~Chapter 6~
While Bellona was still a bit slow to grasp how things had gotten to this point, Deminic just kept talking without hesitation.
“I’m not allowed to burn temples, can’t freely use dark magic… You ask for a lot, so in return, letting me stay here for a bit shouldn’t be a big deal.”
Bellona finally came to her senses and managed to respond.
“I just said something normal. Please don’t talk like I made some unreasonable demand.”
“And I listened to you, didn’t I?”
She never thought he’d take her demands this seriously.
Bellona wanted to crack open Deminic’s skull just to see what he was thinking.
But she gave up quickly.
Instead of trying to kick him out, she decided it was better to figure out how to successfully pull off this sudden “Hide the Black Cat” short-term mission.
“…Maybe I could say I’m sick and stressed because of that engagement thing, so I’m staying locked in my room.”
“You’re getting engaged? With who?”
Bellona gave Deminic a side-eye. Why was he so nosy about a random mumble?
“I’m not. I have zero intention to. So don’t worry.”
“A classic story then—your family chose a fiancé, but your heart is with someone else?”
He kept poking slowly, like a predator refusing to let prey slip away.
Why was he so invested in her love life?
Not that there was anything to talk about.
Bellona answered, filled with disbelief.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but no.”
A headache was coming, so she rubbed her forehead.
“You don’t need to know this stuff anyway. Who I marry or don’t marry. Whether I get forced into an engagement or not.”
Deminic’s eyebrows shot up like he was annoyed. The way he rubbed one brow with his finger felt oddly familiar.
Ah—right.
It wasn’t comforting familiarity.
It was the memory of the arrogant, annoying Deminic from all her past lives.
“Ironically, I’m the one who hunted down dark mages. Count Rozentin, you seem to have misunderstood.”
“You bribed the temple with money, so stop spouting nonsense, Duke Roxellne.”
“If you want my wealth that badly, becoming the Duchess of Roxellne is always an option.”
Bellona dropped all pretense and snapped back.
“Stop talking nonsense and get ready to die.”
“You’re not even using honorifics anymore. What a rude little count.”
Lately, their conversations always turned into this strange tug-of-war.
“Don’t you dare treat Davien poorly, you lunatic.”
“Finally, you’re looking straight at me. It’s not easy gaining the attention of the great Lady Rozentin, don’t you think?”
Memories from so many lives all blended together. She wasn’t even sure which life this particular memory was from.
As she lived through more lives, her fear of Deminic faded, and so did her attachment to life itself.
Maybe that’s why Deminic, who always paid attention to unusual things, got interested in her.
“You know a lot about me, and I’ve willingly told you things about myself… but I know nothing about what you’re thinking. I just want to understand you as well as you understand me.”
Bellona listened to his long, dissatisfied speech and finally remembered what they were talking about. She shook off the memories and replied.
“My life isn’t that special. Other than what I’ve told you, I’m just… a normal noble daughter. Nothing amazing in my background.”
Honestly, she didn’t mind talking about people she knew well.
But she still didn’t want to mention Davien’s name first—too awkward.
Because in the original story, Deminic’s interest in Davien, the holy maiden, was unwavering.
She even knew what expression he’d make when the holy mark appeared on Davien’s forehead soon—pure admiration, quickly followed by desire.
Yes.
That’s where everything always started to go wrong.
But what could Bellona do?
She couldn’t stop the Duke of Roxellne from attending his own future ball or stop him from looking at Davien.
If they were in the same room, of course he’d look at her.
Davien was dazzling, warm, gentle, and beautiful—anyone would fall in love at first sight.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Bellona, chin propped on her hand and lost in thought, blinked at Deminic staring at her like he was analyzing every detail.
“If I say I’ll just get engaged and married like any other noble daughter—like my father decides—does that sound weird to you?”
She was honestly curious why Deminic kept asking about her future spouse like he didn’t believe her.
“You just don’t seem like someone who’d make such a boring choice.”
Leaning against the window, he smiled lazily. It was a familiar smile.
“Instead of something boring, how about choosing me?”
Why did his words overlap with something he’d said in another life?
That hand he once extended toward her—covered in someone else’s blood.
She had coldly rejected it then.
And here she was, reaching out to him first in this life.
Irony at its best.
Bellona spoke casually, not wanting to get sentimental.
“Anyway, stay if you want. I said I’d help you, so I guess I don’t have much choice.”
She had been startled earlier, but she didn’t actually mind him being here.
Seeing all the scars on his back had softened her.
It didn’t excuse his past, but this Deminic wasn’t the same one from before.
No matter how many times Bellona lived, this was everyone else’s first life.
Judging him by a past he hadn’t lived yet—it’d be an easy way to make the wrong choice and get tossed into the next life again.
“Still, I never thought I’d let you into my room.”
Deminic’s eyes sparkled at her absentminded mutter.
Bellona knew what that look meant.
He was about to say something stupid.
“Whatever you’re thinking—don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”
She covered his mouth with her palm, and Deminic grabbed her wrist with amusement.
His fingers brushed slowly along the inside of her wrist—like when he’d checked whether she was a dark mage.
And she suddenly realized—his hand supporting her back was drawing slow circles.
Like he was trying to soothe her.
She looked up at him with a “what are you doing?” expression, and he stopped and said:
“You seem unnecessarily tense. Relax. I’m not going to eat you.”
Bellona sighed softly and pulled away.
“I’m going to finish reading my book.”
“No one has ever said they’d read a book in front of me.”
His tone shamelessly implied he was handsome enough to make such a thing unbelievable.
Bellona just grabbed her book again and leaned all the way back on the bed.
“Sorry to disappoint you. There’s a first time for everything.”
She could hear him laughing quietly behind the book, but she didn’t look up.
“You’re really not going to spare me even a sliver of attention? Really?”
“Yep.”
“That hurts.”
His relaxed voice made it obvious he wasn’t hurt at all.
Bellona finally looked up again, only to see joy sparkling in his red eyes.
“You enjoy talking to me that much?”
“Of course. You never lose. Most people act nothing like you once they figure out what I am. That makes you very special.”
“I don’t want to be special.”
Her honest thought slipped out.
She just wanted a normal life and a normal death. Why was that so hard?
“Then I’ll say you’re unusual instead.”
Bellona frowned at how hard he was trying to keep the conversation going.
It was going to be a very, very long night.
