Chapter 57
“Sierra!”
The unwelcome voice rang out the moment the carriage door opened.
As I looked up, I saw Belietta rushing toward the carriage, almost sprinting.
After taking the wide-brimmed hat handed to her by a following maid and putting it on, she turned around, and there she was, just a step away from me.
Under the sunlight, her hair shimmered like golden silk, and her skin was so translucent that it almost glowed.
In the late summer heat that hadn’t quite faded, Belietta was shining brighter than anyone else.
Maybe that’s why.
Belietta was drawing in all the attention around her.
Swallowing a sigh at the uncomfortable stares directed my way, I lifted my hat slightly, and Belietta’s voice rang out.
“It’s been a while, Sierra.”
“Yeah, it has.”
“How have you been? How can you go so long without a word? I’ve been waiting so long for your letter.”
“I’ve been busy running around. If you had something to say, you could’ve reached out first.”
I thought there was no need for her to wait for my contact.
Oh, maybe she doesn’t want to? Is it a pride thing where reaching out first would feel like losing?
Thinking about it, Belietta rarely contacted me first.
Aside from the times I had to reach out due to necessity, it was rare for her to send letters; she usually preferred to visit.
That’s why this invitation was unexpected and also why it bothered me.
I could see through her intentions clearly.
“You looked busy, so I didn’t want to bother you. When I sent the invitation, I was worried you wouldn’t come, so I’m really glad you’re here. I’m happy, Sierra.”
“I’m glad to hear that. It’s a letter from a friend, so of course, I had to come.”
That’s what the invitation was meant for, right?
Wasn’t it? I wondered if she would cause a scene if I didn’t show up.
After giving her a quiet smile in response to her bright grin, I turned my body.
I glanced at the servants unloading my belongings from the carriage and then looked back at Belietta.
Belietta, familiar with my gaze, waved her hand to call over a young man.
“Please show her to her room and help with the luggage.”
“Of course, my lady.”
A man, who appeared to be a steward, hurriedly moved to gather my things, calling over more servants.
As I watched my bags quickly disappear from the carriage, Belietta smiled brightly and began to walk.
“This way.”
Without saying anything, I followed her with my eyes as she walked ahead of me.
As she walked gracefully, her hair swayed gently behind her like it was dancing in the clouds.
I wondered what Belietta was thinking.
What could be going on in that clever head of hers?
“What are you doing, Sierra? Hurry up!”
“I’m coming.”
As I stood still, she waved her hand again, urging me to come faster.
I grabbed my bag with my other hand and slowly followed her.
As I got closer, Belietta turned around and smiled brightly before continuing on her way.
“By the way, I heard you’ve had quite a lot going on lately. From the Genoa tournament to the military supply meeting, it sounds like there’s been a lot of ups and downs. Are you okay?”
So she was the one bringing it up first.
I guess she was curious about my reaction.
Glancing at Belietta’s face, I shifted my gaze back to the front.
“I’m fine. It’s nothing too serious. These are the kinds of things you go through in life, and I shouldn’t complain about something as trivial as that.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Do you know how shocked I was when I heard about Genoa? I wanted to rush over when I heard someone attacked you in the night; you have no idea, Sierra. I was so worried about what had happened to you.”
The nighttime part was true, and someone did try to attack me, but “attacked” is a bit of an extreme word.
I wondered if she realized how blunt that term sounded.
For her to casually use such explicit language while discussing so many other stories means she’s probably trying to belittle me again.
Swallowing my smirk at Belietta’s innocent-sounding worry, I replied.
“Really? That’s unexpected from you, Belietta.”
Belietta, who had been walking two steps ahead, abruptly stopped and turned to face me slowly.
Her expression seemed to ask what I meant as she tilted her head.
“What do you mean by ‘unexpected’?”
“I just thought you’d mention something else first.”
I took two steps closer to stand beside the frozen Belietta.
With a slight smile on my face, I leaned in and lowered my voice.
“How’s Lady Fiorette Beren? She seemed quite shocked after nearly getting killed by Lady Richelle that day.”
“…”
“It was a situation where she could have been murdered right in front of someone. I was really worried when I saw her hastily getting into a carriage to leave. Is she okay?”
Just as I did with her, I tilted my head slightly.
Belietta, biting her lips and slowly forming a smile, began to speak in a calm tone.
“She’s fine. But how about you, Sierra? Is your shoulder okay?”
Finally remembering, I just smiled without responding.
As I moved a step past the rooted Belietta, she slowly followed me again.
We took in the sound of our shoes echoing through the calm corridor as we made our way back to the room.
“By the way, I heard from the investigator not long ago that Lady Richelle nearly died during the investigation. The investigator asked her why she tried to kill Lady Beren, but she just clammed up. Isn’t that cruel? I wonder why she tried to kill her. They seemed to get along quite well.”
“Well, I suppose there was a reason for it. But I’ve also heard that she was so anxious and unable to eat properly that she tried to commit suicide.”
“Suicide?”
“Yeah, apparently it was by poison.”
As I chatted with Belietta, we suddenly arrived at the room.
I opened the door and quickly scanned the interior before turning back with a smile.
“It’s a nice room.”
“Did you know? Your room is my second favorite after mine. I made sure to give you the best room, so make yourself comfortable.”
With a smile that seemed generous, Belietta winked at me, and I returned her smile smoothly.
After setting my bag down, I turned back to see Belietta about to leave the room.
“Belietta.”
“Yeah?”
“Earlier, you mentioned suicide.”
Belietta narrowed her eyes slightly and nodded.
Noticing her discomfort with the topic, I moved closer to her.
Standing by the door as if to see her off, I held the doorknob firmly.
“But where did you hear about that? I haven’t heard anything about her committing suicide. You even know it was by poison.”
“Someone who participated in the investigation is a vassal of the Bozbourne family. Piolette almost died, remember? I was curious, so I casually asked and found out. Why?”
“I just find it interesting. All I heard was that Lady Richelle almost died due to a sudden seizure, not suicide. There are suspicions of suicide, but it could also be due to a disease she suffered from or even foul play.”
“…”
“But you flat-out say it’s suicide, and even that it was poison. That’s fascinating. I didn’t know that information.”
I’m hearing this directly from Aden, who’s in charge of the investigation.
As I smiled and lowered my head, Belietta let out a shallow breath.
I pulled the handle with a smile at Belietta, who had inadvertently gotten herself caught up in the topic I raised.
“Well, your information about the vassal being involved in the investigation must be right. I probably just got the information late. Thanks for telling me, Belietta.”
“…Not at all, Sierra. I wanted to have dinner together tonight, but I have some work, so I think I’ll have to see you tomorrow. Get some rest, and I’ll see you then.”
“Take care, Belietta.”
As I quietly watched Belietta leave, I smirked to myself and closed the door.
I had a long way to go to really get on my nerves.
This was nothing to me.
I silently stifled a laugh and slowly unpacked my bag.
***
“Sierra, over here!”
As I arrived at the venue preparing for the monster hunting competition, I was greeted by Rippert, who had been waiting for me.
A considerable number of people were already gathered from the morning on the day of the competition.
I navigated through the busy participants and their supporters and approached Rippert.
“It’s chaotic already this morning. The competition doesn’t start until after lunch, but some people have been here since dawn.”
“It’s probably because many are interested in more than just the hunting competition.”
They were all looking for a chance to exchange even a word with Bozbourne.
Catching a few monsters wasn’t that important to them.
What mattered most was making their names known to Bozbourne.
If you think about it, the best monsters were essentially Bozbourne themselves.
As I scanned the area for familiar faces, a woman approached from the side.
I got up to prevent Rippert from blocking her.
“Sierra.”
“Getia, you’re here too.”
Getia, with her long black hair, greeted me with a bright smile.
She was the young representative of a large trading company that had dealings with Brilloxen.
As I offered her a seat and sat down, her voice flowed out immediately.
“I figured you’d come. It’s nice to see you again after our last meeting.”
“Really? I remember you shouting at me to lower the delivery fee, so it’s surprising to hear that you’re glad to see me. I thought you’d see me as an enemy.”
“When it comes to trading partners, it’s better to be persistent than to treat them like enemies. An enemy is just another trading partner to me.”
Her relaxed shrug made me smirk slightly.
“I thought Brilloxen wouldn’t be that interested in the hunting competition, but are you participating?”
“No, I didn’t recruit participating knights. I need people to protect me and serve as my eyes and ears.”
Leaning back against the chair, Getia crossed her legs and glanced around, raising her eyebrows.
