Episode 20. Anonymous Gift

“Well, isn’t this convenient?”

Convenient? What part of this was?

At that ominous voice, Brienne’s eyes darted nervously.

“J-Just a moment. I think I might be able to help.”

“Help?”

“Yes, Zen… right? I heard you saved my father.”

“Oh, the lord said that?”

“Of course, you told me yourself in the carriage.”

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Zen lifted one corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“Ah, so you heard exactly how I saved him?”

“…No.”

When Brienne shook her head, Zen, who had been holding back a laugh, burst out boisterously.

“Well, it’s probably better you don’t know. Isn’t that right, Russel?”

Wiping away tears of laughter, Zen sought his companion’s agreement. Russel, looking at him with disdain, let out a sigh.

“Yes, I suppose so. Things are getting stranger by the minute.”

“What’s strange about it? They’re offering to help first. Come on, miss, come and sit here.”

Hesitating, Brienne eventually stepped forward. When she sat on the rock Zen pointed to, he crouched down in front of her.

“So, will you really help us?”

“…Yes. How much do you need?”

With a sly grin, Zen held up three fingers, then drew two circles beside them.

“Three hundred.”

It was the kind of gesture you’d see in a back alley black market. Russel covered his forehead in dismay. Brienne looked down at Zen with an incredulous expression, and he shrugged.

“What’s with that look? Is it too much?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Well, that’s good. Anyway, we need that much. All in gold coins. Preferably shiny new ones, if you can manage it. You get what I mean?”

Somehow feeling like an accomplice in an illicit deal, Brienne nodded.

Three hundred wasn’t too excessive. It was a reward she would have planned to give anyway for saving her father.

“Alright. But before that, I want to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Who are you?”

Their manner of speaking, their appearance… Brienne already knew they were from Roeta. Narrowing her eyes, she looked back and forth between the two men suspiciously. Russel, flustered, avoided her gaze and cleared his throat loudly.

“Ahem, I’m not sure what you mean…”

“Don’t play dumb. I’m asking why people from the Holy Kingdom of Roeta are secretly investigating Rontiano.”

“Investigating? That’s a misunderstanding! We’re just travelers enjoying a trip. And yes, Rontiano is part of our travels.”

“Lies. I clearly heard you talking about noble families, saying you should investigate the nobles who live in the capital. I heard everything.”

“Th-that’s…”

With Brienne’s pointed remark leaving no room to escape, Russel let out a sigh and looked to Zen. When Zen gave a slight nod of permission, Russel spoke with a serious face.

“…Miss Brienne, have you heard of the heretics spreading in Roeta?”

“Heretics?”

“Yes. The ones who choose Demekia Temple and set it on fire. They claim that with the times changing, religion should change too.”

The name stirred faint recognition. Demekia Temple… wasn’t that the state religion at the foundation of the Holy Kingdom of Roeta? She clearly remembered reading in the papers that it oversaw not only Roeta Academy but also the Mage’s Guild.

“No, I’ve never heard of it. What does that have to do with Rontiano?”

“We’ve identified the heretics’ base of operations as Rontiano. We even captured a group trying to slip in disguised as exchange students from Roeta Academy.”

Stowing away on a ship? In this day and age, illegal immigration? Even without knowing the details, Brienne could tell it was serious. Seeing her expression darken, Russel lowered his voice further.

“As you may have guessed, we are an investigative team sent to find their base. But as you know, Rontiano has no state religion.”

Russel was right. Unlike the Holy Kingdom of Roeta, with its gods and mythology, Rontiano was a land where each noble house revered a different animal.

“That’s true…”

After a moment’s thought, Brienne stood and pointed to the rock she had been sitting on.

“In that case, do you two know what this is?”

Both men’s eyes followed her gesture to the rock. Zen, who had been quiet, tilted his head.

“What, this was a statue…? Why does this owl look so resentful?”

He raised his large hand and tapped the owl statue’s head. At that moment, Russel glanced up at the tapestry hanging on the rear wall of Ford Castle and muttered in realization.

“…Ah, I see. Noble houses of the Rontiano Empire are each represented by an animal symbol. To sit carelessly on the Ford family’s symbol… I apologize. Sir Zen didn’t know and acted rudely.”

“What?”

Startled, Zen quickly pulled his hand away from the statue. His prominent Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard.

Brienne gave him a small smile. “It’s fine. It’s only an old custom. But Russel, you’re correct. Rontiano reveres animals instead of gods, as befits a people descended from tribes that once worshipped different beasts.”

“Then that means…”

“If those heretics really did originate in Rontiano, it would help to look for animals mentioned in their doctrine. As you said, Russel, they’ll certainly be connected to a noble house.”

“…Animals, you say.”

Russel nodded, a bright light appearing in his eyes.

“This is truly valuable information. I will never forget this favor.”

***

The next morning, Brienne went straight to find her father. She intended to keep her promise to Zen and also check on her father’s condition.

“Brienne! You must have been so tired yesterday… No matter how many times I called you for dinner, you didn’t come down.”

“Ah, dinner…?”

“Yes. The maid said she knocked several times without an answer, so I almost went to wake you myself but decided not to. Since the physician examined you, you’re clearly not ill. I thought you must have been sleeping soundly.”

Meeting her father’s worried gaze, Brienne gave an awkward smile. Thankfully, his dislike for entering her room without permission had covered for what happened last night.

“Yes. I was quite, very, tired… But Father, I have a request.”

“Hm?”

Brienne got straight to the point. She explained that Zen and Russel had somehow lost their money and, in the end, had saved someone. Naturally, she did not mention that they were secretly investigating heretics.

“I understand. That’s not a difficult request.”

“Really?”

“Yes. In fact, I was planning to give them anything they wanted, in addition to their reward. Don’t worry, Brienne. I’ll personally see to it.”

“That’s wonderful! Thank you.”

“Now then, tell me. Did anything interesting happen yesterday with Young Duke Belif?”

At the mischievous question, a faintly awkward smile formed on Brienne’s face. Should she say he had confessed to her? After a brief hesitation, she shook her head.

“No, nothing like that.”

“Oh, really…? Then I’ll have to ask you again to look after the young duke’s treatment today.”

“What? Is the physician still unwell?”

To entrust her with Hereis’s care again? Brienne looked at her father suspiciously.

Damon nodded gravely. “Yes, it’s truly worrying.”

“With so many patients? Couldn’t we call another physician…”

“That won’t do! Ahem… What I mean is, you only need to focus on Young Duke Belif, my dear.”

Placing a hand on her shoulder, Damon smiled shamelessly. It was a secret to Brienne that the physician had visited at dawn, treated everyone, and left.

“That’s far too suspicious.”

“What’s suspicious about it?”

“Alright, I suppose I have no choice. Though it’s clear what you’re plotting…”

Seeing the expectation written all over her father’s face, Brienne reluctantly nodded. Just then—

Knock, knock.

“Marquis, it’s me.”

“Oh, come in!”

The castle steward entered the office. He handed Brienne a parcel wrapped in brown paper.

“A gift has arrived for you, my lady.”

“A gift? Who sent it?”

Brienne looked down at the parcel with a puzzled expression.

“It’s a book?”

“It came anonymously. There was a card inside, but upon inspection, it turned out to be just a romance novel. I assumed it was from someone who knows you, so I’ve brought it to you.”

Anonymous? Brienne’s expression tightened slightly. In the noble society of Rontiano, there were occasionally those who sent anonymous gifts with ill intent.

Seeing her tense, Damon added reassuringly, “A romance novel, is it? Whoever it is must know your tastes well. Go on, open it.”

At his urging, Brienne reluctantly unwrapped the parcel. Inside was a book with a pink cover. As she lifted it out, a black card fluttered to the floor.

‘…Black?’

Frowning at the familiar color, she accepted the card from the steward. Brienne thanked him with a nod and opened it immediately.

[Thought you might like this.]

Her eyes trembled as she stared at the handwriting on the white card.

Familiar handwriting. Familiar words.

‘…Kaiden.’

Her hand shook as she held the card. The steward, noticing her sudden change of expression, asked worriedly, “My lady, is something wrong…”

“No, it’s nothing. Thank you for bringing it.”

Forcing a smile, Brienne slipped the card between the pages of the book.

Damon, reading the situation from her expression, sprang to his feet. “Oh no… I suspected, and indeed it’s from Young Duke Bannon! And only now does he send word!”

“…Ah, no. It’s nothing like that. I’ll be going now.”

Shaking her head awkwardly, Brienne offered a brief farewell and turned to leave. She hurried out of the office, her father’s voice calling her name still reaching her as she climbed the stairs two at a time. She ignored it.

Even opening and closing her hands repeatedly did nothing to stop the trembling.

Why now? Why, after all this time?

Kaiden, who hadn’t given her the slightest notice about his engagement, now chose to send this, along with such words.

…Thought you might like this.

The one sentence she had once loved most in the world. The warmest words.

It had been the first line in every letter that came with a gift from Kaiden. Days when she secretly smiled at that casual phrase. Times she took out his letters whenever she felt down, heart fluttering again.

For just one sentence, it was far too delicate. In ten years, there hadn’t been a single gift from him that didn’t start that way.

[Don’t doubt it. Wear a white dress.]

With just two lines, Brienne bit her lip hard to hold back her emotions. To be honest, she had thought Kaiden might be apologizing.

But there wasn’t a single word to that effect. Instead, there was the casual assumption that she would, of course, attend his engagement ceremony.

And that unwanted kindness, as if he could see her face struggling to find someone to ask about it.

She thought it was all far too much. How could someone be so cruel to a person who had done nothing?

Brienne wiped away the tears welling up with the back of her hand.

As always, just as he asked, she wrote no reply.