Chapter 76
As expected, the gambling den owner’s vault held the money they’d been laundering for months. Not all of it, of course—quite a bit had been cleaned and hidden away—but they were able to recover enough by seizing the owner’s personal assets and properties.
The companies connected to Brilloxen, along with Rippleton, who had been under suspicion, were also cleared of all charges and didn’t need to pay any restitution.
Baran, who had clearly been stressed, let out a sigh of relief, looking like he had aged three years.
“So, it’s over now.”
He signed off on the case closure documents and stood up, leaning against the window sill. Despite being early autumn, Rippleton always had a chilly atmosphere that felt more like early winter.
Dry leaves had already fallen to the ground, and those still clinging to the branches looked like they’d drop any moment now.
Watching them quietly, I suddenly started to laugh.
Who would’ve thought I’d become so familiar with Rippleton, a place others avoided out of fear, to the point where I now came and went as if it were my own home?
Thinking back to that rainy season when I first climbed up here, it’s surprising how much has happened in such a short time.
Leaning my head against the window, I closed my eyes, letting the breeze wash over me.
In the darkness behind my closed eyelids, I could picture Aden’s face, looking at me with that ever-serious expression of his, and even hear his voice in my mind.
A strange feeling.
To be honest, it wasn’t unpleasant.
Before I died, even when I married Layton, I never once heard a proposal, or even a simple “I like you.”
I thought things like that were distant from my life, something I might never experience.
So it was true that Aden’s words had shaken me.
But even so, if you asked whether I liked him or felt anything for him, I wouldn’t really know how to answer.
I married Layton like I was running away.
In the end, that decision was wrong.
So trusting another man again, or believing that the man I choose is the right one—that’s hard for me now.
“It’s hard…”
I muttered quietly to myself as I slowly opened my eyes.
The room, which had been bathed in autumn sunlight just moments ago, was now cast in shadow.
With a slight frown, I turned my body to look behind me, expecting to see the view outside the window—but there was a wall there instead.
“If you fall asleep here, you’ll catch a cold.”
A somewhat gruff yet gentle voice.
As the wall moved away, a familiar face appeared.
Aden, who had just taken off his coat, came closer and draped it over my shoulders.
His coat still carried his warmth and scent.
I pulled the coat tighter and looked up at him.
“Weren’t you going out today? You didn’t leave?”
“I’m heading out now. Just wanted to see you before I left.”
His tone was still sharp, but there was a softness to his voice and words.
And the way he looked at me—somehow, it felt deeper.
…Or maybe not? Maybe it’s the same, and I’m just seeing it differently?
Caught in this confusing, ambiguous feeling, I stood up as Aden lightly hopped over the window sill into the room.
“You’ll be back by lunchtime, right?”
“I need to leave soon. I’ve been away from home for three days. Plus, my father found out about all this and even sent a letter telling me to hurry back.”
I gestured with my eyes toward the letter sitting on the desk.
Aden’s gaze slowly moved from me to the letter, then back to me.
He looked slightly away, his lips parting hesitantly before he spoke, slowly.
“Thank you. And… sorry for causing you trouble.”
“There’s nothing to thank or apologize for. We’re in the same boat, so of course we go through hardships together.”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
Then what?
I tilted my head slightly, giving him a look that asked what he was talking about.
Aden, who had been looking down, raised his eyes again to meet mine.
…Ah, that.
“I should’ve held back. I wasn’t calm, and I didn’t act maturely. It wasn’t the right time to say something like that when I hadn’t even dealt with everything properly.”
It was easy to see how complicated his feelings were from the tone of his voice and the look on his face.
For someone who usually looked me straight in the eyes, Aden couldn’t seem to make eye contact with me this time.
Seeing him this flustered, something I’d never seen before, I wasn’t sure how to respond.
But since there wasn’t a clear answer, I decided to stick to the basics.
“I understand.”
Aden, who had paused, seemingly waiting for my response, looked at me with a briefly puzzled expression.
Seeing his reaction, I also felt a bit thrown off.
Why? Didn’t he just say he was sorry and thankful? And that he wasn’t being mature? So I said I understood.
“I’ll accept what you said, Aden.”
“…Th-thank you.”
Aden’s expression was strangely awkward as he replied.
He avoided my gaze, looking out the window instead.
A gust of wind sent the fallen leaves swirling outside.
As we both watched the scene, Aden walked closer to the window.
“It’s a lonely sight.”
I moved closer to him and caught his gaze. His golden eyes reminded me of the fallen leaves.
Maybe that’s why his words about loneliness hit me so hard.
“Harmonia doesn’t stay warm for long. It’s always barren, silent, and lonely. This fortress, once tall and bustling with people, is now emptying.”
Aden murmured quietly, then smiled softly as he turned to face me.
“The goddess’s blessing may not always rest upon your cheeks, but the warmth you’ve left in this room will remain. That’s enough.”
He slowly bent down.
His hand took mine, and his warm lips pressed gently against it.
It was a brief yet lingering farewell, as his hand left mine.
Aden looked at me, smiling softly.
“May you pass through this lonely autumn and harsh winter, and when the warm spring comes again, I hope the warmth you’ve left will welcome it.”
With that ancient blessing, which also seemed like a promise to meet again soon, Aden quietly left.
* * *
“I’m sorry, Lady.”
Belieta looked at the knights bowing their heads in shame before her, their expressions filled with regret.
The knights couldn’t forgive themselves for failing to carry out the orders given by the Bozbourne family and its lady.
“We failed to complete the mission. Please punish us as you see fit.”
The knights, having given their report, waited for Belieta’s response.
After a brief moment of silence, she rose from her seat.
“Why did you come back?”
“…Pardon?”
The knights had expected the kind and graceful Lady Belieta to comfort them, despite their failure.
But the words that came out of Belieta’s mouth were something they hadn’t anticipated at all.
As the knights stood there, dumbfounded, Belieta approached them.
“I’m asking why you even bothered coming back without finishing the job.”
“Milady…?”
“I was clear, wasn’t I? I told you to eliminate the man and retrieve all the evidence. But what did you do? You didn’t kill the man, and you didn’t retrieve the evidence. You failed to complete a single order I gave, so why are you here?”
Kind and understanding Lady Belieta.
The knights of Bozebourne had always imagined her as someone who only knew how to speak kind and beautiful words.
But the woman standing before them now was nothing short of vicious.
“Did my words seem like a joke to you? Or did you think that as long as you failed, you could just come back and say so without any consequences?”
“N-no, of course not.”
“Then what? Why are you standing here with such shameless faces after failing?”
Once she started, the knights couldn’t offer any response.
They knew that it wasn’t always possible to succeed in every mission.
Even if they failed, they usually only faced mild reprimands, never harsh criticism like this.
And from Lady Belieta, of all people?
The knights, practically in shock, could only open and close their mouths, struggling to find words.
Belieta glared at them in silence, but only for a moment.
Just as her face had been twisted in anger, it suddenly softened into a smile.
“This isn’t what you were expecting, is it?”
“…What?”
“You asked me to hold you accountable, so I tried copying something I read in a book… but, did I do it wrong? Oh no, was I too harsh? If that’s the case, I’m really sorry. That wasn’t my intention…”
The angry, scolding Lady had vanished, and in her place was the gentle, sweet Belieta they were used to see.
The knights, unable to process the sudden change, blinked in confusion. Then, realizing what had happened, they burst out laughing.
“Haha…! So that’s what it was? For a moment there, I thought…”
“Please don’t ask me to punish you like that again. It really doesn’t suit me,” Belieta said, shaking her head and pressing a hand to her forehead.
The knights, seeing that she had returned to the person they knew, finally relaxed.
“No, it’s our fault for failing the mission and giving you no choice but to say something like that. Honestly, thanks to how you handled it, we feel much better now.”
“Really? But I still think I might’ve been a little too harsh…”
“It’s fine. Our commander has scolded us far more harshly than that before,” one of the knights said, nudging the knight next to him in the ribs, as if asking for backup.
“R-right! We’re okay, so please don’t worry about it,” the other knight quickly added.
“Did you hear that, milady? We’re all fine, so there’s no need to worry. But we should go report back to the commander now. May we take our leave?”
“Oh, of course. You can go. And please… keep today’s little incident a secret,” Belieta said, blushing slightly as she placed her hand on her cheek.
“You know what I mean, right…?”
“Of course. I’ll make sure these guys keep their mouths shut. You can count on me,” the knight, clearly won over by Belieta, grinned and promised.
“Then, take care,” he said, bowing and leaving the room with the other knights.
Belieta watched them until the door closed behind them with a thud. Then, she spun around quickly, muttering under her breath.
“Useless.”
