Third Arc (Fallen Heart) - 30. Assassins in The Wedding Party I

As his evil eye disappeared, Angel, who was sitting on his throne, opened his eyes.
'They should be able to handle the rest,' he thought. After he finished dancing and returned to his seat, he decided to check on Lady Belle and the twins, just to make sure they were all right. And he had made the right decision. That last assassination attempt, judging by their distance and situation, although it could not kill Lady Belle, it was enough to injure her and it would create a commotion that the other assassins could use as an opportunity to kill him and Rose.

"How is her condition?" Rose's voice came from his side, currently, she was not in his Devil Puppet spell anymore. Of course, she meant Lady Belle. Rose realized Angel had just used his spell to do something after he ordered to tighten the security, especially around the throne stage. So she was pretty sure of her guess.

"She's fine. They have eliminated all assassins," Angel replied. As before, neither of them turned their attention to the other. Their attention was on the hall as if they didn't have any discussion. Still, since there was a disturbing feeling in his heart. He couldn't help himself but took a glance at her, trying to catch a trace of misunderstanding or jealousy from Rose's face.
"Don't misunderstand me. I'm doing this because I don't want her to ruin our plan," he added.

His words made her glance at him, only to take a glimpse of his expression since she caught a hint of panic in the tone of his voice, but his cold expression made her a little disappointed. Rose turned her gaze forward.
"I know. You don't have to worry. I'm not jealous of her." She couldn't help herself but smiled since that was the only possibility.

And Angel returned his gaze to the front upon her guess. But that didn't mean he lost his cool.
"I see... I never knew you could get your courage this fast," he teased. He remembered that Rose was still a bit shy at their ceremony.

"I do not dare. It's just... This is the first time you've explained something to me without my request." Rose found it quite funny that Angel's composure stammered over little things like this. Unconsciously, the smile on Rose's lips widened.

Again, Angel glanced at her and found her smile. It was soothing to him.
"You look so happy."

This time Rose turned to him.
"Can't I?"

"Yes, you can." Another smile cracked his cold face.

It was only a simple small gesture from the royal couple, yet the nobles' attention quickly caught it. The noblewomen's jealous glances and whispers accompanied by the laughter and happy conversations between the other nobles as well as the mixed feelings of the other royal delegates filled the room. Including Duke Nicolin...

After the conversation shifted to the king's affectionate gesture, Duke Nicolin realized his daughter has gone. He immediately swept his gaze around his surroundings to look for Lady Belle, but he couldn't find her. Worried, he excused himself and walked among the other guests looking for her but he couldn't find her.

The sound of waltz music began to flow once again, indicating that the third dance had begun. Some couples walked to the middle of the hall and started dancing. Still, no sign of Lady Belle.

"Who are you looking for, father?" Lady Belle's voice suddenly came from his side. This was followed by two other voices.
"Your Grace," the twins greeted in a union.

"Where have you been?" asked Duke Nicolin without further ado. Although he still maintained his composure, his worry was evident in his voice.

"We just walked around to check out the garden's new look," replied Lady Belle with a smile. She couldn't possibly show her broken heart to her father since she knew he had done the best for her, even long before this wedding. And it was clear from her father's status, even though Angel didn't love her, Lady Belle should be the strongest candidate. Unfortunately, it fell apart just like that...

"Are you alright? I promise we'll go home soon," said Duke Nicolin since he guessed Lady Belle was out of the hall because she couldn't stand to see the royal couple dancing.

Lady Belle smiled as best as she could. She knew her father must be worried about her, but as a daughter of a Duke, she couldn't lose to this, especially after she decided to fight for her love as long as Angel had not chosen his queen. After all, this was a rare opportunity, where her father could gather and chat with the royal delegations.
"I think---" As Lady Belle was about to reject her father's words and say that she wouldn't mind staying here a little longer, her attention shifted to Angel. In that instant, she realized his smile and gentle gesture, something he had never shown her.
"I think I agree with you, father. Let's go home soon."