IX · ISABELLE

Isabelle Baudelaire's point of view

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THAT ASSHOLE REALLY TRIED TO kill Jade. Why the hell did anyone let him come inside here? We warned the staff not to let any of the guests inside Jade's garden, damn it!

Great! Now I have a cut on my hand for trying to stop him from harming her. At least, it wasn't so deep.

He doesn't need to know, but Jade would never harm a soul. After all, she doesn't have her feline fangs anymore, and neither does she likes to eat meat. Poor baby, she always got nauseous when we tried to give meat for her to eat.

But if I told him that, I wouldn't be able to scare him with her. I got up again, after Jade calmed down and turned to him with one of my daggers in hand, pointing it at his throat, with a mischievous grin on my lips, "You shouldn't go wandering inside a place you can't even guide yourself, Dimitri Delacroix! Hm," I scoffed, "you kept talking about how unladylike I am, when you are quite rude yourself!"

His beautiful dark pink eyes went from my sharp blade to my eyes, "When was I rude?"

"Are you that oblivious? Just the fact that you said such things to me, is completely rude," I rolled my shoulders. "If I cared about how you acted, I would be slicing your beautiful neck open right now. However, I would be a hypocrite if I did so, wouldn't I? I was also rude to you back there."

Dimitri gulped, staring at me dumbfounded. This is very amusing.

"Nevertheless, it's not like I'll stop acting that way towards you, especially now that you tried to kill my precious Jade."

He clenched his jaw, angry, "I was trying to save you!"

"I do not need saving!" I yelled grinning. "I'm not like the weak girls you are used to, Dimitri Delacroix. And you should be aware of that, because if you try something like this again, I'll forget your social position and I'll cut your stomach open," making sure that I looked intimidating and fierce as I said that, I licked my lips and backed away, retreating my dagger and hiding it back on my ankle.

Yeah, I know I shouldn't have threatened the freaking Duke Delacroix, who's known for being quite ruthless. But it was stronger than me. When I turned to meet his eyes again, this time with a soft and innocent expression on, I found him staring at me with fury in his dark pink spheres.

Damn, it made him even more handsome. And such a realization made me annoyed. No one should be this beautiful!

"You don't know who you are threatening," he exclaimed in a very deadly tone, making him sound really sensual.

I chuckled softly, "Oh, I know. Your fame is quite wide and reached our territory as well, boy. Duke Dimitri Carpentier Delacroix, the cold and ruthless son of the sassy diamond retired Duchess Genevieve Delacroix. There isn't a person in this Kingdom who doesn't know who you are," and he seemed annoyed by how I wasn't worried. "But I'm just defending myself and my pet. You are in the wrong in here."

"Ha... The rumors were true. You truly are insane!"

"All rumors have a hit of truth on them, Dimitri. You shouldn't be so surprise, especially after I advised you and your mother about it yesterday. Neither should you get closer to me. It won't be good for me nor you, Your Grace!" We would probably end up killing each other if things keep going this way.

He held my right wrist, the one with my unharmed hand, and brought me closer to him. With a dangerous smirk on his lips. "You are playing with fire, Isabelle!"

I gulped but kept my grin on, "I don't see a problem on playing with fire, Dimitri! I'll just avoid getting burned."

"Gods above... what are you two doing?" His aide exclaimed after regaining his consciousness, making us both stare at him. "Were you going to... kiss?" What? "And did you cut your hand?"

"Do you have a death wish?" We exclaimed together and stared at each other annoyed, than to our proximity, which made us cringe and jump away from one another.

"Me? Kiss this asshole? Don't offend me like that. I would rather die than do anything with such a brute!" I yelled offended, and got back to Jade who was staring at us. "If you dare to say anything like that again, I'll make my panther eat you alive."

The men shivered in fear and ran from the indoor garden. "Jean, damn it! How can you just run like that?" Dimitri exclaimed annoyed.

"Weren't you who said we should respect one's fears?" I mocked and he gave me a deadly glare.

"Do not cross the line, Isabelle Baudelaire. Don't think I wouldn't kill you as well, if you keep crossing the line like this!" As if.

I chuckled, arching my eyebrows, "Do I perhaps look scared, Dimitri? I guess not. And I'm aware of the danger you present, but it's nothing that could stop me from acting the way I act."

"Oh, Gods. I pity your dad," what? "The poor man even asked my mother for help to find you a husband. He really thinks he'll be able to find a man who would ever accept a beast like you." He giggled bitterly, making me wish to punch his face. "No man would ever marry a woman like you!"

This fucker... Pretending not to be affected by his words, I scoffed, "And you believe that I'm after love? Poor Dimitri, you really know nothing about me." It was my time to chuckle bitterly. "Any low-rank noble would love the possibility of marrying into House Baudelaire. I'm not the type to marry for love, or to ever want to get married, dumbass. I'll only subject myself to such mundane thing because of my father, nothing else."

"You want me to believe that?"

I glared at him from head to toe, "You think I care? Don't overestimate yourself, Dimitri Delacroix. I couldn't care less to what you think. And it's not that I underestimate you or anything like that, it's just that I really don't give a damn by anything related to you."

With that, I held Jade's leash and turned to the garden's door that was directed to the outdoor garden.

"This won't end like this," he muttered. "I'll make you pay." Wow, I'm shivering of fear. Who does he think he is?

"You are too old to throw tantrums, Your Grace," I mocked without looking at him. "Don't forget that my House is still more powerful than yours. Messing with me, would be the same as messing with all of them!" Then I made Jade come with me, "Here, girl, the energy inside here is too negative for us!"

Ignoring the way, he made my body feel, I pretended to be unbothered and left him by himself. Maybe I bought some big problems to myself. But I don't think he would ever actually dare to do something against me anyways. I'm pretty sure his mother wouldn't let him!

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I prayed the Gods that we wouldn't meet anymore today, but I think they mustn't have heard me. Otherwise, why would I be staring at him in the dinner table, after I managed to avoid having lunch with them? What kind of bad luck is this?

"Hm... what did I miss?" Mathis asked, glaring from me to Dimitri. "Why are you staring at each other as if you were ready to kill one another at any second?"

My eyes went to him and he shut up. "I don't know what you are talking about, brother!" Smirking, I turned to the Duke, "Is there something wrong between us, Your Grace?"

He grinning, "Of course there isn't, Princess!" Then his eyes went to my brothers. "Yesterday you seemed to be reading The Lovers of June," don't tell me he likes my books too?! "What are your thoughts after you finished them, Marquis Mathis?"

Gods, it's so awkward to see him calling my brother that.

"Just call me, Mathis, Your Grace. And yes, I read all the series," don't you dare to look at me! "I have to admit it's crazy how good that story is."

For the first time since we met, Dimitri seemed to smiled genuinely, "It is, isn't it?" And it was dangerously beautiful.

I giggled dumbfounded, "Don't tell me you like the books as well, Dimitri?!" How amusing.

"Do you have a problem with that, Isabelle?" He arched his eyebrows on the defensive. "Can't a man have a good taste for books? And don't you like the series as well? You have the books," and a panther named after the female lead, I could see him thinking that.

Trying to seem calm in such a situation, I ate a slice of my meat and drank a sip of my wine, before answering anything. "Oh, I'm not against you reading that series at all. It's actually amusing to see you, of all people, liking those books," I couldn't help but provoke him. Something on this guy makes me want to tease him more than anything.

Adrien coughed, and I glared at him, but he glared back. "I also like the books, Your Grace."

"I thought so," he said, unbothered by my teasing. "You seem to have a good taste for books like me." Then his eyes turned to meet mine, "I'm actually surprise that a childish person like your sister knows how to appreciate such a magnificent work!" How couldn't I, when I'm the damn writer?

Even my dad coughed this time, "You would be surprised."

"Dimitri, I may not be kin to having superficial connection with the other nobles, but if there's something I know about, it's books. Especially fantasy books like The Lovers of June!"

"I find that hard to believe, Isabelle!" He would really be surprised. "You don't seem to have the qualifications needed to understand the depths of such a rich story." Imagine his dumb face if he knew the truth.

"You know nothing, Dimitri Delacroix," I smiled amused, catching him off guard, then I took another sip of my wine. "Poor man, he really knows nothing," I muttered to myself, loud enough for him to hear me, mocking him.

"I'm pretty sure I know more of this story than you do!"

My eyes slowly went up to meet his and I bit my bottom lip, hating his confidence. "I doubt that!"

"Isabelle!" Both my dad and my siblings exclaimed.

Snapping myself out of it, I looked away and finished my glass of wine. "Alright, I'll stop."

"Don't get my son wrong, darling," that's impossible. "It's his favorite book series. He accompanied its release since the first book, so he's quite the big fan." Genevieve intervened. "And he's just annoyed these days because the author probably died," that made me gasp my wine.

"Died?" I chuckled. "Do you really think he died?"

"Some people do. But I do not," Dimitri muttered annoyed. "And I'll find him and make him finish the last damn book. He can die afterwards."

Damn, imagine if he knew it was me. "I'm also angry at him for not releasing the 10th book," I exclaimed glaring at my father who looked away from me, avoiding my accusing gaze. It's all his fault. Sigh. "But I don't think it'll be a hiatus that will last forever. We never know. Maybe he had personal problems and just couldn't release it!"

He let out a disgusted sigh, "As a writer of such a famous series, he had the responsibility to publish the damn book three months ago! But no, he ignored his responsibilities. Whoever this man is, he has no sense of righteousness whatsoever. And he lost all my respect for that."

"What a loyal reader you are," I mocked and got back to eating, even though I felt my appetite disappearing.

"But, have none of you considered it to be a woman?" Mathis pointed and I held my urge to glare and stab him.

"Exactly," Jean, the scared aide, exclaimed. "I talked about this with His Grace, but he just didn't consider it."

"Of course, not," I muttered and their eyes came to me. "No woman would dare to write and publish a book in our male chauvinist society. They are all too afraid to give woman the option of showing them how smart we are, all scared of us overshadowing them. So, no, I do not think this writer is a woman," it's kind of painful to say this, but I can't say otherwise.

Dimitri, for once, agreed with me. "Same thoughts."

"But," Adrien began and I glared at him, "What if it is a woman? Would you still drag her out of her hiding spot and make her finish the last book?" Gods, what is he saying?

My eyes went to Dimitri and he seemed uncomfortable with the question. So, his mom spoke for him, "If it was a woman, which I also don't think it is, then maybe someone learned that she was the writer, and made it impossible for her to keep writing it." I held the urge to glared at my dad. "It would be difficult for her to keep writing if someone learned the truth, wouldn't it? Like, Belle said, our society is indeed against it!" She's even calling me by my nickname now?

Dad, who was uncomfortable with the topic, tried to change it, "Why is your hand bandaged, Belle?"

I clenched my jaw, "Oh, this? I fell on the ground of the garden and cut it somehow. When I realized, my hand was already bleeding!"

Dimitri's eyes traveled to mine and I grinned. If I told the truth, I would have to tell how I threatened his life. My dad would hate that, so, I opted for lying, of course.

"Don't worry about it, dad. I already took care of it and put on some medicine."

Suddenly, our steward, Raymond Marais, came inside and walked directly to me with a letter on his hands. "Your Highness," he greeted me. "Someone sent this letter to you." But what caught my attention was the cold sweat in his forehead, making me wary right away.

Getting up, ignoring everybody else, I exclaimed, "Follow me!"

Then I left the dinner table and headed to the indoor garden where Jade was. I'm sure neither of the Delacroix or Jean would go there, so it's the safest place at the moment.