Chapter 808

*Lily I don’t know what to say-* Belle’s clicking interrupted once again. “I’m feeling left out again,”

Kat frowned and couldn’t help glaring back, “Well I’m sorry that our mental communication isn’t like a telephone. Any thoughts I ‘mentally vocalise’ I suppose is the best way to put it... well any of them just get sent back and forth. It’s not so easy for the both of us to just turn it off,” *No it’s only easy for me.*

Belle shrugged and gave a look screaming ‘I do not see how that is my problem answer the question’ straight back at Kat. Lily sighed and said, “I think we might as well say it Kat. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could somehow figure it all out anyway given enough time. It’s also not like we need this to stay hidden long. Even if we weren’t leaving the dimension afterwards, I don’t think you-know-who would care,”

Belle nodded along, perhaps pleased with the fact Lily had said it all out loud, or maybe agreeing with the idea that she could figure it all out herself. Either way, Kat couldn’t help but feel a bit weary about it all. They went here because it was nearby and convenient. It sure as hell wasn’t feeling very convenient right now, “Can I at least ask you not to spread it around immediately?”

Belle just shrugged, “I make no promises. I’m hardly going to shout it from the rooftops, but really I can do whatever I feel like with the information and you know it,”

*Don’t have to be an ass about it. If we weren’t here to ask about your dead son I might even be a little angry with the attitude.* Belle clicked, “Yeah I know. I was just insulting you in my head,” Belle’s mouth actually twitched upwards slightly. Kat nearly stopped what she was about to say just to marvel at the odd sight, but didn’t want to ruin the moment, “We were hired by Apep, heir of the 3rd”

Belle opened the corner of her mouth to let out a puff of air without losing her scowl, “So, I guess little Apep is after Zuhra as a bedwarmer then? Trying to dig up some dirt about what happened to my son to make sure she ain’t so attached? Anyone with eyes has noticed that Jara, his best friend and heir of the 6th is either gay or asexual without the slightest interest in him other than platonic despite what her dear parents think. Not sure if he’ll actually get both if he tries, but he might as well right?”

.....

Kat winced, “That’s... that’s only sort of true...”

“Oh do enlighten me. I said I wasn’t going to ask for it but if you’re just going to TELL me well...” cheered Belle, her scowl showing a bit more teeth. Perhaps she’s forgotten how to smile?

Kat glared back, “Yes I’m going to tell you because your version makes Apep out to be a much worse person than you’re implying. Apep wants to marry Zuhra and JUST Zuhra. The problem is, he doesn’t really want to let his parents find out that little fact before he knows if he has a chance with her. He seems to really want to treat her right. As for Jara... well... he isn’t necessarily opposed to it. He does still find her attractive but he’s perfectly aware of her lack of interest in him. It’d be... convenient for them both, even if it wasn’t what they want,”

“Oh that’s a much prettier version than I was trying to paint!” growled Belle. “How certain are you of that version of things?”

Kat glanced at Lily and shrugged, “Do you mind if I...?” started Lily. Belle gave the ‘go on then’ “Right well... as someone who once had a massive crush on a certain someone,” Belle rolled her eyes as if everything in Lily’s body posture didn’t scream ‘Kat is my safety blanket stop scary me’ earlier, “and it was quite easy to tell how nervous he was about the whole thing. He didn’t even really think through the summoning nor did he want a Succubus specifically. It just so happens that MINE is asexual and comes with help because of our bond. Part of his concern was not upsetting Jara either, and we’ve already spoken with her,”

Lily winced when she realised she’d said more than she meant to. Giving in to the feeling, she hid herself partially behind Kat causing Belle to let out a pained wheezing that probably should have been laughter, “Well aren’t you just adorable? If either of you had a poker face worth a damn...”

“Fuck it,” growled Belle, “I guess I can chat with you despite me mixed feelings,” Kat and Lily gave matching looks of disbelief, “Look, most of those feelings might still be depression, loneliness, anger and the like but it’s not like I don’t feel for the girl. Gaston didn’t exactly rub her in my face but he... he was my son and they were on the edge of getting married. So it’s not like I have no attachment to the girl.

“If Apep really loves her... well... I’m not saying I’m pleased to here about my son possibly being replaced in her heart, but if anyone could compete at least it was someone willing to go to this sort of ridiculous lengths to make sure nothing was a inconvenience for her. Yeah... I may not be pleased but... but she was almost a daughter to me and I’m not quite enough of a cold bitch to deny her another chance at love. Just to be absolutely clear though. Apep has no intention of marrying them both right?”

Kat shook her head, “Um... no not-. I mean, he has no plans to marry them at the same time. He has two plans, one where he marries Jara and one where he marries Zuhra and is much more interested in going for Zuhra. I think marrying Jara is actually more for her sake. At least in his mind,”

Belle nodded, “Yeah I can see it. I feel a little bad for the girl sometimes when I’ve seen her in business meetings. Her parents don’t help with shit until they want to cause a seen for the lass. Old enough to manage half a dozen businesses but god forbid she decide she doesn’t want to marry anyone. Then suddenly she’s ‘still young’. Fucking hypocrites.”

Belle took in a deep breath, probably about to go on a minor rant before pausing, “One moment. You mentioned official documents. Are they from Jara or Apep?”

*Well we’re already in basically full disclosure mode so what the heck,* “Jara gave them to us,” said Kat.

“Ah so she approves of Zuhra and Apep being together as well... that’s certainly a major endorsement. For me... well... with two of the heirs looking into this perhaps something might come up. You see... one of the reasons I... well I suppose the best thing to call me is ‘an old bitch’ is because despite what the city guard said during the investigation, I don’t think my son died in a minor accident. I think he was murdered. Perhaps by the 8th” said Belle.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Kat and Lily shared a glance and Lily said, “While we sort of thought so... the matron seemed rather convinced it didn’t have anything to do with the 8th...”

“Oh I can see why she’d think that. ‘Hundreds of deaths a week’ the guards say ‘thousands of accidents’ or ‘it’s a tragedy but not uncommon’ and perhaps they’d be right in most circumstances. The difference though, is that Gaston died by having a pile of crates fall down on him,” Belle growled out, “reasonable perhaps. Excepts there’s two problems with that.

“The first is that my mother died to falling crates and my father never recovered from it. He basically drunk himself to death. Gaston was a little boy at the time, and the company was mostly mine by that point so it wasn’t a major issue for Gaston, or for the business... but I remembered. I didn’t forget. I make sure that every single one of my crates will never fall.

“Might be a bit of an exaggeration, but I try. Which brings me to the second reason, I have nets on the walls that I force my company to make use of, binding the crates to the wall. I’ve fired people for forgetting them more than once. Even if workers complain ‘it’s just busywork’ or ‘it doesn’t really help’ I find that it DOES help. Even just making the workers think for an extra second about that awkward stack or whatever it is.

“I’m not ashamed to admit I have always been a bit obsessive about those nets since my mother died. I checked them at least once a week here, and I doubled checked them whenever I was elsewhere on business. They were regularly replaced and not a single one has ever failed on me. Until all of a sudden they took the life of my son,”