Chapter 34: The Mystery of the Stone — Part 5
The man said it lightly and laughed.
After that, Brian-sama asked several more questions, but it seemed this man’s knowledge was limited.
“If we wanted more detailed information, who would we ask?”
“Someone at the center of the country.
Royalty.
Or a high priest.”
“Who gave you orders for this retrieval?”
“The Queen Dowager.”
The man looked amused.
His demeanor did not match the situation at all.
That mismatch felt unsettling.
“It was under the king’s authority, but Her Majesty the Queen Dowager issued the direct command.
While retrieving the stone, she said to ruin the granddaughter of that woman.
She was delighted to think it would be revenge.
Women are frightening.”
Brian-sama asked me whether I had anything I wished to ask.
Honestly, the shock about the stone had pushed aside the matter of my own murder.
“Were you communicating with both Merry and Jason-sama?”
“With Merry.
Jason knew, but Merry was the instigator.
When Jason asked her to find a painless poison, she cursed him for it.”
Yes, Jason-sama had said something like that at the end.
That memory felt distant now, almost as if it had not happened to me.
“Why did you kill Jason-sama as well?”
“That is state secrecy.
Those involved cannot be left alive.”
After saying that, the man suddenly looked suspicious.
He fell silent for a moment, then glared at us.
“You drugged me.”
He clenched his teeth, glaring—then suddenly his head dropped forward.
Did he die!?
Brother stood instantly and grasped my arm, pulling me to my feet.
Without a word, he led me out of the room.
“What happened?”
“He was an intelligence agent.
Likely serving the state or the royal family.
His thinking, his movements, even the way he handles his own life—different from ordinary men.”
Brother’s expression was unexpectedly gentle.
Perhaps there was some unspoken understanding between soldiers.
For me, it was another harsh truth laid bare.
These two men fought for a living.
After a short while, Brian-sama emerged.
“He had poison hidden in his tooth.
Call someone.”
When we ascended from the underground, the knights who had been chatting turned toward us.
They must have understood from our faces.
They rose without speaking.
“You three.
Check whether there are any abnormalities with the other prisoners.”
“Yes.”
Brother nodded and entered one of the rooms.
Inside, four men sat uneasily.
“The ringleader is dead,” Brother informed them.
Shock and fear flashed across their faces.
We repeated the same in the next room.
There, one man reacted differently—there was panic in his eyes.
Brian-sama immediately gagged him with cloth and bound him tightly.
Without a word, he had that man confined separately.
“He may also be an intelligence agent.
Keep strict watch.”
The sun had fully set, and darkness surrounded us.
So much had happened that my mind felt full to bursting.
I could not speak.
On the way back to the estate, we encountered Lloyd, who looked worried.
“Lord Eric, the count requests a report.”
Brother looked at me.
“She is exhausted and hungry.
We would like her to eat and rest first.
Tell him we will report shortly after.”
Then he asked me,
“What about dinner?
You should eat if you can, but do not force yourself.
We must speak before making reports elsewhere.”
Besides Father, there was also the Royal Guard to inform.
And the interrogation of the second man remained.
My thoughts were tangled.
What must be concealed?
What should be reported?
Nothing felt clear.
In times like this, embroidery or sweets helped.
“I will have dessert only.
A generous amount.
Lloyd, could you arrange something sweet?
Enough for three.”
“Certainly.
Shall I also prepare sweet wine?
It may ease your mind.”
“Thank you.
Please do.”
Brother walked ahead.
Brian-sama walked beside me.
“Are you afraid?”
“This is the second time I have seen someone die.
The first time, it was myself.
Perhaps I have grown accustomed.
I do not feel very afraid.”
Brian-sama looked at me steadily.
“I was worried you might fear me.”
“Not at all.
I simply saw your knightly side for the first time.
It surprised me.”
“I spoke quite openly earlier.
All of it was sincere.
I too was somewhat affected by the truth serum.”
“So you did use it.
I did not notice at all.
When did you administer it?”
He raised his hand and showed me the ring on his middle finger.
It was intricately crafted, an enamel butterfly painted beautifully.
“It was mixed with perfume inside this.
When it evaporates, the target inhales it.
It works gradually, unnoticed.”
“How remarkable.”
“I tried to avoid inhaling it myself, but some influence is inevitable.
It is meant to be undetectable.
Against difficult opponents—such as intelligence agents—if they notice, they will kill themselves.”
The word “intelligence agent” felt like a weight settling on my shoulders.
When had this feud begun?
When Grandmother received the stone from that neighboring king?
I opened the cloth pouch Brother had given me and looked at the stone inside.
It glittered brilliantly in gold.
Completely different from when Brother held it.
Another sigh escaped me.
If it had remained lost forever, all would have been peaceful.
Why did the king of Belsia remember?
And—
If I had allowed that man to leave today, would this have ended safely?
I froze.
It was I who told Brother not to let him go.
The more I thought, the more confused I became.
“Maria-jou.
Shall we postpone thinking for now?
Rest first.
Then the three of us can consider it clearly.”
When I met Brian-sama’s eyes, I felt calm.
Beautiful blue, filled with concern for me.
Embroidery and sweets calmed me.
Perhaps his eyes could as well.
“By the way, I believe you understand my feelings.
But how do you feel about me?”
“Feelings?
I feel as though I might be drawn into your blue eyes.”
I gazed into them and could not look away.
“I meant not just now, but what I said during the interrogation.”
His eyes wavered slightly.
Moonlight reflected in them, tinged with gold.
A single strand of glossy black hair fell across his brow.
“How beautiful.”
At that moment, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Brother was walking away at remarkable speed.