Chapter 185: The Gap (10)
“Haah.”
Mercedes shook her head with a sigh.
Soon, she curtly spat out at the uninvited guest before her.
“……You could just come through the front door. Why on earth do you keep climbing in through the window like a thief?”
Without a hint of surprise or the slightest change in expression, Mercedes snapped at the man who had suddenly appeared inside the room.
“Hm.”
Despite her sharp tone, the man merely shrugged and flashed a cheeky grin.
“If I did that, you wouldn’t open the door for me.”
“…….”
Mercedes gave no reply.
Which meant she agreed.
Behad moved toward the lounge as if her reaction were all too familiar to him.
Then, as if it were his own room, he pulled out a chair and sat down without a care, continuing,
“I just wanted to talk with you for the first time in a while, that’s all.”
“Even after wandering around all morning, you’re still not satisfied?”
“Do you even remember how long you’ve been holed up in this room?”
“…….”
Mercedes clicked her tongue quietly.
If it were any other time, maybe. But seeing how he went out of his way to sneak in like this, he wouldn’t leave easily.
In the end, she sat across from him.
“Well then…… what do you want to talk about?”
“If you’ve got nothing to say, just leave.”
With her arms crossed and her body slouched lazily against the sofa, anyone could tell she was clearly annoyed.
“Haha.”
Behad let out a small laugh.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he snapped his fingers.
“Oh, right. Lian Gwendil. How about we talk about him?”
“…….”
“I must say, I’m kind of jealous.”
He was talking about Lian, Yuran, and Cecilia.
Mercedes continued to stare at him with her arms crossed, without giving any particular response.
“Will I never have someone like that…….”
Behad muttered with a smirk.
Mercedes snorted.
“If you want, you can find one easily enough. There’d be a line of women if you just set your mind to it.”
“That’s not what I meant, Sister.”
“Then what? If you’re just here to talk nonsense, please leave.”
Mercedes waved her hand dismissively, clearly bothered.
Behad’s gaze turned to her.
Though they were twins, her personality was the complete opposite of his. Looking at her now, a mischievous thought crossed his mind.
“Maybe I should be worrying about you instead, Sister? Or not. I mean, there’s Allen……”
Whoosh!
Before he could even finish, a sharp sound cut through the air—something grazed his cheek.
It struck the window frame beside his head and shattered into small shards.
Mercedes, now pointing her raised index finger at him, opened her mouth.
“……Say one more word.”
Her voice was cold as ice.
“And next time, I’ll pierce you right between the eyes.”
Startled by her fierce response and chilling threat, Behad raised both hands in surrender and gave an awkward laugh.
“Okay, okay. I get it. Just a joke, a joke. Calm down, Sister.”
He swallowed dryly, glancing sidelong at the broken window frame.
If that had landed properly, she might really have pierced his forehead.
“Hmph.”
Mercedes scoffed and crossed her arms again.
Her face, moments ago burning with anger, returned to its usual indifference as if nothing had happened.
“If you’re so eager to meet someone.”
She spoke in a bored tone.
“There’s that woman named Menoruka Lian Gwendil mentioned. Why don’t you go meet her?”
“Do you know how many people tried to approach me before, claiming they had some connection to me in the past?”
Behad shrugged.
But his eyes sparkled faintly with interest.
“Still…… she might be worth meeting.”
He muttered with curiosity.
“If someone’s trying to approach me through Lian Gwendil of all people, whether it’s a coincidence or not, she’s unlikely to be ordinary.”
In the past, just because Velita showed interest in Lian, Behad had conducted a background investigation on him.
He simply wanted to confirm whether it was one of Velita’s fleeting whims—or if there was something more.
If needed, he even considered building rapport to gather intel.
But the results were far from what he’d expected.
No matter how much he dug, he couldn’t find anything particularly noteworthy about Lian Gwendil.
His past was exceedingly normal, with no remarkable background or connections.
There was no way to tell why Velita had taken an interest in him, or what kind of link they shared.
In the end, Behad concluded it had likely been a whim.
‘Well, I guess there were a few peculiarities……’
The only noteworthy detail was that Lian Gwendil was somehow at the center of several incidents at the Academy.
But that was all.
That’s why Behad quickly lost interest in him.
After all, Lian wasn’t the only student involved in resolving the various incidents both inside and outside the Academy.
If he had to pick, there was Anisida, who was famous as a bounty hunter even before entering the Academy. And there were a few others who’d unintentionally stood out.
Maybe that’s why.
His interest in Lian Gwendil faded, and he found himself more intrigued by Allen Amiel, who spent time with him.
But now, being connected to Lian again like this, it was only natural that Behad’s curiosity had resurfaced.
“What do you think, Sister? About that guy, Lian Gwendil.”
“I’ve never been involved with him deeply enough to judge.”
Her voice remained calm.
“But judging from how Miss Cecilia…… and Professor Windy May care for him, he can’t be a bad person. You know, no one sees through people like Professor Windy May does.”
“Hmm……”
Behad nodded slowly.
Mercedes looked at him and asked,
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I’ll meet her first. Then I’ll decide.”
He shrugged.
“If she’s trying to meet me for a reason, I need to find out who sent her, and why. And if she really has met me before but I just don’t remember……”
For a brief moment, hesitation flickered across Behad’s face as he muttered.
Mercedes instantly noticed—he had clearly recalled something unpleasant buried in his memory but was pretending otherwise.
“……Anyway, yeah. That’s that.”
In the end, he swallowed the unease and trailed off.
Mercedes gave a silent nod, as if respecting his decision.
The two then spoke for a while about Lian Gwendil and others in the Academy who were standing out—those who, so to speak, seemed to be hiding something.
“……Still, I just don’t get it.”
Soon, the conversation shifted to the main issue.
Behad’s expression had hardened.
“I really don’t get it. What is Father even thinking?”
His voice carried deep concern and a distinct unease.
Mercedes’s expression didn’t change, but her gaze was just as cold and subdued.
“……That man won’t just sit still.”
Mercedes said in a low voice.
The Second Imperial Prince, Gernot.
Since childhood, he had gone around openly claiming he had no interest in the throne.
But no one in the imperial family had ever believed those words.
In fact, everyone knew he harbored more ambition for the throne than anyone else.
“He even requested a private audience with Velita, apparently.”
Behad added.
A fine wrinkle appeared between his brows.
“His perspective might be narrow, but he’s no fool. He must be scheming something.”
“You can tell just from how he’s been politically pushing back against the First Imperial Prince, even while at the Academy.”
Mercedes spoke flatly.
Her words dripped with sarcasm.
“That’s only possible because he’s backed by Father’s authority. It’s not that he’s particularly capable—the real strength lies with the people on Father’s side.”
“That’s still one and the same, little brother.”
Mercedes cut him off, as if she saw no value in continuing the debate.
She shot a cold glare in his direction.
“……I’m not going to stop you from doing what you want. But please, be careful. Stay sharp. Don’t forget who we’re up against.”
Behad nodded silently.
The usual playful look on his face had completely vanished.
“I know.”
“Do you really?”
Mercedes pressed again, firmly.
Her voice was low and resolute.
“One wrong step and it’s over. If you make a mistake, it won’t just be you and me who die……”
“I said I know, Sister.”
Behad answered quietly.
“……I saw it with my own eyes back then. How could I forget?”
As he spoke, Behad turned his gaze slightly toward the window.
Outside, it was dark.
Utterly still.
“Tch.”
Behad clicked his tongue softly, as if displeased by it.
Gernot, Velita.
Whatever the case, because of those two, what a hassle all of this had become.
“……Hope they choke in their sleep.”
He muttered under his breath.
“……And so, my message is simple.”
Griff, dressed neatly in the uniform of the Imperial Knights, bowed respectfully.
He had come at this late hour solely to deliver a message from Gernot.
“His Highness earnestly asks for your support in the upcoming Departure Festival.”
Though Griff’s voice was gentle, it carried an unmistakable pressure that made refusal difficult.
Velita, calmly observing the bandages and wounds still visible on his body, offered only a faint smile.
“Would you kindly tell him not to worry?”
Velita answered briefly and clearly.
Griff gave another courteous bow and withdrew without a word.
“…….”
Once the door closed, silence once again filled the room.
Behind Velita stood only Artiac Gwendil and Anette.
Everyone else who normally assisted or guarded her had already left.
Only the three of them remained.
“Hoo.”
Velita leaned back slightly in her chair and let out a light breath.
She pressed her fingers to her forehead, as if weary.
Then she turned her head to gaze at the darkening scenery outside.
Her eyes were fixed in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
“…….”
She quietly slipped into contemplation.
But then—
Knock knock.
Another knock echoed at the door.
Without moving a muscle, Velita gave a slight nod while still looking out the window.
Artiac silently approached and cautiously opened the door.
“Oh, thank you kindly.”
An old man stood quietly beyond the threshold.
On his shoulders hung a crimson cloak, and a red cross dangled from him as well.
Both were unmistakable emblems identifying him as a cardinal of the Holy Sun Church.