The Duke's Imposter Sister

Chapter 33 – Falling Into His Trap (2)

The room was again filled with silence. Bellin hesitatingly opened her mouth. “It seems that His Excellency, Stephan, is eager to make your debut in society soon. The schedule seemed a little tight, so our servants were also concerned that it would be hard for you too.”

“Society?”

“Yes. Because you already over your marrying age.”

Gris drifted in her thoughts while listening to Bellin’s story.

Life as a proper aristocrat woman begins after her social debut. One can either build friendships with other women and contrive to benefit each other’s family or find a place to marry. If one was lucky enough to find an influential mate, she can gain a lot of power both inside and outside her family. The social world is a big stepping stone for women to have further growth.

Still, she cannot fully understand the situation. Why does he want to give such a golden opportunity to a fake nephew? The more power a fake nephew gets, the more he’ll be at a disadvantage.

Despite her thoughts, she couldn’t find a proper answer.

Bellin finished priming her hair and she checked the purple wildflowers by the window. Then, she opened her mouth.

“Nevertheless, if the work is too much for you, just let us know. I can ask the housemaid a favor so that she can secretly tell the mistress.”

As Bellin turned back, Gris warmly looked at Belin’s red hair. When she first met her, she was a trembling girl deathly afraid of her. It was quite unbelievable that they were now helping each other. A total stranger and a humble woman who is even inferior to ordinary people… Gris felt sorry inside and tucked her thoughts down.

“Thanks, but I don’t need it. If my uncle finds out, you might also be in danger.”

Bellin acknowledged the truth behind Gris’s remarks though she genuinely wanted to help her out. “Well, maybe we can manage. Everyone is grateful for your change. So am I.”

Bellin peeled the yellow leaves and threw them in a wooden trash bin. She looked at Gris. Gris wondered what Bellin’s words meant. It sounded like she made a good job fixing herself, but she was still curious about what Bellin meant by her statement.

“Change?”

For a moment, Bellin turned pale as if she had made a huge slip of the tongue. “Ohh, that… It’s not that… I apologize…!”

Gris couldn’t understand her reaction. She simply asked her a question out of curiosity and the girl was now trembling.

She suddenly wanted to know what kind of person the vanished Yuliana was. Gris, who was deeply brooding over the word that slipped from the Bellin’s tongue, looked closely at her and asked.

“You do not need to be sorry. I only asked that because I was curious. But with the word “change”… Did I do something so terrible before I lost my memories?”

With a face as pale as a dead person, Bellin slowly inhaled, trembling in fear. “Sor… I’m sorry… I unintentionally made a mistake.”

“You know, I lost my childhood memories. I’m asking because I really don’t remember, Bellin. Why are you so scared?”

“I’m…” Bellin shifted her gaze at the floor, shaking her head as if a guilty sinner.

Gris looked at her and said. “Don’t be like that. I just want to know what kind of person I was before I lost my memories. I am curious why you were so afraid of me before.”

After hearing that, Bellin firmly closed her eyes. She seemed to give up on covering up things. She loudly sighed and said.

“The young lady liked to kill animals by hunting. She killed all the puppies she had saved by hitting them with a stick. There’s also a rumor of her pushing the maid to the well, resulting with the maid’s death. Well, it could also have been an accident.”

“……”

“The servants thought that your mother died of pneumonia and you were lost astray after her death.”

Bellin looked like she wanted to talk more but hesitated. Perhaps Bellin worried that there will be a sudden change in her master’s behavior and give her an impetuous command. Gris had no intention of doing so, though.

“Please tell me everything you know. Anyway, I will discover that also.”

Bellin flushed, her fingers still quivering.

“You also had accidentally lighted the warehouse. So, the five maids who were sleeping there died.”

“…..”

“Of course, all the maids believed that it was an accident.”

Gris was stunned at Belin’s words. Did the young Yuliana kill the puppy with a stick? Did she also kill the maid by pushing it into a well? Did she set fire to the warehouse to annihilate the servants?

While she did not want to believe those stories, she couldn’t just ignore it. Now, the mystery behind Bellin’s fear when she first met her was finally unriddled.

“Oh, I see.”

She did not know how to react to those incidents, so she just uttered meaningless words. Bellin, who had been stiff all the time, said in a hushed voice.

“I’m sorry to trouble you. You are raising Teer well and I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Teer looked up as if she understood her name and came out of the bed, wagging her tail. Gris stared blankly at the very tiny Teer.

There was something she was curious about every time she saw Teer. It was probably the reason why he gave the precious dog to a noblewoman he doesn’t even know. He didn’t seem to have given it out of favor, so she suspected that he was trying to defame his fake sister by giving Teer. So far, nothing strange has happened yet.

“Now, I know.”

Gris realized his intentions. The reason why Duke Vianut gave her Teer as a gift was to check if her missing sister really returned. If she hurt Teer in a few days and imitated Yuliana, his suspicions would have ceased.