Cinder X Bella: A LitRPG Adventure by Dakota Krout

Author:Dakota Krout [Krout, Dakota]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mountaindale Press
Published: 2025-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Lunch was a strained affair, though to Bella's surprise, Matringa didn't immediately call her out or punish her for the fight. Her older stepsister sat across the table, glaring at her… unless Bella met her eyes. Then she would flinch away and pretend to be studying something in the room with undivided attention.

Everyone seemed to be waiting with bated breath as Bebee ladled out the soup, serving the meal for the fractious family. Each person had a chunk of toast and salad, but only Bella began eating as soon as her portion was poured into her bowl. Each of the others dug in with their spoons but spent the first half minute pushing aside beans, searching for a single pea without avail. None of them found one, and she didn't miss how they glanced back and forth between each other as they came to realize she had succeeded in the task.

“Humm…” Matringa drummed the fingers of her left hand on the table, smiling over at Bella happily. “I'm so glad you were able to make the soup to my standards. Cattiva is most displeased when she has to suffer through eating that particular vegetable. Yet, I look forward to having cooked peas with dinner. That won't be a problem, will it?”

“Of course not, Stepmother. I was more than happy to make sure there was no pea in the pot.” Bella returned calmly, “Still, I made sure to separate them out and save them in a saucepan. Waste not, want not, as my father used to tell me.”

“Yes…” The drumming of her fingers continued, and Matringa took a deep breath. “On that note… your father.”

Now she had everyone's attention, and Signora Vigatori let out a long-suffering sigh as she stared up at the ceiling dramatically. “I've been waiting to make this announcement until we were able to come together as a family, and I think now is the time. Let's all support each other in this, but… the fact of the matter is, the head of our household continued on farther and farther to try and make his sales. He will be sailing with the Triste Mietitore. We anticipate his current journey could take another year, potentially a year and a half between the travel, sales, and building long-standing relationships in those communities.”

“That’s a-” Bella managed to catch herself before she called her stepmother out for lying, but as Matringa had been expecting an outburst, her stare was already piercing the younger woman.

“What is your issue, child?” Matringa hissed at her in great agitation. “Can I not get through one announcement without being interrupted? Go on! Tell me what is so important that I can't speak first in my own house.”

“I'm sorry, it's just… that's a… long time for him to be away. I just miss him, is all.” Bella finished lamely, not able to meet her stepmother's eyes for fear of saying what was truly on her mind.

“This is our life savings we're talking about. The entire fortune of House Vigatori is on the line.

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