There Is No Mercy

Chapter 35

 

On a hot and humid morning, thanks to the rainy season, an unwelcome guest arrived.

“Sierra! I’ve missed you!”

The guest who barged in just as I was about to enjoy a cup of tea after finishing breakfast was never welcome.

Especially not if it was Belietta.

The mynah bird had been squawking noisily all morning, and I was wondering why.

It turns out that it was trying to warn me of this bad luck.

What a crazy woman to show up at my place without any notice!

I swallowed the curse words that were on the tip of my tongue.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“Why so cold? Did we ever need to set up a meeting to see each other? We just meet whenever we want, right?”

Well, that was true. I usually never went to see her first. If I did, it was never for a good reason.

Seeing her face first thing in the morning made me think today would be as gloomy as the overcast sky from the rain.

But this is a bit sudden, isn’t it? Even after our encounter at the banquet two weeks ago, she’s acting as if nothing happened and chatting me up again.

Looking at her smiling face, I felt like the expression I saw on her at the banquet was just my imagination.

I changed my mind about heading to my room. Something told me that if I took her to my room, I’d be stuck dealing with her all day. As I headed toward the terrace, Belietta kept on chattering without pause.

I responded half-heartedly and sat down, only for Belietta to hesitate.

When I glanced over, she furrowed her brows.

“In the terrace when it’s raining?”

“Why not? The rain’s not coming in, and the wind isn’t strong. It’s not a bad idea to enjoy some tea while watching the rain, is it? You don’t like it?”

“It’s humid, and the raindrops are splashing around. I don’t like it. Let’s go inside.”

It was so typical of Belietta to show up unannounced and then decide where we’d have tea.
So bold.
After what happened in Genoa, she’s acting like she doesn’t know anything.

Her brazen attitude was so disgusting I had to stifle the sneer threatening to form.

As I quietly watched Belietta’s back heading towards the open terrace door, memories I’d forgotten started resurfacing.

“Belietta.”

She turned her head at my call.

Seeing me still seated, she pouted, clearly displeased.

I hid a smirk as I opened my mouth.

“Have you made up with the Marquis of Huren’s wife?”

“…Why bring that up out of the blue?”

“Just… I’m concerned.”

I gave her a gentle smile as her expression stiffened, and I gestured for the maid to set the tea and snacks on the table.

The maid, in response to my gesture, set the teacup and snacks on the table. The sound of tea being poured into the cup blended with the rain. Steam rose gently from the cup.

I leisurely picked up the cup, keeping my eyes off Belietta. She finally moved after I took a sip of tea.

“Hot tea on the terrace in this hot and humid rainy season, huh?”

“Brilloxen is the Empire’s largest tea producer. It’s only natural to enjoy tea, even in the summer, don’t you think?”

Belietta, with a sullen expression, held her teacup without drinking.

It wasn’t until I’d tilted my cup three times that she finally put her cup down without even taking a sip.

When I lifted my gaze from the teacup on the table, I saw Belietta frowning.

“Where did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“That thing you just said.”

My tea had gone cold, so I called for the maid.

There was a brief silence as she brought a different teacup and replaced the old one.

After the maid left, I crossed my legs calmly.

“I heard it somewhere. At the tea party hosted by Lady Huren, she got angry. I’m not sure why, but I heard she confronted you there. I was just curious if everything was okay.”

Belietta might put on an innocent and naive act, but she was far from it.

She was cunning and knew exactly how to manipulate people.

She’d play dumb while pulling the strings, pretending she had nothing to do with it.

I was one of the many who got played by her, and others had fallen into her trap as well.

At first, you’d think she couldn’t be like that, but after a few meetings, it becomes clear.

You realize Bellieta is just playing with everyone.

The situation with Lady Huren was the same.

The Marchioness was a refined lady who loved flowers. She was well-known for her hospitality, often inviting noblewomen to enjoy tea parties in the gardens she tended herself. Many attended her tea parties, including Belietta.

“The Marchioness is a kind and gentle person. Plus, she’s close to the Bozeborne family, so you should apologize first.”

The Marchioness was one of the few people who knew my true nature. Before I returned, she had subtly warned me about Belietta’s interest in Layton Vladia, implying that the Marchioness wasn’t too fond of Belietta either.

“So, you’re saying it was my fault?”

Belietta, who had been silent, reacted sensitively to my words.

Her face and expression remained calm, but the slight arch of her eyebrows and the twisted corners of her lips betrayed her.
The tea, which she hadn’t touched, had long gone cold.

“Sierra, are you seriously saying that?”

“I’m not saying it was your fault. I’m just saying there’s no need to turn your back on such a noble person over a simple argument.”

“But that’s exactly what you’re implying.”

Belietta had a way of appearing sweet and kind, fooling many people into thinking she was a selfless and understanding noblewoman.

“I’m not in the wrong, Sierra. You know that.”

But Belietta was the exact opposite.

She never admitted her mistakes, nor did she know how to back down.

The only reason she ever pretended to be selfless was that she found it boring to actually step back.

As the only daughter of the Duke of Bozeborne, who was showered with love all her life, apologizing or admitting she was wrong was simply out of the question for her.

“How can you say that to me? How could you? How could my best and most cherished friend say something like that…?!”

Belietta raised her voice as if she was getting angry, and then she started crying.

The maids nearby were startled and began whispering among themselves.

Belietta, with tears welling up in her eyes, looked at me and then covered her face with her hands.

Thanks to Belietta’s little performance, I suddenly became the heartless friend who made her cry even though she had only come to see me because she missed me.

“Disgusting.”

If this had happened in the past, I might have been flustered by Belietta’s antics, trying to comfort her.

But not anymore.

As I took a step back and carefully observed her actions, I was more surprised than anything else.

The sudden crying, the way she twisted the situation in her favor, even the words she chose—all of it was calculated.

Now, I understood why she had shown up without warning. Belietta wanted to turn our relationship back to the way it was before the banquet, desperately clinging to the bond we had.

I might have been the one to bring up the Marchioness of Huren, but Belietta had skillfully used it to shift the atmosphere in her favor.

As I stayed silent while Belietta continued to cry, the situation grew more awkward.

The maids started glancing at me nervously, unsure of what to do.

But I had no intention of stepping in to calm her down.

She was crying on purpose, waiting for me to soothe her.

But why should I? If I didn’t console her, she’d just exhaust herself crying.

I decided to wait until she wore herself out.

But my patience was interrupted by an unexpected intrusion.

“Um… Lady Sierra.”

I turned my head to see Rita approaching hesitantly, looking awkward.

She glanced at Belietta and then carefully spoke.

“It’s not really my place to say, but maybe you should apologize now? There are a lot of eyes on us, and the atmosphere is getting a bit tense…”

Rita, with her innocent expression, butted in, pretending she was concerned for me.

Wow, impressive. I knew she was already on Belietta’s side, but this level of loyalty is something else.

As I turned my gaze from Rita’s awkward smile, I noticed the other maids watching, their reactions plain to see.

“You’ve been friends for a long time, so maybe it’s better to make up instead of fighting.”

“I agree, my lady. There are people watching, and the Count might end up in an awkward position.”

“Maybe calming down a bit wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

As I silently listened, the maids started chiming in one after the other.

Huh, the maids employed in Brilloxen are siding with Belietta instead of me? And not just that, they’re even bringing up my father’s name, trying to guilt-trip me into apologizing.

They’ve got some nerve.

I glanced around and caught Belietta, still crying with her face covered, watching the maids.

Is she making sure they’re doing a good job? Unbelievable.

I had to stifle a sarcastic laugh as I finally spoke.

“Alright, shall we?”

I pushed my teacup aside and stood up.

I smiled back at Rita, whose face brightened with relief.

Then, I turned and faced Belietta, who was now looking at me with tear-filled eyes.

“Belietta, forget what I said and stop crying. You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

“…Really? You didn’t mean it like that?”

“Of course. How could I not trust you? Right?”

Even though it was a blatant lie, it felt disgusting to say it out loud.

But it seemed to be what Belietta wanted to hear because she slowly smiled and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll believe you.”

Like the sun peeking out from behind the storm clouds, Belietta’s smile returned as she finally settled back in her seat.

Rita, who had been pretending to be concerned, also seemed relieved as she returned to her spot.

The tense and awkward situation began to ease.

Belietta asked for fresh tea, and then, as if nothing had happened, she smiled brightly at me.

“Sierra, I knew you’d apologize.”

“Did you know?”

“Of course. You’re always so understanding and thoughtful, my most precious friend. And the Sierra I know would always apologize right away if she did something wrong. I figured it would be the same this time.”

I was casually responding while picking up my teacup, but then I caught something strange in her words that made me look up.

Belietta had this odd expression on her face, one that made it hard to tell if she was smiling or glaring at me with narrowed eyes.

“Thanks for apologizing first, Sierra.”