Chapter 8.7

Already two hours had passed.

Herace wandered the shopping street searching for Brienne, but could not find her. Morgen Atelier, Schurten Bookstore, and all the restaurants Brienne might have visited—Herace checked them all, frowning.

‘Did she already return to the Academy?’

Diashi had promised to take Brienne to the atelier at six o’clock. By now, Brienne would have finished dinner.

He had heard they would be together until evening.

Herace looked down at the bouquet in his hand with a bitter smile. He thought he had timed everything perfectly, but it all felt off.

A vague sense of unease crept in.

He worried that damned coincidence might have happened again.

Herace looked up at the tall bell tower of the temple across the street.

The Goddess of Fate, Demekia.

That unfair deity who supposedly decided all human destinies had not favored Herace this time either.

Herace turned his gaze to the darkening sky and decided to head back to the Academy.

Brienne had Aaron, so there should be no danger. Besides, by now she was probably already back at the Academy.

The day wasn’t over yet.

Herace decided to hold on to his last hope.

“Let’s return to the Academy.”

Herace returned to the carriage that had been waiting for him and headed straight for his destination.

But at the Academy’s front gate, Herace was greeted by Aaron, who was pacing with an anxious face.

“Sir Herace!”

“……What’s the matter?”

Herace, who had sent the carriage back after spending the day together, suppressed his ominous feeling and approached Aaron. And, as expected, Aaron spoke the words Herace never wanted to hear.

“Miss Ford has disappeared!”

Aaron, reporting what had happened with a pale face, was on the verge of tears.

“I’m so sorry. She was definitely in line to take the carriage back to the Academy, but she said she was going to buy a newspaper and then…….”

“She didn’t return?”

“No, she just…… vanished.”

Herace’s face, clutching the bouquet tightly, turned cold.

‘No way.’

Herace turned away from Aaron and ordered,

“Inform the city guards immediately. I’ll search the shopping street again—wait at the Academy.”

“Y-yes……!”

Aaron nodded and left briefly to call Herace’s carriage back. But when Aaron returned with the carriage, only a white bouquet lay on the ground.

***

The sound of two people’s footsteps echoed on the now quite dark street. Neither hurried nor slowed, the two walked together in silence.

Amid the long silence, Brienne’s occasional sighs became unbearably irritating. She was thankful she recognized the street, and finally spoke.

“I’ll go back alone. You can leave now.”

“It’s dark. I’ll walk you to the front.”

“No, this is uncomfortable. I don’t want to run into someone and have them get the wrong idea.”

Brienne shook her head coldly and reached toward Kaiden. She had allowed him to accompany her because she couldn’t return alone from an unfamiliar alley, but now she truly didn’t need him any longer.

“So don’t even think about walking me further—just give me my bag.”

“…….”

“Kaiden.”

At Brienne’s insistence, Kaiden reluctantly handed over the bag. Slinging the heavy bag over her shoulder, Brienne looked at Kaiden once.

<……Tell me honestly, Kaiden. What have you been hiding from me all this time?>

He never answered that question.

<Hide something? There’s nothing. Everything you know is the truth.>

He simply wore the same practiced smile as always.

But Brienne did not believe that simple answer. For the first time, Kaiden’s eyes, which had poured out his emotions to her, were clearly bloodshot.

“Hey, Kaiden.”

Brienne took a deep breath and looked up at Kaiden.

“You already know, so it’s silly to say this now. But.”

“…….”

“No matter what you think, I don’t want to lie to you anymore. Like what has been said, we’re not even friends, so there’s no reason for it.”

Brienne’s gaze dropped to his chest. She was glad the sky was dark. She really didn’t want Kaiden to see her expression right now.

Brienne’s dry lips parted, her voice trembling.

“There was a time when I thought you were my whole world.”

“…….”

“I looked forward to seeing you every day, waited for your letters every day. Even that waiting made me happy. Loving you made me feel special, like I was the protagonist of a romance novel.”

“……Brienne.”

“I liked you so much, Kaiden.”

Unable to look at his face, Brienne dropped her gaze to her shoes and paused.

She was truly grateful to Kaiden, who still said nothing.

“……But as you know, that’s all in the past. I don’t intend to get involved with you personally anymore. So, just like before, don’t send me gifts or approach me. Don’t even pretend you know me.”

Brienne, forcing herself to calmly declare the end of their relationship, finally moved her gaze to Kaiden’s face.

“Take care, Kaiden.”

Even a repeating mark has an end.

She gave Kaiden a chance to respond, and Kaiden didn’t take it. That was all.

Brienne, with a faint smile, turned away without regret.

This was the best she could do for a long-time friend.

***

Step, step.

Brienne dragged her heavy feet all the way to the carriage stop. Her mind was so troubled she considered walking all the way to the Academy, but after wandering all day, she no longer had any strength left in her legs.

The streets, now quiet because it was late, were lit by bright street lamps. Staring at the yellow lights, Brienne suddenly thought of Aaron.

‘……Right, Aaron.’

She wondered if he had returned to the Academy safely.

She worried she might get Aaron in trouble with Herace for suddenly disappearing. Regret surged over acting without thinking about the consequences. Even though she knew regret was useless, she felt very sorry for Aaron.

Checking the time, Brienne lined up to catch a carriage. It was then that a city guard patrolling the shopping street approached her.

“Are you Miss Brienne Ford?”

“……Yes?”

‘How do they know my name?’

Brienne stared at the city guard, bewildered. Seeing him glance back and forth between something written in his notebook and her face, she realized he must have been looking for her for some reason.

“That’s right. What’s the matter?”

“There’s been a report. I’ll need you to come with me.”

“A report?”

Brienne’s eyes widened in disbelief. She wondered if there was some mistake.

“But I haven’t done anything wrong. Isn’t there some misunderstanding?”

“Yes, but… since a report has come in, please come with me. I’ll take you to the person who made the report.”

No way.

Brienne’s eyes narrowed.

“Who’s the one who reported?”

The city guard checked his notebook and turned his gaze to Brienne.

“Do you know Sir Herace Belif?”

***

Brienne entered the large guard station, looking around in a daze. The child on the right side of the entrance seemed about eight years old, while the one on the left looked around ten.

Actually, it wasn’t just the sides.

“Moooom!”

“Sniff, I want to go home…….”

Everywhere she looked, there were children. It was sad that so many kids went missing in this shopping street, but Brienne couldn’t believe she was one of them.

“We’re tracking the location of the person who made the report, so please wait a moment.”

“Oh, yes…….”

Brienne nodded awkwardly at the guard’s guidance. Sitting in an empty seat, surrounded by the noisy voices of children, she gradually started to get angry at Herace.

Just what was Herace thinking?

From Aaron’s perspective, she had disappeared, but she was an adult and not even half a day had passed.

Was it really necessary to file a report in such a situation? Stuck among crying children, unable to return to the dorm after a tiring day, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed.

Brienne frowned to fight off sleepiness.

And just when she thought maybe she should report Herace missing instead, he finally appeared.

“……Brienne.”

Brienne, who had been nodding off, jolted upright. But the moment she saw Herace’s face, her eyes wavered.

Herace, who always wore a relaxed smile and neat attire, now looked completely disheveled. His expression seemed exhausted.

Herace brushed his soaked hair back and knelt in front of Brienne.

“I was worried when I heard you suddenly disappeared. What happened? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Herace…….”

Brienne blinked in confusion, her gaze landing on his hair. She thought it was wet from water, but on closer look, it seemed to be sweat.

“……Don’t tell me you’ve been running around all this time? Looking for me?”

Herace nodded, looking at Brienne with concern.

“Yes, in case something happened like last time.”

After catching his breath, Herace continued with a sigh. A faint smile appeared on his face.

“But I’m really glad nothing happened.”

Only then did Brienne realize how careless she had been. Even though she was still afraid of what happened that day, she hadn’t considered how Herace felt when he heard she was missing.

She realized too late that the day she disappeared had been a nightmare for Herace as well. Brienne, who had been a bit puzzled that he was searching for her, felt embarrassed by herself.

“……I’m sorry, Herace. I really didn’t know you’d worry this much. I guess I took things too lightly.”

“If you’re sorry.”

Herace whispered in a low voice, looking up at Brienne.

“……From now on, wherever you go, let me accompany you. If something were to happen to you out of my sight, I truly wouldn’t be able to bear it.”

The deep sincerity in his gray eyes made Brienne want to nod in apology.

At that moment, Herace’s gaze dropped to the handkerchief wrapped around Brienne’s hand.

“Oh, this…….”

Brienne quickly clenched her palm and hid her hand, not wanting him to worry more if he saw she was hurt.

But what came from Herace’s lips was something she hadn’t expected at all.

“……You met Kaiden, didn’t you?”