Chapter 6

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter Title: There Is No Mercy 6

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The Bertos Empire, located in the southern part of the Vulcas Continent.

About four hundred years had passed since it had toppled the old Lloyd Kingdom and established the empire in its place.

In that time, countless nations had risen and fallen, but the Bertos Empire had stood firm as the ruler of the south.

With two permanent ports, trade and sea routes flowed freely. The inland areas bordered rivers, and fertile lands made for abundant granaries.

The climate was stable, and habitable lands were scattered everywhere, drawing in countless wanderers who settled and built what became the Bertos Empire.

But even in such an empire, not all the land was peaceful.

Harmonia, bordered by the enormous mountain range on the western frontier.

This vast territory, roughly the size of a small kingdom, had been utterly abandoned.

About 150 years ago, monsters had been driven out and the area tamed.

The Riplton family, mysterious lords of this borderland shrouded in enigma.

And the current head of the family, Aden Riplton, was the one gripping me from behind right now.

Even though it was the middle of summer, a chill brushed the back of my neck.

I had hardly any memories of seeing the Riplton Ghost Archduke before returning.

I'd caught glimpses from afar now and then, but I'd never spoken to this man.

"...To think our first conversation would be like this. Not exactly ideal."

I rolled my eyes to glance down at his thick forearm, then closed them.

"I won't run away."

"I can't believe that."

"Even if I did run, you'd just chase me down and catch me again anyway."

He'd pulled me out from behind that walled-off spot, so anything else would be easy for him.

I raised my hand and patted his forearm.

"So, could you let go now?"

It hurts.

At my words, his arm loosened, and his broad shoulders moved away.

I straightened my clothes with my back to him, then spun around to look up at Aden.

Golden lion's eyes.

That mysterious color unique to the valiant Riplton family... or so I'd heard.

From a distance, I hadn't noticed, but up close, they felt different from any other eye color.

"Who are you?"

I grabbed the hem of my dress and offered a formal greeting.

"May the grace of the night moisten the lands of Harmonia... I am Sierra, eldest daughter of the Brilloxen family."

"The grace of the Harmonia Goddess, eh. A believer?"

"No. I learned that in Harmonia, they greet with the night blessing, so I gave it a try. Was that wrong?"

Aden stared at me silently before turning his head away.

"Those who speak the night greeting usually prefer to hear the words of the night."

Is he talking about me?

I closed my eyes and spoke softly as I gazed at his impassive expression.

"The grace of Harmonia is silence and stillness. That's why many consider even reciting it a curse."

And rightly so—Harmonia was the protector of night, solitude, and silence.

The goddess most assassins revered... there, I'd said it.

I scanned Aden's face before opening my mouth again.

"First off, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop. The voices coming through the window were so loud, I thought something was wrong, and that's how I ended up hearing your conversation."

"For someone who wasn't eavesdropping, you sure stayed a while."

He knew? Aden's eyes narrowed.

The moment the atmosphere shifted, his lips parted.

"How much did you hear?"

His golden eyes fixed on my face like he was interrogating me.

In the silence, I recalled the bits about the Riplton family and cautiously spoke up.

"It was too far away; I didn't hear anything. I caught the angry woman's voice, but Your Grace's was too quiet."

"Then why run?"

"How many people would just stand there when someone suddenly chases after them?"

His brows furrowed at my answer.

I glanced at his rising eyebrow before continuing.

"It was basically like secretly overhearing a private moment between a man and a woman. I didn't want to get caught, so I ran. I was scared."

I wouldn't have run if I'd known he'd catch me this easily.

Wasted energy for nothing.

Aden let out an incredulous chuckle and slowly ran a hand through his hair.

Then his eyes flicked downward.

Truth be told, I hadn't heard nothing at all.

Even the fragments were enough to guess it was something important.

'Contract, catastrophe, relationship...'

At the very least, they shared a bond close enough to call each other 'us.'

That was enough to make a rough guess at their relationship.

It wasn't great that I'd overheard, but I couldn't back down here, so I kept up the brazen act.

In the meantime, I quietly observed Aden's face as he pondered with his gaze lowered.

I'd sensed it from afar, but up close, it really hit me.

This man was quite handsome.

His ash-gray hair shimmered faintly in the moonlight like silk, and below it, his straight nose, red lips, and especially the golden eyes peeking through his narrowed lids were stunningly beautiful.

If not for the scary rumors, plenty of women would have fallen for his looks.

Of course, he didn't seem interested in marriage.

No one would want to marry into Harmonia, known for its barren lands.

"I'll believe you."

As I admired his face and mulled over these thoughts, his voice pierced my ears.

I looked up to find Aden gazing down at me.

He stared with lingering suspicion before speaking briefly again.

"In return, remember that you spoke the grace of Harmonia."

"Pardon? Ah... sure."

I tilted my head at first, but soon realized he meant not to go blabbing about what I'd seen today.

I had no intention of doing that anyway.

Whatever Bellieta was up to didn't concern me.

Besides, I could use this to my advantage, so I'd keep it under wraps.

"Got it. As long as I keep that quiet, we're good?"

Aden nodded slowly.

He looked away from me, scanned the surroundings, and murmured lowly.

"The night grows late."

He glanced up at the sky, then lowered his head to look at me again and parted his lips.

"Then, enjoy the quiet night."

"Ahh... I'm dead."

The moment I returned to the Brilloxen estate mansion and flopped onto my bed, a groan escaped me.

My body felt completely drained after the long trip.

I used to attend these gatherings all the time before.

They hadn't bothered me back then, so why was it so exhausting now?

Mental fatigue, maybe.

I rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

Even in my exhaustion, yesterday's events played out like a slow panorama.

As the memories flowed by, my blank expression paused on one man's face.

"...Aden Riplton."

I'd finally spoken to him for the first time.

It was forced after getting caught eavesdropping on his private moment, but it still felt novel.

My memories of him stood out from others.

Especially his indifferent parting figure at the end—it was etched deeply.

He'd chased me to check if I'd overheard, yet why believe my claim of hearing nothing?

For that brief moment we faced each other, Aden wasn't someone fooled by such a clumsy excuse.

And he'd be even more sensitive in a position unfavorable to him.

So why let me go?

I'd prepared other responses expecting more questions, but they went unused.

I bit my lip hard.

"What exactly did he mean by that?"

I pondered if there was anyone Bellieta—who always wore a facade—had rejected so vehemently, then dropped it.

Of course not.

So what was their relationship?

Mentioning past events and contracts suggested it wasn't casual.

Probably... that kind of thing.

What should I do?

Maybe look into it.

I hadn't fully adapted to this situation yet, and I didn't want to poke around unnecessarily.

Plus, around this time of summer, my parents were away from the territory for about two months.

It was when they left for Mother's treatment and to escape the heat.

So asking them was out...

After mulling it over, I got up.

I changed into comfortable clothes and stepped out, startling the maid in the hallway, who widened her eyes.

"Where are you off to?"

"Just out for a bit."

"Shall I prepare a carriage?"

"No need."

I pulled the wide-brimmed hat low over my face.

I flashed a smile at the worried maid and set off with my escort knight, Riphert.

Riding my personal horse to a large tavern in Brilloxen, I pushed open the door.

Being midday, the windows were open, and the interior was bright.

No drinkers in sight, so the counter clerk looked utterly bored.

As I entered, he glanced at me and stood.

The bearded man approached, eyed my hat from all angles, and spoke slowly.

"Food? Booze?"

What do you want to eat?

I pushed up the brim of my hat to meet his eyes.

He raised a brow at the sight of me and jerked his thumb backward.

I slipped past him and opened the inner door, revealing another small one.

Opening that led to a red-haired woman working at a desk.

She didn't react to my entrance.

I approached, sat in the chair, and only then did her voice come.

"What brings the esteemed Brilloxen Lady here? Have you finally decided to crack down on us?"

"Came to ask something."

"...?"

She lifted her head at my voice.

Her black eyes fixed on me, flickering briefly.

She stared in disbelief before scoffing.

"Did I hear that right? You came to ask something?"

I nodded, and her lips curved slyly.

"This is awkward. Walking straight into a thieves' guild for information... Do we look like an info guild to you?"

"Not exactly, but you do hear a lot of the same stuff, don't you?"

Besides...

"You're a lot more direct about it."