XV · ISABELLE

Isabelle Baudelaire's point of view

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BESIDE THE THREAT OF THE UNKNOWN noble, I had other things to deal with, which could help me avoid the guests in my home. Not to mention that I can't forget the fact that, I may still live with my family, since I'm not married yet, but I do have a territory to take care of, inside the Baudelaire Dukedom, and that is, the Chastain County. Because, besides being a Princess for being born the daughter of the Duke, I'm also a Countess, and that comes with lots of responsibilities.

And my aide, Sir Cédric Desormeaux, the third son of Earl Benoît and Countess Quincy Desormeaux, makes sure that I don't forget my duties. Opposite to Dimitri's relation with his aide, me and Cédric aren't what we call friends, he's too formal with me and is totally professional. Adrien, the one who scouted him for the job years ago, made sure that this would be how our relationship would go, once he didn't want any rumors about me and Cédric going around and making the way people see me get worse.

I never really cared though. As long as he helps me with my duties and don't allow me to slack off, I'm fine. So, I told him to leave me alone for three days when we came to Desmoulins, and focus on his own family, since he's now engaged to Lady Josephine Haillet, the second daughter of Viscountess Clementine Haillet.

When the three days passed, he was already on my toes for me to get back to work. Especially because by being on Desmoulins, I would have lots of particular reunions with other nobles from the south, west, and southwest, to make some alliances. Seeing as, even though they might not enjoy my overbearing presence, they can't let it go away an opportunity to get an alliance with a Baudelaire.

Thanks to that, I was able to avoid the Delacroix for three days, which was definitely a victory. "Your Highness, tonight will happen a ball in your father's manor, I take that you are aware of it, right?"

Putting down the pen I was signing some papers with, I sighed, exhausted. Today, to avoid Dimitri who wakes up too early, I came to my office at 5 am and began working, and when Cédric came, around 6 am, he already gave me more than a thousand of papers to read and sign. And I didn't even eat today, and it's almost 6 pm already.

He really is ruthless, damn it.

"Yes. I'm aware of that, Cédric. My dad and Genevieve Delacroix told me about it on all the occasions we met during those three days," he gave me a mug with coffee, as a way to show he cares for me. "Thank you, but I think I'll need more three of those to be energetic in the ball!"

He chuckled lightly. "I'll bring it to you. Just finish this one first. So, are you also aware that it'll be a masquerade ball?"

"A... A what?"

"I knew you wouldn't pay attention to it. When it comes to balls you always stop listening after you hear the word 'ball'," he knows me. "Thankfully, I talked to Her Grace, retired Duchess Genevieve Delacroix, yesterday when I went to get your lunch, and I asked her to take care of you dress and mask!"

"You are an angel!" I exclaimed and drank all the mug in one go. Then I handed it to him. "More, please."

"Princess, you know you shouldn't drink so much caffeine, right?!" He advised me but got me another full mug of it, "You are naturally hyperactive and anxious, when you drink so much caffeine you get worse. And you overdo it every day!"

I rolled my eyes, "I'll ignore the fact that you just deliberately insinuated that I loose control of myself every day," then I drank all the coffee again, then asked for more and he gave me. "But I really need this small dose of caffeine today, Cédric."

"Small?" He mocked.

"You know what I meant!"

Sighing, he glared at me, "Because you will have to meet His Grace, Duke Dimitri Delacroix, and he's impossible and makes you lose your mind and crave to strangle him?"

"How did you know?" I asked smiling while finishing the third mug of coffee.

"Let me see..." he pretended to ponder. "Maybe it's because since you arrived in Desmoulins you kept cursing him. Every paper you signed, you signed with a furious grin on, and kept telling me how terrible he is. Oh, and how much you wanted to kill him as well!"

That made me chuckle, "I guess I did that, didn't I? Alright," I signed the last paper, gave it to him, and got up!

"Don't forget. You have to dance at least five times, and try to talk with the nobles I told you about. I won't be able to be with you all the time, because as I told you, I'll be accompanying my fiancée. So, please, for your own good, behave!" Annoying.

"You sound like my dad and Adrien," it was an offense, but of course, he took it as a compliment.

"Maybe it's because they are in their right mind!"

"Are you insinuating I am not?"

"Yes!" Always so straightforward... That's why I like to work with him, rather than others. He doesn't care about shouting the truth in my face.

"Alright, Cédric, I'll do my best. Now let's go, the ball will start at 7 pm, and none of us have started getting ready yet!" He didn't seem bothered by that.

"It's not like you've ever arrived on time in a ball." He's right again. "And, do not be a wallflower! I beg you, try interacting. I know you think they are all rude superficial assholes, but just... try it, okay? Oh, and please, don't fight with anyone, because thanks to some rumors going around, people are already expecting you to make a fuss with Duke Dimitri!" How amusing, it seems like my maids really gossip as much as I imagined.

I glared at him and he glared back. "Fine!"

"One more thing! Don't drink too much. Let's time you got drunk, you cursed at more than twelve nobles, and I had to deal with the problem you caused," I sulked to that.

"It's not my fault if they were badmouthing me!"

"Just... don't go overboard with the alcohol tonight."

"You know how annoying you are?"

He giggled. "It's for your sake!"

Sigh. "Okay, Cédric. Damn it. I'll try not to drink so much."

Smiling in victory, he left and I went to my chambers. Already hearing all the noise down there. I'll do my best to be the boldest version of myself tonight.

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When I promised myself to be bolder tonight, I didn't expect Genevieve to actually choose a bold dress for me to wear. It's not necessarily what I would use, but totally my mom's style, so I decided not to complaint, knowing she did it with her best intentions.

She's been trying to get closer to us, and she was able to do just that with my siblings, but not me. I blame her son for that. And my work, but at least she helped me with the dress regardless.

Back to the dress, it's long and made of white and gold silk, with diamonds, naked back, sleeveless, and fits like a glove in my body, marking all of my clothes. Not to mention that the high-heels are of the same colors of the dress, and are almost 6 inches tall each. I'll be very close to my brothers' height with this huge thing.

Is she trying to make me look like a giant? Although I would make a really sensual giant. That thought made me laugh in the mirror. It was almost 8 pm already, and I hadn't even started styling my hair or getting my make up done.

When I heard a knock on the door, I opened right away, thinking it were my maids, but I saw Mathis and Genevieve there instead. "Shouldn't you two be down there?" I asked confused.

"Shouldn't you?" They retorted back at me, in sync.

"Yes. But I lost track of the time while working. Cédric, that tyrant, only left me off the hook when I was done," I cursed and they giggled. "I'm waiting for my maids," then I saw them entering the hallways and heading to my chambers. "Here they are. Come girls, I still need to get my hair and make-up done!"

To my surprise, Genevieve was using a ball gown on the same colors as mine, but hers were way more puffy and full of laces on the skirt. Not my style, but it fits her quite beautifully.

While my brother was in black and gold, and actually looking like a Marquis for once.

They all got inside and Mathis locked the door for no one else to get in. "Sister, you are outstanding in this dress. You should dress up like this more often. I'm sure you will make even the most willingly mad fall to your knees."

"Like my son," she exclaimed and I cursed seeing that the maids' eyes widened when they heard that.

"No, thank you. I'm not looking for that. And just physical beauty isn't enough to hold a man, Mathis. You should know this! Besides, the last person in the world I would want to fall to his knees for me, is your son, aunt Genevieve. Don't get me wrong, but I would rather see that happening if it was the moment, I killed him!" I grinned and both her and maids chuckled hearing that.

"You look just like your mother," she giggled.

I rolled my eyes. "I look nothing like my mom, aunt. I'm sure of that. Have you seen my dad? I'm his spitting image!"

"No dear, you may have his characteristics and that stubbornness of his, but you are just like your mother!" I sat straight and closed my eyes, letting the girls begin my make-up. "Use whiter tones of silver and gold to match her dress. And also put some dark pink lipstick on those full lips of hers, she'll be stunning."

I sensed the maids' heads turning to me, "You can do as she says. She knows more about make-up than I do. Not to mention that she's the one who chose my dress!" They made an agreement sound. "And Mathis! Don't you dare to snoop around my things! If you touch anything, I'll cut your hands off."

My aggressiveness didn't surprise anyone, not even Dimitri's mom, once she seemed to be used to it already, "Don't worry, sister. I'll just lay on your bad and watch you getting ready. You're lucky you are so beautiful, to the point that it's pleasant to just watch you dolling yourself up!"

"Ha..." I mocked. "Don't be a kiss ass, Mathis Baudelaire. That isn't like you!" He chuckled.

"Alright, I'm just trying to look for some other books in your shelves," now he's being honest. "The Lady in my heart like some other titles you possess here!"

I scoffed, "Feel free to read them, then. But if you damage any of them, I'll cut your stomach open!"

"Gods, Isabelle, why are you such a savage?"

"Not like you are a saint either, Mathis!"

"This way you won't find a husband," there he goes again. I'm already tired of everyone using this silly argument every time I jokingly threaten their live and it's not funny anymore, it's annoying!

As if I would ever change my gracious personality to groom a man! They don't know me at all if they really think that's what I should do. Especially when I can just groom them with my money.

After all, I'm probably, alone, as rich as my dad is, thanks to my books. Their fame worldwide and not only in the Kingdom made of them, my personal mine gold. And although I didn't right for money or anything like that, the gold I got from it, it's extremely welcome.

Thanks to Addy, who made an anonymous bank account for me to put it all on my name, and helped me taking care of my money as well as my books, I was able to gather it all without anyone knowing about me being the author Florea Athanasian! So, yes, I'm incredibly rich. But not even dad knows about that, and I also haven't even spend 5% of my fortune, since people would focus their attention on me if I started spending a huge amount of the gold, only Adrien and Mathis are aware I have.

And if you put it together with my monthly fat allowance given by my dad, and all the fortune I possess as a Countess, I'm probably the richest person in the Kingdom after the Royal family! As Mathis isn't that great with numbers, he doesn't know that, but Adrien does. Maybe that's one of the reasons he's always so worried about me, because he fear people will learn about it and try something against me.

For you to have an idea, I could even buy the right to become a Duchess and make my county and independent dukedom as my dad's territory is. But that would be extremely troublesome. Not to mention that I would became a Duchess, plus having to pick nobles to serve me as a Marquis, Earl, Viscount, and Baron.

The responsibilities would be too bothersome for my taste.

Adrien once considered the possibility, but I shut him down right away. I'm a carefree person. I already kind of despise my responsibilities as a Countess, if were to become a new Duchess, I would have to manage an entire new territory, and it would mean losing my beloved freedom, which has already been cut to it's half since I assumed my position as the head of a County!

"I won't talk with you about this again. I've already told you I do not intend to marry for love. Therefore, my attitudes won't matter. He just needs to be someone I'll be able to deal with, of noble status, and who is after a convenience marriage. It won't be that hard," it's good to say this now, so the maids can gossip and spread it around.

"Tsk. How helpless."

I felt hands touching my hair and I stopped moving my head. "Then, if it's a convenience marriage, wouldn't my son be a good option, darling?" Genevieve asked again, and I sighed annoyed.

"Unless you want one of us to be found dead in our honeymoon, after being brutally murdered by the other, then yes!" I mocked and everybody went amusingly silent as I got ready.