Chapter 55: Standing too close
While Belle prepared for her first training session, Mia burst into her room unannounced, causing Belle to let out a startled shriek.
"Belle! I have good and bad news!" Mia exclaimed as she hurried to Belle’s side, her eyes alight with excitement. Belle couldn’t help but be curious. What could have made Mia so joyful? If they were at the Duke’s estate, Belle might have guessed easily, but life at the castle had been different. Mia had changed, too, more polished and composed, though Belle missed the carefree closeness they once shared.
"Good news first," Belle decided, folding her arms as she waited. Mia took a deep breath before smiling broadly.
"The good news is that I have been assigned a trainer, too, so we can train together and carry out our plan to torment Quinn. The bad news..." She paused dramatically, her excitement faltering. "He’s your trainer."
Belle’s eyes widened in dismay. Of all the elite forces in the castle, why did it have to be him? Was it some scheme on his part, or could Mia have misheard the information?
"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Belle questioned, her worry etched across her face. But Mia remained unfazed, shrugging off her concern. She understood Belle’s reluctance, she didn’t want to hurt Quinn, she only wanted to be free of him. But how could she achieve that without confronting him fully?
"The King himself summoned me," Mia explained. "He told me to stay with you during training, day and night. He doesn’t trust Quinn not to try anything, though apparently, Quinn has promised to stop chasing you."
Belle scoffed, catching only the last part of Mia’s explanation. "Stop chasing me?" She repeated incredulously, her voice dripping with disbelief. "That man? Give me a break." She shook her head, her disdain apparent. So much for a man who wouldn’t quit, he certainly knew how to play his cards.
Her gaze darkened as she made a sudden decision. "Fine. Let’s carry out our plan. I am in." Her tone was steely, and her eyes glimmered with a calculated determination. If Quinn wanted to play games, she would join in, but on her terms. She wasn’t just going to toy with him, she planned to make him feel every ounce of pain he had caused her.