CHAPTER 016
Lewis said something like that was unexpected.
After the conversation, I returned to my room, and Lewis's words echoed in my mind.
"It feels like you're constantly drawing a line when someone tries to get close."
"If I can sense it, others must have noticed it long ago."
How did he understand my feelings?
To Lewis, I must appear like a pebble on the roadside.
Did he pay attention because we were bound by noise? It was an unexpected realization.
So I added a new impression of Lewis this time.
More perceptive than I thought!
It was a day I learned something new about Lewis, whose personality I thought I somewhat understood.
The next day, a new chapter of my life at the Duke's mansion began.
**Chapter 4: Bella’s Past**
"Let’s have a party!"
It all started with the Duke's sudden declaration.
"A party?"
The Duke, making me bewildered, explained,
"Selina, you’ve decided to stay with us. Of course, we should celebrate."
Really? It would probably be a simple family party with the Croft family, right?
Just as I was about to agree without thinking,
"Since we're doing it, why not invite others too?"
Bella suggested, and the scale grew!
"Bella?"
Michael looked at Bella with wide eyes, but she just smiled broadly.
"Let’s invite everyone. A grand party where the whole social circle knows. A welcome party for Selina!"
There’s no need to welcome me so extravagantly...
By the way, have they ever held a party at the Duke’s mansion? I thought they didn't do such things.
I suddenly felt puzzled, but the plan was already in motion.
The first step of the party was making an invitation list.
Bella, who was in charge of sending the invitations, came to my room with a piece of paper.
I thought she had some people in mind to invite, so I asked lightly.
"Bella, who are you planning to invite?"
But her answer was unbelievable.
"I’m going to invite everyone since we don't know who will come."
"…Everyone?"
"Yes. That way, at least five will come."
Goodness. When Bella said ‘everyone,’ she really meant the entire social circle of nobles.
"Isn't that too many?"
I was genuinely worried.
It’s the Duke’s party, after all! Inviting everyone would certainly bring more than just five guests.
I was surprised and tried to stop Bella, who was planning to make the list haphazardly.
"Instead of inviting everyone, how about choosing only those you really want to invite?"
"What if everyone declines?"
"That won't happen."
People are intimidated by the Croft family, not dislike them.
And very few families would refuse an invitation from the Duke’s house.
But Bella looked uncertain at my words.
"Um…"
What’s going on? I tilted my head, puzzled by Bella’s ambiguous reaction.
A day passed.
I still couldn’t understand why Bella hesitated and lacked confidence.
'It suddenly felt like too much trouble to make the list. I'll do it tomorrow.'
She delayed making the invitation list as if putting off a chore.
"She sounded like she was making an excuse."
"What’s the excuse?"
I muttered absentmindedly, and Lewis, who was dozing off across from me, opened his eyes.
"Weren’t you sleeping?"
"I don’t sleep just anytime. Sleep is for the dead."
Such a grim statement.
He said he didn’t need more sleep since he slept well at night, but it sounded eerie.
Lewis had come to see me, taking a break from his work, to treat my noise sensitivity.
Should I tell him this too so he won’t feel left out?
I recalled Lewis’s words about sharing everything with the twins and him.
"Since we're friends, I should tell you, right?"
"Is there something I don’t know again?"
A slight crease appeared between Lewis's brows.
Such an honest reaction. If I hid anything, it would be a big deal.
"They’re holding a party at the mansion."
"I know that."
Lewis looked unimpressed, as if saying, "Is that all?"
No, that’s not the main point!
"But I feel like I’m the one missing something, not you."
"What’s it about?"
"It’s about Bella."
"Tell me. I know most things. She doesn’t really have secrets."
From what I’ve noticed, in terms of personality, Lewis feels more like Bella’s real brother than Michael.
The way they interact really makes me think that.
I told him about Bella’s strange reaction yesterday.
And cautiously asked.
"I can’t figure out why Bella reacted that way. Do you know?"
I had subtly asked Bella too, but she didn’t give me a proper answer.
'It’s nothing.'
She had smiled mysteriously and brushed it off, making it hard to press further.
There definitely seemed to be something more to it.
As I pondered yesterday’s Bella, Lewis spoke up.
"I know."
"Really?"
So there was something after all. Please tell me!
I waited eagerly for Lewis’s response.
But he refused with a mischievous smile.
"I don’t feel like just telling you."
He’s not going to make it easy.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to appear unaffected.
"I’ll give you some of the cookies Michael made."
"Even if you give them, I won't take them."
"A small information fee...?"
"I have more money than you."
I tried offering different things, but Lewis remained unmoved.
He rejected everything I suggested so dismissively that it almost made me stubborn.
Is he going to tell me or not?
"Then I’ll return the magic wand you gave me!"
"You’re returning my gift?"
The cold response to my offhand comment made me quickly retract.
"I’m sorry..."
So, what can I do?
I looked at Lewis with frustrated eyes, and finally, he spoke.
"Fine. I just wanted to refuse once for fun."
Oh, that’s what it was? I felt hollow as he chuckled and began to speak.
"You know Bella doesn’t have friends, right?"
Such a harsh statement! Only really close people can say things like that...
What would it make me if I agreed? I tried my best to answer.
"How could you say that... I’m here, aren’t I?"
"You just admitted she only has you?"
Why is he doing this to me?
"I don’t know anything about that."
I pretended to be clueless.
Lewis, knowing everything, gave me a mischievous smile and continued.
"Before you came, Bella had no friends."
Another talk about friends?
"I mean girls her age. She never had any, even when she was little."
As Lewis once mentioned, the twins and Lewis must have always been each other’s friends.
At least Michael has people who could be considered friends.
"About eight years ago? When Bella was eleven, she invited people for her birthday for the first time, after always having family-only parties."
"Yes."
I listened seriously to Lewis’s story.
"It was a disaster."
"What?"
"The kids cried and made a fuss because they were scared of Bella."
What did she do as a child to be that frightening?
"Bella suggested playing with a skull model, and they got scared and cried."
Why would a kid play like that! I couldn’t close my gaping mouth.
"I found it fun, though."
"The skull head?"
"No. The kids crying in fear. It was funny, wasn’t it?"
Indeed, his twisted personality was evident from a young age.
"It wasn’t a real human head, right?"
Just to be sure, I asked, and Lewis smirked.
"Who knows."
"…"
"Scaredy-cat. It was fake."
This family is dangerous. I shuddered at the joke that wasn’t even funny.
After scaring me, Lewis continued.
"The problem was the following year. She invited the same kids, but no one came."
"Not a single one?"
"Yes, all of them. They all sent their regrets. And the replies came too late to invite anyone else."
"So the birthday party..."
"Ended as a family-only event."
"Oh..."
I didn’t need to ask how Bella must have felt then.
It wasn’t supposed to be a family-only party, but no one came, and it ended up that way. She must have been deeply disappointed.
"That’s why Bella wants to send as many invitations as possible."
To avoid another situation where everyone declines when inviting a few.
Lewis affirmed my thought.
"Then at least someone will come."
"…"
"When they said they’d hold a party at the mansion, I thought it was unusual. They’ve never sent invitations since then."
We could have just had a party with us!
Unintentionally, I seemed to have stirred up Bella’s painful memories.
What should I do? As my face clouded over, Lewis spoke.
"Why are you getting all gloomy? She just doesn’t want to invite specific people, that’s all."
"…"
"Even if she invites everyone, not all will come. Even if everyone attends, the mansion can handle it."
So you don’t need to worry.
Lewis spoke nonchalantly.
After Lewis left, I went back to Bella.
She was still working on the party’s concept, having yet to make the invitation list.
"Selina, you came just in time. Look at this."
As soon as Bella saw me, she handed me a booklet.
Taking it, I sat next to her and leaned my head on her shoulder.
"Selina?"
"Bella..."
"What’s wrong?"
She turned to look at me, puzzled by my dispirited voice.
Oh, my leaning post has disappeared.
Bella faced me and asked.
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