Chapter 2
Chapter 2
It was Baal.
“That’s enough, now return to your positions. And bring these to the Lady’s room.”
Interrupting the cheerful atmosphere between the monsters and her, Baal skillfully dispersed the creatures and handed the pile of gifts to the skeleton servant. The monsters, however, voiced their dissatisfaction.
“Puuw!”
“Greedy, greedy!”
“Love, snatch, tak, tak!”
“These…!”
“Run, run!”
The monsters, who had gathered in a huddle to protest, fled in a flash, mockingly teasing Baal as he bared his teeth and exuded a murderous aura.
“Ahahaha! Looks like you’ve been caught today, huh?”
Seeing this, Isabella laughed heartily, slapping her knee. Baal, with a displeased look, sighed in his usual manner.
“Ah, I’ll be getting old at this rate,” he murmured, lamenting. Then, pretending to scold, he added: “Ha-yoo, I’ve told you countless times, don’t get too familiar with the monsters. If you say it’s a friendship and not a master-servant relationship, I’d believe you.”
Isabella, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, answered without hesitation.
“They’re my friends.”
“Mee-eh?!”
Baal blinked in disbelief, his eyes widening in shock. Isabella, smiling slyly, patted his shoulder reassuringly before casually adding,
“Well, I don’t know about my parents or siblings, but they are. The monsters are both my friends and family.”
“B-but…”
Baal trailed off, his voice filled with a complex mix of emotions. Isabella, noticing his discomfort, poked his cheek with her finger.
“Of course, that includes you too, Baal.”
Baal’s expression remained stunned, but Isabella, with a playful smile, walked ahead of him, as if dismissing the matter. But as she walked on, her face showed a hint of quiet sadness.
Though she said it with a lighthearted tone, Isabella understood better than anyone what weighed heavily on Baal’s mind. It was the matter of selecting a successor to the Hellen family. However, Isabella had no desire to become the heir to the family, not even the smallest bit.
Despite possessing immense dark magic and other talents that made her a prime candidate, there was one condition that stood in the way. That condition was the cold, calculating mindset required to see the monsters as mere pawns in a game of chess, a necessary mindset for humanity’s survival.
Isabella could never fulfill that requirement, as she cherished the monsters, having shared her joys and sorrows with them since her birth. Thus, the position of heir to the family felt as uncomfortable as a crown that didn’t fit.
Isabella had a different, deeply personal dream that she longed to achieve. She gazed out the window.
Before her eyes stretched the towering Hides Mountain Range, with its red-stained trees and earth, as if the entire landscape was dyed in blood under the ever-present dark clouds.
The untamed wild monsters roamed the Monster Forest, the Hides Mountain Range looming in the distance beyond the garden.
Isabella clenched her fists tightly and thought to herself.
‘I will definitely find the light!’
Having lived her previous lives in constant association with dark forces, Isabella shuddered at the thought. So, in this life, she was determined to seek out the light and claim it for herself.
Now, at the age of eighteen, a recognized adult in the Arpelus Empire, Isabella nurtured a small hope.
‘Now that I’m an adult, maybe they’ll let me leave the mansion!’
Due to overprotective parents and family traditions, Isabella’s world had been limited to this mansion and the Hides Mountain Range until now, except for one sneaky trip to the village. This restriction made her yearn for the outside world even more.
‘Alright! I’ll make it happen!’
Moments later, Isabella entered the dining room, her heart full of hope, as the door opened and the scent of delicious food wafted in.
“Welcome, our daughter!”
A woman, her voice full of joy, rushed forward and embraced her warmly, Isabella’s mother, Hilda Hellen.
With her curly red-brown hair and crimson eyes, Hilda was strikingly similar to Isabella, possessing an equally enchanting beauty. The only difference was the half-black mask she always wore, covering her right eye.
As Hilda cupped Isabella’s face with both hands, she looked at her with deep affection, as though they had been separated for years.
“Why are you so late? You have no idea how much I missed you, my dear.”
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just couldn’t wake up this morning…”
Feeling unnecessarily guilty, Isabella turned her gaze away as she offered her excuse. Hilda laughed cheerfully in response.
“Hehehe. Don’t worry about it. Your father, too, can’t wake up in the morning without me.”
“Father too?”
“Of course. He could do without inheriting that from me, though.”
Isabella and Hilda’s eyes naturally drifted to the back.
There, a middle-aged man stood waiting, ready to greet her. Wearing a long black cloak with the collar turned up, the man had disheveled hair and violet eyes. His pale skin made him resemble Count Dracula.
He was none other than Isabella’s father, Edwin Hellen, the head of the Hellen family. Upon seeing the eyes of both his wife and daughter focused on him, Edwin broke into a hearty laugh.
“Hahaha…”
Then, to break the awkward silence, he spoke up.
“Are you hungry, my dear? Come inside, Bella. I’ve prepared some gifts for you.”
Edwin stepped aside, and when Isabella saw the scene before her, she was taken aback.
“What’s all this? Are we moving?”
Stacks of gifts, so high they nearly reached the ceiling, filled one side of the dining room. It looked like several trips from a moving truck would be needed. Isabella, mesmerized, approached the pile of gifts.
“Open them, darling. I filled them with things you’ll love.”
Hilda urged, her face glowing with satisfaction as she watched Isabella begin to unwrap the presents with the help of the nearby ghosts.
Among the gifts were sturdy flower shovels, distillers, rare herbs, beautiful jewelry, luxurious dresses, and more. Although most of the colors were dark, with the exception of the jewels, Isabella, who adored anything that sparkled, couldn’t take her eyes off them.
‘Wow! One shiny, two dazzling…’
As she admired the jewels and beautifully crafted accessories, she was suddenly interrupted when someone approached from behind and covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
“Watch out, you’re drooling, sis.”
It was her only younger brother, Lloyd Hellen. With his red eyes, Lloyd resembled Isabella so much that they could easily be mistaken for twins. Isabella, happy to see him, greeted him warmly.
“Good morning, Roy.”
But unlike Isabella’s sunny disposition, Lloyd, ever the prickly one, pointed at the window with a frown.
“Sis, look outside. It’s lunchtime.”
“Hmm, then, good lunch.”
“…”
Having lived with her quick-tempered younger brother for sixteen years, Isabella was completely accustomed to his attitude. She responded brightly and nonchalantly, causing one of Lloyd’s eyebrows to twitch. But perhaps out of consideration for her birthday, Lloyd didn’t snap back and sighed.
“Ugh, when will you ever grow up, sleepyhead?”
“Hehe. They say beautiful women are sleepyheads.”
Isabella teasingly replied, relieved that Lloyd had let it slide. However, his expression twisted, and with a smirk, he asked: “Aren’t you embarrassed to say that yourself?”
But Isabella wasn’t the type to feel embarrassed over such things. She burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! What’s embarrassing? If you say I’m beautiful, I’ll become even more beautiful. Haven’t you heard that words can shape reality?”
“Yeah, yeah. I get it, now sit down already.”
Having lost his retort, Lloyd gestured toward the dining table.
“Huh?”
But as they walked toward the table, Isabella noticed something odd. Her usual wooden chair was missing. Instead, an elegant leather chair, adorned with intricate butterfly patterns and sparkling jewels, stood in its place. It was even more refined than the head of the family’s chair.
“…”
The chair was beautiful but so grand that Isabella hesitated to sit down. Just then, Hilda approached and whispered:
“It looks like Lloyd made it for you. He’s been waiting to show you since this morning. He’s a little sulking, so be gentle with him.”
“Ah, pfft!”
Unable to hold it in, Isabella laughed at the image of her brother, who would have been fussing over the chair’s angle. With a grateful smile, she sat down in the chair Lloyd had given her.
“Wow! It’s so soft! It feels like sitting on clouds! Mom, who prepared this?”
Feigning ignorance, she asked, and Hilda answered casually.
“Well, I’m not sure. It wasn’t from me or your father. Maybe it was Lloyd?”
“Wow, Roy! Really? I was thinking about changing my chair! How did you know exactly what I wanted?”
Isabella exclaimed dramatically, and Lloyd, embarrassed, snapped back.
“I did it because I was sick of hearing you complain about how uncomfortable your chair was!”
Isabella nudged him with her elbow.
“Hehe, whatever the reason, thank you, Roy. I’ll use it well.”
“…Whatever.”
Despite his gruff words, Lloyd couldn’t hide his small smile.
‘He’s secretly cute after all.’
As laughter filled the dining room, the moment passed. Soon after, Edwin clapped his hands.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s eat!”
At that moment, a gust of wind-like sound filled the air, and ghosts began floating about, bringing steaming dishes.
Shrimp cocktails with fresh vegetables, savory pea soup, crunchy ham cornet, roast pork, and more – all served in an extravagant feast.
With a soft clatter, the sound of a trolley being pushed echoed through the room.
“We’ve brought Lady Isabella’s cake.”
Soon, the butler Amon, a striking figure with sharp fangs, wheeled in a three-tiered chocolate cake on a trolley. As he approached, all eyes in the dining room shifted to Isabella.
Edwin spoke first.
“Bella, thank you for growing up healthy. Happy eighteenth birthday.”
“Our beautiful daughter, you know how much I love you, right? Happy birthday.”
“…Happy birthday, sis. Now that you’re an adult, try to wake up early.”
Edwin was followed by Hilda and Lloyd, who also offered their heartfelt congratulations. And with that, the real birthday celebration began.
……
T/N: Hi everyone~ This is Bunnyyy!!
I’m bringing you a new novel titled Reincarnated as the Lady of the Monsters. Hope you give it lots of love~! Thank you and happy reading~! ❣️
