Chapter 95

Here it is! This is the sequel to "The Man with a Scary Face," a story about Shurigan and贝尔小姐！

That day, Shurigan stood there with a scary face, lost in thought.

Even the guards of the Royal Guard, who were used to Shurigan's face, felt uneasy at this unfamiliar expression and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Shurigan?" Shurigan slowly turned to face them, his expression serious as he muttered:

"There was a woman who wasn't afraid of me."

The commotion in the guardhouse was inevitable.

"Really!? Is that true!?"

"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

"Maybe she fainted on her feet again, like Miss Lillian?"

"No."

Shurigan firmly denied the earnest questions from his comrades.

"Our eyes met. She greeted me by tugging at her skirt after looking at my face."

"Today, I apologize for any inconvenience. I am Bell, the maid assigned to Lady Cerea. It's nice to meet you."

Bell, who greeted him politely without flinching, was a first for Shurigan.

"...You must be joking."

"What kind of woman is she!?"

"Is her face scarier than yours?"

"No, she was beautiful. Definitely."

That's right. Bell was beautiful, he thought.

Shurigan's standards for beauty were probably off. His criteria were likely broader than any of the men in the Royal Guard. But even by Shurigan's standards, Bell was undoubtedly a normal beauty.

Shurigan's shoulders were firmly grabbed by his colleagues.

"This might be your one and only chance in life..."

"Make sure you get her. Don't give up. Got it?"

"Listen, no matter what her past is, forgive her. Accept her as she is!"

"No, don't listen. Don't listen at all. Whatever life she's led, you mustn't ask. Got it?"

What kind of life experiences could make someone tolerate my face? It's a harsh way to put it...

However, Shurigan, who had been trained in all martial arts by his father, could already sense that Bell was not an ordinary person just by her gaze.

Bell maintained a serious expression, and her eyes never wavered, even while bowing. Her gaze remained steady, looking at them without moving her eyeballs, observing everything uniformly. She didn't miss even the slightest movement of multiple people's hands and feet, a professional bodyguard's gaze that reacted to moving objects rather than focusing on a single point.

(She might be a woman who could kill me at any time... She's not afraid of me because she's confident in her abilities...)

For some reason, Shurigan found this very appealing.

The opportunity to meet Bell again came sooner than expected. The prince revisited the mansion of the young lady he was courting under the pretext of a visit. If this arrangement worked out, Shurigan would have more chances to see Bell in the future. He sincerely hoped the prince would make it work, though he didn't say it out loud.

While waiting quietly in the salon, Bell brought tea and snacks to Shurigan. Her demeanor remained the same, her expressionless face pouring tea into Shurigan's cup in a very businesslike manner. Her movements were flawless.

Most maids would tremble and make clinking sounds as the pot and cup collided, but not Bell.

"Thank you. So, how are the prince and the young lady getting along?"

"They want to talk alone, so I don't know."

"Do you think this will work out?"

"It is the Colette family's wish that it does."

Though her response was cold, she looked Shurigan in the eye and answered. Even in this brief exchange, Shurigan was convinced that she truly wasn't afraid of him.

Is she stronger than me? He didn't say it out loud.

Later, he heard that the prince had proposed to Miss Cerea. Shurigan was genuinely happy that his connection with Bell wouldn't end there, and he could sincerely bless the prince. He was looking forward to the next visit.

"How do you get women to like you?"

Shurigan's question made the entire Royal Guard burst out laughing. But everyone thought they had to do something for this man.

"Be kind to women. Being kind is the best."

"Compliment them. Tell them they're cute, beautiful, and shower them with praise."

"Give them presents. Lots of valuable presents."

"Boast about how great you are. You have plenty of heroic tales, like capturing an entire bandit gang single-handedly."

"Show your strength. If she's being hit on, step in and help her."

...None of these seemed to work on Bell. Shurigan couldn't hide his disappointment, thinking these guys probably never got any girls either.

In that case, the most popular person around him was the prince. This was evident from the fact that the prince was always the center of attention at many tea parties and events. Though it seemed odd to consult a ten-year-old, there was no harm in asking. Shurigan honestly asked Shin for the secret to getting girls.

"I've never wanted to be popular with girls."

You're a prince and handsome! Shurigan felt foolish for asking. He shouldn't have asked someone who naturally attracts girls. Everything the prince did or said would be unacceptable if Shurigan did it. "Only for handsome people" was a harsh but clear limitation.

"But I think trying to look cool is the worst. Bragging and showing off just makes me seem annoying. I don't even want to be liked for being cool."

...At ten years old, he's already this mature. Truly a royal. Shurigan admired his ability to navigate the pretentious nobility.

Indeed, a woman like Bell wouldn't even look at a pretentious version of himself. He decided to follow the prince's advice. Since he couldn't be cool anyway, he would face Bell as his true self. Shurigan made up his mind.

After meeting Bell a few times and accompanying the prince and the young lady on their dates, Shurigan was getting discouraged by Bell's lack of smiles.

He wanted to see Bell smile.

He wanted to make her laugh. Even a smile would be enough. If he could see that, he wouldn't give up on her no matter what.

However, no matter what jokes he told, no matter what plays he watched with the prince and the young lady, or how heartwarming the scenes of their young love were, Bell's expression never changed.

"Does she have no interest in me...?"

Then, an incident occurred.

During a date in the city, the young lady fainted.

It happened after they visited a fried chicken shop. It's unclear what happened. The prince seemed off too. Did she get food poisoning? No, they all ate the same thing and were fine. It was completely baffling.

That night, Shurigan was still pondering how to report the day's events, writing notes by the lamp's light.

Creak.

At that moment, Shurigan heard a noise from upstairs.

Shurigan's duty room was directly below the prince's room. The ceiling was specially made thin and resonant to easily hear the room's owner, a security measure for the royal guard. This was a secret even from the prince.

It was past bedtime, and it was clear the prince was about to go somewhere.

Shurigan rushed upstairs and looked down the dimly lit corridor.

He saw the prince, dressed in civilian clothes, carrying a bag, and sneaking into the salon.

There was a hidden passage entrance in the salon. Shurigan, despite being a Royal Guard, wasn't informed of this, but he deduced it from the fact that this floor was the palace's final defense line and the place where the royal family would be escorted and protected in an emergency.

Where is he going?

There must be multiple exits from the hidden passage. Shurigan didn't know which one the prince would use. The passage was a top secret, and Shurigan couldn't use it to follow the prince.

"It's obvious, isn't it?"

The prince was going to the young lady's house. If so, he would use the passage leading to the Colette family's residence. It would take time to navigate the passage, so he could still catch up.

Shurigan quickly put on his jacket with a dagger and jutte, grabbed an unlit lamp, and dashed to the main gate.

"Shurigan, what's going on?"

His colleagues guarding the gate called out to him.

"It's an emergency! Let me through!"

He waved to his colleagues, who let him pass without question, and ran around the palace toward the direction of the Colette residence.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw the prince running down the street.

He quickly hid and let the prince pass.

It was dangerous for a child to wander at night. But the prince skillfully hid and moved through the city, avoiding attention. Shurigan was impressed by his carefulness as he followed.

As expected, the prince arrived at the Colette residence. He must have been worried about the young lady's condition. Shurigan understood his concern.

The prince circled the residence, found a gap in the hedge, and sneaked in.

Shurigan couldn't crawl through the hedge like the prince. He looked around for an entry point. Climbing a street tree seemed possible.

He climbed the tree, moved along a thick branch, and jumped over the hedge into the Colette residence's garden.

Suddenly, a throwing knife plunged into the ground in front of Shurigan, and he jumped back!

"Don't move."

A very cold voice came from the darkness.

"Wait, wait, wait, Miss Bell! There's a reason for this!"

"(Don't shout.)"

"(I'm sorry...)"

From the darkness, Bell, holding knives in both hands and wearing a maid's uniform, walked into the moonlight.

"Sit down."

Shurigan sat on the grass in seiza as instructed. He was certain she would stab him if he resisted. She was exactly as he expected, and he was inwardly impressed.

"Are you prepared to break into the Colette residence at night?"

"No, I'm not."

"I won't interfere."

"I won't! I won't!"

"Didn't you come to bring Prince Shin back?"

Bell asked without lowering her guard.

"If I wanted to bring him back, I would have caught him on the way."

"Isn't that your job?"

"Tonight, I just couldn't bring myself to do it..."

"For Prince Shin?"

"For both of them."

Bell nodded, looking down at the seated Shurigan.

"...Alright. Stand up."

Shurigan felt a shiver at Bell's unusual commanding tone. He followed her through the dark garden of the Colette residence.

"Miss Bell, when do you sleep?"

"I don't sleep."

Shurigan thought that was quite a challenge. If it were true, he wouldn't have a wedding night even if he married Bell.

He saw the prince climbing onto the balcony of the young lady's room using a rope.

"Does Miss Bell not reprimand the prince for breaking in?"

"I wouldn't do such a spoilsport thing."

Bell said calmly, as usual, with a composed demeanor.

"...He must be worried about the young lady."

"..."

Bell silently patrolled around the balcony. Neither of them thought the ten-year-old prince was sneaking into the young lady's room.

They were surprised when the two came down the rope from the balcony.

Bell's expression showed some surprise.

"Where are they going at this hour of the night!?"

"I don't know."

Bell moved toward the main gate.

"Wait, wait, wait, Miss Bell, are you letting them go?"

"I'm accompanying the young lady since she's going out."

"Do you not need to stop them?!"

"Tonight, I'm not in the mood to do so."

Bell opened the main gate and headed toward the gap in the hedge the prince had used. Shurigan was sweating, wondering what kind of woman she was.

They followed the children through the night streets.

"...This is the direction of the church we visited before, right?"

"..."

Bell didn't respond.

The prince skillfully escorted them, and they reached the church without being noticed, climbing over the fence.

Shurigan ran to the fence and got on all fours.

"Come on, Miss Bell, get on!"

Bell stepped on Shurigan without hesitation and gracefully jumped over the fence. It hurt, but Shurigan was oddly pleased. It wasn't the pain he enjoyed, but the feeling that Bell was getting closer to him.

Shurigan, being tall, climbed over the fence and jumped into the church grounds.

"What are they going to do at the church?"

"I don't know."

"Do they need to confess something urgently?"

"I don't think so."

The front door of the church was closed. They climbed the high stained glass window to peek inside.

They saw the prince gently placing a handkerchief on the young lady's head.

"Do you, Shin Midland, take this woman, Cerea Colette, to be your wife?"

"In sickness and in health, in poverty and in wealth,"

"To love and to cherish, until death do you part,"

"Do you swear this unchanging love to the goddess Ranates?"

"(Oh! This is a wedding ceremony!)"

"(It seems so.)"

"(Shouldn't we stop them!?)"

"(Why?)"

"(They're only ten years old!)"

"(Is that a problem?)"

Despite her calm demeanor, Bell couldn't hide her surprise. Shurigan could tell.

But as Shurigan watched the two awkwardly exchange vows, kiss gently, and embrace, he felt a desire to let them be.

"...The prince is really something."

"Shurigan, shouldn't you stop this?"

"It's too late now."

"Will you be reprimanded by the king later?"

"Better to be executed than to stop this."

"..."

The candle on the altar flickered, and a priest appeared, engaging the prince in a dialogue.

"Oh, this might not be recognized..."

"Maybe not... If the prince uses his authority, it might be allowed."

"Prince Shin is lucky..."

Shurigan's envious face caught Bell's attention.

"Because if I did this, the church would be surrounded by the guard, and they'd shout, 'Release the hostage woman and surrender!'"

"Ha ha ha."

Bell's suppressed laughter surprised Shurigan.

"Ha ha ha."

To his surprise, Bell was laughing, or rather, trying hard not to laugh.

"I feel sorry for you, Shurigan."

It was the first time Shurigan saw Bell smile.

"A witness is required for the marriage!"

The priest's indifferent response was heard.

"It seems it's our turn."

Shurigan silently jumped into the church from the stained glass window...

--- Interlude: "The Woman Who Doesn't Smile" END ---

Illustration of Bell's wedding by Nardack (with permission from the editor)

I'm happy that a beautiful person drew this! It's a rare scene of Bell smiling.

Incidentally, Shurigan's parents are also at the wedding.

According to Shin, they were among the "very suspicious-looking people."