I Left my Cheating Husband and Married a Beast

Chapter 31

“I know you don’t like me.”

Beloni said this for a reason.

She had felt it from their first meeting, but now she was certain.

There was a faint resentment in the way he looked at her.

“It’s because I never asked about my mother, isn’t it?”

The leader remained silent, confirming her suspicion.

“I won’t try to explain myself because no matter what I say, it’ll just sound like an excuse.

But one thing I can say for sure, sir…”

“And what is that?”

“I love my mother too. I miss her, and I wish I could talk to her.”

If she didn’t love and long for her mother, she wouldn’t have thought of her on all those lonely nights.

Deep in her heart, she cherished and missed her mother.

The leader looked at Beloni with a subtle expression.

His face was emotionless, making his gaze seem dark, but the resentment in his eyes had faded slightly.

“…Since you’re being honest, I’ll be honest too.

I don’t know much about your mother.”

He took something from his pocket and handed it to her.

“This is what she left me the last time I saw her.”

It was a small dagger.

“She told me to give it to her daughter if she ever came looking for answers.”

‘He said “daughter” again.’

Her mother must have known she was carrying a baby girl. She had said the same thing when she left a box with the nanny, and again when she entrusted this dagger to the leader.

Beloni examined the dagger.

It was small, barely the size of her palm, and looked a bit old, but nothing about it seemed special.

Still, since her mother left it behind, it must have some significance. She carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief and tucked it away.

“Thank you for keeping it all this time.”

She sincerely expressed her gratitude.

With nothing more to discuss, she stood up to leave.

“Beloni.”

He called her.

“Yes, sir?”

The leader glanced at Nosel, then spoke calmly.

“Don’t get too close to the Grand Duke. You’re the one who’ll get hurt.”

“What?”

Nosel, surprised by the sudden mention of his master, immediately went on guard.

But the leader ignored him and kept his eyes on Beloni.

“Remember what I said. The Grand Duke is someone who could kill you.”

“Are you insulting His Highness?”

Nosel shouted, drawing his sword.

Beloni, momentarily stunned by the similarity of these words to what the marquis had said, quickly stepped between them.

“Nosel, I apologize. I’m sorry. He’s just worried about me, that’s all.”

She signaled to Marina with her eyes, and Marina hurriedly led Nosel out of the room. Though reluctant, Nosel obeyed and left.

As Beloni walked toward the door, she turned back to look at the leader.

He seemed deep in thought, staring off into the distance.

“Sir.”

“Beloni, this is all I know. Even if you ask more, I have no more answers to give.”

She had already guessed as much.

If he knew anything else, he would have told her directly instead of speaking in riddles.

“That’s not what I wanted to ask.

My nanny told me I looked a lot like my mother. Is that true?”

At that, the leader looked at her again.

His light brown eyes studied her face, searching for traces of someone else.

Beloni shivered slightly under his gaze.

It wasn’t an ordinary look.

“…Not at all. Your mother wasn’t as beautiful as you.”

Beloni burst into laughter.

“If I ever get the chance, I’d like to see if that’s true or not.”

She hesitated before asking,

“…Were you not involved with my mother in any way?”

There were too many strange details.

Her mother had entrusted him with the dagger despite them supposedly not being close.

He had carried that dagger with him all this time.

And even though he had no obligation to, he had taken care of Beloni.

Not to mention the way he had just looked at her, the emotions he failed to hide.

It was love.

“I told you, we were nothing to each other.”

Hearing his response, Beloni didn’t ask any further.

She said her goodbyes and left.

The leader took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as Beloni’s footsteps faded into the distance.

Once she was gone, one of his men entered the room.

“So, the dagger has finally returned to its rightful owner. It took quite some time.”

“Yeah… 20 years.”

Twenty years.

Such a long time.

Everything should have changed by now, yet his feelings had remained the same.

Over the years, he had fought his way up from the bottom to the top of the underworld.

In this ruthless world, where betrayal and backstabbing were common, he found it laughable that one part of him had stayed so naive.

He and Beloni’s mother weren’t particularly close.

At the time, he had been fighting for power and was constantly targeted.

One day, after suffering a severe injury, he was on the verge of death.

She had saved him.

After that, they had only met a few times.

A handful of encounters—yet he had never forgotten her in twenty years.

“Feels lighter now.”

That was why he said what he did.

He had finally given away the dagger that had weighed on his mind like a stone stuck in a wheel.

He should feel relieved.

But instead, his heart felt strangely empty.

All this time, he had wished for Beloni to come and take it.

Now that she had, he couldn’t shake the hollow feeling.

“Jeki.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Do you think Beloni resembles her?”

As he asked, he recalled Beloni’s face.

The moment he first saw her, he knew she was her mother’s daughter.

Not because of her features or hair color—

“Yes. Seeing her was like seeing the young lady again.”

Jeki was referring to Beloni’s mother.

The leader took out a small locket from his pocket.

Inside, there was a faint portrait of someone.

“Yeah… She does look like her.”

The way she looked at him, the sparkle in her eyes—it was the same.

“…Investigate the Jerem Marquisate thoroughly.”

He had only learned of her death years after it happened.

He had assumed she had married into the marquisate and lived a good life with her child.

Then, much later, he heard the news of her passing.

He had resented her for never reaching out to him for help.

That was why, even after discovering Beloni’s existence, he had ignored her.

He had tried to forget.

But after finally meeting Beloni, he realized—

He had never once forgotten her.

Now, he wanted to do everything for Beloni.

But when she had never asked about her mother, he had been disappointed. So, he had kept his distance and let things unfold around her.

Yet, when she said,

“I love my mother too. I miss her, and I wish I could talk to her.”

At that moment, he saw her differently.

He remembered—Beloni had lost her mother at birth.

And in that instant, he saw his ugliness.

He had blamed Beloni for her mother’s death.

Clicking his tongue at his pettiness, he snapped back to reality.

“Find out everything about her death. And keep me updated on Beloni’s situation.”

This time, he wouldn’t make the same mistake.

He had failed to protect her mother.

But he would protect Beloni.

A series of major events followed.

The first was the Andria Salon.

A few days ago, they had unveiled their new summer dress collection.

Because the future Grand Duchess had frequently worn their dresses, expectations were high.

But the reality was disappointing.

The designs were terrible—worse than those of lesser-known designers.

Rumors spread, questioning whether Andria had always been untalented.

Then, just as the gossip started dying down—

Another scandal broke out.

This time, it revealed the existence of Andria’s forgotten twin sister—Andria’s shadow, a tragic genius designer.