Episode 5. Uninvited Guest

In this weather, for someone to come all the way here, for the steward to be flustered and call them a visitor…

‘…Kaiden?’

That thought made her bolt upright. Before anyone could stop her, Brienne rushed out of the dining room.

“Brienne…!”

Startled, Olivia rose and called after her, but Brienne didn’t hear a thing. There were too many things she wanted to say to Kaiden.

Did you really date Melosi Bailey for three years? Then that day… what did it mean, when you said the only person you wanted was me?

Brienne ran straight to the door and threw it open.

A large shadow loomed over her.

“…You are…”

But it wasn’t Kaiden.

Soaking silver hair from the rain. Dark gray eyes looking down quietly. Their eyes met for several seconds.

Catching her breath, Brienne stared blankly at that angelic face, then realized who he was.

‘…Hereis Belif.’

It was their first time facing each other this closely, but after hearing Shiloh’s story just moments ago, she couldn’t not know.

“Why are you here…”

At that moment, a bright smile spread across Hereis’s face. His expression, so striking against the gloomy weather, left Brienne momentarily speechless.

“Are you disappointed it’s me?”

“…What?”

“Were you perhaps waiting for someone else?”

“What do you…?”

Brienne’s light green eyes wavered. Flustered and unable to respond, her cheeks flushed red. It wasn’t from affection, of course.

Embarrassment. Regret.

A dawning awareness of reality.

Hereis Belif—wasn’t he Kaiden’s closest friend? The thought made her step back immediately. Even if it was just a misunderstanding, that beautiful face suddenly felt dangerous.

‘…What is this?’

Brienne looked up at Hereis with wary eyes. But before she could fully grasp the situation, the Marquis of Ford came rushing over.

“Well, if it isn’t the Young Duke Belif! What brings you here in this weather…?”

Seizing the moment, Brienne quietly stepped aside. Hereis Belif bowed politely.

“Greetings, Marquis Ford. I was passing through Ford territory on business for the merchant guild, but my carriage wheel broke. I had no choice but to seek your assistance.”

“A merchant guild? You were running a carriage in weather like this?”

Damon glanced behind him in confusion. Several servants who appeared to be porters were indeed carrying loads in both arms.

“Yes, I didn’t expect the rain to pour this much. In the Holy Kingdom of Roeta, it hardly ever rains, so this was my mistake. Marquis, I realize it’s rude, but might I shelter here until the rain passes?”

As he finished speaking, Hereis brushed his wet hair back. Damon, momentarily stunned by his appearance, finally opened his mouth.

“My daughter is currently recuperating, so we are not receiving guests. But I’ll have a new carriage prepared immediately…”

Flash.

Boom!

But the thunder didn’t allow Damon to finish. The downpour grew heavier. Looking at Hereis in soaked clothes, Damon felt conflicted. Even a drowned rat wouldn’t be this wet.

“…Is it truly too much to ask?”

At that, Hereis lowered his head with a bitter smile. The Marquis couldn’t help but admire him. Even in that state, his beauty couldn’t be concealed. He began to understand how that navy-haired mage Shiloh mentioned must have felt.

At the same time, one thought flashed through Damon’s mind.

Wasn’t it said that the best way to forget someone was through someone else? In his mind, Kaiden—who had hurt his daughter—was already disqualified as a son-in-law. And now, the appearance of a man like Hereis Belif might be just the catalyst Brienne needed.

‘To think, such a fine man standing here in the rain…’

Having done the mental math, Damon quickly stepped aside with a friendly face.

“Oh no, of course not. There’s no reason it should be too much. You’re welcome to rest here until the rain lets up. Someone, please show the Young Duke to a guest room!”

At that sudden decision, only Brienne scowled.

***

The unexpected appearance of Young Duke Belif brought the long dinner to an end. Back in her room, Brienne stared out the window with a suspicious gaze.

That man who asked so casually, smiling faintly. That question he slipped in as if he could see straight through her heart in a single instant.

“Are you disappointed it’s me? Were you perhaps waiting for someone else?”

Someone she was waiting for…

The person Brienne had been waiting for never showed. Maybe it was because it had only been a day since she heard about Kaiden’s engagement. Still, if Kaiden had even a shred of care for her, she believed he would have sent some message before the day ended.

‘…But contact? Nothing.’

Another day was coming to an end, and there was still no word from Kaiden. Brienne pressed her forehead against the windowpane and stared at the spot where Hereis had stood. Thinking of that moment again left a bitter feeling.

Why had he asked that kind of question? Sensing unspoken feelings and calling them out wasn’t something to be thankful for.

Especially considering who the person was.

‘Will that man tell Kaiden?’

Brienne Ford has been waiting desperately for you. Isn’t it laughable, thinking a man engaged to someone else would show up? What kind of woman doesn’t even have her pride?

So lacking in dignity, she rushed out like a dog to greet me…

“…Ha.”

Brienne bit her lip and shook her head. She was sick of hurting herself by imagining things that hadn’t even been said. She knew it was a bad habit, but at times like this, her thoughts spiraled negatively and slipped beyond her control.

‘Calm down, Brienne. Nothing has happened.’

That man has nothing to do with me. He just came here to ask for help. Maybe he’s not like the ones who talk behind my back.

…And even if he does tell Kaiden, the worst it would bring is a little humiliation.

Barely managing to take a deep breath, Brienne turned to face the door. Rather than torment herself with anxious thoughts, she figured it might be better to just ask him directly.

“…Marie, could you bring a bottle of wine?”

“Pardon? Wine?”

Marie, who had been tidying up Brienne’s bed, looked startled. Brienne smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Yeah. I just remembered that Shiloh asked for some wine earlier to drink with Young Duke Belif.”

“Ah…! Understood!”

A bright look spread across Marie’s face, but Brienne, deep in thought, didn’t notice. Even as Marie ran off like a shot and returned not with a single bottle but a whole basket of wine, Brienne was still staring down at the spot where Hereis Belif had stood.

***

“Seriously, drinking like this, the three of us? Are you for real?”

Dragged away from his solo drinking, Shiloh looked bewilderedly at Brienne.

Sitting right next to him, Brienne set the wine basket on the table and whispered, “You said you were schoolmates with Young Duke Belif. I still want to hear the rest of those academy stories. Don’t you?”

“Well, I mean, it’s not that I don’t want to…”

Shiloh groaned and glanced sideways at Hereis. He had made all sorts of comments about Hereis earlier under the influence of alcohol, but truthfully, they weren’t close enough to be clinking glasses together like this.

And yet, that very same Hereis Belif…

“This wine… I’ve never seen it before. Is it from Roeta?”

“Yes, it’s a specialty product shipped to my father. It may not compare to the wines of the Belif dukedom, but I hope it suits your taste.”

He was smiling brilliantly, eyes fixed solely on Brienne. Shiloh watched his sister with troubled eyes. He couldn’t just leave a grown man and woman alone in the same room, so he had agreed to Brienne’s request, but he couldn’t read her intentions.

“To be honest, Young Duke, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

But Brienne wasn’t exactly thrilled by the situation either. Forcing a smile, she reached toward the wine basket.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask right away?”

“Go ahead. Anything.”

“Why did you… come all the way out here?”

Brienne’s awkward expression barely masked her suspicion. Glancing at her, Hereis leaned back on the sofa with a light smile.

“As I said earlier.”

Was it truly just a broken carriage wheel? A slight crease formed between Brienne’s brows.

“Please don’t lie. Shiloh told me a wheel like that could easily be fixed with magic.”

“What…? When did I ever—?”

She said it so confidently, but it was a lie. Shiloh’s eyes widened in disbelief as he whispered frantically. But Brienne shamelessly watched Hereis’s reaction.

“Is that so?”

Hereis gestured to his attendant waiting in the back. The man bowed deeply and brought out some wine glasses from somewhere. With a soft smile, Hereis tipped the bottle and poured into the glass.

“If my visit seemed suspicious, I apologize. But I wasn’t lying. While I can fix a wheel with magic, I can’t do anything about the weather.”

Brienne narrowed her eyes at the wine glass he handed her. Though Hereis looked at ease, seemingly with nothing to hide, it only made her more cautious.

There might be something hidden behind that smile. After pouring for Shiloh, Hereis reached toward Brienne’s glass, but she stopped him.

“…Please. Let me pour for you.”

Could she win against this man with alcohol?

Expecting honest answers from someone she barely knew was foolish. It would be quicker to get him drunk. That’s why she had brought the wine in the first place. Unlike the half-gone Shiloh, Brienne could drink well—she’d never once been drunk.

“Do you enjoy drinking?”

As she poured into Hereis’s glass, Brienne immediately lifted her own. A curious look flickered across Hereis’s face as he stared at her.

“Not really… I don’t like it.”

Even better. Sensing victory, Brienne downed her glass in one go. Emptying it in a flash, she glanced at Hereis’s glass.

“Well? Drink up.”