ran through his body, he slowly fiddled with the pendant. Before time went back, the divine power would be used to save him at every critical moment. Now that he had no power, he thought that if this went on, he would close his eyes forever.

And then,

“…What are you doing here?”

Another vision of Bella spoke to him and she walked towards him, appearing as if to protect his last moment. She wore clothes he had never seen, and saidthings he didn’t even remember.

“Why are you doing this?”

…Was this an illusion or reality?

He had never spoken to the illusion yet, but he spoke one last time in this empty place.

“…Are you Bella?”

“…Yes.”

He turned his gaze to the moonlight outside the cave for a moment before back to Bella. The illusion was standing just within reach, and it seemed to him that he could hear breathing that could never be heard in the illusion.

“How….”

“I came to you by the smell of your blood.”

At that, Kiehl groaned and smiled lightly.

‘She’s here because I'm hurt….’

Had he known this, he would have put his life in a corner sooner. However, not having the strength to say more, he slowly reached out his hand.

“Are you doing this on purpose?”

Before he breathed his last, he thought it was good to see her.

“I hate you doing this.”

However, with Bella’s words, his hand stopped right in front of her. Only then did Kiehl understand why she had avoided her heart so much.

She just didn't want to know.

If this was an illusion, she didn't come for him until the last moment.

If this was real, it was too harsh to come until the last moment.

‘I’m tired now…’

Lowering his hand, he felt that he would be in despair no matter what he chose. So, Kiehl closed his eyes, covering up the truth.

‘I just want to be comfortable now…’

Hot tears ran down his cheeks, and he lowered his head, hoping he wouldn't open his eyes again.

__

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