Chapter 9.3

When she approached the flowerbed visible from her window, Garzen gestured for her to come in.  

“Miss, sorry, but please come in here. I can’t be seen by others.”  

“You’re really picky, you know.”  

Brienne, with no choice, lifted her hem and stepped into the bushes. Garzen grumbled, as if it was unfair.  

“Then you should’ve let me into your room!”  

“That’s not possible. Besides, you said you can’t be seen by others, so how were you planning to get inside the building?”  

“I was going to climb the wall.”  

“Oh my.”  

That would be even more conspicuous.  

Brienne shook her head and suddenly frowned, asking,  

“How did you get through Rontiano’s border inspection anyway?”  

“What?”  

“When you were in Rontiano. If you didn’t come as the Prince, you should’ve at least tried not to act suspiciously. I couldn’t help but wonder, seeing you.”  

“Oh, that? I showed them a fake ID, and they let me in without any suspicion. They say they have the best security and military power, but honestly, it was pretty lax.”  

“…You know that’s illegal, right?”  

Brienne looked at Garzen with an exasperated expression.  

“Wait, wait. Why do you always look at me like that?”  

Ignoring Garzen’s complaint, Brienne looked around him. For some reason, Lusell wasn’t there.  

“Did you come alone today?”  

“Yeah, Lusell isn’t here. I’m alone. Even if we’re close, everyone needs their privacy.”  

Garzen approached Brienne and held out his hand as if for a handshake.  

“Anyway, sorry for coming so late. Even if it’s late, welcome to my country, Miss.”  

“Thank you for the welcome, Your Highness.”  

Brienne smiled and took just his fingertips, then shook them up and down, just as Diashi had done with her.  

“…What are you doing?”  

Garzen looked flustered. Brienne quickly let go, looking embarrassed.  

“I learned this from a new friend. Isn’t this how people greet each other in Roeta?”  

“What?”  

Garzen blinked, then burst out laughing.  

“So you made an interesting friend. You’re adapting faster than I thought.”  

“It’s all thanks to you—no, Your Highness. I heard you paid all my tuition. Thank you so much, Your Highness.”  

“Don’t call me that. Just act as you always do. At least when I’m with you, I don’t want to hear that stuffy ‘Your Highness’.”  

“What? But…”  

As Brienne looked around, Garzen moved further into the flowerbed.  

“All right! It’s later than I thought, so let’s go, Miss. When people pass by, we’ll hide among the trees and move.”  

“W-wait a minute. Where are we going?”  

Brienne asked in confusion, and Garzen, who was leading the way, turned around.  

Beneath the green shade of trees filled with the scent of grass, Garzen’s fresh smile made him look like a boy in midsummer.  

“There’s something I want to show you right now, Miss.”  

* * *

The carriage from the Academy took a shortcut toward Mashern Harbor. Aaron’s voice, shouting that they needed to go even faster, rang loudly inside the carriage.  

But Herace, lost in thought, didn’t hear a thing.  

A riding accident.  

The moment he heard that his father had fallen from a horse and was badly injured, Herace could think of nothing else. It was Brienne who snapped the cold, frozen Herace back to his senses.  

<…Herace, are you all right?>  

He remembered Brienne’s face, watching him with a worried, gentle voice.  

The soft touch as she held his arm. The warm, caring gaze.  

<Go quickly.>  

<…>  

<Herace, don’t regret it again.>  

Why did it have to overlap with a moment like that…

That perfect timing began to feel suspicious right around when the group of Demekia Priests came into view outside the carriage window.  

At this point, it really seemed as though some invisible force was blocking his way.  

<…I will definitely return by the entrance ceremony.>  

As that suspicion arose, an ominous thought filled Herace’s mind, that perhaps he might not be able to keep the promise he made to Brienne. Taking his gaze from the window, Herace frowned and thought.  

His father would be safe.  

No, he must be safe.  

That was the very least a father who had shown such disgrace to his child could do. Someone like him could not simply pass away like this.  

After finishing his thoughts, Herace rolled up his shirt sleeve and checked his watch. It didn’t take long for his usual calmness to settle over his face as he planned out what was ahead.  

He would board a fast cargo ship.  

Once he confirmed his father’s condition, he would return without delay.  

He had to return to where he belonged, to Brienne’s side, where he must be. He would find a way to return to Roeta before the entrance ceremony, no matter what.  

* * *

‘…Did I have to even ride a carriage for this?’  

Brienne, having successfully slipped out through the Academy’s back gate, found herself in a carriage before she knew it. Garzen, who carefully drew the curtains over the window, finally lit the lantern and knocked on the ceiling.  

“All right, let’s go!”  

At his booming voice, the carriage began to move. Brienne, looking flustered, asked,  

“What is it you want to show me that you’re going this far?”  

“You’ll see when we get there. Isn’t a surprise always the most fun?”  

“But honestly, I’m not in the mood for fun, nor do I want to be excited by a surprise. I’m really sorry, but if I’d known we’d be going far, I wouldn’t have come along.”  

“What? Why, Miss? Did something happen?”  

Should she say it?  

After a moment’s hesitation, Brienne nodded slightly. Since it had already been hours since the news about the Duke of Belif, she figured Garzen, a royal from an allied nation, would probably know by now.  

“They say the Duke of Belif had a riding accident. Herace left for Rontiano a few hours ago.”  

“Oh, that.”  

Garzen nodded with a sympathetic look, as if he already knew.  

“It’s definitely something to worry about. But, Miss, you really don’t need to worry too much.”  

“What?”  

“Well, I can’t go into detail since I heard it through official channels… But I can at least tell you his life isn’t in danger. Anyway, don’t worry too much.”  

“Not in danger? Is that really true?”  

“Yeah, that much I can guarantee. Have I ever lied to you?”  

Brienne’s face brightened as she looked at Garzen. Hearing that the Duke would be all right finally put her mind at ease. As the tension left her, her strength drained away.  

“That’s a relief. Truly, I’m so relieved.”  

“Then you’re ready to have some fun now, right?”  

“Hmm, more than before, I suppose.”  

Leaning her head against the carriage wall, Brienne gave a faint smile. Garzen grinned and opened his large bag, handing Brienne a robe.  

“Here, put this on before you get out.”  

“What is this?”  

Brienne took the pure white robe with a puzzled look. It was the same kind Garzen was wearing. Looking closely, she saw a familiar symbol.  

This was…  

“…Demekia Temple? Are we going to a temple?”  

“Huh, how’d you know?”  

“There’s a huge symbol on the back. And here, on the right chest, too.”  

Brienne, almost exasperated, flipped the robe inside out to check. Garzen, as if he hadn’t even considered that, opened his mouth in surprise and scratched the back of his head.  

“Well, there goes the surprise. Sharp eyes. Didn’t think you’d notice in this dark carriage…”  

“You’re overreacting again. You’re just careless, Zen.”  

Brienne laughed lightly and draped the robe over her shoulders, making sure not a single strand of hair stuck out.  

“But why a temple?”  

“Ah, actually. I wanted to show you this anyway, but also, I was hoping to ask you to be a witness.”  

“A witness?”  

“Yeah, remember that underground prison we were trapped in back in Rontiano? In the Harrington Earldom? It burned down and disappeared.”  

Brienne’s face, which had been sparkling with curiosity, lost its smile in an instant.  

“…That prison burned down?”  

So it finally happened.  

She remembered Lusell’s worried face, wondering if the prison would remain intact after Derrick Harrington went missing. It seemed that worry had come true.  

Garzen’s face quickly grew serious as he nodded.  

“I’m sure someone set it on fire on purpose. They realized we’d reported it as Hamartia’s base.”  

“I think so, too. Then, was it Derrick Harrington again?”  

“No, I don’t think so. Lusell suspects Derrick Harrington was just a middleman. He said that guy doesn’t have the guts for something like this.”  

Shaking his head, Garzen summarized the results of their investigation.  

The secret ledger Zen and Lusell had taken from the prison that day only listed ordinary goods.  

For example, matches, rice, blankets.  

So they couldn’t submit it as evidence in the Hamartia investigation.  

But a few days ago, Lusell discovered those were actually code words for other items.  

100 matches meant 1 bomb.  

A sack of wheat meant 1 pack of anesthetic.  

A blanket meant 1 bag.  

“Really? How did Lusell even figure that out?”  

Brienne’s lips parted in surprise as she listened to his explanation. But Garzen, as usual, seemed not to care much.  

“What? How? Hmm, I don’t know that either. He just figured it out. Why does the method matter?”  

“Huh?”  

As Brienne looked at Garzen stroking his chin with a lazy expression, a sense of futility flickered in her eyes.  

‘…This man, no, this prince, does he know anything at all?’

She was pretty sure he hadn’t been this clueless back in the Harrington Earldom. With half-closed eyes, Brienne studied him, unable to believe it.