Chapter 15
“I heard this story in a bar. A young noble-looking man was drunk and talking about it to another man.”
“Do you know who it was?”
“There’s a lot of nobility, so how would I know? But he said he worked for House Bozbourne, and I remember that.”
Someone who works for House Bozbourne…….
I clench my jaw and think for a moment, then slowly open my mouth.
“So that information has some credibility, does it?”
“Assuming, of course, that everything that comes out of a drunk’s mouth is true. He could be lying, or he could be rambling off on his own, so don’t overthink it.”
“But it could be true.”
“There’s no bottom and no top to that, so you have to believe what you want to believe, don’t you?”
Jack chuckled and then looked at me intently before saying quietly, “Well, even if that’s not the case, they might still be guarding their territory.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean they might be trying to nail Rippleton in Bozbourne as their own.”
As I closed my mouth, Jack stood up.
“That’s enough, right? “I’m going.”
Jack replied bluntly, then whisked out of the room without another word.
I stared at his empty seat, then lowered my gaze and stirred the cooled stew slowly with my spoon.
Setting the spoon down in the curdled stew, she pushed her flowing hair back into a neat bun.
So, she knew it all.
Or maybe I’m just as wary as Jack said.
Well, I wouldn’t mind a rumor.
It wasn’t as if rumors had legs, so there was no reason for them to spread so late in the rainy season.
I leaned back in my chair and looked out the window.
Bozborne had refused Rippleton.
But for him to claim Rippleton as his own now, it must mean that the Duke of Bozbourne had something to do with it.
Even if it wasn’t, the rumors would eventually force Bozbourne to intervene.
Things were getting complicated.
“Perhaps we should be a little more cautious now.”
I slowly gathered my thoughts.
* * *
The Marquis of Vladia’s banquet was described by Bellietta as next month, but in reality, it was less than a month away.
His banquet was so close that many nobles were scrambling to make connections with him.
I had joined their ranks.
As I sat in the carriage, I looked out the transparent window and narrowed my eyes.
I didn’t want to be associated with him if I could help it, and I didn’t want to see his face.
Seeing two human faces at once-Bellietta and Layton-would bring back ugly memories.
I know no nice things would come out of their mouths.
I had told Bellietta that I would not be attending this banquet, and my reason for standing in this line was simple.
There was nothing to be gained by waiting and doing nothing.
Bellietta wouldn’t think the man I was interested in was Aden.
But for all that, Bozbourne’s movements had a sharpness to them that stung.
“They say they put the nail in the coffin…….”
Maybe he knew it, but Bozbourne made the first move.
I don’t know how the rumors would play out, but Bellietta and Bozbourne clearly intended to use them to their advantage.
So I wrote to Aden, asking him to join the banquet.
The rumor could only be dealt with by having a party to it.
But…….
“Did he have his hand broken, or his mouth hacked off, or something, and why hasn’t he answered?”
“What?”
I haven’t heard back from Aden yet.
Surely, it wasn’t that he wasn’t attending, or that the letter hadn’t arrived?
There was plenty of time.
There was plenty of time for an answer.
But no answer meant…….
Anxiety overwhelmed me, but I suppressed it.
At the banquet…
Of course, he could make a grand entrance and help me out, but I didn’t want that.
It was a fairytale, not a reality, that he would show up and help me.
So, I’d better get there early if I can…….
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
At the sound of the maid’s voice, I turned my head and glanced toward the banquet hall.
It was enormous, a testament to Marquis Vladia’s wealth.
I had once wed him here.
“Lady?”
Her head throbbed at the unpleasant memory.
I let out a long breath and rose from my seat, stepping out through the door the knight had opened for me and up the stairs.
All around me, guests were entering the ballroom to enjoy the night’s feast.
I hope Aden is among them…….
“Please enter…….”
“Sierra!”
The knight reached out to escort me, but a voice called out to me before he could.
I turned my head and saw Bellietta, dressed in a colorful gown, approaching me, smiling like a flower.
I could hear the people around me chattering at her appearance.
“There you are.”
I shifted my gaze from her welcoming face to glance over my shoulder.
A man walking slowly behind Bellietta.
I narrowed my eyes on him.
“Thank you for joining me at my banquet, Brilloxen.”
Layton Vladia.
“I am truly grateful for the invitation, Marquis Vladia.”
As soon as I arrived, I saw the faces of these two people first. I slowly walked away, swallowing the bitter ridicule that lingered in my mouth.
* * *
The hall was already filled with people.
It was indeed a banquet hosted by the great noble, the Marquis of Vladia.
I was surprised by the size of the place when I was here before, but it was just as lavish now.
Although they were the same marquis, there was a difference between the Marquis of Saxion, who had a military background, and the Marquis of Vladia, who had deep roots in central politics.
The Marquis of Saxion, who had a military background, was frugal. Unlike this, the Marquis of Vladia’s banquet hall was twice as large in size.
It’s amazing how many people are here and it still looks empty…….
Unfortunately, its size did me no favors.
“I’m afraid I was too drunk to hear that last time, Marquis Vladia, and I’m very sorry for what happened then.”
Nope. It’s only natural to feel that way when you’re trying hard liquor for the first time. Actually, I’m relieved that nothing serious happened.
I felt the urge to swear and curse in my mind, to the point where it reached my throat.
I tilted my drink, holding back the words that were about to burst out right away, and turned my gaze away.
Just as I arrived, I was already feeling queasy inside from listening to a pointless conversation between two people who were holding on to me.
The fake smiles on their faces and Layton’s busy tongue made me feel sick to my stomach.
I wanted to avoid them if I could, but if I moved, Bellietta would follow, so I was stuck, unable to do this or that.
I’d like to have a conversation with the others.
What I wanted to know was how much the nobles knew about the rumors circulating.
I needed to know so I could plan my behavior, and damn Bellietta had me by the throat and didn’t seem to want to let go.
I listened to their conversation out of the corner of my eye, scanning my surroundings.
I looked around to see if Aden had come, but there was no sign of him.
He was too tall and imposing to miss, even from a distance.
I bit my lip hard.
Was he really not coming?
“I’ll be right back. Hold on, Sierra.”
My eyes widened as I watched Bellietta wave and walk away.
I hadn’t been listening to their conversation, so I didn’t know why Bellietta had left so abruptly.
My eyes traced Bellietta’s back and then looked away.
My eyes fell on Layton, the man who was staring at Bellietta’s back just like me.
He must have felt my gaze, because he flashed me a quick smile.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t spoken since we greeted you earlier, Sierra. You look beautiful today.”
It wasn’t that we didn’t have a conversation, it was that he was so into Bellietta that she didn’t care about me.
You’re lying with spit on your lips, aren’t you?
I can’t help but snort at the way he praises me.
I swallowed back a sigh at the flippant tongue that said it so casually every time.
Of all the parts of this man’s body that weighed a gram, his tongue and lips seemed to weigh less than a gram.
“Did you enjoy your conversation with Bellietta?”
“Yes, of course. I enjoy talking to Princess Bellietta just as much as I do with Miss Sierra, and maybe it’s because you two are best friends, but we talk well and it’s very pleasant.”
Or maybe he just enjoys spending time with Bellietta.
I tore my gaze away from Layton and stared at the center of the ballroom.
It was obviously a banquet for young nobles, so there were a lot of ladies and gentlemen dressed like flowers.
I could see them all strutting their stuff and dancing to the music in the center of the room.
As I scanned them and sipped my drink, a voice spoke up next to me.
“Come to think of it, I thought I told you that I would serve drinks at the Marquis de Saxion’s banquet.”
That’s right.
Though technically, he’d been flirting with me, wanting to serve Bellietta, not me.
I glanced at Layton, and he smiled softly.
“How about you, are you free after the banquet tonight?”
I nodded, tilting the grape juice in my hand, assuming he meant if Bellietta’s time was okay today.
“I don’t have a lot of time, but I’m sure Bellietta does, so we’ll talk about it some other day.”
If he is interested in me, he would respond to my answer by asking us to eat next time.
But he was unflappable.
“I see, that’s too bad. Well, then, I suppose I’ll drink with Princess Bellietta alone tonight, and Miss Sierra will join us later.”
I was not disappointed.
Does the corner of a person’s mouth curl up like that when they say they’re disappointed? Why don’t you just laugh out loud? Right now, that expression seems to be deceiving me, and it’s disgusting.
I clicked my tongue low and rolled my eyes again.
The song was coming to an end.
Just in time to see Bellietta returning from wherever she’d been.
