I Left my Cheating Husband and Married a Beast

Chapter 30

Beloni couldn’t understand what Shanur meant right away.

When she blinked in confusion, Shanur rubbed his face with his hands, embarrassed.

Beloni mentioned Ian with a worried expression.

Shanur knew she disliked Ian enough to hit him, yet seeing her worry about him made his heart sink.

“Jealousy?”

Shanur let out a small, bitter laugh at his feelings.

“…You don’t have to worry about Ian.”

He admitted the truth to Beloni, finding it ridiculous to be jealous of Ian.

He hadn’t intended to hide it anyway. He was only upset that Beloni had asked about Ian with such concern.

“He didn’t cause any major trouble, but he has been spreading bad rumors about you. Don’t worry, though. No one believes him.”

From the moment Beloni met with Ian, Shanur had kept a close eye on him.

He expected Ian wouldn’t stay quiet. Sure enough, when Ian started spreading rumors, Shanur quickly put a stop to them.

Shanur even exposed Ian’s past, forcing him to stop gossiping about Beloni and instead scramble to defend himself.

Recently, however, Ian had started talking about Beloni again, so Shanur was considering how to deal with him.

“You know how powerful rumors can be. I think it’s time to deal with Ian Beckham…”

Shanur glanced at Beloni, gauging her reaction. Ian was annoying, but Shanur didn’t want to handle him in a way that would make Beloni disappointed in him.

“Are you okay with that?”

“Okay, with what?”

Beloni asked back before realizing what he meant.

“Are you asking if I’m okay with you dealing with Ian?”

“Well, I won’t go as far as completely getting rid of him, but I will make sure he won’t be able to do something like this again.”

Thinking dealing with him might sound too harsh, Shanur softened his words.

“Either way, I can’t let this slide. He spread bad rumors about you.”

“So… you’re doing this for me?”

Shanur nodded, watching Beloni’s face closely.

For a moment, she blinked blankly, but then a smile spread across her face.

“I’m touched, Your Highness.”

She had half-expected it, but hearing Shanur say it made her unexpectedly happy.

“I don’t care what happens to Ian. 

I was only worried that it might cause trouble for you. Oh, but if possible, make him suffer for at least five years. At least five.”

Beloni wanted Ian to suffer as much as she had.

She originally thought of saying ten years, but doubted Shanur would bother keeping an eye on Ian for that long, so she settled for five.

Hearing that Beloni was worried about him, not Ian, Shanur nodded with a bright smile.

“Alright, then. I’ll make sure he suffers in hell for five years.”

Promising Ian five years of misery, the two exchanged shy smiles.

Realizing how much time had passed, Beloni got ready to leave, and Shanur stood up as well.

Opening the office door, he stepped aside to let Beloni pass and casually asked,

“Are you delivering flowers again tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll come myself.”

“Then… let’s have lunch together.”

They had never eaten a meal together before.

More precisely, Shanur always ate in his room or office, while Beloni dined alone in the large dining hall.

“I’ll come find you, so wait for me.”

Hearing that he would come to escort her, Beloni smiled.

“Okay.”

That would mean she no longer had an excuse to deliver the flowers, but neither of them noticed.

On the way back to her room, Beloni’s maid, Marina, looked at her and murmured,

“Miss, you always seem happy after seeing His Highness.”

“Really?”

Beloni asked in genuine surprise.

“Yes, you look like you could float away. 

When you leave in a year, I think you’ll have a lot of regrets.”

At Marina’s words, Beloni’s cheerful mood instantly plummeted.

“…A year.”

She had forgotten.

She and Shanur would become strangers in just a year.

Lately, she had been so caught up in how kind and gentle Shanur was that she had completely pushed that fact aside.

Staring out the window, Beloni’s face darkened.

“What should I do?”

The thought of parting ways already filled her with regret.

Beloni arrived at a shop recommended by a backstreet leader.

The staff immediately recognized her.

“Ah, you must be Miss Beloni. Please wait here. The master will be arriving soon.”

The second floor of the shop had a dark, antique atmosphere.

Watching the surroundings with a stiff posture, her knight, Nosel, felt uneasy.

When Beloni previously met the leader to deliver half of the investment funds, they had gone to an ordinary building.

But this place… This was the leader’s private office.

It made Nosel realize just how important Beloni was to him.

Though, strangely, Beloni herself didn’t seem to think much of it.

A staff member brought tea and desserts.

“The master was planning to stop by today, so your timing is perfect.”

“Oh, I had no way to contact him, so I just dropped by. Next time, I’d like to send word ahead—how can I do that?”

“You can send someone to this shop. I will deliver the message to the master, Miss.”

“Thank you.”

The staff smiled politely and left.

“The staff here are nice, Miss.”

“Isn’t it just because they brought you dessert?”

“Haha, you caught me.”

Beloni and Marina laughed together.

Watching them, Nosel debated telling them that the kind-looking staff member was the leader’s ruthless right-hand man.

But he decided against it.

Even if he did, he doubted either of them would be surprised.

As Beloni sipped her tea, the sound of heavy footsteps approached.

Nosel immediately straightened his back.

Even though it wasn’t his first time meeting the leader, he couldn’t help but feel tense.

“Beloni!”

With a loud voice, the door swung open, and the leader stepped in.

“You’re here, sir?”

A man with an eyepatch grinned and sat across from her.

“I rushed over when I heard you were looking for me. You haven’t been waiting long, have you?”

“Not at all. The dessert was delicious, so time flew by.”

Beloni was quite comfortable with the leader.

She knew he was a dangerous man, but he had always helped her and treated her warmly.

“That amusing maid and that boring knight are here too, huh?”

The leader’s sharp gaze landed on Marina and Nosel.

More precisely, only Nosel received the sharp look, making him swallow nervously.

“I came because I wanted to ask you something. I need information, and I’ll pay for it.”

“Information? About who?”

“My mother.”

The leader, who had been drinking his tea in one gulp, suddenly paused.

He set his cup down and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before looking at Beloni.

“You’re suddenly curious about your mother?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

When Beloni first learned that the leader knew her mother, she never asked about her.

Even the second time they met, she didn’t ask.

So it was natural for him to be curious about why she was suddenly interested now.

“I found a box she left for me at the marquis’ estate. 

No matter what I do, I can’t open it. Since it was left by my mother, I thought it might be connected to her. 

The more I thought about it, the more I got curious.”

Beloni fiddled with her teacup.

“As a child, I was always curious about my mother. But every time I brought her up, the people around me got hurt. 

So I forced myself to forget her.”

She had made a vow never to speak of her mother again after losing her nanny due to her curiosity.

Even after getting a second chance, she could never undo her nanny’s death.

“But now I’ve realized that avoiding the past isn’t the answer. 

That’s not how I protect the people I care about.”

The only way to protect them was to face the truth and fight back.

She had learned that lesson far too late.