Chapter 107: The Tower Crumbles
“Giona, did you wait long?”
Giona Vercia.
She, like Azette, was wearing protective gear from head to toe. She met Sue’s gaze without flinching. Sue quickly lowered her eyes. Vercia, ignoring her, pulled Azette’s arm.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay. Lady Byron, if you’re not cheering for anyone, would you cheer for me? I’ll do my best.”
Did she like Sue? Azette didn’t forget to say goodbye, even at the last moment. Sue, who had been staring at the ground, reluctantly nodded at her sweet, fairy-like smile.
“Yes, I’ll cheer for you, Lady Azette.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
Azette disappeared into the training ground with Vercia, her smile satisfied.
‘They’re close.’
The tension in Sue’s body eased as Vercia’s figure disappeared from sight.
Vercia’s emotionless face and Azette’s sweet voice, asking her to cheer for her, were swirling in her mind.
She wondered what it would be like to see Azette and Vercia wielding spears.
Sue tapped her stiff legs.
She wanted to see it with her own eyes, for better or for worse.
Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be able to see a single round of their spear-throwing competition.
“Did you hear? Lady Melaine Vava was injured during the hunting competition…!”
The moment she entered the spectator stands at the Third Training Ground, she heard the murmurings, and she froze. She turned around and left the training ground.
She had initially planned to go to the hunting grounds, but she changed her mind and ran to the Graduation Building infirmary.
As expected, there were people who looked like officials from the hunting competition, their faces filled with worry, standing outside the infirmary.
Sue slightly opened the door, showed her face to Hella, and entered.
The infirmary was still filled with the pungent smell of herbs.
“How is she?”
Sue whispered, looking at the only bed in the infirmary, covered with a white sheet.
“It’s not a deep wound. She fell off her horse and was scratched by the spear she was holding.”
It looks like a deep wound.
Hella, hearing her mumble, raised her chin and glanced at her sideways.
“Well, it’s better than the wounds I usually see on her.”
Sue pressed her lips together, understanding what she meant.
“But you… Are you here because you’re worried about Vava?”
Hella tilted her head, her face filled with disbelief.
She had let Sue in, while sending everyone else away, because she had thought Sue might want to take a nap here. That was what she usually did.
But Sue had asked about Melaine’s condition as soon as she had entered. Hella was even more surprised because she knew that Sue tended to ignore Melaine, even though she was always concerned about Enzhe.
“I’m always worried about Lady Enzhe and Lady Melaine.”
Sue smiled brightly, her hand on her chest.
But she was also wondering if she should have come all this way.
“Well… Let’s just say that’s the case.”
Hella agreed grudgingly, not wanting to argue about something pointless.
And then, she heard a raspy voice from behind the white sheet.
“Sue.”
She had thought Melaine was asleep.
Sue and Hella exchanged glances. Hella gestured with her chin for Sue to go over, and Sue slowly walked towards Melaine’s bed.
She carefully pulled back the curtain, and Melaine’s golden eyes, dry and cracked, were staring at the ceiling.
Her neck was bandaged. She was covered with a blanket, so Sue couldn’t see below her neck.
Melaine bit her lip, blood staining it. Sue, feeling a faint sense of dread, spoke, her voice strained,
“Lady Melaine, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Her voice was flat and cold, like a stone rolling in mud. Sue, seeing her dazed expression, touched her neck, feeling guilty.
Hunting was Melaine’s hobby, her specialty. She competed in the hunting competition every year, and her results were always excellent.
So it was hard to believe that she had fallen off her horse and injured her side.
“…Did something else happen?”
Sue asked, pressing her hand to her forehead, unable to ignore the heavy atmosphere. But Melaine’s reply was still sharp,
“I told you it’s none of your business. Stop asking.”
Then make it none of my business.
The words rose to her throat, but she swallowed them.
The only suspicious circumstance was her argument with Acrea in Crimea. And if she based her assumptions on that, the conclusion was simple.
The engagement was broken.
But Sue didn’t have the courage to confirm it with Melaine. If it turned out to be true, she might be chopped up and thrown into the sewers.
“Wait a minute, Vava, you have a visitor. He wants to see you.”
Hella pointed towards the door, someone had come to see Melaine. Melaine asked, without turning her head,
“Who is it?”
“A man named Rampleld Patrol.”
It was a name she had heard before.
“He’s the high priest from the north, right?”
It was the name of the high priest who had visited the Vava mansion. She tried to recall his face, but all she could remember was his bushy beard, like a mop.
Melaine seemed to think for a moment, then closed her eyes and said quietly,
“Tell him to come in. Sue, you can go.”
“Yes, then I’ll be going. Get some rest.”
That was all she could say.
She left the infirmary and came face to face with Rampleld, who was standing outside the door. His mop-like beard hadn’t changed.
Sue bowed slightly, and Rampleld smiled kindly in response.
As Rampleld entered the infirmary, Sue noticed something silver glinting around his neck. She looked closer and saw a raven-shaped necklace.
She felt a strange sense of déjà vu, but the door closed before she could recall anything.
***
The spear-throwing competition wasn’t over yet, but Sue didn’t have the energy to go back to the Third Training Ground.
She wandered around, avoiding the tent, and ended up watching Noel’s archery competition.
The archery competition, where they had to shoot arrows at a target and score points, was relatively boring, so there weren’t many spectators.
Noel was hitting the highest scoring areas with his arrows. He was steadily defeating his opponents, but he always ended up facing the same person in the final round.
“Master Fritz is amazing!”
Noel always crumbled before the insurmountable wall that was Shina Fritz.
Despite his repeated defeats, everyone, including Noel, accepted his losses. They all nodded, as if it was inevitable.
Sue was no different. She felt frustrated by Shina Fritz’s ‘inevitability’, but she also had an unconscious conviction that Raines Noel would never be able to defeat him.
Sue, who had wanted to see Noel, waited for him at the entrance to the training ground after the archery competition ended.
“…Ah, it’s Acrea.”
She spotted Acrea, his arms full of documents, hurrying out of the training ground.
He’s still working, even at the Graduation Building.
She had planned to pretend she didn’t see him, but as fate would have it, their eyes met.
She curtsied silently, assuming he wouldn’t approach her. But contrary to her expectations, Acrea walked towards her.
“Byron, why are you standing here?”
“I was waiting for a friend.”
“I see.”
His response was brief, as if he hadn’t come over to talk to her on purpose.
Sue was about to say goodbye when she hesitated. Melaine’s haggard face, lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, flashed through her mind.
“Master Acrea, did something happen with Lady Melaine?”
She asked, her voice pleading, stopping him as he was checking his documents.
“Yes.”
And she was startled by his immediate, straightforward answer.
Acrea, as if reading her mind, continued organizing his documents, his face emotionless.
“Yes, something happened between her and me. But I can’t tell you what it is. I’m sorry, Byron.”
“It’s okay, thank you for answering.”
Sue quickly waved her hands at his dry tone. Acrea finally looked up and smiled gently.
“Right, see you later.”