Chapter 213


    Belle took a moment to tidy her dress, which got wrinkled during running.


    Then she puffed her chest, raised her chin, and walked over like a proud princess.


    “Morning.”


    She said in a polite yet distant voice.


    Thedies jerked around in shock. Especially Agnes. Her movement was sorge that


    she almost knocked over a teacup.


    “Princess Belle, wha–what are you doing here?” one of thedies stuttered.


    “I am here for your tea party,” Belle replied with a cool smile.


    “Forgive me Your Highness, but you are not invited-


    “Oh, is that so?”


    Belle raised an eyebrow, ring at her, “This is my house, my garden. The willow above your head


    was nted by myte mama and papa decades ago. And now you are telling me that I need to be


    invited to my own home?”


    Thedy flinched, biting her lips in silence.


    Wells walked over and stood behind his twin sister’s back, “Belle, looks like we have got a bunch of


    intruders in our house. What do we do to those intruders again?”


    Belle said in her soft, silky voice, “We chase them out. Or we shoot them dead.” “Great idea.” Wells


    grinned, stretching his body, “Do you want to take the lead? Or should 1


    “Wait!”


    Agnes stood up abruptly with a pale face.


    Her chest heaved. Then she forced out a smile, “You are more than wee to join us, Princess


    Belle, Prince Wells…and Lady J.”


    “Awesome.”


    Belle held J’s hand and led her to the long table set underneath the tree.


    There were several intricately designed cushions on the ground. All thedies were sitting on those


    cushions.


    Yet there was only one empty cushion left.


    “I am a dude. I can sit on the ground,” Wells shrugged.


    “Then we still need one more seat at the table.”


    Belle looked around the table and eventually fixed her gaze on Agnes’s face. “…Agnes, you should


    stand up and make room for me and J,” she chuckled.


    The twin’s target was quite clear now.


    Thedies exchanged uneasy looks with each other while Agnes’s face twisted with


    embarrassment.


    Then she said in a strained voice, “I don’t think that is necessary, Princess Belle. I can easily ask


    the maids to bring us one more cushion…”


    “So now it is OK to add one more seat to the table? Then what aboutst Christmas?” Belle said in


    a loud voice, “You sat in MY seatst Christmas by my brother’s side! When I walked up to confront


    you, you said that the table was full and asked me to sit somewhere else! I got angry yet you said to


    everyone, ‘Look at Belle. Getting all teared up for such a small matter. But who can me her? She


    is just a spoiled child.“”


    She did a vivid mimicry of Agnes’s gentle, pitiful voice.


    Somedies wanted tough.


    Yet Agnes red at them. They quickly lowered their heads.


    Wells crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Agnes, “Lady Agnes, you are not a child. Surely


    you won’t get upset if we ask you to give your seat to Belle now right?”


    Agnes clenched her fists, looking mortified.


    She suddenly pulled a handkerchief and dubbed it at the corner of her eyes:


    “You obviously hold a grudge against me, Princess Belle…But…But it is not that your brother


    enjoyed mypanion more than yours…”


    “What did you say?!” Belle cried.


    my fault


    “Bullshit!” Wells huffed, “Our brother would never choose to sit with you instead of with us-


    “But it is true.”


    Agnes peeked up from her handkerchief and sobbed, “He often said to me that… that he hoped he


    could have a break from his annoying brother and sister sometimes…


    “LIAR!” Belle roared her cheek on fire.


    J now saw what was going on here.


    Belle and Wells took her to Agnes’s exclusive tea party, hoping to wrap up the party and embarrass


    Agnes in front of her gang members.


    Yet Agnes could easily get under their skins.


    J hated to see the twins lose.


    So she stepped up and said to Agnes with a faint smile, “Lady Agnes, are you saying that you are


    more important to King Westin than his own brother and sister?”


    Agnes parted her lips, stuttering, “No, that is not what I said-”


    “But it is what you are implying. Oh, and do remind me. What are you to King Westin again? You


    are not his mate nor fiancé, are you? You are just his dead friend’s wife. Why are you so important


    to him?”


    Agnes was rendered speechless.


    A pink tinge appeared on her pale cheeks, “I am the King’s friend-


    “What kind of friend is more important than his own brother and sister?” J let out a sarcastic


    laugh. “Or are you saying that you and the King have an improper kind of rtionship? I wonder


    what the King says about this


    “NO!” Agnes snapped.


    She let out a frustrated breath and stood up from her cushion.


    “You can have my seat if you like, Lady J,” she gritted.


    Belle snapped her head to J, joy gleaming in her eyes. Wells grinned and high–fived J


    behind their backs.


    J felt exhrating as well.


    It did feel good winning.


    They all took their seats by the table, leaving Agnes the only person standing.


    Belle snickered, “Agnes, since you have nothing else to do while standing, why don’t you y the


    harp for us?”


    Agnes froze on her spot again.


    at once, “Good


    One of thedies, with the intention to ease the tension, spoke up at once, idea. Lady Agnes is an


    expert in music.”


    Issa echoed, “It would be our pleasure to hear Agnes y!”


    Manydies started pping, including Belle and Wells, even though thetter two… got an evil grin


    on their faces.


    Agnes stuttered, “I–1 hurt my fingers. I can’t y string instrument-


    “How about the flute?” Wells suggested.


    “No, I don’t feel like.


    “You talk about how you are an expert in music all day. But howe you don’t know how to y


    any instrument?” Belle asked sharply, “All thedies are trained. to y at least one instrument! Do


    you have a strong suit? Or are you just a fraud?”


    All thedies looked at Agnes with skeptical eyes.


    Agnes balled her fists, scarlet in the face.


    She shivered and then suddenly let out a sob.


    “I see what is going on here…” she choked, dubbing her eyes with her handkerchief. “A widow like


    me is an easy target…What would poor Keavy think…”


    “Indeed. What would he think? If he knew that you used him as an excuse to get out all of your lies


    and wrongs, leaving the dead with no peace?” J asked icily.


    Agnes’s back became stiff.


    Then she suddenly let out a loud wail of sorrow and turned on her heels running away.


    “YES! GO! Go tell Westin on us!” Belle yelled to her back. “See if we care!”


    Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    There was an unsettling look on the rest of thedies by the table.


    Issa straightened up, wanting to go after Agnes, yet Wells spoke up first:


    “I brought pokers with me. Those of you who stay here are wee to y. I am ready to toss


    away some gold. Who is it?”


    The court never allowed youngdies to gamble.


    It was such a huge temptation!


    Thedies giggled excitedly nodding along, even Issa sat back at the table.


    Wells blew a whistle and took out the pokers, starting to shuffle.


    Belle leaned over and whispered in J’s ears, “That Agnes was just amoner before marrying


    Keavy. Yet she bragged about what a highborn she was all the time. She is so fake!


    “Honestly we don’t discriminate,” Wells shrugged. “Take me and Sammy for example. We are best


    friends. It is OK for you toe from a poor family. But you can’t lie about it.”


    “I wonder what Westin sees in that woman,” Belle rolled her eyes.


    After the tea party, the twins took J on a little tour around the castle.


    J tried asking them if they knew the way out of the mist forest.


    Maybe with the twins‘ help, she could find a way out of this ce.


    Yet to her disappointment, the twins had never left the mountains in their entire lives.


    They had a great day hanging out together.


    When it was nightfall, Belle was still not ready to say goodbye and begged J to go to her room


    and have a rematch of poker.


    “Just one round!” Belle shook J’s hand, “Pleeecaaaase!”


    Jughed, “We can have as many rounds as you like!”


    Wells cheered and his twin sister jumped, “I know you are the best J!”


    They went back to J’s room for a rematch.


    The room was dark when they walked in.


    J went to turn on the light in her room.


    Yet before she could reach the switch in the darkness, she felt a chilling gush of wind


    …Weird.


    Did she leave the window open this morning?


    She turned around, perplexed, and looked in the direction of the window-


    A sharp de, glinting coldly, popped out from the darkness.


    Coming directly at her!


    Somebody was here to kill her!!!


    “JANET! WATCH OUT!!!” Belle let out an earsplitting scream.