♥ Chapter 6 ♥
The Bertos Empire was located in the southern part of the Vulkas Continent.
About four hundred years had passed since it overthrew the former Royal House of Lloyd and founded the Bertos Empire.
During that time…
Countless kingdoms had risen and fallen.
But the Bertos Empire remained the undisputed ruler of the south.
It possessed two ice-free ports, allowing trade and sea routes to flourish.
Its inland regions were blessed with fertile land and rivers, producing abundant harvests.
The climate was stable.
There were many places where people could live comfortably.
Because of that, countless wanderers settled there, and together they built what became the Bertos Empire.
Even so…
Not every part of the Empire was peaceful.
To the west lay Hermonia, surrounded by an enormous mountain range along the border.
Its vast land was as large as a small kingdom.
Yet…
It had once been completely abandoned.
About one hundred and fifty years had passed since the monsters there were driven out and the land was restored.
Hidden behind mystery…
Stood the House of Ripton.
And the man currently holding me from behind…
Was its head.
Aden Ripton.
A cold chill ran down the back of my neck despite the middle of summer.
Even in my previous life…
I had barely ever seen the Grand Duke of Ripton.
At most, I had caught a glimpse of him from afar.
I had never actually spoken to him.
…And now our first conversation has to happen like this.
What terrible luck.
I glanced at his strong arm wrapped around me before closing my eyes.
“I won’t run.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“Even if I did run…”
“You’d just catch me again anyway.”
He had somehow pulled me out from behind a solid wall.
Something like chasing me down would be easy for him.
I raised my hand and lightly tapped his arm.
“So…”
“Would you let me go now?”
“It hurts.”
As soon as I said that…
His grip loosened.
His broad shoulders moved away from me.
Keeping my back toward him, I straightened my clothes before turning around to face him.
Golden eyes.
I had once heard that this mysterious color appeared only among the brave members of the House of Ripton.
From afar…
I had never noticed.
But up close…
They were unlike any eyes I had ever seen.
“Who are you?”
Holding my skirt properly, I greeted him according to noble etiquette.
“May the blessings of the night fall upon the lands of Hermonia.”
“I’m Sierra…”
“The eldest daughter of House Brilloksen.”
“The blessing of Hernia?”
“Are you one of her followers?”
“No.”
“I simply learned that people in Hermonia greet each other that way at night.”
“Was I mistaken?”
Aden quietly looked at me before turning his head away.
“Those who speak the blessing of the night…”
“Usually prefer that what is said at night remains there.”
Was that directed at me?
Looking at his expression…
I quietly answered.
“Hernia’s blessing represents silence and peace.”
“That’s why many people believe simply speaking her blessing brings a curse.”
After all…
Hernia was the guardian goddess of night…
Loneliness…
And silence.
She was also the goddess most worshipped by assassins.
That alone explained enough.
After quietly studying Aden’s face, I spoke again.
“First…”
“I should apologize.”
“I never intended to eavesdrop.”
“The voices coming through the window were so loud that I thought something had happened.”
“That’s how I ended up hearing your conversation.”
“You stayed there quite a while for someone who wasn’t trying to listen.”
So…
He had noticed from the beginning?
His golden eyes narrowed.
The atmosphere instantly became heavier.
Then he asked,
“How much did you hear?”
His eyes never left my face.
As silence settled between us…
I remembered everything I knew about House Ripton.
Then I answered carefully.
“It was too far away.”
“I couldn’t hear anything.”
“I could hear the woman’s sharp voice…”
“But yours was too quiet.”
“So I couldn’t make out your words.”
“Then why did you run?”
“How many people would calmly wait after suddenly being chased?”
His brows drew together.
I glanced at them before continuing.
“It was practically the same as secretly listening to a private conversation between a man and a woman.”
“I thought I’d be in trouble if I got caught.”
“So…”
“I ran.”
“I was scared.”
If I had known I’d be caught this easily…
I wouldn’t have bothered running.
All I had done was waste my energy.
Aden let out an amused laugh before slowly brushing his hair back.
Then…
His eyes lowered.
The truth was…
I hadn’t been completely honest.
Even though I claimed I hadn’t heard anything…
The few pieces I did hear were already enough.
Contract…
Breaking it…
Relationship…
At the very least…
The two of them shared a relationship close enough to refer to something as ours.
That alone told me quite a lot.
Of course…
Listening to someone else’s conversation wasn’t something to be proud of.
But I couldn’t back down now.
So I kept pretending to be shameless.
Meanwhile…
I quietly observed Aden while he stood there thinking.
I had noticed it even from afar before.
But now that I was standing this close…
I realized it even more clearly.
He was remarkably handsome.
His ash-gray hair shimmered beneath the moonlight like silk.
Below it…
His sharp nose…
His crimson lips…
And above all…
Those narrow golden eyes…
They were strangely beautiful.
His reputation frightened people.
But there were still quite a few women who had fallen for his appearance.
Of course…
None of them wanted to marry him.
After all…
No one wanted to leave for Hermonia…
The harsh and unforgiving land everyone talked about.
“I’ll believe you.”
While I was lost in thought…
Aden’s voice pulled me back.
I looked up.
He was staring at me.
His eyes still held doubt.
But he spoke calmly.
“Just remember…”
“You spoke Hernia’s blessing tonight.”
“Huh?”
“Oh…”
“Yes.”
At first, I tilted my head in confusion.
Then I understood.
He was telling me not to speak about what I had witnessed tonight.
That was fine with me.
I had no intention of telling anyone.
Whatever Bellietta was doing…
Wasn’t my concern.
Besides…
I might even be able to use this someday.
So keeping it secret would only benefit me.
“I understand.”
“Is that all?”
Aden slowly nodded.
He looked away from me and glanced around.
Then he spoke quietly.
“It’s getting late.”
He looked up at the night sky before lowering his eyes toward me once more.
“Then…”
“Enjoy the quiet night.”
“Ah…”
“I’m exhausted.”
The moment I returned to the Brilloksen estate and collapsed onto my bed…
A groan escaped my lips.
Maybe it was because of the long journey.
I didn’t have a single bit of strength left.
I used to attend banquets like this all the time.
Back then…
They never tired me out.
So why was I so exhausted now?
Maybe it was because I was mentally drained.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.
While lying there…
Everything that had happened yesterday slowly replayed in my mind.
One memory after another passed before my eyes.
Then…
They stopped on one man.
“…Aden Ripton.”
It had been the first time I ever spoke with him.
Although…
It was only because I had been caught eavesdropping.
Still…
It felt strangely memorable.
The impression he left on me was different from everyone else.
Especially the way he quietly turned around at the end.
It stayed in my mind.
He had chased after me just to find out whether I had overheard their conversation.
So…
Why had he believed me when I said I hadn’t heard anything?
Even though we spoke only briefly…
Aden didn’t seem like someone who would be fooled by such a weak excuse.
Especially when the matter concerned something important to him.
Then…
Why did he simply let me go?
I had prepared several more explanations.
I thought he would keep questioning me.
But…
I never needed to say them.
I gently bit my lip.
“What exactly did he mean?”
I tried remembering whether there had ever been anyone Bellietta openly rejected like that.
Then I stopped.
No.
There couldn’t have been.
Then…
What exactly was their relationship?
From the way they spoke about old promises and contracts…
It definitely wasn’t something insignificant.
Could it be…
That kind of relationship?
What should I do?
Should I investigate?
I still hadn’t fully adjusted to returning to the past.
I didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.
Besides…
Around this time every summer…
My parents always left the territory for about two months.
My mother’s health wasn’t good.
They traveled elsewhere both for her treatment and to escape the summer heat.
So…
Asking my parents wasn’t possible.
After thinking for a long time…
I finally got up.
I changed into more comfortable clothes and stepped outside.
The maid waiting in the hallway widened her eyes.
“Where are you going, my lady?”
“I’m going out for a while.”
“Shall I prepare the carriage?”
“No need.”
I pulled the wide-brimmed hat in my hand low over my face.
Smiling reassuringly at the worried maid…
I left with my escort knight,
Ripert.
I rode my personal horse to the largest tavern in Brilloksen.
As I pushed open the door…
Bright daylight poured into the building through the open windows.
Since it was still daytime…
There wasn’t a single customer drinking.
The clerk behind the counter looked terribly bored.
When I walked inside…
He glanced at me before standing up.
A bearded man slowly approached.
He looked me up and down beneath my hat.
Then asked,
“Food?”
“Or drink?”
Was he asking what I wanted?
I lifted the brim of my hat and looked him in the eyes.
The moment he saw my face…
His eyebrows rose slightly.
Without another word…
He pointed toward the back.
I walked past him and opened the inner door.
Behind it…
There was another smaller door.
When I opened that one…
I saw a red-haired woman sitting behind a desk, working.
She didn’t even react when I entered.
I walked over and sat down across from her.
Only then did she speak.
“To what do we owe the honor of Lady Brilloksen visiting this place?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve finally decided to wipe us out.”
“I came to ask something.”
“…?”
Hearing my voice…
She finally looked up.
Her black eyes stared at me.
For a brief moment…
They flickered with surprise.
She looked at me in disbelief before letting out a dry laugh.
“Did I hear that correctly?”
“You came here…”
“To ask us something?”
I nodded.
The corner of her lips slowly lifted.
“How unexpected.”
“You came straight to the Thieves’ Guild looking for information.”
“Do we look like an Information Guild to you?”
“Not exactly.”
“But you hear just as much as they do.”
And besides…
“You’re far more direct about it.”
