Chapter 51

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: No Mercy 51

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No Mercy

Chapter 51

"Archduke!"

Baran came rushing into the office where Aden was handling his paperwork.

He flung the door open without even knocking and charged straight inside.

Aden dismissed the knights who had followed him in as if to block the way, then rose from his seat.

"What is it?"

"Something terrible... has happened. The Richel Lady..."

Before Baran could even finish, Aden's expression shifted, and he immediately started walking.

Baran chased after the moving Aden, gasping for breath without even catching it.

To improve the Richel Lady's conditions, they had moved her confinement to a room inside the inner castle.

It was usually a quiet area with only knights and guards coming and going, but now it was swarming with priests, healers, and maids.

The knight who had been organizing the situation spotted Aden and hurriedly stood up.

"That's enough. Report."

"We heard a sudden commotion from inside, so when we went in, she was convulsing and foaming at the mouth."

Aden held up his palm to silence the knight and strode right into the room.

As soon as he entered, a thick alcoholic scent lingered at the tip of Aden's nose before fading away.

Aden wrinkled his nose and furrowed his brow.

The healer who had been examining Richel, lying on the bed, stood and turned toward Aden.

"How is she?"

"She had a sudden seizure followed by respiratory distress that put her at risk of suffocation. Medicine couldn't treat it, but fortunately, the priest arrived quickly and got her past the crisis."

"Do you know the cause of the seizure?"

"We haven't pinpointed it yet. We're checking the food she ate yesterday, as well as breakfast and lunch today. It could be a chronic condition she's always had or something she doesn't even know about, so we need to investigate further."

True to his experience treating soldiers and knights weathered by the battlefield, the healer's response was calm and precise.

Aden turned his gaze to Richel, who lay on the bed as if dead, staring at her intently before calling for Baran.

Aden pulled the approaching Baran aside slightly and spoke in a low voice.

"Investigate everyone who entered today and report back."

"Understood."

"And in case it was a suicide attempt, select reliable people to monitor the room without any gaps. She must not die. It would put us in a difficult position, but more importantly, we need the information she has. You understand, right?"

Baran pressed his lips together heavily and gave a curt reply.

Aden turned back to look at Richel, biting his lip.

Knowing that Sierra had entrusted Richel to him, Aden felt a weight settling in one corner of his heart.

Aden, frowning with his lips pressed tight, turned to Baran.

"Did you inform Richel's parents about the visit?"

"I notified them yesterday."

"Damn it."

Aden muttered a short curse and raked his hand through his hair in frustration.

"Nothing's going right."

A self-deprecating tone accompanied Aden's deep sigh.

Aden instructed Baran to clear the area, then stood before Richel.

The thick alcohol scent still brushed his nose.

"Don't you smell anything?"

"Pardon? What smell do you mean?"

The healer looked puzzled at Aden's question.

Aden shook his head briefly and examined Richel.

She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, with no issues in sight.

Aden lifted Richel's hand and inspected her nails.

'...They're broken.'

Aden meticulously checked Richel's condition to find something to report to Sierra.

He might not be able to help her, but he didn't want to disappoint her.

"This can't be. How could they fire me like this?"

Rita's steps were endlessly heavy as she packed her belongings from the castle into her bag and headed out.

For Rita, who had served as a maid in Brilloxen for ten years attending to Sierra, the current situation was hard to comprehend.

There had been no prior notice of dismissal; it was a sudden order to leave overnight.

The letter thanking them for their hard work over the years and the severance pay for the past decade silenced the servants who were ranting in outrage.

The substantial amount left most of the disgruntled servants with no choice but to accept it.

It wasn't intentional, but a matter of territory policy, so they had little to argue.

On top of that, new jobs were being arranged for them, so there was no need to stir up more complaints.

But there were still those brimming with dissatisfaction.

They were the ones for whom the money and new jobs offered little appeal—namely, those who had been recruited by Bellieta.

They could no longer continue their ties with Bellieta, who had rewarded them so lavishly for betraying their master.

Rita was no different.

In particular, unlike the others, Rita had received unimaginable treatment as Sierra's exclusive maid.

Money aside, even medicine for her mother's treatment.

To Rita, Bellieta was like a savior.

"All these years I've worked, how much is that worth? Even if they fired everyone else, they could've kept me, right? No, even if not, they could've given me some warning. I haven't even finished the tasks she gave me!"

After grumbling for a while, Rita suddenly stopped in place and narrowed her eyes.

She chewed on her thumbnail, frowning.

"Did she figure it out?"

Rita recalled how she had been reporting Sierra's every move to Bozbon.

It started simply with what clothes she wore and what accessories, but it had escalated over time.

Eventually, it was no different from being a spy.

That thought made Rita suddenly question whether she even had the right to feel this resentment.

When you got down to it, it was practically betrayal.

She had quietly assumed that because Sierra had treated her well, she'd forgive her even if caught.

As Rita's thoughts wandered far, a shadow fell over her face.

At that moment, shadows fell over the door and behind Rita.

Wondering what it was, Rita turned around to find grim-faced men pressed right up behind her.

"...W-Who are you?"

Startled by the sudden appearance of the men, Rita shrank back in fear and opened her mouth.

The men confirmed her face, nodded, and reached out.

"Wh-Why are y— Mmph!"

"Take her."

It was midday, and everyone was out working, leaving the alley quiet with no one passing by.

The men easily abducted Rita and dragged her to a secluded corner where no one came.

She was thrown to the ground like a sack of luggage.

"Mmph!"

Her mouth sealed with cloth, Rita desperately tried to get up from the ground, but the man's drawn sword reached her throat first.

Rita stiffened at the cold, sharp sensation and swallowed hard.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

She couldn't even scream.

Tears welled up and streamed from Rita's terrified eyes.

Her hands could only clasp together in desperate plea.

Why is this happening to me?

I didn't do anything wrong.

I just worked hard, that's all.

"Kill her."

"Mmph!!"

The man who had been standing with his hands behind his back jerked his chin and gave the short order.

The terrified Rita scrambled backward on all fours, but the sword-wielding man followed and subdued her easily.

He stepped on her fleeing ankle and raised his sword.

Rita shook her head, begging for her life, but the man's eyes were emotionless.

"Kill her quick. We've got a lot more to handle today."

"..."

"What are you waiting for? I said kill her. What, squeamish about killing a woman? Pathetic. Step aside. I'll do i—"

"Who are you planning to kill?"

As the man behind clicked his tongue and drew his sword, a voice rang out from behind him.

Just as he startled and tried to back away, a sword flew into his shoulder, embedding precisely.

"Argh!!"

"Subdue him."

At the low command, more armed knights emerged from behind and charged at the man.

The man who had drawn his sword to kill Rita flinched at the sudden knights, hesitated, then bolted in the opposite direction.

The knights chased the fleeing man, and the remaining one was quickly subdued.

"Don't kill him. Keep him alive. Gag him so he can't suicide."

"As the Brilloxen Lady commands."

Kestian relayed Sierra's words to the knights.

The knights bearing the Pallieva family crest subdued the man and stuffed a cloth in his mouth.

Rita, collapsed on the ground, stared blankly at Sierra and Kestian approaching her.

Sierra removed the cloth gag from Rita's lips, smeared with tears and cold sweat.

"Si-Sierra, miss..."

"Are you hurt?"

"She looks fine. No major injuries, Brilloxen Lady."

Kestian briefly continued after checking Rita's condition.

Rita stared blankly at the unfamiliar man, then turned her gaze piercingly to Sierra.

"How did you... get here?"

"No visible wounds. Tell me if anything hurts."

Sierra reached out to help the fallen Rita to her feet.

Kestian assisted Sierra from the side, helping Rita up.

Rita clutched their hands and staggered as she rose, but Kestian's firm grip kept her from collapsing again.

Standing shakily on trembling legs, Rita gazed at Sierra and murmured blankly.

"How did you know I was here..."

"I had a feeling something like this might happen, so I put someone on you beforehand. If I'd been even a little later, it would've been disastrous, Rita."

Rita swallowed dryly and nodded.

She quietly looked down at Sierra's hand holding hers and bit her lip hard.

Her master's hand, which had saved her, felt incredibly warm.

That warm hand belonged to the master she had betrayed multiple times.

Only then did she realize she had indeed committed a grave wrong.

No matter how dim a maid she was, she could figure out who had sent those men to kill her.

"Was it that woman who sent those people...?"