Chapter 9
[ Chapter 4. Bell Graywood
Bell looked up at the thunderous sky and hurriedly began to take in the laundry. She couldn’t let the blankets she had worked hard to hang get ruined by the rain.
‘If Mother Superior finds out, she’ll definitely be furious!’
The thought of the birch rod she had imagined sent shivers down her spine. However, before she could gather all the laundry, the heavy rain began to pour down.
The thick streams of water blurred her vision, and she was soon drenched. As she lifted her sleeves to wipe her face, Bell suddenly froze as if struck by lightning.
‘You must die for the Vince family to be entirely mine!’
Ah, what cruel twist of fate is this!
The memories that had been completely erased from her past surged back like a powerful wave, overwhelming her mind!
Bell clutched her head, struggling against the merciless flood of memories.
Her first innocent love, William Langford! The mischievous prince, Jade Malone!
And her father and mother brutally murdered by her uncle’s hands!
“No!”
Faced with the vivid scene that felt almost within reach, Bell cried out. After sobbing in the rain for a while, she slowly began to rise.
The raindrops trickling down her chin hid her tears, and Bell was no longer the girl she used to be.
‘I will never forgive you. I will reclaim everything I have lost.’
Clenching her fists filled with boiling rage, Bell shouted,
“Arno Vince! You probably have no idea I’m still alive! I will surely destroy you!”
In that moment when the sky flashed brightly, ‘Bell Graywood’ magically transformed back into ‘Bell Vince.’
Without hesitation, Bell began to march forward with determination. The girl burning with a desire for revenge feared nothing now.
“I’m leaving the orphanage!”
“What on earth are you talking about? Have you gone mad?”
Mother Superior shouted with a face full of surprise and displeasure, but compared to Arno Vince’s cold glare upon her, it didn’t frighten Bell at all.
For the first time since entering Graywood, Bell raised her voice in front of Mother Superior.
“Please write me a recommendation letter right now! I will become a maid for Count Vince!”
– The Stolen Noble Lady Reclaims Everything. – To be continued in Volume 2.
—
“So, Melissa is currently at Vansen House.”
Walter placed the book on the coffee table with a bewildered expression.
In a study as grand as the royal library, Walter and Gerald were having a private discussion. Naturally, the topic was about the sensational book Gerald had brought.
“If this book is true, then yes?”
Gerald playfully tapped Volume 1 with his finger as he asked.
“What do you plan to do? If you were to storm into Vansen House and find Melissa, you’d have to arrest Count Arnold on the spot.”
“……”
“That might be a bit difficult, right? You can’t present a romance novel as evidence of murder.”
Finding it amusing himself, he chuckled while spinning his wine glass. Under the light of the lamp, deep shadows fell across Walter’s face.
If it were true that Melissa had regained her memories and infiltrated the Count’s household for revenge, would Count Arnold truly not recognize her?
While he might not recognize the face of an ordinary maid, according to Gerald’s words, this novel had already become famous enough that not only commoners but even noblewomen were secretly reading it.
Rumors would spread uncontrollably through high society; it would only be a matter of time before it reached Count Arnold’s ears.
If only he were to panic and flee, capturing him would be simple. However, it seemed unlikely that any ordinary fool would act that way.
He would likely raise a ruckus about being falsely accused by this mere novel rather than keeping quiet about it.
Melissa Vansen. For now, they needed to ascertain whether she was indeed working as a maid in the Count’s mansion.
If she had regained her memory, why hadn’t she sought Walter out?
Walter pressed his fingers tightly against his throbbing temples.
But what shocked him more than the possibility of Melissa being alive was another revelation from the novel.
His gaze instinctively turned back toward Volume 2.
That woman. Hermia Vansen.
“She tormented Melissa relentlessly.”
Walter recalled vividly their first meeting.
How could he forget that intense memory from that day when both his heart and mind were struck by lightning? The shock from that moment would likely remain etched in his memory until he died.
This was truly an event so significant that both his grandfather and father would rise from their graves in astonishment.
Walter Rockford was someone who dedicated himself solely to military training while other boys his age were caught up in their first love fever.
While his peers exchanged letters with their lovers and passionately ignited romantic flames, he was burning enemy corpses while forfeiting even his leave time.
Of course, he hadn’t gone through puberty without experiencing changes either.
As his body grew and his voice deepened during those transformative years filled with external and internal changes, he felt surges of desire. However, he merely suppressed those feelings through hellish training.
Exhausting the body to the point of collapse helped clear all distractions and restore peace of mind.
To avoid tarnishing the name of ‘Rockford’ and to uphold his honor as the heir to the Duke’s family.
In short, he had been like a priest wielding a gun instead of a cross.
The ember he thought had extinguished was, in fact, quietly lying in wait somewhere in the depths, seeking an opportunity.
The moment he saw the bright blue eyes looking down at him from the staircase, his entire body was engulfed in a fierce flame. His heart raced painfully as if it were about to burst.
How pathetic he had been to hastily flee the mansion in panic. After returning to the Duke’s castle, he found himself unable to sleep for a while, as if he had just come from an intense battle.
‘Grandfather must have written the will with Jack Vansen’s daughter in mind.’
He must have wanted to repay him somehow after bringing back his son’s body at the cost of his life.
The marriage being limited to just one year was likely out of consideration for his grandson.
However, regrettably, Walter was convinced that since seeing Hermia, no one else could be his partner.
Hermia Vansen. Even now, at this very moment, after reading a novel where she appeared as a villain.
“……”
He picked up the most recently published book among the two on the table. The contents inside stirred complex emotions within him.
In Volume 2, a new character appeared: Arno Vince’s illegitimate child, ‘Helen Vince.’
She was clearly a villain in the novel that reminded anyone of Hermia Vansen. Helen and Hermia shared identical features—silver hair and blue eyes—and both were set up as illegitimate children of noble families.
At this point, it felt more like a plea for recognition than mere coincidence.
In the story, after being recognized as Arno Vince’s daughter, Helen begins to feel subtle inferiority towards Bell.
[The noble grace that Bell exuded was something she could never find in her fourteen years of living as a commoner.]
This line was indeed the origin of her malice.
From then on, various forms of bullying filled the pages right up to the last one, including verbal abuse and contempt.
The final words written at the end amusingly read ‘To be continued in Volume 3.’ This meant that Helen’s misdeeds wouldn’t conclude with Volume 2.
Finally breaking free from his lengthy thoughts, Walter rose from the sofa. Gerald, who had been perched at the edge of the table, startled and pointed his finger as if to intercept him.
“Wait a moment. Before you say anything, let me read your thoughts first.”
His longtime friend had a knack for instantly lightening heavy atmospheres. Only then did Walter turn his head slightly with a somewhat lighter expression.
“Here we go again. Go ahead.”
Once given permission, Gerald immediately stood up and began pacing back and forth. Walter’s olive-colored eyes slowly followed him.
“First of all, you don’t believe this novel. Why? Because at the beginning of Volume 2, Bell recalls that both of us liked her.”
Gerald spread his arms wide to express his incredulity with his whole body.
“Honestly, I might have had a moment of infatuation. Melissa was undeniably charming! But you liking her romantically? That’s where credibility goes out the window.”
“What? You mean you were into a child…”
“Let’s not make a prince into a criminal. Of course, I mean when we were kids, you dolt.”
Gerald rolled his eyes in exasperation and waved his hand dismissively before continuing.
“Secondly. Lady Hermia felt jealous seeing graceful Melissa? Even a passing beetle would laugh at that. Don’t you remember what her nickname was?”
Walter rummaged through old memories at Gerald’s words.
Thinking back carefully, Melissa was always falling over and crying whenever someone took their eyes off her for even a moment. Perhaps that’s why her nickname was…
“…Golden Pony?”
That certainly didn’t fit with noble lady standards.
He recalled how she once imitated a dog drinking water by lying flat on the ground without hesitation and how she had been terrible at playing instruments or sewing. She probably lacked any sort of dexterity altogether.
“When I called her pony-like, she cried so much that when I added ‘golden’ in front of it, she suddenly went around boasting about it.”
Gerald seemed to recall fondly as well and added with a cheerful expression. Walter, who had been smiling faintly, smoothly asked,
“So what’s your conclusion?”
“You will confirm whether Melissa is really at Vansen House. And I will find out who this damn absurd author is who wrote this book.”
Gerald concluded with an expression devoid of laughter now.
“We need to find out who this ‘Joel’ is and why he wrote such a book. What other facts might be hidden beyond what is written here?”
“Are you really going to help me out so enthusiastically? You?”
Walter asked naturally out of curiosity, and Gerald scrunched up his nose playfully.
“…Because it looks interesting?”
“Interesting….”
Walter gave up asking further. Gerald coming forward like this meant there were circumstances he couldn’t share with him.
Knock knock. At that moment, there was a sound at the study door.
“Come in.”
Cautiously revealing himself at the Duke’s permission was Aiden, the butler of the Duke’s household.
“The necklace you ordered while you were out has arrived. Please check it so we can make payment.”
“The necklace? Ah.”
He paused for a moment before walking over as realization dawned on him.
“What is it? Are you giving it to Helen… no, I mean Lady Hermia?”
He should at least pick up on some cues. Ignoring Gerald’s sparkling curiosity, Walter bluntly replied,
“A gift for my fiancée.”
