The Crown's Entrapment

Chapter 703  Still Painful

"No!!!!"

Bella jolted awake from her sleep as she raised her body to sit on her bed. She was panting hard, her body bathed in her own sweat as she looked outside. It was still dark out, but the moonlight shined brightly on her balcony.

She sighed to herself. It had been a while since she last dreamt of what happened that night when she lost the man she loved. Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but lift the corners of her lips. Somehow, that dream was both sweet and nightmarish at the same time.

"At least I'm able to see him again even if it's only in a dream…"

She weakly whispered to herself as she thoughtfully grabbed onto the bright red flower hairpin currently on her head. Biting her lower lip, she almost tasted blood as she once again felt that same excruciating pain stabbing her inside her chest. Tears started running down her cheeks, and she hastily wiped them away as she let out another sigh.

Every day was a constant struggle for her, and it took her a few long months before she finally started moving forward. Really, if it wasn't for her sister-in-law waking her up to reality, she might not even be in the world of the living anymore. Indeed, she lost Osman, but she still had her family that worried about her… The family that she also loved with all her heart…

"Ah, Poona... When do you think I'll stop crying whenever I think of him?" she throatily murmured.

[You won't… We won't…] her inner wolf weakly responded. [Let's just stay strong and keep on moving on.]

Bella nodded in agreement as she wiped away the remaining tears from her face. Fixing up, she properly wore her hairpin as she styled her hair into a bun.

She then got up from her bed and put on her robe before walking outside to her balcony. Looking out the horizon, the sun was about to rise. And like her usual routine, she would stay for a while to witness it rising first hand. It served as a reminder to her of how Osman would be happy to know that she was facing another morning with positivity in her. Well, wherever he was, she was sure he'd approve.

Still, it had been a year already. A lot had already changed, especially in their kingdom. There were ups and downs, but they were blessed with good rulers such as their King and Queen who managed to keep their subjects and territory safe, secure, and prosperous.

"Ah, another day to be grateful for," she hummed to herself as she began her usual stretches. She then prepared her coffee and comfortably sat on her chair to witness the sunrise peeking out the horizon.

[Are we going to visit the store first or should we directly head to the castle and see the twins?] Poona excitedly inquired.

"Let's go to the store first," Bella hummed. "I can't wait anymore to see how my sister Jayra and big brother Bartos would react once they see how well my business is doing."

Apparently, her sister-in-law and brother were coming to see her after weeks of being away finishing up various tasks around the borders of their kingdom. It would be nice to surprise them with how well she was doing despite only having been open for a few days.

With her mind made up, she decided to have an early breakfast with her parents before proceeding to the store. Making her way to the storefront, she smiled upon seeing how everyone was already lining up for her wares.

"Good morning, Lady Bella," everyone greeted her with a curt nod as she entered the store.

Bella smiled back in return. As was customary for a business owner, she had servants who were helping her out with the store. She was there simply to supervise and check on their stock of commodities before she was free to go out if there weren't any pressing matters.

Doing her usual routine, Bella was surprised to see Lady Lena entering her store. It was the first time Calypso's adopted sister ever visited the store. They weren't close, but they had already formally met and introduced themselves to one another during the masquerade ball that her sister-in-law surprisingly arranged for her as a late celebration of her birthday.

Staring at the lady, Bella just couldn't help but notice how Lena looked like Helena, the Queen Fairy from Element Forest. The Queen already told her that was why she had given the name of Lena to her, however, the Fairy Queen had long curly waist-length pink-purplish hair as opposed to what Lena was sporting now. Actually, besides her face, the two personas were wholly different from one another. Then again, the Fairy Queen literally exuded color with her yellow-brown and light-blue faded wings and pointy ears. Meanwhile, the woman before her now was simply an ordinary human.

[Do you think Osman will fall for her if he's here?] Poona humorously teased.

Bella inwardly snarled at her own wolf. Surely, Osman wouldn't fall for the woman. Either way, she'd make sure that her man would only have eyes on her!

But just as she felt the fire in her rise, she sighed deeply at the thought of Osman as she quietly bit on her lower lip. She didn't have to do this to herself that morning. It was best that she focused more on the present than the past.

"Good morning, Lady Bella," Lena greeted her with her beautiful smile.

Quickly, Bella composed herself. "Lady Lena," she greeted back with a wide smile.

"Milady, I've heard a lot of positive feedback about your store, and I want to buy some products so that my brother and sister-in-law can try them," Lena eagerly stated.

Hearing the woman's intentions, Bella immediately walked towards her and guided her through her store as she introduced all of the products that she was selling.

"Is this the Os's Coffee beans?" Lena hummed as Bella led her to the ground coffee beans.

"Yes, and they taste quite good," Bella beamed as she handed her acquaintance a sample of the ground beans. "They're quite fine, yes? If you want, I can prepare a sample for you to taste." She then immediately pulled Lena inside the stockroom where she had a private pantry with a balcony. "Please sit and make yourself comfortable. This won't take long."

"Oh there's a great view from here," Lena hummed as she took her seat. She then looked out of the balcony and asked, "That's the Moonlight Sea, right? There are so many private boats... I heard the Queen wanted to make it a tourist spot that all Cordonians can enjoy for relaxation and pleasure."

"Yes, it is. I love the view of the sea, and I really can't wait for that particular project to be completed," Bella hummed as her eyes lingered on the view of the sea. It was Osman's idea and everything Osman had left behind… His previous projects for Cordon's advancements in many aspects were continued by the Queen. Of course, she was also taking part in its progress and implementation.

"By the way, I'm curious," Lena casually hummed. "Why did you name your coffee Os?"

Bella's lips stretched into a bright and wide smile upon hearing Lena's question. Without any hesitation, she proudly declared, "To honor the one that actually gave me those beans in the first place. For the man who introduced me to coffee… His name is Osman… The man I love…"

"Oh, I see… He's lucky to have a beautiful and talented woman like you then, Lady Bella," Lena sincerely complimented. She then frowned as she mumbled, "That name sounds familiar to me though… I believe I already heard it from somewhere…"

Bella didn't comment and simply gave the woman a timid smile as she finished brewing the coffee and served it to Lena. She quickly composed herself and stretched her lips into a beautiful smile and quickly opened another subject as she said, "Tell me, Lady Lena, how is it going so far in the Midnight Pack? I heard you've been learning some spells from Master Kasper. I'm honestly interested in learning from Master Kasper too…"

She was just glad that Lena no longer bothered to ask more about Osman. Not that she didn't want to talk about Osman but… it was still painful for her, thinking about him… about the past, and how she lost him in a tragic way.