Chapter 77
The gentle lady who had been there just a moment ago was nowhere to be found, replaced by a cold expression.
“Fiorette.”
At Belieta’s call, Fiorette stepped forward from where she had been standing back.
Belieta gestured for her to report.
“Lord Dwyenley has been confirmed dead. The ledger has been passed on, but there’s no evidence linking him to Bozebourne.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Belieta replied with a voice dripping with sarcasm as she sat down in a chair.
“It would’ve been better if the knights hadn’t been lazy and had killed that man before he could get caught, but I guess it’s good enough.”
“…Even rushing from Bozebourne to Rippleton takes a day and a half. Lazy…”
“Fiorette.”
Fiorette, who had been speaking quietly, quickly lifted her head at the icy tone of Belieta’s voice.
Under that piercing gaze, she swallowed hard.
“I see your wounds have healed.”
Fiorette bit her lip at the tingling sensation at the back of her neck where her wounds had closed up.
Belieta glared at Fiorette for bringing up unnecessary nonsense before turning her gaze away.
“I’ve always felt this way, but Sierra really never knows how to back down. No matter who her opponent is, she always wants to win—even against me.”
“…”
“Do you know how much I’ve done for her? I helped her learn from Ezekiel Ross, someone most people would never even meet, and I wrote her a recommendation for the Royal Academy, which even local nobles can’t get into.”
Belieta, leaning back in her chair and staring at her empty teacup with a blank face, had a twisted smile on her lips.
“Even after all that, Sierra always tried to break free from me. And now it’s the same thing. All I want is for Sierra to come back to me—just like before.”
“If she knows how you feel, she’ll come back.”
“Will she?”
Despite Fiorette’s words, Belieta’s expression remained unchanged.
Still sitting with a stone-cold face, she gazed out the window.
“I can’t shake the feeling that this time will be different. Unlike before, I don’t think she’ll come back.”
“…She will come back. Isn’t that what you’ve prepared for?”
At Fiorette’s quiet voice, Belieta finally lifted her head from staring blankly at the floor.
It seemed a flicker of life returned to her dull eyes, and a smile crept onto her dry lips.
“When people lose their safety net, they eventually return to what they’re familiar with. So if you just hold on until the engagement ceremony, everything will be resolved, milady.”
“Is that so?”
With renewed strength in her face, Belieta beamed and got up from her chair.
Fiorette took a step back to give her space and nodded.
“Yeah, I’m sure that’s true. Sierra will come back to me. And we’ll be able to live like we used to. Right, Fiorette?”
“…Of course.”
Belieta looked at Fiorette, whose voice sounded weak in contrast to her revitalized face, and slowly began to relax her expression.
Fiorette glanced at Belieta before quickly turning away.
The soft and lively smile that had adorned Belieta’s face faded, replaced by a thin, cold smile.
“That’s how it’s going to be, Fiorette.”
“…”
“It’s been a while since I heard something nice. I’ll forget about the past, so make sure to remember this well. Got it?”
“Thank you….”
Belieta turned away from Fiorette, who had responded almost like a groan.
With a thud, the door closed as Belieta exited the room, leaving a deep silence behind.
As the tension in her body slowly eased, Fiorette sank into a chair.
‘Is living like that fun?’
“…Not at all.”
‘I don’t think so.’
“I just want to survive…”
Fiorette weakly covered her eyes with her hand.
