There Is No Mercy

CH 05 

 

Their hesitant lips and only rolling eyes without a hint of confidence were foolish.

 

They lacked the audacity to speak openly and didn’t even have the confidence to reiterate their words in front of me.

 

They showed no intention of apologizing or showing any hint of pride in such a situation.

 

I knew that nobility without pride was as good as dead.

 

I didn’t expect an apology in the first place.

 

“Lady Richelle.” (Sierra said)

 

I met the gaze directed towards me.

 

As their eyes scanned me with a frightened expression, I slowly softened my rigid expression.

 

Covering my mouth with the fan in my hand, I raised an eyebrow.

 

“Relax your expression. If you keep that look, it seems like I’m going to scold you severely, doesn’t it?” (Sierra said)

 

“Brilrock…”

 

“So, let’s talk separately later, okay?” (Sierra said)

 

I whispered quietly into her ear as I leaned in close.

 

Her mouth, previously calling out my name with relief, froze open in surprise.

 

“I hope we can still talk as freely as we did just now. I, well, I like consistent people.” (Sierra said)

 

Straightening my waist and pulling away from her, her eyes followed my retreating figure.

 

Covering my mouth lightly with the fan, I smiled faintly.

 

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” (Sierra said)

 

With those final words, I turned away.

 

—

 

“My head hurts…” (Sierra said)

 

Sitting on the sofa in the room, I recalled the events that had just taken place.

 

I still hadn’t fully understood or accepted the situation, and the overlapping events left me feeling overwhelmed.

 

However, I could grasp that the events unfolding before me weren’t dreams or fantasies.

 

“Sigh…” (Sierra said)

 

Closing my eyes, vivid memories of Bellieta and Layton still lingered, accompanied by a ringing in my ears.

 

The sensation of cold water was clear, but the warm and soft feeling on my back felt as if all the past events were just a dream.

 

But it wasn’t a dream.

 

It was the reality I had experienced and could experience again.

 

If I stayed still, I would inevitably reach that future again.

 

But that was not what I wanted.

 

“It’s not enough.” (Sierra said)

 

But that alone was insufficient.

 

Merely protecting what was mine was not enough.

 

Considering the pain I had endured, merely protecting myself didn’t satisfy me.

 

Some claimed that seeking revenge only consumed oneself, and I believed in that.

 

But it was all nonsense.

 

Such words were nothing but empty heroism from those who couldn’t return the favor.

 

If you only receive, all that remains is betrayal and profound loss.

 

Will others acknowledge it someday?

 

They never will.

 

No one will save themselves unless they take the first step.

 

So, I had to handle it myself.

 

“Uh! Relationship… it is!”

 

What’s that sound?

 

I stood up and walked towards the window.

 

The voice was coming in through the open window due to the hot summer air.

 

Even though it was distant, it sounded like someone was arguing.

 

A lover’s quarrel, perhaps.

 

Well, as many couples as there were at the party, there were probably just as many breakups.

 

Seeing your partner dancing and laughing with someone else could trigger jealousy, so it was only natural.

 

“Still, they’re fighting so loudly.” (Sierra said)

 

Luckily, the party was still in full swing, and there weren’t many people around here. Otherwise, everyone might have craned their necks to see what was going on.

 

But it seemed like the woman was really furious while the man remained silent.

 

The voices stopped as the wind died down.

 

Thinking that the commotion had settled, the wind picked up again.

 

Accompanied by the breeze, a clearer voice reached my ears.

 

“So, just stop being annoying!”

 

As I turned away, ready to leave, I froze upon hearing the voice again.

 

Certainly, this voice…

 

After confirming the direction from which the voice was coming beyond the window, I swiftly moved toward it.

 

It was a familiar voice.

 

No, it was not just familiar; it was unmistakably the voice that had etched into my ears.

 

I should be lying in bed, ready to fall asleep by now. Why was I hearing voices from over there?

 

I stepped out of the room and approached the source of the sound.

 

With every step, the sounds became clearer in my ears.

 

The certainty grew with each passing moment.

 

It was Bellieta’s voice.

 

As I turned a corner, the shadow of two people standing on the opposite side became visible.

 

A blonde woman gleaming in the dim light.

 

It was Bellieta.

 

She appeared agitated, with furrowed brows, as if she were in the middle of a heated argument.

 

“I never made that promise!” (Girl said)

 

Although Bellieta’s voice reached me loud and clear due to the distance, the voice of the person on the opposite side didn’t reach my ears.

 

Who is that? Facing away from me with a view of Bellieta, the man standing there appeared quite tall.

 

At a glance, he seemed to have a head taller than Bellieta.

 

Bellieta is not short, but… In the dimly lit garden with only faint light, the man’s ash-gray hair caught my eye.

 

Was there such a man? A man with ashy hair… 

 

He was not in my memory at all.

 

Then, suddenly, a gust of wind rustled the leaves, carrying the cold voice of a man.

 

“So, is this why the Duke of Bozbourne disregarded the promise all this time? Just because of his daughter’s whining, he wants to annul the contract we made decades ago.”(Man said)

 

“Feel free to think so. I don’t care. Besides, now that things have come to this, let me be honest with you.” (Bellieta said)

 

Bellieta took a deep breath, and then, as if throwing it out, she spoke.

 

“Bozbourne isn’t regretting the past promise at all. Also, I have no intention of fulfilling the contract with Refton, and neither does my father. In the first place, Refton is nothing compared to Bozbourne. It’s just a barren land and desolate terrain where the murmurs of ghosts echo because it’s got nothing else.”

 

“Pitiful.” (Man said)

 

It was a voice filled with chilly disdain.

 

Bellieta, who was loudly confronting the man, narrowed her eyes in response.

 

Despite Bellieta’s intense gaze, the man stood his ground without taking a step back.

 

“Is that the only reason you think you can annul the contract? Don’t you realize that it’s not just Refton who will suffer when the contract is annulled?” (Man said)

 

“Do you not understand that it can’t even be called damage to that extent? You dare to threaten Bozbourne with a contract made behind the scenes?” (Bellieta said)

 

Bellieta smirked.

 

“Do you not realize that no one would want to turn Bozbourne, the sky above the sky, into an enemy?”

 

“It’s truly remarkable that you can speak such foolish and stupid thoughts not just in your head but out loud.” (Man said)

 

Bellieta chuckled at the man’s words.

 

Even from a distance, it sounded like quite a harsh conversation.

 

But how many men could speak to Bellieta like that?

 

In society, Bellieta was the center of attention, like a queen among flowers.

 

Every man brought her flowers and jewelry to impress her, but to speak such harsh words?

 

And on top of that, a crisis?

 

A sense of something unknown crept over me.

 

Bellieta, seeming angered by the man’s words, shot back a few times before finally turning and disappearing.

 

The man left alone sighed, ran his hand through his hair, then turned his head around.

 

His face, previously hidden while his back was turned, came into view.

 

I saw pumpkin-colored golden eyes.

 

Ashen hair with a gold sheen.

 

There was only one nobleman I knew who met both of these conditions.

 

That person…

 

“Come out. I know you’re there.” (Man said)

 

“…”

 

It felt like my heart stopped.

 

Contrary to what I thought, that the man wouldn’t know I was there, he was looking directly at me.

 

And his firm voice was directed at me.

 

But how could he know when I was hiding at this distance…?

 

Was it a delusion?

 

“Even if you hide, I can still see you. So, it’s better for you to come out.” (Man said)

 

It wasn’t a delusion.

 

The man didn’t just stop at speaking; he moved his legs.

 

Startled by his approaching figure, I hastily turned my body after glancing around.

 

It seemed like my appearance wasn’t very pleasing.

 

To be caught eavesdropping on the secret conversation between the two was a situation that wouldn’t yield positive results.

 

Moreover, if Bellieta knew that I was the one caught, I couldn’t imagine what kind of expression she would make.

 

The thought made my stomach turn.

 

While I suggested to apologize, my rationality wouldn’t allow it.

 

Faster than he could approach me, I swiftly moved my legs and escaped to the opposite side.

 

I shouldn’t have come here for no reason!

 

Blaming myself for igniting unnecessary curiosity, I bit my lip.

 

When I glanced back, thankfully, he didn’t seem to be chasing me.

 

“I leaned against a hidden wall, taking rough breaths for now.”

 

Even though it was night, it was still summer, and the heat persisted.

 

Sweat streamed down my body.

 

After taking off my outerwear and wiping off the sweat streaming down my face, I inhaled deeply.

 

“You were here.” (Man said)

 

The voice sounded like it was coming from behind, and in an instant, my body was pulled backward.

 

“Huh?!” 

 

What the… It can’t be! There’s a wall behind me…!

 

However, that didn’t matter; the hands and arms that dragged me were strong.

 

Preventing any escape, they wrapped around my shoulders and waist, as if I were being embraced from behind.

 

The sensation of a firm chest against my back was distinct.

 

I turned my head, and at the moment, I could see the perpetrator’s golden eyes, resembling those of a fierce beast, looking down at me.

 

The Harmony’s ruler, the self-proclaimed Ghost Duke.

 

“Listening to secret conversations and running away, not a pleasant hobby.”

 

Aden Refton, the ruler without a title. 

 

“Planning to run away again?” (Aden said)

 

It was him.