Episode 19. How Much Did You Hear?

“For that to be the first thing you say the moment we meet, it can’t be a coincidence. What brings you all the way to a place like this, Miss Melosi?”

“You haven’t agreed to see me at all since that day.”

Kaiden let out a short, hollow laugh. Wiping his expression away in an instant, he asked with cold eyes, “So you followed me?”

Melosi lowered her shoulders and gave a bitter smile. Her light blue eyes, calm like a winter sky, dropped. “Followed you? I only wanted to spend time with my fiancé.”

“Oh, really? That fiancé doesn’t want that.”

With a cynical smile, Kaiden turned away from her. Melosi, stepping one pace closer, looked up anxiously at his back.

“Don’t be like this, Kaiden. I was wrong. I won’t play tricks on Lady Ford like that again.”

“……”

“But I also think it was wrong of you to open a lady’s letter without permission. Neither of us did well, so let’s make peace now, shall we?”

Kaiden glanced indifferently at the small hand she held out so plaintively. The fingertips, which looked as though they would snap with a tap, were trembling.

“Yes…? Please.”

Make peace.

Kaiden looked once at Melosi’s face. With eyes glistening with moisture, it was a face that looked as delicate and pure as the rumors said.

With that face, Melosi lowered her hand and gripped Kaiden’s sleeve tightly. Kaiden frowned. If she meant to stir up his sympathy, he had no intention of playing along.

“Sorry, but today you chose the wrong place.”

“…What?”

“There isn’t a single watching eye here. If you truly wanted reconciliation, you should have brought along at least one of the guards my father assigned.”

In a soft whisper laced with mockery, Kaiden passed the wide-eyed, flustered Melosi and walked to the cart. His deep, dark blue eyes skimmed the books lined up there one by one.

After a long while choosing, Kaiden stood before the counter as if nothing had happened.

“I’ll take this.”

The shop owner, quiet as a mouse, quickly finished the wrapping. Kaiden set a pouch of gold coins on the counter. Realizing it was hush money, the owner tried hard to refuse, but Kaiden left the bookstore with the man behind him.

He looked up along the raindrops; the sky was desolate.

A quiet wind blew from somewhere.

***

It was a quiet evening, as if all things had fallen into slumber. Under the rare, cloudless sky, crickets here and there released the cries they had held back.

Half-asleep, Brienne tossed and turned, then abruptly opened her eyes at a sudden sense of foreboding. She nearly screamed.

‘I’ve lost my mind…’

Why? How could she have fallen asleep like this?

The solid, log-like arm was still wrapped around her waist. Brienne glanced at Hereis’s sleeping face with wavering eyes. She had only meant to stay with him for a moment, but it seemed she had fallen asleep in his arms.

This is dangerous.

‘Better leave before he wakes up.’

Steeling herself, Brienne carefully began to move away from him. The moment she slipped free of his arm—

Hereis let out a pained groan.

“…Where are you going?”

He pulled her toward him, burying his face against her shoulder. At the sudden contact, Brienne froze, holding her breath.

Was he awake?

“……”

“Um, Young Duke…”

“……”

Keeping her tense, Hereis only let out the even breathing of someone asleep. The tension drained from Brienne.

‘Wow, this man…’

What a terrible sleeping habit. Not only did he hug a grown woman in his sleep, but he even held on as if telling her not to go. When she looked down at him in disbelief, a slight furrow appeared on his smooth forehead.

“…You bad man.”

Frowning in the same way, Brienne pressed her thumb against the space between his brows. She remembered how close she had come to losing her lips to this sweet face.

‘Why is he doing this to me?’

He’s Kaiden’s friend, of all people.

He must know better than anyone that she liked Kaiden.

Brienne studied his sleeping face as if to read his thoughts. Hereis’s fine features, beautiful enough to inspire admiration, were completely different from Kaiden’s cold impression. Above them, hair like silver thread glimmered faintly in the soft light.

The fireplace that had been blazing had died down, making the room a little dim.

As if possessed, she lifted her hand and stroked his hair. She had been curious since the first time she saw it, softer than she expected.

‘…Hmm.’

When she gently patted it, feeling like she was petting a dog, Hereis nuzzled into her hand. The way he sought affection even in sleep was… perhaps just an illusion of cuteness.

Lowering her hand, she checked the temperature of his cheek. Thinking he might still be cold, she found it warm, and decided his excuse for keeping her close had run its course.

Brienne carefully moved and at last succeeded in freeing herself.

Without delay, she left the room. Wondering how she would explain herself if she ran into someone, she was relieved to find the dark corridor empty.

‘…Strange. Is everyone asleep?’

Passing Shiloh’s room, she quietly opened the door to peek inside. Seeing him sprawled on the bed snoring, she reflexively slammed it shut.

Leaving Shiloh’s startled muttering behind, Brienne calmly descended the stairs. She planned to walk in the rear garden to settle her restless thoughts.

Passing through the door to the garden, the familiar scent of grass greeted her. She had wanted to come here first since her arrival—excluding the library—but the rain had kept her away for days.

She stepped down the short stone stairs and set her feet lightly on the grass. The sound of stepping on the damp lawn was amusing, and she took a few more steps when voices reached her from not far away.

“Have you found anything?”

“No, nothing. You?”

“Me neither…”

“Ha, so this place is a bust too.”

Startled, Brienne quickly hid behind a nearby acacia tree. Peeking through the leaves, she recognized the strange men she had seen that morning.

“Russel, don’t you think we set the search range wrong from the start? Are you sure the center of those people is definitely a noble family?”

“I’ve told you again and again, this is too big for a minor family. Seeing it come into Roeta means it has to involve a great house.”

Was that man’s name Zen? And the other, Russel? Narrowing her eyes, Brienne crouched lower. Even at a glance, it was a suspicious conversation.

“What good is knowing that? That damn storm made me lose the bag with my entire fortune! I can’t keep going around one territory after another. We’ve got no source of money.”

“We can’t go back to Roeta either! In that case, I’d rather take the dangerous option.”

“Dangerous option?”

“Yes, instead of targeting empty territories like now, we should go to the capital. The nobles of Rontiano all live there anyway. Let’s investigate them all at once.”

“…The capital? Not a bad idea. But what about money? Should we ask the lord here for help?”

“That would be nice, but would he agree? The amount we’d need to stay in the capital long-term is…”

“We saved his life, so this much of a favor should be fine. Favors exist to be used.”

Deciding there was nothing good to be gained from overhearing any more, Brienne turned to head back inside.

However…

“Wait, I think there’s a little rat around here…”

They must have heard her. Frozen in place, she watched as one of the men strode toward her and swept aside the acacia leaves hiding her face.

“…What, miss?”

A flicker of surprise crossed his face. Brienne stepped back, shaking her head quickly.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop! Really!”

“Your face is red enough to burst. Are you sick?”

“Huh…? Ah, no?”

Wasn’t he angry? Brienne covered her cheek in confusion. Zen narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Suspicious… very suspicious. A grown lady out in the garden alone at this hour. Did you arrange to meet that magician here?”

“Sir Zen…!”

Russel hurried over and stood between them.

“This is the daughter of the Marquis of Ford! The young lady of the house you’re staying in. Do you understand? Please, please show some respect…”

“Ah, right. Miss, if I startled you, my apologies. I thought someone was eavesdropping on us.”

Seeming to recall the matter at hand, Zen apologized awkwardly.

Brienne shook her head. “No, I happened to overhear your conversation without meaning to.”

“…Overheard?” Zen narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze even more intimidating.

Brienne shrank back. “Yes, though I didn’t hear everything…”

“That’s troublesome. How much did you hear?”

“That you were going to ask the lord for help.”

A moment of silence passed between them. Exchanging glances with Russel, Zen leisurely stroked his chin.

“Well, this works out nicely. Very nicely indeed.”