Chapter 4.8

‘…I’ve seen that before.’

That toad shape.

In Brienne’s memory, the toad symbol she’d seen in her father’s study flashed by.

Why hadn’t she thought of it before?

If someone targeted her, it had to be someone who held a grudge against her. Brienne’s hands clenched.

‘…Derrick Harrington.’

Among the Harrington family, who worship the toad, if there was anyone who would drag her to a place like this—someone reckless enough to pull off such a thing—it could only be Derrick Harrington.

Brienne gave a hollow smile and slowly turned around.

“…I know who it is. The person behind the cult you were looking for.”

* * *

At that moment, Derrick was anxious, unaware of the misfortune about to befall him, and worried whether his plan had succeeded.

‘Why haven’t those idiots contacted me? Did they succeed? Did they fail?’

If only he’d managed his subordinates properly, but Derrick was far from being a dignified master. He’d played around, paying no mind to reports, so now he couldn’t even chase them down.

‘Ha, should I go to Marquis Ford’s mansion and check? See if that woman’s returned home?’

No, no. That’s the last thing he should do. The guilty are always caught when they’re too nervous…

Derrick, anxiously rubbing his face, covered his mouth and took a deep breath.

Earlier, he’d acted out of fear from Melosi Bailey’s threats, but now he couldn’t sleep, worried something might have gone wrong.

And he hadn’t even been drunk at the time!

Melosi’s calm voice kept swirling through his mind.

<I’ll tell everyone about what happened that day.>

<What?>

<The trash you said to Brienne Ford. I heard it all. And of course, I saw you get hit by Kaiden.>

He’d never imagined Melosi Bailey was there that day. Derrick, who had covered up the truth of that day with his own lies, was dumbfounded.

<Why are you suddenly making a fuss after being quiet for so long?>

<I just found it amusing, since you were stirring things up everywhere. And honestly, watching you torment Brienne Ford was satisfying.>

<H-Hey. Think about it. Who would believe I said such things?>

<Who knows? Everyone already knows you’re an alcoholic and a drug addict, so why wouldn’t they believe me—the daughter of the Bailey Earldom and Young Master Bannon’s fiancée? And what matters is that your words are lies. If those lies are revealed, who would trust you enough to invest in your business?>

And Derrick was genuinely speechless. He’d just started to gain his father’s recognition, and he couldn’t let his business collapse over something like this.

<Wait, hold on, at least the business…!>

<You should’ve kept your lies in check. There were plenty of people who wondered about your bruised face. They just jumped on the chance to badmouth Brienne Ford.>

<Ha, you, you’re… threatening me?>

<Threatening? I’m just saying Earl Harrington would be heartbroken if this came out. Well, if you do me a favor, maybe I’ll stay quiet like before.>

She said she’d stay quiet if he did her a favor. If that wasn’t a threat, what was?

<…So, what do you want from me?>

Melosi smiled, sipping her tea and drawing out the moment. She couldn’t have known how nervous that short silence made Derrick.

<Brienne Ford’s scandal.>

<…Scandal?>

<Yes, just make her disappear for a night. So no one knows where she was or what she did.>

<…Are you insane? So you want me to kidnap Brienne Ford?>

<There are plenty of ways. Whatever you do, you won’t lose out. You hate her anyway, don’t you? Even if what happened that day was your own fault…>

Thinking back to that blatant sneer made Derrick’s blood boil. Why hadn’t he realized there were people worse than Brienne Ford? The side of Melosi Bailey, who he thought was delicate and fragile, was shocking.

‘How can a woman be so vicious…’

He was mortified that he’d been excited when Melosi Bailey herself called for him. Derrick buried his face in his pillow and sighed, then suddenly sat up. He thought it would be better to write Melosi a letter.

‘I did what she asked, so I need to ask what to do next. There must be a way out.’

He hurriedly sat at his desk and pulled out stationery. After sending the letter with a servant, he aimlessly paced by the window.

‘When will she reply? She’s not asleep, is she?’

An hour passed, then two. Finally, at dawn, Melosi’s reply arrived. Derrick, who’d spent the night wide awake, hurriedly tore open the letter.

But its contents were nothing like he expected.

* * *

A few hours earlier.

Brienne and her group decided to spend the night at an inn and head to the capital at daybreak. It was too dark now, and everyone was exhausted. Besides, it wasn’t a distance they could walk anyway.

“It would’ve been nice if we could hire a carriage. It’s too late now, though.”

“Still, thanks to you, Miss Brienne, we found a village. Otherwise, we’d have spent the night on that deserted hill.”

“It was you, Lusell, who spotted the statue. If we hadn’t known this was the Harrington Earldom, we wouldn’t have found the village.”

Brienne modestly stepped back, but if she hadn’t known the geography of the Earldom, they wouldn’t have made it down to a nearby village. Garzen, who’d been wondering about that the whole walk, asked curiously,

“But most people don’t care what other people’s lands look like, right? Miss, you’re kind of unusual.”

“…I get that a lot.”

The Harrington and Ford families had a friendly alliance with the goal of restoring imperial authority. Families on the Emperor’s side shared military maps that could become each other’s weaknesses, swearing never to invade or leak them under any circumstances.

So, instead of saying the truth, Brienne explained that she rarely went out, so she had plenty to study, pointing ahead.

Luckily, there was an inn with its lights on.

“How about we go in there?”

“Good idea. Just in case, I’ll go first.”

Garzen nodded and took the lead. But Lusell, following behind, slowed his pace. Brienne looked back.

“Lusell? What’s wrong?”

“…I just realized there’s a problem.”

“What?”

Lusell gave Garzen an awkward smile. Garzen, tilting his head, suddenly widened his eyes and, as if embarrassed, rubbed his neck and turned away.

Brienne, glancing between the two suspicious men, narrowed her eyes.

“…You two, don’t tell me you’re broke again today?”

“Luckily, I have something to use instead of money.”

Brienne awkwardly touched her bare neck and ears, muttering. Lusell, who’d fetched the key from the inn counter, approached and whispered,

“The innkeeper knows a lot about jewels, thankfully. We got quite a bit of money. Ah, especially that hairpin! It looked expensive, but it turned out to be even more amazing.”

“Really? Was it that valuable?”

“Here’s the purse with the change. You should check it.”

Lusell handed Brienne the purse. Peeking inside, Brienne couldn’t help but gape.

‘How many gold coins are there… This time, I really have to thank Kaiden.’

She’d sold the hairpin she cherished, but strangely, she didn’t feel regret or sadness. Her heart was empty, but it was almost refreshing. Maybe she’d finally sorted out her feelings.

Brienne accepted the key Lusell offered with a bittersweet face. Suddenly thinking of Kaiden, she wondered how the engagement ceremony ended.

“Well, I’ll go in first. The rooms are right next to each other, so if anything happens, just shout. I’ll come right away.”

“I will. Thank you for everything.”

“Good night, Miss.”

“You too, Zen. Rest well.”

Once inside, Brienne bathed and lay on the bed. It had been such a tiring day, she thought she’d fall asleep instantly, but she wasn’t as sleepy as expected.

The fact that Derrick Harrington was the one who kidnapped her and plotted the attack on the Holy Kingdom of Roeta kept coming back to her.

‘…Why would he do such a thing?’

Even if it were someone else, Derrick was a man who took great pride in his noble status and lived a decadent life. It was hard to understand how such a person could devise a scheme so dangerous that it could clearly lead to war between nations. Moreover, Brienne never imagined that Derrick Harrington disliked her enough to harm her.

‘When I return, I must tell Father right away. If there’s someone who conspired with Derrick… this won’t end here.’

Brienne sighed, pulling the blanket up to her neck. She tried to force herself to sleep, pushing Derrick from her mind, but what truly tormented her heart was something else entirely.

<…Miss, by any chance. Did you ever use a soul-binding spell with that mage?>

<What?>

<Was it Herace Belif? Did you two decide to become…involved like that?>

If “involved like that” meant being lovers, Brienne had never agreed to it. Rather, she’d run away at every important moment.

The thought that Herace had used a soul-binding spell on her was something she’d never even imagined. She couldn’t understand why someone as gentlemanly as him would do such a thing.

‘I want to believe it’s a misunderstanding…’

Brienne was no longer confident in her own heart or trust. Even with Kaiden, her closest friend and first love, what she believed was a misunderstanding turned out to be the truth.

Regret surged over her for giving her heart away so easily to someone she barely knew. Brienne let out a sigh, barely managing to steady her thoughts.

‘…I’ll just meet him. I’ll ask him directly.’

‘But what if he really says it’s true? What if he dodges the question like before?’

Just imagining such uncertain scenarios made her heart sink. If that happened, how was she supposed to accept it? Could she understand and forgive Herace? Wrapped in anxiety, Brienne suddenly sat up in bed.

It seemed she wouldn’t be able to get any restful sleep tonight.