Chapter 11.1 – A Fair Deal

“……What did you say?”

Brienne’s eyes wavered as she met Melosi’s gaze up close. Something felt different—Melosi seemed even more unstable than before. Her dilated pupils looked strangely eerie.

Brienne pulled Melosi’s hand away and stepped back.

“Miss Bailey……. Are you alright? Is something wrong?”

Brienne didn’t feel concern or pity for Melosi. But it was the first time she’d seen someone look so desperate in front of her, so she had to ask.

But Melosi frowned at Brienne’s words.

“Don’t waste time asking that……! Just say you’re curious quickly! Then I can help you.”

“No, I……”

Brienne shook her head with a flustered face. At first, she thought Melosi had grown colder.

But looking again, she seemed…… empty.

Like someone who might do something reckless.

Resolving conflicts through conversation is only possible with someone in a normal state.

Brienne hurried toward the door. Melosi followed, grabbing the hem of Brienne’s uniform.

“Miss Bailey……! What are you doing?”

“I said I’ll tell you. I know where Derrick Harrington is……! He’s not missing. Look, see? The one who set fire to the library is the same person who hid Derrick. You have to believe me!”

Brienne, who was about to leave the reception room, stopped and turned her head.

“Just now…… What did you say?”

“Oh, now you’re listening to me? Miss Ford, will you make a deal with me?”

Melosi clung to Brienne’s clothes, looking up at her desperately. Brienne sighed and put her hands on Melosi’s shoulders.

She didn’t want to believe anything Melosi said in this state, but couldn’t just ignore it.

“Alright. I’ll try. So, Miss Bailey, please calm down first. Did you come here alone? Is there anyone else?”

That question seemed to touch something in Melosi. For a moment, her eyes regained focus.

“A-Another person…….”

Melosi’s lips trembled, and then she suddenly shed tears. After a brief silence, she muttered to herself.

“There was. There definitely was…….”

“……Miss Bailey?”

“He died because of me…… He tried to protect me, and in the end, he died.”

“What are you talking about?”

Brienne’s face twisted in confusion at the incomprehensible situation.

* * *

“Herace……!”

Aaron, who had been waiting for Herace in the assistant’s office, jumped up. Herace, not expecting Aaron to be inside, tilted his head at the unexpected situation.

“What’s going on? Who’s guarding Brienne?”

Approaching the desk, Herace glanced at the graded exam papers from last night.

He needed to hurry and congratulate her.

He was the first to know that Brienne, who insisted on doing everything alone, had succeeded in getting a perfect score.

Herace allowed Aaron to report.

“Whatever it is, I need to see Brienne, so speak quickly.”

“That’s the problem. Miss Ford has a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

“Yes, from the commotion inside, it doesn’t sound like a good visitor. It even seemed like they were fighting.”

Herace paused as he was about to change clothes. Seeing Aaron’s tense face, he quickly tossed his jacket back over his shoulders.

“Are they in the administration office?”

“Yes, reception room.”

Aaron nodded and opened the assistant’s office door, guiding Herace to Brienne.

Herace walked quickly to the reception room and spotted Sir Kelton, nodding to him. Sir Kelton spoke.

“She’s still inside.”

“The situation?”

“It was noisy for a while, then quieted down. I heard crying, but it wasn’t the young lady’s voice.”

Herace’s face showed puzzlement at Sir Kelton’s report. What could make a sudden visitor burst into tears?

Herace decided he needed to go inside.

Just as he raised his hand to knock—

“……Herace?”

Brienne opened the door first, blinking in surprise. Looking anxiously behind him, she grabbed Herace’s sleeve and pulled him inside.

Click—the reception room door closed as Herace entered.

Recognizing the visitor, Herace’s face turned cold.

“C-Can you pretend you didn’t see anything?”

Brienne glanced at the mountain of tissues piled on the table, forcing an awkward smile.

“There seems to be a situation, and she asked me to keep it secret.”

Herace listened to Brienne as he studied her face carefully.

Despite the earlier report of a fight, she seemed unharmed. Rather, Melosi Bailey looked worse.

Herace watched Melosi wipe her tears with the back of her hand, still wary of him, and let out a cold smile.

Was hiding in the Holy Kingdom of Roeta a trait of engaged couples?

Or had Kaiden Bannon finally been caught?

Whatever the case, Melosi Bailey’s appearance was not a welcome event.

“……I’ll follow your judgment, Brienne, but I don’t really want to help. Melosi Bailey has already endangered you before. And her relationship with Derrick Harrington is suspicious.”

Herace whispered quietly and intertwined his fingers with Brienne’s, who was still holding his sleeve. Feeling his gaze, Brienne fiddled with his hand and nodded.

“I didn’t intend to help, either. But Miss Bailey grabbed me and said something strange.”

“What did she say?”

“At first, that she knew Derrick Harrington’s whereabouts…….”

Herace’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Brienne. Derrick Harrington’s whereabouts.

After receiving Derrick Harrington’s account under a false name from Kaiden, Herace had been tracing the person funding that account.

But every time he investigated the last depositor, he found someone who had been handed money by someone else, and so on.

So the chase continued.

If he found the last person, he’d finally uncover the original benefactor.

However, if Melosi Bailey truly knew Earl Derrick Harrington’s whereabouts, there would be nothing faster than asking the person directly.

After finishing her thoughts, Herace spoke up.

“May I try talking to her?”

“Yes, I was actually about to ask Sir Kelton to bring you, Herace. I don’t think this is something I should decide alone.”

Brienne nodded and released Herace’s hand. Smiling at her, Herace had already stopped crying and sat down in front of Melosi, who wore her hood pulled low.

He erased the warm smile he had shown Brienne and asked coldly,

“Miss Bailey. You said you know where Derrick Harrington is.”

“…Yes, I do. I heard it myself.”

Melosi steadied her trembling breath and turned her gaze to Brienne, standing behind Herace.

“As I said earlier, Derrick Harrington is drifting at sea. Search the ships heading to Roeta. You’ll see that what I said is true.”

“…A ship?”

Herace’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Melosi.

Whether it was true could be confirmed by investigating the ships traveling between Roeta and Rontiano. But it was suspicious why Melosi Bailey was suddenly offering such information.

“If you’re providing such valuable information, surely you want something in return.”

Melosi glanced at Herace’s face beneath her hood and nodded cautiously.

“…I don’t want much. I just want to meet Kaiden. If you grant me that, I’ll give you more information.”

“Kaiden Bannon, is it. I doubt it’s concern for your fiancé. Why do you want to see him?”

“That’s….”

Melosi bit her lip and gripped the hem of her robe tightly, lowering her gaze.

“I have no other option. Before my father casts me out, I must marry Kaiden.”

“…Marry?”

Herace asked again, as if he hadn’t considered that reason at all.

“I don’t know why, but it doesn’t sound like a good plan. Kaiden is thinking of breaking off his engagement with the Bailey family.”

“St-still, I want to talk to him. Maybe Kaiden’s feelings have changed….”

“No.”

Herace shook his head calmly and leaned forward, as if feeling sorry for her. Melosi’s hands, clutching her robe, trembled slightly.

“Kaiden will never marry you, Miss Bailey.”

* * *

“This is the last ship.”

Brienne murmured nervously, watching the ship approach the harbor. Herace, catching her gaze, nodded and drew a line over the ship’s entry in his notebook.

After meeting Melosi Bailey, Herace and Brienne canceled their weekend plans to visit the temple and instead checked every ship traveling between Mashern Harbor and Rontiano.

For two days now, from small boats to large passenger ships, they had asked Garzen for help so they wouldn’t miss a single vessel.

Fortunately, Garzen readily provided Imperial Knights, and the investigation was proceeding smoothly.

Except for one thing.

Derrick Harrington still hadn’t been found.

Herace, with his notebook and pen tucked into his shirt pocket, looked at Brienne and asked carefully,

“Brienne, do you really believe, as Melosi Bailey said, that Derrick Harrington is being held on a ship?”

Even though Herace had met Melosi Bailey in person that day, he couldn’t fully trust her words.

Maybe they were just wasting time.

But whenever he stayed by Brienne’s side, who searched the ships with genuine dedication, those doubts quickly faded away.

Brienne gave a bitter smile and shook her head, turning her gaze to Herace.

“…Honestly, I’m not sure. I wonder if she lied just to make things difficult for me again.”

Herace nodded slowly.

Perhaps Brienne already knew. That all this effort might end up being for nothing.

“But I want to check everything as much as I can.”

“Is it to hold him accountable for his crimes?”

Brienne was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

“No. No matter how bad Derrick Harrington is, he’s still a person. We have to save him.”

To be honest, Brienne couldn’t forgive Derrick Harrington. But she was too kind to wish for someone’s downfall just because she harbored hatred for them.