There Is No Mercy

                                                                                       Chapter 20

As I stepped out of the mini bar, I saw him waiting outside. Leaning against the wall, he looked like he’d draped himself in shadowy armor. When he opened his eyes, his golden pupils, hidden until then, revealed themselves. Just that simple act of opening his eyes seemed to amplify the intensity of their color, almost as if they could overpower the darkness around us.

“You’re early,” I said.

“Well, you showed up,” he replied, nodding toward the slightly open door.

I nodded back, then motioned with my head, saying, “Let’s go.”

Aden nodded briefly and started walking ahead, adjusting his stride to match mine. Despite standing twice my size, he kept pace easily as we walked side by side.
The hallway was quiet, and it was hard to find a single person around. Everyone must have been at the banquet or back in their rooms, so it made sense that no one would come to this small mini-bar.

The uniform sound of footsteps echoed, thickening the already tense silence.

After walking down the hallway for a while, We reached a small garden where the wind brushed past my face. The sound of my heels on the ground was replaced by the rustling of grass and the distant music playing somewhere.

I stopped at the motionless fountain. I took two more steps, then turned around.

Aden was standing there, looking at me with a silent, expectant gaze. I met his eyes with a silent look of my own before stepping back and sitting on the edge of the fountain.

I straightened my back.

“You look like you have a lot of questions,” I said.

“Anyone would be curious after seeing a conversation and scene like that. Since we’re business partners, I don’t think it’s a problem for me to be curious. Right?”

“No, I think it’s a reasonable question.”

A gust of wind blew, tossing my hair around. The neatly styled hair scattered like petals in the wind. While I was busy trying to fix my hair, I heard the sound of someone walking on the grass.

I looked up to see Aden, who had been standing at a distance, now walking towards me. His tall frame loomed right in front of me, and a moment later, I felt the warmth of his hand on my shoulder.
Aden’s coat covered my shoulders and back. He had taken it off, leaving him in just his shirt. As Aden stepped back, he undid the top two buttons of his neatly tucked-in shirt, looking quite relieved as if escaping some discomfort. I looked away from him and down at the coat draped over me. It wasn’t just to keep me warm; it was to stop my hair from flying around. It was a surprisingly thoughtful gesture, something most wouldn’t think of.

“Thanks,”

Aden gave a brief nod and stepped back. Without his coat, his already tall frame seemed even larger, almost statue-like. I wondered just how tall he was. Even with heels on, my eyes barely reached his chin. He had to be at least a head taller than me.

“pulling the coat tighter around me with a slight smile, “So, What do you want to ask? Go ahead. You seem to know some things already, so I’ll just answer what you’re curious about.”

“You’ll answer everything?”

“Of course. If you hadn’t shown up today, we might’ve been enemies, but you came, so that makes you a trustworthy partner. To some extent, at least.”

I brushed my bangs back and tugged on the coat again. Perfect trust didn’t exist. Sometimes enemies could become allies, and allies could easily turn into enemies. Even the man I once thought I could trust completely had used me as a means to satisfy his own desires.
It wasn’t a trauma; it was a lesson. Never trust others too easily.

“Ask away.”

I prompted Aden again, and his lips, which had been shut tight, slowly parted.

“Are you leaving tomorrow?”

“…I guess so?”

The question was so different from what I expected that I couldn’t help but respond in a weak, indifferent voice.

What kind of question is that? Maybe he’s warming up before the main questions?

But even for that, it was too random. I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but his expression remained relaxed.

“…Is that all?”

“If you have a question you want me to ask, just tell me. I’ll ask it.”

“I thought the person with the question is the one who’s curious, not the one who’s supposed to answer. Doesn’t that seem a bit off?”

As I furrowed my brows in confusion, Aden responded.

“I haven’t asked anything, and I don’t intend to. Actually, Sierra, aren’t you the one who wants to talk to me?”

“…”

“Honestly, it’d be a lie to say I’m not curious after hearing your conversation with Lady Bosbourne. It didn’t sound like a chat between best friends, as everyone believes. But that’s not my business.”

A gust of wind blew Aden’s bangs back, revealing his forehead and giving me a clearer view of his features.

He looked different, strikingly handsome, more so than I had noticed before.

As the hair that used to cover his forehead was gone, Aden’s face came into view so vividly that it felt unfamiliar.
Was he always this handsome? He was looking so stunning that it made me forget how he used to look.
Even the Marquis of Vladia would not have been a match for him.
“What’s the issue with their relationship? Only Sierra knows that, I guess.”
Aden sat on the edge of the fountain next to me and looked up at the sky.
The sharp but graceful jawline and the slightly bulging wool collar caught my eye vividly.
Aden lowered his gaze and met my eyes, then smiled softly.
The gentle, upward curve of his lips was the cleanest smile he had shown so far.
“No matter the process or whatever the goal, in the end, there’s only one choice for me.”
Aden’s hand slowly rose.
My eyes naturally followed his hand.
Aden’s hand grabbed the coat that had slipped off my shoulder and gently pulled it back up.
A soft rustling sound of fabric brushed past my ears.
Even though the fountain had stopped, I felt a strange illusion of hearing water.
As Aden’s hand moved away after adjusting my coat, a smile spread across his lips.
“No matter who badmouths you or throws tempting offers your way, I’ll choose you. And whenever you need me, I’ll come running to you.”
“That’s…”
“I remember. That’s what I need to do.”
Aden slowly stood up and stepped back.
I watched him as he walked away, his back turned to me.
With each step Aden took, the distance between us grew.
After about ten steps, he stopped and quietly turned around.
“I wish we could talk a bit more, but I heard you’re leaving tomorrow. It’s a shame. Well, I hope we get another chance to meet. If you need me again, just reach out anytime. Sierra.”
Sierra.
Hearing my name from Aden’s lips carried by the wind slowly reached my ears.
Soon, with the sound of him stepping on the grass, Aden disappeared.
As he was gradually fading into the darkness, I didn’t know what to say.
With a tangled mind, I shook my head and hurriedly tried to stand up, but then Aden stopped and straightened up.
“Oh, by the way, that guy. He’s not really a good person.”
“That guy?”
“The eldest son of the Palieva family.”
“Do you know him?”
“No, I don’t. But he seems like he would be.”
Aden’s expression changed playfully.
What is he talking about now? I couldn’t believe he was joking, so my response was delayed.
When I slightly furrowed my brows, Aden smiled broadly and turned away.
“Just saying.”
With those words, Aden completely vanished into the darkness.
I sat alone by the fountain, staring at the trail where Aden had disappeared, then looked up.
I gazed at the bright moon he had been looking at a moment ago, then lowered my head.
A breeze blew by.
This time, my hair didn’t flutter, it remained calm.
I sighed as I brushed the coat covering my shoulders with my palm.
“I should keep this.”
The faint scent of cool cologne lingering on the coat made me smile for some reason.