Belle was montarily speechless. Clearing her throat, she said, "There is nothing going on between us," feigning ignorance.
"I am no fool. If it weren’t for , you both would have been caught yesterday," Mia revealed, grinning mischievously.
Belle gasped in shock. "You knew? Why were you standing there?" She asked, mortified, nearly bursting into tears at the thought of being spied on while behaving so shalessly.
"Don’t be shy. I envy you," Mia admitted with a dramatic sigh. "At least you have both a mate and a lover to run to. I have neither. I am hopeless."
Curious, Belle asked, "Did it not go well with the man you like?" She watched her closely, awaiting a response.
"He already has a mate," Mia revealed, exhaling dramatically once more.
Belle imdiately felt sorry for her. "I am so sorry," she said, pulling Mia into a warm embrace.
"Don’t make cry, I promised myself I wouldn’t." But the tears had already started falling. Before she knew it, she was sobbing, finally releasing everything she had bottled up. She had never cried since that day, forcing herself to stay busy to get over the heartbreak, but now it was clear she had only been deceiving herself.
"Let it all out," Belle comforted, gently rubbing her back. Seeing Mia cry over a man was a rare sight, and Belle knew just how much it must have taken for her to even confess her feelings. For soone as strong-willed as Mia, tears ant true heartbreak.
"Why don’t I have a mate like everyone else? Why ?!" Mia wailed, sobbing like a child who had lost her favorite treat.
Belle found her whining amusing, but she held back her laughter, knowing this was not the ti.
"Yours will co. Don’t think about him anymore," Belle reassured her.
"Then let go to war so I can distract myself," Mia countered, causing Belle to release her and stare at her in disbelief.
"I almost fell for that act," she said, clicking her tongue at how convincing Mia’s performance had been. The Mia she knew was not this emotional, she should have suspected there was an ulterior motive behind the dramatic sobs.
"Please! Do you want to die of heartbreak?" Mia whined, clutching Belle’s arm and pouting like a child.
That was enough to send them both into laughter.
"Fine, let’s go," Belle relented, shaking her head. "But now that you are legally the King’s adopted sister, you won’t be allowed to go without a knight. You need to tell the King first."
At that, a knowing smile crept onto Mia’s face, and Belle imdiately shook her head. As expected, she had already gone to see the King. Outsmarting Mia was impossible.
"I knew you must have pulled so strings before coming here. You are unbelievable," Belle remarked. "Now, let’s get packing, we wouldn’t want to be left behind."
"I have that settled already. Also, the Duke of the North said we are only allowed one bag of essentials, everything else will be provided there," Mia relayed.
"Oh, that makes things much easier. I will pack what I need tomorrow," Belle replied, earning a nod from Mia.
They chatted for hours before finally heading down for dinner. The absence of both Hezekiah and Maddie made the atmosphere slightly awkward, but neither of them brought it up.
After dinner, Belle made her way to Maddie’s room, intending to tell her the truth about the mating. A nagging feeling told her that Hezekiah must have lied to Maddie, likely to make her happy. But Belle couldn’t do the sa, Maddie had been nothing but kind to her since she arrived at the castle.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. It was opened within minutes by Maddie’s maid.
"It is Lady Belle," the maid announced, prompting Maddie to rise and approach the door.
"Belle!" She greeted with a warm smile, taking Belle’s hands in hers and gazing at her affectionately.
Seeing that smile only deepened Belle’s guilt. Unable to return it, she lowered her gaze and said, "I have sothing to tell you, Maddie."
But Maddie already knew what it was about. "Let’s take a stroll," she suggested, leading them away.
As they walked, Belle hesitated for only a mont before confessing, "Maddie, Hezekiah and I never mated. We couldn’t." Her tone was grave.
Yet instead of reacting with shock or disappointnt, Maddie simply smiled. "I know," she said. "And I don’t hold you responsible for it."
Belle’s eyes widened. "You knew?"
Maddie nodded.
"Did Hezekiah tell you?" Belle asked, assuming he must have been the one, after all, only the two of them knew the truth.
"No," Maddie replied firmly, deepening Belle’s confusion.
Stopping in her tracks, Maddie turned to face Belle, taking her hands again and rubbing them affectionately. "Belle, from the mont I t you, I knew you were not an ordinary woman. You are destined for greater things, not to be confined within castle walls. Things may seem unclear now, but the path you are about to take will reveal much to you... including everything you seek to know about your mother."
Belle’s lips parted in shock. How did Maddie know she wanted to uncover the truth about her mother? Sotis she questioned Maddie’s identity as she acted mysterious at tis. Only Mia knew of this plan and it was a plan they ca up with this afternoon, how could Maddie have been aware already?
"This path? You an going to war?" She asked hesitantly.
Maddie nodded, and Belle blinked, realization dawning upon her.
"Always follow your heart, Belle," Maddie advised, her voice almost eerily knowing. "So things happen for a reason. In ti, you will understand. This is only the beginning of your journey. Rember—follow your heart."
A chill ran down Belle’s spine.
She had never seen Maddie like this before, and it only deepened her curiosity. It was as if Maddie had glimpsed the future, one that Belle had yet to walk.
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