♥ Chapter 8 ♥
“Sierra. Do you have any plans today?”
“No, I don’t…”
I had left my schedule empty because I wanted to rest.
The words naturally came out of my mouth, but I quickly stopped myself.
If I said I had no plans, she would cling to me all day.
But I had already said more than half of it, and Bellietta’s eyes lit up.
I glanced at her.
As expected, she never disappointed.
She probably couldn’t copy my clothes or shoes, but the hat she was wearing and all of her accessories were exactly the same as mine.
Amazing.
She already got all of them?
I almost laughed.
Then something suddenly came to mind, and I spoke.
“So, what about Depoxy Island? I haven’t heard anything.”
“Oh, that? I sent someone there.”
“Didn’t I tell you that you had to go there yourself? It’s so rare that you can only get it if you go in person.”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
I held back a laugh at Bellietta’s careless answer.
Well…
Who in the Empire would dare ignore the name of House Vozbon?
Its name probably carried even more weight than the Emperor’s.
“Still, you should go there yourself just in case. You never know.”
“I’ll take care of that.”
She frowned slightly, clearly annoyed by my words.
So…
She wasn’t foolish enough to ignore it completely.
Actually, Bellietta was quite smart.
Especially when it came to using what she already had.
She was cunning…
And meticulous.
That was her greatest strength.
“More importantly, Sierra. Did you hear the news?”
“What news?”
As if nothing had happened, Bellietta changed the subject with a smile as beautiful as a blooming flower.
Of course, I found it disgusting.
But if I told her to leave right now, people would only think I had gone crazy.
So I played along.
“It’s about Marquis Vladia.”
…
Why is Layton’s name coming up again?
Was his name mentioned this often in the past?
I frowned slightly.
Bellietta looked surprised.
Ah…
I forgot to control my expression.
“What about him?”
“I heard he’s holding a banquet next month. It’s for young nobles, so nobles of every rank are welcome… Are you going too?”
He really has nothing better to do.
The lives of nobles were unbelievably boring.
If they did nothing, taxes still came in.
If they simply lifted a finger, whatever they wanted was brought to them.
As long as they weren’t greedy, they could live comfortably with more than enough wealth and enjoy a fair amount of power.
Because of that, nobles always chased excitement instead of boredom…
Luxury instead of peace.
The best place to show that was at banquets.
And banquets weren’t only for entertainment.
They were where men and women met…
Where people seeking power gathered together.
Especially a banquet hosted by Marquis Vladia.
A noble who didn’t attend would be the strange one.
“Not really. I’m not interested.”
“Why?”
Bellietta opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Why?
What good would come from seeing that man again?
Besides…
The reason for this banquet was obvious.
I glanced at Bellietta.
My fake, innocent friend tilted her head.
Layton wanted Bellietta.
He wanted everything about her.
Her family…
And Bellietta herself.
To him…
I was nothing more than a tool to make Bellietta notice him.
There was no reason for me to attend a banquet hosted by a man like that.
I turned away with an uninterested expression.
Bellietta still couldn’t understand.
“Sierra, weren’t you interested in Marquis Vladia?”
“Who told you that?”
“At the last banquet, your expression changed the moment you saw him, so I thought…”
“I was only curious because I heard he was such a young marquis. I looked at him out of curiosity, not because I was interested.”
That was a lie.
I had been interested in Marquis Vladia.
We shared similar hobbies.
Our personalities were alike.
He had even tried to understand me.
His kindness had made me interested in him.
Of course…
The biggest reason I married him was after my parents died.
Still…
If I had known that all the kindness he showed wasn’t for me…
But for Bellietta standing beside me…
I would never have cared about him.
He was trash.
The kind of man who used people like tools before throwing them away.
If possible…
I never wanted to see his face again.
Maybe Bellietta was surprised by my unexpected reaction.
Or maybe she was thinking of another cruel plan.
She quietly drank her tea without saying anything.
That suited me just fine.
I also stayed silent and enjoyed the peace.
On such a beautiful day…
I had to spend it with Bellietta.
What terrible luck.
I glanced at her again.
She looked like me.
Her golden hair flowed softly like melted gold.
Perhaps she noticed me staring.
She looked up and met my eyes.
She smiled sweetly.
To anyone who didn’t know her…
She would have looked like an angel.
She was so annoying, always sticking close to me.
I wondered if there was a way to make her leave.
As I thought about it…
I slowly raised an eyebrow.
If there was anything Bellietta would hate…
It was probably this.
I smiled slightly at her.
“I saw you, Bellietta.”
“Hm? Saw what?”
She blinked in confusion.
Without looking directly at her, I picked up my teacup.
“Two nights ago.”
“Two nights ago…?”
Her face stiffened slightly.
I smiled inwardly and continued.
“You were talking to someone.”
“W-Was I?”
“You were.”
I gave Bellietta a faint smile as she sat there frozen.
I lightly tapped the table with my finger before pressing my palm against it.
“Do you have a fiancé?”
How would she answer?
The moment I asked that single question…
Her face froze completely.
She stared at me.
Her eyes trembled for a moment before she quickly forced a calm expression.
“A fiancé? What are you talking about?”
“No? I heard your voice that night.”
“What did I say?”
“You were angrily saying that it was only a promise made by your parents and that the other person shouldn’t worry about it.”
There was no point hiding it.
Whether Bellietta had a fiancé or not made no difference to me.
I didn’t care either way.
She had lied to me countless times already.
Unlike what I expected…
She didn’t panic.
Instead, she calmly answered,
“Really? I think I was talking to someone, but I was drunk, so I don’t really remember what I said.”
I almost laughed.
Was she pretending to have been drunk?
“I see. Well, I guess that’s possible. But I was honestly surprised. You have a fiancé. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was going to tell you later. There wasn’t any reason to tell you right away.”
“I understand. I just felt a little disappointed. I thought we were close enough to share our secrets. I never imagined you’d hide something from me. Especially something as important as a fiancé…”
I rested my chin on my hand while looking at Bellietta, who was trying so hard to stay calm.
“I never thought you’d have a fiancé that you’d even want to hide from me.”
…
At my final words…
Bellietta’s face became completely stiff.
She looked at me in confusion.
She hurriedly tried to speak.
But I spoke first.
“I have something important to do today. Could you go home now? I have some work to take care of.”
“Sierra?”
As I stood up, Bellietta also rose from her seat without thinking.
She looked at me with a confused expression.
I smiled brightly and waved my hand.
“See you next time, Bellietta.”
Bellietta climbed into her carriage with a face full of confusion.
Only after watching her leave did I return to my room.
The moment I sat down, I immediately ordered a maid to call the head butler.
Then I rubbed my chin.
That reaction…
Watching Bellietta’s sensitive reaction gave me an interesting idea.
If everything went well…
It could become the perfect revenge.
Even if I couldn’t repay all the humiliation she had given me…
I should at least return some of it.
That would only be fair.
I was the daughter of the Lord of Brilloksen, the ruler of the Gray Mountains.
I always settled my accounts properly.
It was time to take back everything Bellietta had stolen from me.
Knock. Knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
After I told them to come in, a neatly dressed middle-aged butler entered and bowed politely.
“You called for me?”
“Yes. I have something I’d like to ask of you, Butler Datum.”
“What do you need?”
I lowered the hand that had been rubbing my chin and lightly tapped the table.
The sound of my fingernails echoed in a steady rhythm as I spoke.
“I urgently need supplies. Could you gather them for me?”
“What kind of supplies?”
“The basic necessities would be best. Grain, food, luxury goods, alcohol, clothes, medicine… and the other small things people need. Please gather all of them.”
“I understand. How much should I prepare?”
How much?
I lowered my eyes.
I roughly estimated the population of Hermonia.
I remembered that the capital alone had more than one million people.
And the territory itself was said to be as large as a small kingdom.
After thinking for a moment…
I remembered the authority and budget my father had entrusted to me.
Then I quietly answered,
“Enough for about five hundred thousand people to get through this year.”
“Yes, understood… W-What?”
The butler’s eyes widened.
“Did you say five hundred thousand people? Not five hundred?”
