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It was a dream. Yes. If Aymon said no one came in, no one did.

“Aymon, didn’t you hear anything strange yesterday night?”

「I don’t know. Let’s go eat.」

“Okay.”

Belinda walked down the dirt road in search of the restaurant. She had a hungry little beast to feed.

It was just Nordi’s punishment for his evil deeds.

All these misfortunes had crashed down on him like a tidal wave, but that didn’t mean Belinda owed him sympathy.

She wouldn’t be compassionate and return the inn to him – not to satisfy her need for revenge but for the people who suffered as she did and for those she could save from that fate. It would never happen.

Daisy had taken them to the neighboring village so they could eat at a good restaurant. They took the best table and ordered the best dish off the menu: a lamb steak for Belinda and an undercooked one for Aymon. He also ate his fill and even got a separate plate for himself.

As they were returning to the inn after finishing the meal, Belinda thought to herself that the best thing about being a princess was that she could spend all the money she wanted.

Even better, it had allowed her to meet Aymon.

They came back to find the inn empty, without a single guest. Evidently, everyone had left for the neighboring village after the fiasco, and there was no one around to book in new guests.

Belinda heard a faint sob.

She looked around and took a step towards the sound. The sound grew louder, and before she knew it, she found herself on the third floor. A door was open, revealing the innkeepers’ spacious bedroom complete with silk bedding and antique furniture. Down to the expensive chandelier hanging in the middle, it looked like an aristocrat’s room.

Nordi was lying on the bed, wrapped in bandages and taking strained breaths. He seemed to be unconscious still.

Belinda sighed and stepped inside. As if she sensed her presence, Mrs. Ribera sprang up from her seat and went up to Belinda.

“My husband is hurt!”

Belinda stared at the agitated woman rigidly.

“You’re not going to kick us out in this state, are you? Have some conscience!”

The debt was expiring soon, meaning they’d have to leave.

Although Belinda hadn’t done anything to hurt her, Mrs. Ribera’s eyes were filled with resentment and anger.

“Why are you directing your anger at me? I haven’t done anything to him.”

“Ma’am, you came and… You came and screwed everything up!”

Self-absorbed bitch.

She muttered the latter to herself, grinding her teeth.

Belinda didn’t falter at her stare.

She was reminded of Mrs. Ribera’s emotionless expression as she lay bleeding on the floor after a beating. It was a vivid memory – she’d just started working at the inn, and Nordi had beat her up without warning. Her head was spinning, and she felt nauseous while on the floor in pain until Mrs. Ribera passed by.

“It hurts so much…”

She groaned, reaching her hand out.

Mrs. Ribera’s response was cold.

“If a guest sees you like this, they’ll think this is a bad place and leave.”

She pulled her into the corner and left her there on a chair. She had shown no compassion for the small child.

Now Belinda would give her the exact same amount of sympathy.

Mrs. Ribera pulled away from her skirt and gritted her teeth.

“You cold-blooded wench. If I’d known that you would repay my kindness like this, I wouldn’t ever have helped you.”

There was a long sigh.

“You never helped me. You just took advantage of a little kid.”

“Do you think you could’ve eaten if it weren’t for us? How merciful did I need to be to pick some worthless thing off the street that might have just died in a back alley otherwise?”

There it was. She thought that all the abuse was a form of justice.

Belinda shook her head.

“You’re really just trash.”

“What?”

“The food you gave me was half rotten. Those two shillings a week you owed me, I didn’t get them on time even once.”

“…That, well, I gave it to you later!”

“You know you trapped me. All you did was abuse a clueless child.”

Mrs. Ribera opened her mouth to make another excuse, but nothing came out. Belinda continued calmly.

“Think about it, Ribera. If I was a little crueler, you’d already been dead. Do you really think taking away your inn and forcing you onto the street is enough to make up for all that you’ve done?”

“What does that me…”

Belinda’s face was wiped of all emotion.

“It means that you’d better not provoke me anymore if you want to hang on to your flimsy life.”

Belinda stroked Aymon’s chin with her fingertips. His breathing had been unusual since they went into the room. It was his way of controlling his body so he wouldn’t pounce right then – just for Belinda.

She patted him, and he calmed down as usual. He knew she wouldn’t let them die so easily.

She chose such cumbersome revenge by not revealing her identity so that those two would have to live through the depths of despair.

Aymon sank his head into Belinda’s arm, breathing choppily.

Mrs. Ribera felt her whole body burning with anger as she stared at Belinda, but she knew that she couldn’t lay a finger on her.

Belinda wasn’t someone she could easily control now. For all she knew, she could end her life with a flick of the wrist.

What was certain was that Belinda held her debt, and therefore her future, in her hands.

She bit at her lips until they started to bleed. Belinda talked to her calmly.

“All the things you’re trying to blame me for are ultimately your fault. They all stem from your own decisions, don’t they?”

She turned around to leave as she finished the sentence. Mrs. Ribera’s voice followed, dripping with resentment.

“You’re the devil! I know about all the grace it took to raise a beast! You don’t even deserve to be called that, you demon!”

Belinda’s steps came to a stop. She slowly turned around and stared at the woman.

“All that grace and compassion you’re talking about. How come you didn’t ever show it to me if you felt that sorry?”

“….”

Belinda smiled bitterly.

“Then we wouldn’t be here.”

She turned back around and left without hesitation. Mrs. Ribera only trailed after her with an insincere look.

Belinda was planning to stay for a few more days to ensure that all her work was complete, but she’d had enough. She wanted to leave this disgusting place.

She was going back to the palace and gift the inn to a trusted maid.

She couldn’t even make sense of her own thoughts as she walked down the hallway.

She walked up the spiral staircase. The cold air seemed to be sticking to her – was that the reason she was shaking?

Her masked expression only broke when she entered her room.

She put Aymon down and fell onto the bed. The tears soon came as she buried her face in her hands.

Soon, she felt a soft hair touch the back of her hand. It was Aymon, trying to rub her cheek.

「Breedee.」

“Yeah?”

Her voice seemed to break right away. She forced her tears out – they weren’t happy or sad, but perhaps relieved. She wasn’t really sure what all those emotions were.

All of it was just so confusing.

「Breedee.」

He called her name one more time and gently wiggled his head under her hand. He could’ve pushed it aside, but instead, he quietly waited, licking her fingers.

Belinda eventually uncovered her face and was suddenly met with a pair of purple eyes.

The moment she saw the small leopard, her feelings melted away. The damp, gloomy shadows evaporated into Aymon’s glowing ambiance.

「Feeling better?」

“I don’t know. Would you rather just kill them?”

「Staying alive is a worse punishment for them. You did a good job, Breedee.」

“I did?”

「Yes, you really did. So don’t regret anything.」

Belinda finally smiled. It felt good to know that Aymon thought she’d done a good job.

“You know, Aymon, I’m not afraid of Nordi anymore.

「…..」

“I saw him lying down right there, but I wasn’t afraid at all. I guess it’s really over.”

Aymon quietly approached and rubbed his cheek against hers as if he was pampering her. She started to stroke his black fur, and soon Aymon’s pampering turned into an affectionate whisper.

「The end, you say. I’m just getting started, Breedee.」

“Huh? What?”

「It will all be fulfilled soon.」

It was a vague answer. Belinda just stayed silent.

As the sun went down and the evening glow began to shine through the window, Belinda softly spoke, staring at the chandelier.

“Aymon, are you sleeping?”

No answer came except for a low snore.

Belinda decided to close her eyes too. The day that marked an end for her and a beginning for Aymon steadily shifted into a new one.

***

Their journey back to the palace was smooth. After being away from Aymon for a few days, Daisy was in his best spirits.

The relief of having finished her work also made Belinda feel good. Aymon was left to groan by himself.

Every single night, when they arrived at an accommodation, Aymon made the same demand.

「Take two rooms, Breedee.」

However, she couldn’t do that. Apart from the lack of extra rooms, she had no reason to sleep apart from him. Not to mention, she didn’t want to give up the comfort of a little ball of fur sleeping by her side.

So, Aymon was left with no choice but to make Daisy run to the palace even faster. He couldn’t handle even one more inn.

Thanks to Aymon’s threats, the three of them were able to reach the capital city earlier than expected.