Chapter 5.1 – Truth, and His Sincerity

Brienne moved to a nearby coffee house, grasping the freshly served cup in her hand as she gazed at Herace. Her palm, clutching the warm cup, seemed to sweat from her nervousness.

“……I have a few questions.”

Herace, who had been waiting for Brienne to speak, nodded right away. Brienne, staring intently at his face, cautiously began.

“About that day, when you came to the Marquisate…….”

Even before she finished speaking, Herace’s eyes flickered slightly. With a half-doubtful expression, Brienne looked into his eyes.

“It wasn’t a coincidence, was it?”

“…….”

“And you left your wound untreated on purpose, too.”

“……That’s right.”

After a brief pause, Herace nodded slightly. His gaze dropped onto the untouched coffee cup, as if there was nothing to excuse.

Brienne, looking at his harmless face, fell into deep thought.

He had come to her, soaking wet, stepping into the very place where she was. He hadn’t treated his injury, leaving it to ache.

The fact that all of it had actually been a lie……

“……Why did you do that?”

It was more disappointing than she had expected.

Had she, without realizing, started expecting a lot from Herace? When she met him during those days when she was saddened by Kaiden’s engagement news, she had truly thought it was just a coincidence.

And Brienne liked that coincidence.

But now—

‘……Honestly, I’m not sure.’

If all of it had been intentional, then it wasn’t a coincidence anymore.

“The Herace I knew…… You’re saying it was all a lie.”

After much deliberation, Brienne managed a powerless smile and carefully put down her cup. She wasn’t sure how to express her feelings, but one thing was certain.

There was something she wanted to hear from Herace.

The truth, and his sincerity.

Herace’s downcast gaze slowly turned toward Brienne. He let out a faint sigh and ran a hand through his hair, looking troubled. The midday sunlight settled on his face. Brienne unconsciously followed his movements with her eyes.

Finally, from his beautiful lips, a pleasant voice flowed.

“I wanted to get close to you from the start.”

“…….”

“When I heard Kaiden was engaged, I thought I might have a chance, too. But if I approached you saying that, I thought you would push me away. I didn’t want that.”

Brienne was a little surprised by his quiet answer. Until now, Herace had always dodged questions, so she hadn’t expected such a straightforward response.

Hearing the truth without even a minor dispute felt a bit empty. If it was going to be like this, he shouldn’t have done it in the first place. Somehow, her heart felt stifled.

‘……Should I like this? Or should I dislike it?’

It was difficult to choose just one reaction. Her feelings were too complicated to define with just one or the other.

She was disappointed, but also a little happy. That ambiguous emotion made Brienne flustered.

Why was she happy? And why did that make her even more disappointed? Brienne let out a deep sigh and soon, as if interrogating, spoke up.

“……Then, what about Miss Bailey? Why were you there, Herace?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Herace’s neat forehead crumpled. Unlike before, when he hesitated, his reaction was transparent. He must have hated being misunderstood that much. Herace answered cleanly.

“That was only to find out if it had anything to do with your disappearance, Brienne. Because that was where Derrick Harrington headed last.”

‘So he was trailing Derrick?’

If that was really all, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Brienne herself had only visited Bailey’s mansion following Derrick.

“I…… misunderstood, then.”

Brienne, clutching her teacup tightly, nodded gently. Herace then opened his mouth with a slightly ambiguous expression.

“But Miss Bailey didn’t think you left with Kaiden. She seemed quite certain, so maybe she really is connected to Derrick Harrington.”

“What? Are you saying Derrick Harrington and Melosi Bailey are in league together?”

“For now, that’s what I think.”

Brienne’s eyes widened as she looked at Herace, who calmly affirmed.

‘But something…… feels off.’

‘What was it?’

Brienne mulled over Herace’s words and, after a long moment, realized what was wrong. She had never once mentioned Derrick Harrington to Herace. Brienne, flustered, asked,

“Wait a minute, Herace. How did you know Derrick Harrington was involved in my disappearance?”

“That…….”

He confessed that he had placed someone to watch Derrick Harrington, and after Brienne left, he had found their secret meetings suspicious and followed them.

Brienne was left speechless.

Things had been happening without her knowing. As he explained, Herace somehow felt cold. 

‘Had he always been this kind of person?’

Brienne frowned as she looked at Herace.

There were still many suspicious points, like why he had someone tail Derrick Harrington in the first place, but she couldn’t deny feeling reassured.

Maybe she could trust him a little.

Brienne’s guarded expression softened slightly. But one last important question remained.

“Alright. Then, I have just one more question.”

“Yes, if I can clear up your misunderstanding, Brienne, I’ll answer anything.”

“Did you use a soul-binding spell on me?”

Brienne took a sip of coffee and glanced at Herace. It should have been a simple question to answer.

‘Just say no.’

‘That should be the only answer.’

“…….”

But for some reason, Herace’s lips parted, and his expression was ambiguous. Brienne’s heart sank a little.

“……Herace?”

* * *

At the same time.

Derrick Harrington, with his robe pulled low, was running through the back alleys of the capital. His hurried steps made the large bag in his hand shake dangerously.

“D*mn it, why did things turn out like this……!”

On his way back from meeting Melosi Bailey, he learned that Brienne Ford had returned. He had borrowed his father’s seal overnight to issue a warrant in case things went wrong, but it seemed everything had gone awry.

‘Why wasn’t there a single person who could do their job properly!’

Not only had he lost Brienne Ford, but his identity had been exposed. Now the city guards were chasing him. If he’d known it would come to this, he would never have done such a thing in the first place. It was all that damned Melosi Bailey’s fault.

“Hey!”

Derrick, hiding in an alley and looking around, flagged down a passing carriage. At this point, there was only one answer. He had to leave Rontiano until things calmed down.

“Hey, stop!”

He waved his hand irritably, and the carriage screeched to a halt. Derrick took out his pouch of gold coins and tossed it to the driver’s seat. It was enough to cover several months of the driver’s wages.

“To Schwitz Harbor! As fast as possible!”

Derrick shouted loudly and threw open the carriage door. But as he started to climb the steps, he saw someone’s dress shoes inside.

“……W-what?”

Derrick’s face twisted in confusion. He had thought the carriage was empty, but someone was already inside.

“Y-you’re…….”

Realizing who it was, Derrick’s face turned pale. He swallowed nervously and backed away in a panic.

He couldn’t grasp the situation.

Shaking his head, he hurriedly tried to explain.

“Wait a moment. I-I…… It’s not me. That knight is a fake!”

“Bring him in.”

The man, who had been looking down at Derrick expressionlessly, signaled to two burly knights sitting opposite him. The knights grabbed Derrick’s shoulders and dragged him into the carriage.

“W-wait……! I’ll explain everything!”

Derrick’s bag dropped from his hand with a thud. Leaving the bag rolling on the stone floor, the carriage door was firmly shut. The carriage departed as if nothing had happened.

“W-where are you taking me? Why are you doing this to me…….”

Derrick, kneeling on the carriage floor, looked pitifully distorted. The man clicked his tongue, then slowly leaned in. 

‘He might hit me.’

Derrick squeezed his eyes shut.

But……

“Hey, Derrick Harrington. Who gave you that authority?”

“……Pardon?”

The man’s words were not the rebuke Derrick had expected. Derrick looked up with a blank expression. The man’s cold gaze swept over his foolish face.

“In the middle of the capital, you orchestrated the kidnapping of a noble lady. You’ve got a lot of nerve.”

“T-that…….”

“I paid you enough in return for using your insignificant name. But because of you, my plan is thoroughly ruined. How will you compensate for this?”

“C-compensate……? Why…… What do you mean…….”

Tears welled up in Derrick’s eyes, mingled with confusion. He couldn’t figure out the situation. Why was this man saying such things? Why was he demanding answers for that incident?

‘……Is this man the real owner of that enterprise?’

‘But that couldn’t be…… could it?’

“Wait, wait! Could it be, Your Grace…….”

“Seems you still haven’t grasped the situation. You ought to be begging for forgiveness, but you’re full of questions.”

The man raised his hand, cutting Derrick off. Finally coming to his senses, Derrick clamped his mouth shut. The rattling carriage fell into a heavy silence. The man, sounding thoughtful, let out a bitter laugh.

“Right, you said you were heading to Schwitz Harbor?”

“…….”

“If you’re thinking of leaving for the Holy Kingdom of Roeta, I’ll help you. Of course, only if you swim there without a ship.”

“Y-Your Grace……!”

Startled, Derrick sprang up. The man before him was someone who could have him killed without anyone knowing.

“I was wrong! I was really wrong……! Please, just forgive me once……!”

“Get rid of him.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“W-wait……!”

Derrick stared in terror at the sword pointed at his throat. But that was his last scream.