Chapter 5.6

“……He, Herace.”

Brienne looked up at Herace, startled. 

‘Why was he here? Why was he on this ship?’

She couldn’t believe the situation. What were the odds that she would end up on the same ship as Herace?

“Did you follow me?”

Brienne frowned and asked, and Herace released her, pulling a document envelope from his coat. With an innocent expression, he denied it.

“No. I’m just heading to Roeta for my own business.”

‘……Business?’

Brienne, looking dumbfounded, took the paper he handed her. She recognized it from the newspaper—it was the seal of the Mage Association. It felt strangely familiar.

Surely, something like this had happened before…

“…….”

Embarrassment quickly flushed her cheeks. Wasn’t it a bit self-absorbed to suspect he had followed her twice? She couldn’t bring herself to look at Herace’s face out of embarrassment.

Brienne handed the letter envelope back to him, hiding her trembling gaze.

“……I-I’m sorry.”

Just then, a small laugh came from above her head. She glanced up to see his familiar angelic smile. Brienne’s cheeks turned even redder. If only she could turn back time.

“It’s fine. I thought I was seeing a vision at first too.”

Herace spoke kindly, as if he understood everything. Brienne couldn’t find the words and just looked up at him. A fresh breeze swept between them, mixing the scent of the sea with his faint fragrance. Herace leaned down slightly to meet her eyes.

“There’s something I want to say. It’s late, but I want to be honest—will you listen?”

Brienne instinctively held her breath. His face was too close again, and she still wasn’t used to it. On his beautiful face was a smile she couldn’t get familiar with.

Brienne deliberately avoided his gaze and spoke sharply, as if running away.

“……So you finally feel like having a real conversation?”

At her prickly question, Herace gave a bitter smile. He was ready to tell Brienne the whole truth.

Brienne and Herace sat by the window in the restaurant on the first floor of the passenger ship. After ordering a simple meal, Herace spoke first.

“Before I talk about myself, if you don’t mind, may I ask what brings you here?”

At his polite question, Brienne hesitated. Would he take her side? Or would he, like Marie, subtly blame her for being too harsh on her parents? He might be disappointed. She knew this wasn’t a choice to be praised.

“……I ran away from home to go to Roeta Academy. I decided to enroll there. I didn’t tell my parents—I left secretly.”

But what did that matter?

Brienne realized she was worried Herace might be disappointed in her, and was surprised at herself. So she spoke bluntly on purpose.

“Do you know my kidnapping still hasn’t been resolved? My father even defends Earl Harrington, saying Derrick Harrington might not be the culprit. I know they’re important to each other, but how could my father do that?”

“…….”

Herace’s eyes narrowed. He seemed to be thinking deeply. Brienne, feeling a bit guilty, poured out her words.

“Even if no one else believes me, my family should. If I think about it, it’s always been like this. My father never cared about how I was treated in society. My mother too. She always told me the real winner is the one who endures, and just told me to endure everything.”

“You did well.”

“I know I didn’t do the right thing, but…”

“…….”

“…What?”

‘Did he say I did well…?’

Brienne looked at Herace in confusion. Herace gave a faint smile and handed her a glass of water.

“I don’t know how this will sound, but… I think the Marquis and Madame were wrong to upset you. I was upset about it too.”

“……You really think so?”

“I do.”

His answer was concise, and his expression showed he truly meant it. Unlike the flustered Brienne, Herace nodded calmly.

“No matter how close family is, there are parts you can’t understand about each other. I agree with your decision now, Brienne. I did the same thing four years ago.”

‘Four years ago…’

“……Are you talking about when you enrolled at the Academy?”

“Yes. You may not believe it, but I left secretly, just like you.”

Brienne hadn’t known that.

She’d read about the Belif Young Master’s enrollment in the newspaper, but didn’t know the details. She’d just thought it was strange. Nobles usually disliked interacting with the Holy Kingdom of Roeta.

“Why did you do it, Herace?”

She couldn’t help but ask, though she didn’t expect him to answer. But Herace’s reply was unexpected.

“I hated my stepmother and my half sibling. I resented my father just as much.”

‘Sibling?’

‘……What did I just hear?’

To hear such words from Herace Belif… Brienne blinked like a broken doll, not knowing what expression to make.

“Wait, hold on…”

She wasn’t unfamiliar with the situation in the Belif Dukedom. His father, Duke Belif, had taken his first wife’s younger sister as his new wife after the first wife’s death.

It was only to maintain the family’s alliance, and it was said there were no children between them.

So the Duke’s children were only Herace Belif, and Kenis Belif, who was revealed to society late due to health issues.

But he said he hated his half sibling…

Herace smiled faintly as Brienne’s expression changed. He spoke casually.

“As you guessed, Kenis Belif is my aunt’s child. The current Duchess had a child with my father.”

“……What?”

Brienne was a bit taken aback.

She knew Kenis Belif and Herace were five years apart. That meant Duke Belif and the current Duchess had a child before Herace’s mother passed away…

Having grown up under the Marquis Ford couple, who were so close they were almost inseparable, Brienne could hardly imagine such a story.

“How… is that possible?”

“My mother was always sick, and my aunt took care of her. She lived with us and treated me like her own child.”

Brienne’s face showed mixed emotions as she looked at Herace. He smiled and continued.

“I met Kenis when I was eight. As an only child, I adored her, and Kenis followed me like a real older brother. I think my father and she were waiting for my mother to die from back then.”

A fleeting bitterness passed over Herace’s face as he recalled those memories. He smiled softly and looked into Brienne’s wavering eyes.

“You don’t have to pity me. I’m fine now.”

Herace really did seem calm as he spoke. How could anyone be so composed about such things, no matter how much time had passed?

Brienne felt sad. She didn’t want to judge someone else’s family, but seeing how upright Herace had grown in such a household made her admire him.

‘……How much pain must he have endured?’

It was natural for him to resent Kenis’s existence and dislike his stepmother. Brienne, gazing at Herace, gently placed her hand over the back of his.

“I think I’d hate it too… Honestly.”

Herace’s eyes widened slightly at her timid comfort. He looked down at the small hand resting softly on his, and smiled gently.

“……No one’s ever comforted me about this before.”

“Really?”

Surely anyone would comfort him about this. Brienne’s eyes widened, and Herace nodded quietly.

“I’ve never told anyone.”

“……Not even Kaiden?”

At that name, their gazes met in the air for a moment. Herace’s expression turned ambiguous as he looked at Brienne.

“I never told him, but I’m sure he knows. The Duke of Bannon doesn’t miss anything.”

“I see…”

Just as Brienne was about to withdraw her hand after the awkward silence, Herace caught it. Then, naturally, he intertwined their fingers.

“Please comfort me more.”

A forlorn smile spread across Herace’s face. Brienne looked up at him, flustered. She thought she should pull her hand away, but somehow, she felt bad pushing him away in this situation.

Should she call him clever for this? Brienne sighed and scolded him.

“……You’re taking advantage of my weakness.”

Herace let out a light laugh. He lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her fingers. The ticklish sensation made Brienne’s hand flinch.

“Is this taking advantage too?”

“Of course……!”

Brienne’s cheeks reddened as she frowned at Herace. Herace, resting his chin on one hand, tilted his head at an angle. Before he could say anything else, Brienne hurriedly asked,

“Ah, then…… what happened after that?”

“Are you curious?”

She was curious, but more than that, it bothered Brienne that Herace was sharing such a story for the first time. She nodded slightly.

Herace spoke lightly.

“……Kenis officially became my sibling on paper because of inheritance issues. Imperial law says you can’t pass on anything to someone who doesn’t exist in the family register, so my father registered Kenis from birth. Of course, he never discussed it with my mother. She didn’t even know Kenis existed.”

“…….”

“When I found out everything, my mother was already preparing for her death. She discovered Kenis’s name among the documents while organizing her estate.”

“How could that happen…….”

“That day, my mother lay in bed and asked me. She wanted to know who Kenis was, why that child was on the family register.”

“…….”

“If only I hadn’t been so honest. If I’d thought more carefully, my mother might not have passed away so soon.”

A bitter look crossed Herace’s face. He lowered his gaze and whispered in a subdued voice.

“My mother, in shock, took her own life.”

Brienne remembered.

When Herace’s birth mother, the former Duchess, died, he was eighteen years old.

“……Herace.”

“That’s why being honest has always been difficult for me. I’m always afraid of the consequences my words might bring, so I hide the truth, no matter how trivial.”

“…….”

“I needed courage. I’m sorry it took me so long to find it.”

Brienne finally understood why Herace was telling her all this.

He wasn’t just sharing his pain—he was confessing his mistakes. Now, with a face that seemed to have let go of regret, he looked almost relieved.

“I’ll answer the question you asked that day.”

“…….”

“It was you who used the soul-binding magic on me, Brienne.”