July 21 — Tuesday
Deaths: 38
Second day since awakening the Hunter’s Mark.
The mansion stood at the end of an avenue lined with perfectly trimmed trees. Noah stopped short in front of the wrought-iron gate, his phone in hand.
“This is where the address points.”
He wasn’t exactly surprised. Belle Snow was an SSS-Rank Hunter, one of the most famous people in the entire country. It made sense that she would live somewhere like this.
And yet, as he looked up at the white stone façade, the ornate columns, and the gardens stretching out on either side of the entrance path, he couldn’t help feeling that every inch of the place cost more than he would earn in his entire life as a Rank F Hunter.
He rang the doorbell.
“How may I help you?” a soft voice replied over the intercom, polite and composed.
“I’m Noah. Belle invited me over.”
“One moment, please.”
The gate opened with a faint electric hum, and Noah crossed the well-kept garden, where rosebushes stood in symmetrical rows, and made his way to the front entrance. A young woman was waiting for him there.
She wore an immaculate maid’s uniform made of dark fabric with white trim. Her dark green hair fell straight to her shoulders, framing a serene, almost expressionless face that wasn’t cold.
Her eyes regarded him with a quiet calm, the gaze of someone used to going unnoticed.
“Welcome,” she said, her voice so sweet that it contrasted oddly with her reserved expression. “Miss Belle will be down in a moment. Would you like something to drink? Tea, water, or something to eat?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.”
The young woman gave a slight nod and went up the main staircase without another word, leaving Noah alone in a living room that looked as if it had been taken from a home decor magazine he could never have afforded.
He sat on the edge of a leather sofa, not daring to lean back all the way, and took in every detail around him: the crystal lamps, the paintings in dark wooden frames, the polished marble floor reflecting the afternoon light.
‘I definitely don’t belong in a place like this,’ he thought, feeling like a peasant who had just arrived at a palace.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Belle’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He stood up at once, and for a moment, completely forgot what he had been about to say.
She came down the stairs with the same serene poise as always, wearing a tight black dress that revealed part of her thighs, her shoulders bare, and the same round gold earrings gleaming against her pale skin.
Every movement had that almost feline quality Noah had already learned to recognize, that elegance that seemed completely natural to her.
She raised a hand in a casual greeting. Noah did the same, though inside, his heart had started beating faster than he would have liked to admit.
‘She’s intimidating,’ he thought, trying to keep his composure. ‘Not just because she’s SSS-Rank, but because she’s probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.’
He knew, however, that Belle disliked excessive formality. So he took a deep breath, summoned a courage he didn’t entirely feel, and smiled naturally.
“You smell amazing,” he said, almost without thinking.
Belle smiled, genuinely flattered.
“Thank you. I like to look presentable when I go somewhere important.”
“How are you feeling?” Noah asked. “Have you fully recovered? If you need it, I have my best jokes on standby.”
She laughed briefly, bringing both hands behind her back.
“Much better, thank you.” She looked at him with genuine curiosity. “And you? How have things been going in the Fortress?”
Noah blinked, surprised. Belle rarely asked about the castle; she had always given the impression that the subject annoyed her.
“It’s been tougher than I expected,” he admitted honestly. “There are areas I’m having quite a hard time with.”
“The beginning is always the hardest,” she replied in a sympathetic tone. “You’ll get into a rhythm over time. Until then, take good care of yourself.”
Jeanne approached from the back of the living room.
“Miss, the driver has arrived.”
Belle nodded and walked toward Noah, stopping in front of him.
“Have you eaten anything yet?”
“Yes. I had breakfast with my sister before taking her to the academy.”
“Lily,” Belle said with a gentle smile, showing that she remembered her name. “I haven’t had breakfast yet. Come with me, and we can keep talking on the way.”
Noah agreed without hesitation.
◇◆◇
The limousine glided silently through the streets, and Noah, seated across from Belle, couldn’t shake the feeling that he was completely out of place.
‘Someone as poor as me shouldn’t be here,’ he thought, looking at the fine leather interior, the amber lights in the ceiling, and the minibar discreetly installed to one side.
Belle sat with one leg crossed, a box of light, balanced food resting on her thigh, as she spoke on the phone with her Guild Master, discussing something about the reports from Floor 512.
Whenever she had to speak while chewing, she politely covered her mouth, a small but constant gesture that Noah found inexplicably charming.
Finally, she hung up and sighed.
“Sorry about that.”
“Don’t worry,” Noah replied. “I understand that you’re a very busy woman. I’m grateful you’re giving me some of your time despite everything you have going on.”
Belle smiled at him without saying anything, but her gaze was warm, unlike the coldness he had noticed at first.
He was about to ask her something about Lily when the phone rang again.
“Sorry, again,” she said with an apologetic grimace. “I have to take this.”
“No problem.”
This time it was a different work matter from the one before. Noah simply listened, watching her and noticing that even with so many obligations, she never completely lost her serene composure.
◇◆◇
Hours later, Noah sat in a waiting room inside a building on Floor 26, idly playing with an empty glass that had once held water. The room was almost completely silent, broken only by the occasional clink of glass against the table.
“Sorry it took so long,” Belle said, appearing behind him. “The meeting ran longer than expected.”
Noah straightened at once.
“Don’t worry.”
“Miss,” Jeanne interjected, appearing beside her with her usual discretion. “The interview is in forty minutes. We need to leave now.”
Belle nodded and gestured to Noah, almost as if she were going to take his hand, but she stopped halfway and simply began walking, inviting him to follow with a look.
In the elevator, the conversation became more casual, more intimate. Belle asked him about his life, what it had been like growing up while taking care of Lily, and what he had done before awakening his Mark.
Noah answered honestly, and at some point, he managed to make her laugh with a comment about how badly he had cooked the first time he tried to make pancakes.
They stepped out of the elevator still laughing when a male voice interrupted them.
“Belle!”
They both stopped. Belle sighed, almost imperceptibly, as if the interruption genuinely annoyed her.
“What is it, Andrew?”
Noah immediately recognized the figure approaching them: tall and well-built, wearing formal light armor that displayed the golden emblem of the Top 10. Rank SS. The number-six Hunter.
“I wasn’t expecting to run into you here,” Andrew said with a broad, practiced smile. “What a sight for sore eyes, as always.”
Belle regarded him with absolute coldness and didn’t reply.
“I saw your interview about Floor 512,” he continued, unfazed by the silence. “I was impressed. You’re still my greatest inspiration, exploring alone, without a team.”
“Oh, right,” Belle replied in a tone that made her disinterest perfectly clear.
That was when Andrew noticed Noah.
“I see you have company. Who is he?”
“He’s my friend,” Belle replied curtly. “Don’t treat him badly.”
Andrew let out a brief laugh, placing a hand on his chest in feigned offense.
“What kind of person do you take me for? I’d never mistreat someone accompanying the person I admire most.”
He gave Noah an unabashed once-over.
“What rank are you?”
“Rank F,” Noah replied calmly.
Andrew laughed, assuming it was a joke.
“Good sense of humor. Seriously, what’s your rank?”
“That’s my rank. I started yesterday.”
Andrew’s smile froze for just a moment, but he recovered quickly, hiding any surprise.
“I didn’t think you’d be hanging out with someone so… insignificant,” he said, addressing Belle in a slightly passive-aggressive tone. “But anyway, it’s none of my business.”
He said goodbye with a nod directed exclusively at Belle, passed between them, and deliberately turned his back on Noah before walking away down the hall.
‘What’s this guy’s problem?’ Noah thought, watching him until he disappeared around a corner.
Belle exhaled, relieved to see him go, and turned to Noah with a gentler expression.
“Hey,” she said, a hint of caution in her voice. “Don’t take anything he said the wrong way. Don’t pay any attention to what he thinks, okay?”
Noah smiled.
“I appreciate your concern. But I didn’t take it the wrong way at all.”
Belle smiled back, a brief but genuine gesture, and motioned for him to keep walking.
A few steps behind them, Jeanne watched her mistress’s expression with unusual attentiveness, then shifted her gaze to Noah and studied him in silence for a moment before following them.
◇◆◇
During the interview, Noah found himself completely distracted, not out of boredom, but by the way Belle spoke in front of the cameras: her posture, the way she chose each word carefully, and those brief moments when, out of pure reflex, she turned her gaze toward where he was sitting.
‘She’s cute,’ he thought, unable to keep himself from smiling.
Beside him, Jeanne sat in absolute silence.
“Excuse me,” Noah said, deciding to break the ice. “You’re always with Belle. What’s your name?”
“Jeanne,” she replied tersely, but without any hostility in her voice.
Noah inclined his head slightly.
“Nice to meet you, Jeanne.”
She returned the gesture with the same brief nod, and they both turned their attention back to Belle, who continued answering questions with the unshakable serenity that seemed to be part of her very nature.
◇◆◇
The sunset tinged the sky orange when they finally left the building.
Belle stretched both arms overhead, arching her back with a tired groan. The movement briefly exposed her perfectly clean, well-groomed underarms before she relaxed again.
“I’m exhausted,” she said.
“You lead a very busy life,” Noah commented with a smile.
“You have no idea how busy,” she replied, looking up at the sky. “Apparently, the curse will keep us at the castle until the early hours of the morning today.”
Noah checked his watch, calculating how much time was left.
“I’m hungry,” Belle added. “Will you join me for dinner?”
Noah shook his head, genuinely regretful.
“I can’t now. I have to pick up my sister from the academy. I should get going, but I really enjoyed spending the day with you.”
Belle smiled.
“That’s fine. Then we’ll pick her up, and the three of us can go to dinner.”
Noah blinked, surprised.
“Why?”
“I’ve been taking you everywhere with me today,” she replied, already walking toward the limousine. “You didn’t think I’d just say goodbye and leave it at that, did you?”
She turned for a moment before getting into the vehicle and nodded to him.
“Get in. We’ll go to the academy to pick up your sister.”
I’ll be uploading one chapter a day. :D
Remember, if the novel gets enough support, I’ll increase the release rate to 2 chapters a day. ^^
I’ll post an extra chapter for every two new rankings. ⸜(｡ ˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝