Renoa obediently climbed into the carriage Fidel had brought.
Rather than looking like she regretted her actions, she seemed unable to believe that what had just happened was real.
Allen watched Renoa being dragged away, then glanced at me. Clenching his fists, he left the dress shop.
That left only Marian, who had gone deathly pale, me, and Rashak.
He turned back to Marian and spoke.
“Shall we continue our discussion, then? How much was it again?”
His expression was perfectly composed, as though nothing had happened.
There was no particular situation at the Grand Theater that required me to step in.
Rashak exchanged casual greetings and chatted with the nobles he met at the theater, while I followed a step behind him.
Once the opera began, we watched from the box seats with the best view.
The performer was exceptionally beautiful, and the show itself was good, too, but…
“Is it bothering you?”
He spoke without taking his eyes off the stage.
My only job today was to follow Rashak like his shadow and listen carefully to whatever information I could pick up. There was nothing in that which should have been bothering me.
…Which meant the only thing left was—
“Did you feel sorry for her being dragged away in a daze?”
His voice was flat, devoid of both amusement and laughter.
I lowered my gaze and thought back to what had happened at the dress shop. Then, a little later, I answered.
“No, not particularly.”
At that, his gaze shifted from the stage to me. Meeting his eyes, I answered calmly.
“Renoa has been like that since she was little. She believes that whatever she knows is the entire truth, and whenever someone tells her something beyond her understanding, she refuses to acknowledge it out of pride, even if it bothers her deep down.”
“……”
“Marian did everything she could to stop her, and I also tried to warn her. The one who crossed the line… was Renoa.”
Those were my genuine feelings.
We had been through far too much for me to feel sympathy for her.
“Renoa is twenty-two now. I believe she should take full responsibility for the things she says.”
“…Is that so?”
Rashak looked at me and continued.
“Then what if I kill that younger sister of yours?”
At those words, I couldn’t help but flinch.
When I looked at his face… there still wasn’t the slightest trace of playfulness.
“I’ve never let someone who spoke to me that way in front of my eyes live. It’s important for maintaining discipline within the organization, too.”
Never let them live.
If word got out that someone had dared to make such remarks in front of the organization’s boss and still survived, it would damage the organization’s reputation.
“Which brings me to my question. What do you think?”
At that moment, I realized something.
He’s testing me.
He wasn’t pulling some childish stunt to make me abandon my family and side with him. Just look at those serious eyes.
Rashak was telling me to find a way to resolve this situation.
Of course, getting rid of Renoa would be the simplest solution.
I would never have to deal with my troublesome younger sister again, either. But…
No matter how powerful the Barsen Boss is, Rashak is still a member of the House of Duke Berzen.
No one would dare openly condemn him for killing a pregnant woman, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be people whispering behind his back.
And as for my own feelings…
I don’t want Renoa to die…
Others might find me frustrating, but that was how I honestly felt.
Besides, Renoa was pregnant.
Without realizing it, I ran a hand down my face and let out a sigh.
It was around then that the heavy seriousness in his voice began to fade, replaced by a hint of amusement.
“Looks like you’ve finally understood the crux of the matter.”
“I’m sorry. My younger sister did something absolutely insane…”
“Didn’t you just say it was your sister’s fault? You have nothing to apologize for.”
He turned his gaze back to the stage.
“What matters is how to restore discipline within the organization while avoiding troublesome rumors.”
“……”
“Fidel would probably suggest quietly disposing of her and making it look like a disappearance. But it would be ridiculous to let people start questioning my actions over some woman like her.”
This was complicated. Far too complicated.
Renoa, please. Grow up already. I’m begging you…
“Can you think of a way out?”
I bit the tender flesh inside my lip as I thought.
I had to spare Renoa while upholding the organization’s discipline… and, more importantly, Rashak’s authority.
I had to make sure Renoa couldn’t go around telling people that the Barsen Boss wasn’t all that impressive.
In that case…
“What if we made Allen and Renoa an offer they couldn’t refuse?”
“Such as?”
I turned to look at him again.
“I have an idea.”
Renoa Cavernon gripped the iron bars tightly as she thought.
Why do I have to endure this kind of humiliation?!
She was currently in some underground dungeon.
When she had first been locked in that cramped room, she’d been frightened.
What have I done? What’s going to happen to me?
Her legs had trembled at the thought of what they might do to her in that room.
But that fear had lasted less than a minute.
No matter what anyone said, she was carrying the child of Count Brent’s grandson.
The Barsen Boss and the son of the Duke of Berzen? Yes, he was certainly a man of considerable standing.
Even if he killed her without leaving a trace, no one would dare openly condemn him.
But there was no way Allen would sit idly by.
Allen will definitely save me. We promised to get married!
She remembered the expression on his face when she had first told him she was pregnant.
Shock and disbelief. Then despair… and resentment.
But after overcoming all those emotions, Allen had ultimately chosen her. He had chosen Renoa over her older sister, Hiel.
That meant the child mattered to Allen, too.
And Sister Hiel wouldn’t just let me die. My parents won’t sit still, either.
When she’d heard that her sister had been hired by the Barsen Boss, she’d thought Hiel was utterly pathetic. But now, that very fact might work in her favor.
No, if her sister hadn’t been working for the Barsen Boss in the first place, none of this would have happened!
Honestly, everything was Hiel Cavernon’s fault!
If Hiel had never dated Allen… If they’d just broken up sooner, I…
Her fingers tightened around the bars.
Renoa shook her head, trying to cast off the memories of the past.
Right. The past didn’t matter. She had gotten Allen in the end, after all.
Once she had gathered her thoughts, Renoa decided to wait.
All she had to do was trust that Allen would come to rescue her before long.
How much time passed like that?
With a metallic clank, the door opened, and someone entered the dungeon.
Hiel Cavernon wore an exceptionally calm expression.
On the tray she carried were water, a thin soup resembling watery blood porridge, and a piece of hard bread.
“Ha! You brought that for me to eat?”
The moment Renoa saw Hiel, she sneered. But her sister’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.
Hiel simply approached her, set down the tray, and turned around without saying a word.
Renoa couldn’t help but panic.
“S-Sister! Wait! Wait a second!”
After taking only a few steps, Hiel turned back with a cold expression. Renoa gripped the bars tightly again and asked,
“When are they going to let me out, huh?”
Hiel met her gaze.
“…The Boss has decided to make a deal with House Brent.”
“A deal?”
“In exchange for returning you unharmed, he demanded the ancestral sword of House Brent.”
The corners of Renoa’s mouth, which had lifted at the words returning you, froze in place.
The ancestral sword of House Brent. Five hundred years ago, the founder of House Brent had received it as a gift from the last elf to walk this land.
No one knew the sword’s true abilities, but rumors claimed it carried an elf’s blessing, since the Brent territory suffered almost no damage from natural disasters, including famine.
It was an important possession not only to House Brent but also to the people living in its territory.
Demanding that they surrender it was practically the same as telling them to give up their lands.
Renoa’s eyes widened in horror.
“Are you insane…? Have you lost your mind?! What will happen to the territory without the ancestral sword?!”
“Not every territory has an ancestral sword. You’ll manage somehow, just like the others.”
At those chilling words, Renoa’s shoulders stiffened even further.
She could hardly believe the person standing before her was the same older sister she had known all her life.
But her shock lasted only a moment.
Before long, Renoa’s lips twisted into a sneer.
“Sister, do you want Allen and me to break up that badly?”
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The idea to bring up the ancestral sword was yours, wasn’t it? You wanted to force Allen to choose between his territory and me. What a cruel question to ask him.”
“……”
“You planned to get rid of me and then go back to Allen yourself, didn’t you? You’re so pathetic and shameless.”
Renoa spoke mockingly. Her triumphant smile carried the confidence of someone who believed she’d exposed the truth.
Hiel’s expression, on the other hand, remained utterly dry. Like a statue.
“Poor Renoa.”
“What?”
“You’re so certain Allen would abandon you rather than hand over the ancestral sword. Aren’t you?”
At those words, Renoa’s shoulders jerked as though she’d been stabbed straight through the heart.
“W-What…! Don’t talk nonsense! Allen would never abandon me!”
“Then why is it that, to my ears, you sound afraid that Allen and I might get back together?”
Renoa’s fingers tightened even more around the bars.
“Stop talking crap, Hiel.”
“You shut up, Renoa. Have you already forgotten that you’re locked up here because of that filthy mouth of yours?”
Hiel took a step toward her.
“Still, it’s not as though that mouth of yours is completely useless.”
Renoa narrowed her eyes slightly. Instinctively, she sensed that whatever Hiel was about to offer was no cause for hope.
But the words that followed were unexpected.
“Beg the Boss for mercy.”
“…What?”
“Kneel in front of the other members of the organization and promise never to overstep your bounds again. Beg him sincerely to show you mercy.”
Some people might say that was hardly a big deal. Couldn’t she just apologize and get it over with?
But Renoa was a woman who had never apologized for anything in her entire life.
Hiel spoke coldly.
“Now choose. Will you sacrifice the future of the Brent territory just to protect your worthless pride? Or will you do as I tell you?”
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