Chapter 82
Medea mumbled to herself as she opened the front page of the book.
Although it was filled with explanations of ancient semiotics, it was still tough to solve the problems just from that.
Even Ezekiel Ross, a genius recognized by Medea herself, had a hard time with ancient semiotics.
You needed to understand the symbols to interpret the text, and without interpretation, you couldn’t use runes.
That made it one of the hardest subjects out there.
And yet, Sierra not only solved the problem on the spot but also simplified the formula.
In simple terms, that meant she memorized most of the necessary calculations.
Having made her judgment, Medea took the book and headed straight to Wilkins’s room.
“What the heck?!”
Wilkins, lounging around in just his underwear and doing magical research, jumped back in surprise at Medea’s sudden appearance.
Medea frowned at the sight of Wilkins in nothing but his underwear.
“Why are you only wearing underwear while working?”
“What? What do you mean, underwear?!”
“Dolt. What you’re wearing is underwear.”
“Dolt? …No, do you think I asked because I didn’t know? That word choice is just cheap…”
“Shut up. Before you keep yapping like a mouse with its tail caught, take a look at this.”
“Dolt and a mouse, really?”
Wilkins felt a pang of nausea from the unexpected mental attack from his master.
He quickly grabbed a robe that had been draped over a chair and looked at the book Medea handed him with a sullen expression.
“I’ve read this book a long time ago.”
“Do you know who told you to read it?”
“Of course?”
“How long did it take you to understand and accept this?”
“Well, I can’t remember exactly since it was so long ago, but ancient semiotics is pretty tough; I think it took me several days just to get through the first chapter.”
Wilkins furrowed his brows as he thought back to those old days.
“Plus, since this book is quite old, it’s really unfriendly; you can’t understand it alone without a commentary or a teacher.”
“Could it be that your head is just slow?”
“…As I’ve told you many times, I’ve been called a genius, Master. I’ve never been told I’m slow!”
“People these days are too lenient in their evaluations. Calling someone like you a genius.”
Medea shot back at Wilkins, who was boiling with frustration, then summoned blue letters into the air.
Wilkins’s mouth dropped open in surprise at Medea’s sudden action.
“Interpreting the problem, huh?”
“How long do you think it took to solve this problem?”
“I remember this one; it was the first problem I encountered in semiotics, and I really struggled with it. I think I spent about three days trying to solve it.”
“Three days? Hehehe…”
Medea let out a thin, sly laugh.
Wilkins felt uneasy at the sudden change in his master’s demeanor.
“That foolish kid took half a day to solve this problem, and his solution was at least three times more complicated than this.”
“Did you solve this problem, Master?”
“Not a chance.”
Medea closed the book and handed it to Wilkins, giving him a piercing look.
“Find the kid who solved this problem.”
“Excuse me?”
“She has blonde hair and reddish-brown eyes. She’s probably just become an adult, so go find her and bring her to me.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden? There can’t be just one girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. Besides, the Duke of Bozbourne is desperately looking for you; we shouldn’t be focusing on this kind of problem…”
“Just find her and bring her back.”
“Master!!”
Medea disappeared in an instant, ripping through the space like she did when she first arrived, leaving Wilkins staring blankly at the empty spot she had just occupied.
Muttering to himself with a defeated expression, he said, “…Should I report that I think she’s lost it to the association?”
The book he was holding suddenly felt heavy.
* * *
“Welcome, Sierra.”
Under the dazzling lights, there was Bellietta, adorned in a diamond-studded dress, her lips tinged with roses and her cheeks resembling apricots.
She looked more beautiful than I had ever seen her before, and it was genuine.
“How do I look?”
“You look great.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I had a lot of trouble picking out the dress.”
As she smiled and opened her arms, I found myself mechanically smiling back.
In the distance, music could be heard as the sun set, marking the start of the ball.
“How do you feel?”
“I’m happy. It was a bit tough to get here, but I feel like it’s all worth it.”
“If someone heard you, they’d think it was a wedding, Bellietta.”
“Is that so?”
Her usual bubbly demeanor seemed a bit subdued today, perhaps because she was dressed differently.
Had she intentionally styled herself like that?
I couldn’t tell what was genuine, but the Bellietta in front of me was different from the one I knew.
“By the way, I heard about it.”
When I tilted my head, Bellietta took my hand with a feigned apologetic look, her expression filled with concern.
“They didn’t want to send you to the engagement party because they were worried I’d get hurt by the rumors.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“I was really mad at my dad when I heard that. How could he do that to my best friend, Sierra?”
Bellietta glared angrily, her eyes wide open.
Then she stood up, grabbed my shoulders, and gently pulled me closer.
“I’m sorry, Sierra. I’ll apologize on behalf of my dad. We’re precious friends, right? No matter what happens, coming here means we still care about each other.”
“Yeah, I think of you as my most precious friend too, Bellietta. That’s why I came, even after some bad stuff happened, right? I can’t let little things get in the way of something important.”
Like Bellietta, I embraced her, wearing a warm smile.
“I’m glad you’re here to celebrate, Sierra. It feels like we’ve gone back to the way things were.”
As Bellietta stepped back with a smile, she looked a bit nostalgic, reminiscing about the past.
“Remember our promise? Whoever gets married first will be the first to congratulate the other. Do you remember?”
“Of course.”
“Well, I have a favor to ask.”
What could it be? I tilted my head, and Bellietta smiled as she took my hand.
“I’d like you to personally read the blessing poem.”
“The blessing poem? Do you mean the one that should be read at the engagement ceremony? Isn’t that usually done by the Duke?”
“It’s supposed to be my father who does that, but this is an engagement ceremony. He said he would do it at the wedding, so this time, I want you to do it. Would that be okay?”
For her to entrust me with the blessing made me choke back a laugh. It felt like she was mocking me under the guise of a blessing.
Was she really planning to turn the subject of the rumors into a laughingstock right in front of me?
Rumors about me were already circulating openly at the banquet hall. Some people didn’t pay much attention, but this kind of gossip never truly died down until someone shut it down.
Had she forgotten that we confirmed our feelings for each other at the hunting competition, Bellieta?
Just pressing down on her slender neck wasn’t enough to satisfy me. Bellieta clearly knew I didn’t like her.
Yet she still intended to put me on display, hiding behind the pretense of friendship and blessing.
“Are you going to do it, Sierra?”
I faced Bellieta, who was speaking cautiously and smiled brightly.
“Of course. I’ll do it. Don’t worry.”
“Just as I thought, there’s no one like you, Sierra.”
Seeing her cover her mouth in awe made me smirk.
“By the way, Bellieta, do you remember what you said to me a while back?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“The day I danced with Duke Rippleton at Marquess Vladia’s ball.”
Bellieta seemed to struggle to recall, narrowing her eyes slightly. As I smiled while tilting my head, she murmured, “What about it?”
“It’s nothing much. When I danced with the Duke, you told me it was just a dance. You said not to read too much into it and that I shouldn’t worry about it. Do you remember?”
Bellieta looked a bit confused and didn’t immediately respond, but her narrowed eyes were still on me.
It was as if she was wondering what I was getting at, so I shook my head.
“If you don’t remember, that’s fine. Good luck with your engagement today, Bellieta. I’ll head over first.”
I smiled back at Bellieta, who was looking at me with a strange gaze and turned away.
As I felt her eyes boring into my back, I relaxed my expression.
“It was just a dance.”
Yeah, Bellieta.
Just a dance.
You said you didn’t care if I danced and got close to Aden.
So how much is it really okay for you not to care?
I guess it wouldn’t matter where I went.
For you, it’s just a simple dance without any real significance.
“Congratulations, Bellieta.”
I hope you remember that this whole thing was caused by your own actions.
That way, you’ll regret not stopping me that day.
***
When I opened the door, the Bozbourne knights were waiting outside.
They didn’t seem to be Bellieta’s escort, so I furrowed my brow.
The knight closed the door and spoke quietly.
“Excuse me, could you come with us for a moment? His Grace is looking for you.”
His Grace? The Duke of Bozbourne? I squinted my eyes in suspicion and tilted my head. The knight turned away, leading the way.
I glanced at Jin and Ripert before following the knights.
In front of the Duke Gilard’s office, the knights opened the door, gesturing for me to go in.
After telling Jin and Ripert to wait, I stepped inside, and the door closed behind me.
The office was quiet.
As usual, the familiar scent of paper and ink filled the air.
In the middle of the spacious office stood a huge wooden desk.
Sitting behind it was Duke Gilard, sporting a bushy mustache.
“It’s been a while, Sierra.”
“Your Grace.”
