NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 - The Unwelcome Guest
Scene 004: The Unwelcome Guest
“Isabella, I beg you to forgive me,” Dmitri pleaded, his voice breaking with desperation.
But the noble princess Isabella shook her head firmly.
“That’s impossible, Dmitri. You insulted me—and the royal family. That’s treason.”
“It was just a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?” Isabella scoffed. “What misunderstanding? Do you think being rich solves everything? Do you think you can buy me with that meager amount of money? Are you out of your mind, you clueless fool?”
Dmitri faltered, stunned by her response.
“It’s my fault… I know. Even if I gave you all my wealth—no, my entire being—it wouldn’t be enough to earn a single strand of your hair, Isabella.”
“Exactly. But it’s too late.”
“No! You’re all I have, Isabella!”
“Liar.”
Dmitri collapsed at her feet, clasping her hand and pressing a desperate kiss to her pale wrist.
“Oh, beautiful Isabella. Look into my eyes—have they ever wavered from you, Isabella?”
“That’s a lie too.”
“Isabella…!”
“Everything about you is a lie,” she said coldly, pushing his hand away. “The only real thing about you is your breath. How can you be so shameless?”
“Princess Isabella! If you forgive me, I’ll do anything!”
“Anything?” Isabella’s eyes gleamed dangerously. “Then be like a dog. That suits a lying fool like you, Dmitri! Hahaha!”
Knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door.
Bella Isaachel calmly set down the teddy bears she had been holding as if nothing had happened.
“…What is it?”
“Miss, the Duke is asking for you.”
“My father?” Bella glanced at the clock on the wall. Tea time had passed, and it was too early for dinner. This was her personal time, and it was rare for even the Duke or Duchess to interrupt her during it unless something important had come up.
“Hm… alright. Tell him I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, miss.”
As the footsteps faded down the hall, Bella stood up.
Her room, though neat and well-kept, was modestly furnished—simple and practical, much like her. For a duke’s daughter, it could be considered plain.
Bella stopped in front of the dressing table. Her silver hair, ever mesmerizing, shimmered in the soft light. Truly, she was blessed with beauty. She smiled at her reflection.
As she reached to adjust her hair, her eyes fell on a fan lying on the table. It was the 500-kael fan she had bought during her last outing because it had looked cheap. The memory of that man resurfaced, and a wave of anger washed over her.
It wasn’t just the insult of being valued so low. That had certainly enraged her, but the real sting came from something deeper.
She picked up the fan slowly.
“How dare he…” Her pride flared.
The humiliation of the Duke’s daughter being caught with a fan worth only 500 kaels was unbearable. Worse, that vulgar man had been the one to see it. Bella remembered Tristan’s face, his cold voice. It felt like mockery, as though he was laughing at the dignity of the Isaachel family.
The thought of him disgusted her. He was fat, his smile unsettling, and rumors whispered that he harassed his servants. There was a reason high society called him the “Mad Pig of the Count’s family.”
But what infuriated Bella even more was that he was the only man who had ever proposed to her. Known throughout the empire for her beauty, it was baffling that such a man was her sole suitor. The reason was simple—everyone feared Tristan’s retaliation.
The Ruelberta family, one of the empire’s most powerful houses, had vast wealth, lands, and a private army to rival the Imperial forces. Even the Imperial family tread carefully around them, and the Isaachel family was no exception. Everyone knew Tristan had his eye on Bella. To approach her was to risk everything.
And so Bella had become a flower on a cliff.
But Bella was not one to surrender easily. “You think I’ll just accept this?” she muttered. While she couldn’t escape the engagement, she had delayed the wedding as long as possible. Years passed, and Tristan’s patience thinned.
“How much will it take?”
“What did you say?”
“I asked how much it would cost to win your heart.”
Bella, stunned, shot back, “Alright, then—how much do you think I’m worth?”
But his answer had left her speechless.
“500 kaels.”
Bam!
Bella slammed her fist on the dressing table, anger surging inside her.
“You… I’ll never forgive you.”
She glanced at the fan she had once liked. Now, it felt worthless. She lifted it, ready to throw it away, but hesitated.
“Hmm… throwing out something that’s still in good condition would be wasteful, wouldn’t it?”
With a sigh, she kept it. “I’m not poor, just practical.”
Her attention shifted to the teddy bears scattered across her bed—Dmitri and Princess Isabella. Gathering them in her arms, she walked to the corner of her room, where the Isaachel family crest was etched into the wall. She drew a large circle with her hand and infused it with magic. The wall opened, revealing a hidden miniature world: A dollhouse complete with a kitchen, a bathroom, a sitting room, and a courtyard.
“Now, let’s see… hehe…” Bella hummed as she carefully placed the dolls. Isabella, the princess, belonged on the grand top floor. Dmitri, the liar and traitor, was banished to the barn. Bella stared at the Dmitri bear, a pitiful creature hopelessly chasing after Isabella as if he had any chance.
“Stare all you want—it won’t change a thing,” she muttered with cold satisfaction as she thrust the Dmitri doll into the barn, taking pleasure in how pathetically it slumped against the wall.
“Perfect.”
Satisfied, Bella left her room and walked down the long corridor of the Isaachel mansion. Like her room, the mansion was simple for a duke’s estate—no extravagant decorations. Instead, portraits of ancestors who had brought glory to the Isaachel name lined the walls, reminders of the family’s legacy.
Feeling the weight of that legacy, Bella arrived at the sitting room.
Knock, knock.
“Father? It’s Bella.”
“Enter, my dear.”
The door opened to reveal Duke Fred Isaachel, his arms outstretched in welcome.
“There’s my girl,” he said warmly.
His expression was unusually gentle for a noble.
“Father? You needed me?”
“Forgive the interruption, my dear.”
“It’s fine. I was just reading.” Fred smiled proudly.
“That’s my girl. Even in your leisure, you carry yourself with a noble’s grace. I’m proud of you—”
“So, what’s the matter?”
“Huh? Ahaha… well, about that…” Fred scratched his head, a bit awkward.
Bella narrowed her eyes. “Hmm… this must be something serious.”
“The truth is… we have a guest.”
“A guest? At this hour? Who would come uninvited, without notice?”
“Well… He’s your guest, Bella.”
“…Mine?”
Fred gestured to the elegant sofa.
Bella’s heart sank when she saw the back of a man’s head. How long had he been sitting there? Slowly, he turned, and their eyes met. Barely able to contain her shock, Bella whispered his name.
“Tristan… what are you doing here?”
Tristan twisted his lips into a cruel smile.
“My apologies. Manners have never been my strong suit.”
It was the kind of smile only a villain could make.