9| No Thoughts, Head Empty. Only Bella.

Elynora woke up at dawn with dark circles hanging below her eyes. She looked like a panda because she hadn't slept properly, tossing and turning all night because of what had happened.

There was good news waiting for her as soon as she walked out of her room. She saw Calor talking with Arabella, and there was a peaceful atmosphere around them. Calor even gave her something! This sight warmed Nora's heart immensely, as she felt as if her son was getting along well with her daughter-in-law.

She thought about putting her plans into action. Considering Calor's innate hostility towards any male creature near Arabella and Calix's suspicious origins, if Nora just gave some small hints to him, Calix's identity would surely be exposed.

Of course, the Demon King would be stronger than Calor at this point in the novel, but, there was the fact that Calix was currently very weak due to using up almost all of his powers on breaking the seal, so even he couldn't fight off the whole of Veritas Duchy's Army.

Nora's eyes sparkled in anticipation as she happily walked over to Calor once she confirmed that Arabella had left.

…

Nora had underestimated Calor's brotherly affection for her.

"Nora, I heard that you went into the Duchy's forest as soon as you woke up. Don't you know that the forests are extremely dangerous and you shouldn't go in there alone?" Calor asked, his voice full of brotherly anger.

Upon seeing his friend's clueless face, he felt exasperated and wanted to shake her and ask if she had any idea of what she had done.

Because it was the fifth time she was hearing this, Nora felt exasperated too.

"Do you even know what could have happened if Bella didn't arrive on time, Nora?

Nora nodded her head like a doll and tried to bring the topic back the Calix, "You're totally right Cal, but about the guy I saved in the forest-"

"Yes. I heard you saved someone. But still, you have to consider your own safety first. Do you know how long Bella spent time healing you? What if all her efforts went to waste?"

"Exactly. I'm sorry. It's completely my fault. So about Calix-"

"Did Bella say anything about me to you? She seems to be sad for some reason." The corner of his eyes turned red and his eyebrows dropped in sadness. He looked like a puppy that was abandoned.

Nora resisted the urge to slap him again and shed tears in her heart.

When she had desperately wanted to get on Arabella's good side even when she had been dying, this guy ruined it by opening his damned mouth.

'Now I want to talk to you about a very important matter and you're barraging me with one 'Bella' after another while the damned Demon King is walking around like a ticking time bomb!'

Ah, her blood pressure rose sharply.

"Calor, about Sir Calix, did you know that he's under a mana sealing-"

"Yes, I know Sir Calix is under a mana sealing curse. Bella must have spent so much energy trying to break the curse. What if she faints-"

"Oh, shut up!" Nora yelled, not able to handle it any longer. Calor abruptly stopped speaking and looked at her with wide eyes. She took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to say that Sir Calix is highly suspicious. Don't you think it's very strange for him to have arrived at Veritas Duchy without alerting any of our guards?"

He finally paused and looked at her, tilting his head as if asking her to continue.

"What if he has ulterior motives towards the Duchy or Arabella? I don't want to have brought a dangerous person into our home."

Calor frowned as he heard this.

"You are right, Nora, I will investigate him. Don't worry and just focus on recovering," He said as he ruffled her hair and turned away to go.

Nora sighed in relief at having finally conveyed her words to him.

Even though his brain was full of 'Bella' and other romantic mush, he was indeed a smart and capable male lead that she had written.

And so, she happily went to her own room to read some romance novels of this world and eat snacks while she read. She was in a such a good mood by afternoon that she even had two of something that looked like a croissant but was crispy and sweet.

Life was peaceful. She was looking forward to getting a good night's sleep that night without the interference of a certain demon king.

But suddenly alarm bells were blaring in her ears once again. Her ears almost bled from the noise. Small red panels appeared in front of her and Nora dropped the novel in her hand and checked the notifications from the system.

Her side-quest mission progress was deteriorating.

[Side Quest: -23%]

'Minus twenty-three percent?! But I worked hard just this morning!'

She immediately rushed out to see what was happening. Nora walked around the mansion for a while before seeing a sight in the dining hall  that made her stop right in her tracks.

The male lead Calor and the Female lead Arabella were sitting around the table chatting happily. The problem was, there was one more person with them who was laughing. It was the villainous Demon King Calix. The trio were speaking to each other in a friendly manner. The atmosphere looked harmonious, and they were even complimenting each other!

"I didn't know that Lady Arabella had such high knowledge about the Mana Sealing Curse. Isn't that right, Young Master Calor?"

"Yes, Bella is very knowledgeable about curses. We will be able to get rid you yours soon."

Arabella blushed shyly at hearing the compliments.

The three of them talked happily, as if they had become best friends in a single day.

Nora, who was watching this scene from a distance while clutching her heart, simply wanted to disappear from the world.