Chapter 58
Dear Miss Emilia,
I am sorry that I cannot bring you the news you have been waiting for.
Joy Beck turned out to be much more tight-lipped than I had imagined.
I tried every possible way, but in the end, I could not hear the answer I wanted from her.
I know this may be disappointing, but I will continue to look for other methods, so please do not be disheartened for too long.
From your inexperienced friend, Merriot.
Hera sighed inwardly as she folded the letter.
She had expected it wouldn’t be easy, but she thought Merriot would handle it effortlessly.
When had she come to trust him this much?
Perhaps such blind faith stemmed from absolute affection.
The thought made Hera feel embarrassed.
Lately, just thinking of Merriot made her chest tingle.
“By the way… did you hear about that?”
At the tea party table where ordinary chatter was taking place, someone leaned forward with a meaningful gesture.
There was no one else present except the young ladies sitting at the table, yet the speaker acted as if they were revealing a secret no one else should hear.
“Do you mean Duke Lorand?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Even though the behavior wasn’t entirely logical, the young ladies leaned forward in agreement as if to join the conversation.
Hera, who hadn’t cared about anything beyond her letter, immediately leaned forward too when she heard the name Lorand, like the other young ladies.
‘Lorand?’
The first young lady to speak, receiving everyone’s attention, continued excitedly:
“A thief broke into Lorand Manor’s wine cellar and stole a huge amount of wine. They even took wine the Duke cherishes dearly.”
“A wine thief? What a strange kind of thief…”
“Anyway, the Duke said he wouldn’t punish them, and invited everyone to come drink the stolen wine together whenever they liked. He said he desperately needed a ‘drinking companion.’”
“Oh my. I’ve never seen anyone treat a thief so kindly. Surely the thief isn’t a lady, right?”
“Well, Duke Lorand could easily make such a joke.”
The young ladies exchanged playful remarks and giggled.
It wasn’t particularly meaningful information.
Hera herself had already been to Lorand Manor’s wine cellar.
Wine was stacked to the ceiling, making it easy to steal.
But how expensive could wine really be?
That the Duke would be concerned over a single stolen bottle seemed unusual.
“I heard the stolen wine was brewed by Mozeni themselves… and its name is something like ‘The Black-Haired Lady’?”
“…!”
Hera’s eyes widened at the wine’s nickname, which instantly grabbed her attention.
“Oh my, what a name… so very Duke-like…”
The young ladies chuckled at the inclusion of “lady” in the wine’s name, perhaps finding it slightly embarrassing.
But Hera realized that the name wasn’t just a wine title—it was a message.
‘Are they… looking for me, Blue Rose?’
Wine cellar, black-haired lady, drinking companion, invitation to the manor—these were all signals aimed at Blue Rose.
[<Red Bull of Sessy Boniche> detected.]
Hera stood atop the bridge of Under Bridge.
The prophetic scroll targeted the treasure directly beneath the bridge and displayed a guiding message.
Hera ignored it, waiting for Merriot in this spot.
“Will he really come?”
Since learning that Merriot was searching for Blue Rose, Hera had been deeply conflicted.
Was it right to contact him? How should she appear? What should they discuss?
She worried about everything from start to finish.
After days of deliberation, Hera decided to disguise herself the same way she had when meeting Blue Rose at Lorand Manor.
Merriot would undoubtedly believe that was Blue Rose, leaving no other option.
Hera sent the date and location for the meeting to Merriot under Blue Rose’s signature.
Since she hadn’t provided a return address, she couldn’t be sure he would show up.
As the meeting time approached, she worried he might not come.
Yet, paradoxically, a part of her hoped he wouldn’t.
Since she couldn’t reveal that Blue Rose was actually Emilia Tollin, nor that she herself was Hera Wintail, every encounter felt like another lie.
“I come here quite often these days.”
At that moment, Hera saw Merriot walking toward the bridge.
“So you do have some connections in society? To get in touch so quickly… I’m growing more curious about your true identity.”
“Down below the bridge!”
Hera raised her hand to stop Merriot, who was heading for the top of the bridge.
Merriot frowned in disbelief.
“What?”
“Speak from below.”
“Really now…”
He grumbled but changed direction, jumping down to the slope beneath the bridge.
It was the same place where he had recently caught the illegitimate child handler.
“Here, take this.”
“…!”
From below, Merriot tossed something toward Hera.
Caught off guard, she scrambled to receive it.
It was a square bottle adorned with lavish gold decorations.
Typically used for strong spirits, it was the perfect size for a pocket.
Merriot shook an identical bottle and smiled mischievously.
“This is wine I brewed myself in Mozeni. It’s quite decent. Try it.”
So he really did brew the wine himself.
Hera opened the small cap and sipped a little.
It was a pleasantly sweet drink.
“…It’s good.”
“Right?”
Merriot grinned at her praise, which eased Hera’s tension. She sat down on the bridge floor, leaning back slightly.
From her angle, she could only see the top of Merriot’s head.
Even if he looked up, he wouldn’t immediately see her face.
She could safely remove her mask.
Hera lifted the suffocating mask.
“Why did you seek me out?”
Hera asked. Merriot swallowed the wine in his mouth before answering.
“That bottle is quite valuable. If sold as stolen goods… hmm, maybe twenty gold coins?”
She hadn’t thought the bottle was so expensive.
Inspecting it closely, the gold embellishments were indeed high-quality.
“I want to request a job from you.”
Merriot’s voice became serious.
“I want you to give Count Chelsning’s third son, Paul, a bit of trouble.”
Why would he suddenly target the Chelsning family?
Hera looked down at Merriot, puzzled.
Without waiting for her response, Merriot explained his plan smoothly:
“From what I know, the obsidian stolen from Duke Antoni’s family hasn’t been sold yet. If you temporarily take it to the Chelsning family, I’ll handle the rest.”
“How could you…”
“I have ears everywhere.”
<Black Tears of Banyole> was sealed in the prophetic scroll.
Of course, it could be taken out again.
Helping Merriot wasn’t impossible, but Hera was curious about his motive.
“So? Can you do it?”
“Do you not get along with Paul Chelsning?”
“On the contrary. If things go badly, it’s a problem, so I need your help.”
Merriot smiled lightly at Blue Rose’s childish choice of words.
Since she was a complete outsider to the Under Bridge incident, it was safe to tell him everything.
“Honestly, ignoring him would be best, but his crimes are unforgivable.”
“What crimes?”
“Abusing and killing illegitimate children.”
“…!”
Hera’s eyes filled with shock.
‘He said he didn’t know the culprit.’
Merriot had certainly written that in the letter sent to Emilia Tollin: that he didn’t know the culprit.
Yet now…
“He’s intolerable. He preyed only on illegitimate children with no home or support. Things no human should ever do.”
Merriot glanced around as he explained the outline of the request.
