Chapter 4.14

“Please, have some. These are Roeta tea leaves, a gift from Young Master Belif just a while ago.”

Melosi, seated before the steaming tea, was the first to speak. Brienne, who had been gathering her thoughts with her eyes lowered, slowly looked up.

“…Thank you, but I’ll decline. I’m not fond of tea.”

It wasn’t customary for a guest who arrived without notice to refuse tea offered by the host, but Brienne had nothing to feel guilty about. After all, it was Melosi who had humiliated her on her engagement day, and the way Melosi offered tea while mentioning Herace’s name seemed to carry a hidden meaning.

There was no way she could feel good about it.

“Well, all right then. I’m quite hurt by your refusal, Miss Ford, but I’m a generous person, so I’ll understand.”

Putting on a look of regret, Melosi lifted her teacup. Then, as if bothered, she leaned back deeply against the sofa.

“Now that I think about it, we’re not the kind of people who need to be polite and make friends, are we?”

“…”

“So, let’s speak plainly. What brings you here without notice, Miss Ford?”

Her attitude was the complete opposite of the polite demeanor she showed in front of Herace. Melosi’s blatant sarcasm revealed her longstanding contempt for the Ford family. It wasn’t a surprising reaction, so Brienne managed a thin smile as she looked at her.

“There’s something I want to ask you, Miss Bailey.”

“And what’s that?”

“Countess Harrington told me her son visited here early this morning.”

Brienne’s sharp eyes watched Melosi’s expression for even the slightest change. Under the tea table, Melosi’s hand flinched slightly.

News certainly traveled fast. Herace Belif had come because of it, and now Brienne Ford as well.

“…Unfortunately, you’re a little late. I don’t know what business you have with Derrick Harrington, but he left before Young Master Belif arrived.”

Melosi sighed, her face unreadable. Brienne paused, then asked,

“Where did he go?”

“How would I know? What’s certain is that he wasn’t in a state to have a proper conversation with anyone. He sent me a strange letter out of the blue early in the morning, so I replied asking what it was about, and then he suddenly showed up.”

‘They exchanged letters?’

Brienne’s brow furrowed, finding the combination strange. The Bailey Earldom was firmly on the aristocrat side, while Earl Harrington was an aide to the Emperor—their families were clearly on opposing sides.

No matter how she thought about it, there was no reason for Melosi Bailey and Derrick Harrington to be on friendly terms.

“…I see.”

Brienne tried not to show suspicion as she smiled at Melosi. Melosi, in turn, shrugged nonchalantly.

“If you investigate, you’ll see—it was the first time anything like that happened. For a man to send a private letter to a young lady who already has a fiancé, it’s very odd.”

An awkward silence hung in the small parlor. Melosi, as if wanting to avoid further discussion, turned her gaze out the window.

“By the way, I’m glad you returned, Miss Ford. It saved me a lot of trouble.”

“…?”

“People started believing the rumor that you and my fiancé ran off together.”

Brienne hadn’t expected Melosi to bring up the rumor so openly and found herself at a loss for words. If even Melosi of the Bailey family, which owned a major newspaper, was saying that, the rumor must have really spread far.

“…Miss Bailey, that’s a misunderstanding.”

Brienne spoke carefully, and Melosi’s brow furrowed slightly.

“I already know it’s a misunderstanding. Did you really think I’d believe such a ridiculous rumor?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

“Miss Ford, let me be clear: if you’re here to take Kaiden back, you can forget it. I am already Young Master Bannon’s official fiancée and his lover.”

Melosi’s voice, cutting off Brienne, was firm and resolute. Brienne was left speechless.

A fiancée? A lover?  

…So what is she supposed to do about that?  

Did Brienne ever even have the option of “getting Kaiden back”? The wording was wrong from the start. How could she reclaim something she never had in the first place?  

Brienne, who had been holding back all this time, let out a deep sigh.

“…It seems to me that the one misunderstanding here is you, Miss Bailey. That thought has never even occurred to me.”

“No way!”  

But Melosi was adamant.

“Isn’t it common knowledge that you love Kaiden, Miss Ford? Just look at what happened this time—everyone knows what people think of you!”

Melosi’s eyes shook violently, her voice rising as if she were angry. Her shoulders even trembled, making Brienne feel uncomfortable. She’d always envied Melosi; after all, Melosi was the one who ended up at Kaiden’s side.

But apparently, that wasn’t the reality. It seemed Kaiden hadn’t given his heart to Melosi, either.

If he had, Melosi wouldn’t be so wary of Brienne.

“Miss Ford, please, stop making me look foolish. Clear up the misunderstanding for everyone, and from now on, stay away from Kaiden. Do you understand?”

Melosi, who seemed somehow uneasy, still believed Brienne was obsessed with Kaiden Bannon. It was a ridiculous thought, but it wasn’t something Brienne could easily deny.

That made her even angrier.  

She’d promised herself she was done with Kaiden, that she wouldn’t care about anything related to him—but when she heard he’d disappeared, her heart had dropped.

That’s why she was searching for Derrick Harrington, even meeting with Melosi Bailey, doing things she never would have done before.

But what truly hurt her was—

<……Didn’t I say one man is enough for you—and that man is me?>  

<‘Forever, always.’ I told you that, didn’t I?>

It was Kaiden Bannon’s voice, so easily making such promises. Just recalling that moment made Brienne’s whole body heat up.

Steadying her trembling breath, Brienne slowly rose from her seat.

“Then, have him.”

“…”

At Brienne’s calm voice, Melosi blinked in disbelief. Brienne looked straight down at her, forcing a smile onto her lips.

“If you want Kaiden so badly, then have him.”

Confusion slowly spread across Melosi’s face as she blinked. This wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. Shouldn’t there have been more arguing, maybe even a fight? For a meeting between women supposedly fighting over a man, there was strangely little tension.

“…No, now that I think about it, it’s odd to say ‘have him’ when he was never mine to give. By your logic, Kaiden Bannon is already yours, Miss Bailey. So what is it you’re so afraid of?”

As Melosi tried to grasp the situation, Brienne tilted her head as if genuinely puzzled. Melosi blushed as she realized Brienne had struck a nerve.

“Wh-what is this…!”

When Brienne said she could have Kaiden, Melosi had felt a fleeting sense of relief. It was absurd. She had completely lost control of the conversation. Melosi, unable to contain her frustration, was about to retort when Brienne spoke again.

“Miss Bailey, the only thing I’ve been curious about from the start is Derrick Harrington’s whereabouts. I don’t care about Kaiden anymore, no matter what he’s doing or where he is.”

Brienne gave a bitter smile as she met Melosi’s glare. She said it without even moistening her lips, but it was a laughable lie.

She’d thought everything would be fine once she returned to the capital, but now that she was here, there were more things to worry about than she’d expected. Turning away from Melosi, Brienne sighed.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I’ll be going now. Thank you for your time.”

* * *

Brienne hurried out of the parlor without waiting for Melosi’s reply. If Melosi Bailey didn’t know where Derrick Harrington was, there was no point in sitting around arguing meaninglessly.

He might already have escaped by now.

‘…He hasn’t already left Rontiano, has he?’

Before coming to the Bailey Earldom, Brienne had informed the city guard captain through Marquis Ford about what had happened the previous night. But the incident was probably still under investigation.

It would take at least a few days to gather solid evidence and put Derrick Harrington on trial, and by the time the investigation was over, Derrick might already have vanished. Even if it wasn’t just about Kaiden, Brienne needed to detain him before then.

In truth, if she wanted to take a safer route, she could have.  

She could have asked her parents or Shylo for help. Or, as before, she could have relied on Herace. But this time, Brienne wanted to do it herself.

After leaving the Bailey residence, Brienne approached Marie, who was waiting by the carriage.

“Marie, I think I need to go see the guard captain myself. Derrick Harrington might already be preparing to run.”

“Huh? Then what will you do?”

“I’ll provide information that will help them detain Derrick Harrington, even if it isn’t about that incident specifically.”

Derrick Harrington had plenty of illegal activities—selling illicit drugs behind the party hall, frequenting black market clubs, and so on. There were many people involved, and until now, she’d stayed silent to avoid attention, but she couldn’t anymore.

All those secrets had accumulated to create the Derrick Harrington of today.

“All right! Then I’ll tell the coachman to take us to the city guard headquarters.”

“Yes, please.”

Brienne watched Marie run off to the coachman and let out a long-held sigh. Derrick Harrington had better let himself be caught quietly. Her head throbbed. According to her plan, she could have him detained, but there was still no real physical evidence.

‘Can I request Garzen and Lusell as witnesses?’

She was frowning and deep in thought when—

“Brienne.”

A familiar voice called from behind. Brienne turned around in surprise. Herace, whom she’d thought had already left, was leaning against the wall.

As if he had been waiting for her all this time.

“Were you… waiting for me?”

“Yes.”

Herace walked slowly right up to Brienne. She held her breath as she looked up at his face. There were so many things she wanted to ask if they met, but with what had just happened, her mind went blank. She was also afraid of what answers she might get.

“I know you’re misunderstanding.”

“…”

Herace tilted his head slightly toward her.

“I’ll explain everything.”