Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 120

To Teacher, From Vanessa 120

The temple was a place where everything seemed purely white, as if embodying the scattering rays of sunlight.

White pillars soared upwards, supporting the massive ceiling, and the doors, composed of elegant curves, were perfectly symmetrical without a single flaw.

Despite its immense size, the interior was deserted and eerily silent, making the sound of solid military boot soles hitting the stone floor echo loudly. It was likely due to most of the priests being subdued by Gideon’s magic.

When the Ministry of Justice officer standing nearby gave a subtle signal, his subordinates scattered in all directions.

They were tasked with retrieving every document remaining in the temple, scrutinizing suspicious passages, and interrogating anyone who might know something, demanding the truth.

Separate from the Ministry of Justice, the Special Forces team dispersed to search for any lingering traces of magic. The Special Forces members quickly dispersed in all directions, eager to avoid the gloomy and fierce presence of Gideon.

“Everyone is excellent at running away from the Captain.”

“…….”

Ariana watched Gideon with interest. He was known for his stoic demeanor, so his seemingly cold appearance piqued her curiosity even more. Nevertheless, Gideon couldn’t entirely mask his somber mood.

“You’ve worked hard; how about dinner together when this is over? I’m quite a good person to talk to.”

A confident smile accompanied her words, but Gideon coldly turned his gaze away.

Turning away, Gideon headed towards the back of the temple. He spotted a path leading to the woods behind through the open doorway. It seemed like a perfect place to conceal something, so he decided to investigate before sending the others.

He certainly would have, if someone hadn’t appeared. A glimpse of a pure white robe caught his eye.

Gideon met the gaze listlessly.

“It’s been a while, Gideon. Ah, should I call you Duke Valder now?”

“Lord Vieta.”

Gideon gave a slight bow. Vieta, who appeared to be somewhere between a boy and a young man, smiled faintly. His long black hair was grown out haphazardly, its length uneven.

“You don’t use Dom Friva [Vieta’s family name and title]. Well, it’s already a taken castle… Thanks for coming all the way here. Would you like a cup of tea?”

“Why did you do such a thing?”

At the quiet question, Vieta’s eyes curved into a smile.

“You know me. Or do you not? Let’s go inside for now. Those pins indicate they’re from the Ministry of Justice. If the Ministry of Justice is here, let’s sit together.”

Ariana, who had walked over in an instant, was smiling brightly next to him. Gideon couldn’t hide his annoyed expression and eventually followed. *Damn it,* he thought, *I need to finish searching the inside of the temple quickly and return.*

Vieta led them to a small room inside. The interior was quite luxurious for a space attached to the temple. Nothing was lacking, making it seem like they were inside a noble’s castle.

The king was said to be lenient towards his ‘brother who plotted treason with his mother,’ and that was certainly evident.

Gideon and Ariana waited at the elegantly curved table for their host to serve them.

Vieta began to boil water in a kettle himself. Gideon released his magic power to scan the room and quietly shook his head. There were no magic circles installed here. Ariana seemed to understand, nodding and smiling.

“How is my sister doing?”

“Thanks to you, she’s having sleepless nights.”

Ariana smiled gently, and Vieta poured tea leaves into the water.

“It’s good if she thinks of me that way. I’ve always liked my sister.”

The sound of pouring water was heard.

“You were too reckless.”

Ariana said, politely accepting the teacup Vieta handed her. Vieta smiled crookedly.

“Reckless, you say?”

“The damage to the entire Friva region was significant. Do you know how many people died?”

“Haha, you’re telling an interesting story. I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.”

Vieta handed a teacup to Gideon as well and pulled up a chair. Black hair grown out haphazardly, eyes with a faint iris color, like a bird of prey. At first glance, he resembled the king.

As Ariana was about to speak again, Vieta raised his hand to stop her. Then, he turned his gaze to Gideon.

“You’re not making the Ministry of Justice speak for you, are you? I know you brought them to use everything I say as evidence, but I’m not interested. I want to talk to you after a long time.”

“…….”

“You were going to be my sister’s most powerful aide… Your swordsmanship alone was enough, but after I came here, rumors spread that you were born with tremendous magical power.”

Gideon still didn’t answer. Vieta smiled faintly.

“I’m jealous, so jealous. Well, I don’t have any particular talent, so I couldn’t have become like that. But my drawing skills are better than yours, right? That’s all I can do here. Oh, no. My acting skills are also quite good….”

“So, what made you participate in this?”

When Gideon asked quietly, Vieta leaned back in his chair. He was still for a moment, then suddenly muttered.

“That’s what I learned from my crazy mother, what else? You know. Our mother tried to kill His Majesty and make me king.”

“Lord Vieta.”

A dry voice followed as if reproaching him. Vieta Dom Friva chuckled.

“No, really. I’m not the little kid who used to cling to your back anymore. What a look of disbelief. Well, you were young back then too. I ran away with your wooden sword. Remember?”

Gideon could vividly recall it. The jealous look in the young boy’s eyes, but the smile that would brighten up at the slightest touch.

But after the boy’s mother used him to covet the throne, that peaceful daily life was shattered. The king executed the woman but couldn’t bring himself to kill the brother he used to lull to sleep on his lap. He saved him, bearing the political burden, and confined him to the temple, then deleted the records.

“Anyway, I’m sorry. You must have suffered because of me. I often whined to target you in order to set up traps. I thought you wouldn’t die even if I killed you….”

Gideon wasn’t particularly displeased with the fading words. Vieta was right. It was better to target him than others. He was protected by numerous titles, so the attempts would be filtered out several times, making it relatively safer.

“But thanks to me, you probably caught Rossini more easily, so please let it slide. Or did you not catch him?”

“We caught him.”

“I see. He still feels guilty about my mother dying and being left alone. He cared for his younger brother in his own way… It was easy to exploit.”

Vieta pronounced it as if Marquis Rossini wasn’t his relative. Only after taking a sip of tea did he return to his cheerful voice.

“But Gideon, why do you look like that? Is there something I don’t know because it’s been so long since I’ve seen you?”

When Gideon roughly wiped his gaunt cheeks, Vieta tilted his head, puzzled.

“You look like… someone who’s been steeped in tea. Dark and gloomy… It’s like half your mind is somewhere else?”

“…It’s nothing.”

At the listless answer, Vieta looked intrigued.

“What do you mean, it’s nothing? I may be trapped here, but I’m very good at sensing people’s emotions. This seems interesting! Tell me. Why do you have that look on your face?”

“Do you have anything else to tell me separately?”

“Look at you, changing the subject. What’s the point of talking to dead eyes? I’d rather grab a member of the Ministry of Justice and talk to myself.”

A sigh escaped at the grumbling voice. To think that his shallow thoughts would be seen through by someone he was seeing for the first time in roughly 15 years.

Vieta was right. His mind was elsewhere.

He just wanted to pass this work on to others. He wasn’t curious about the end of everything and its conclusion. He only thought that everything would be resolved well even without him, so he should leave the temple quickly and return to Fydom.

He wanted to apologize to Vanessa properly. In their last conversation, he seemed to be only focused on his own excuses, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt like a madman.

He should be begging, but instead, he said he would respect her choice? What kind of nonsense was that. It might have seemed like he had no regrets….

He also needed to dispel the suspicion that his feelings started from pity. Only she didn’t know her own loveliness. In any case, that was also his fault.

So, if she ever gave him a chance to see her face again, he would just beg for her forgiveness and plead. He would promise never to keep secrets from her again.

Maybe, just maybe, she would look back at him one more time.

He was busy alternating between nurturing small hopes and being thrown into the abyss of despair. He soared up on his own accord, then fell off a cliff. The drastic emotional changes made him feel dizzy at the slightest gap. So, it was his turn to be depressed this time.

Gideon was so busy worrying about how to apologize to Vanessa that he didn’t notice the door behind him opening. But Vieta turned his gaze and saw the pin on the collar of the man with a faint impression.

A palace affairs pin in the shape of a royal scepter. Then the tall man behind him is….

“It’s been a while, Vieta.”

The slender, tall person who approached the table lowered his hood, revealing short, thick hair. Black hair and gray eyes.

She was Vina Dom Friva, the Queen of Friva.

Vieta smiled faintly at the face he had been expecting.

“Your Majesty.”

Ignoring his smile, the Queen moved as if it were a place she always came to. When Gideon and Ariana rose from their seats, she lightly waved her hand.

“Ah, it’s okay. Just sit. It’s annoying… Is there any tea left?”

The Queen touched the kettle and clicked her tongue. Then she returned to the table and sat down as if sprawling. She yawned widely and smacked her lips.

“I’m so sleepy. Do you know how many hours I’ve been awake?”

“It has been exactly thirty hours.”

At the soft answer from the palace affairs official behind her, the Queen grumbled.

“Damn it, you could just say you feel sorry for me… Duke, did you knock out the priests like that at the entrance?”

“Yes.”

“Such a temper.”

After that, the Queen was silent for a moment. Just as the steam rising above the teacup gradually thinned, she opened her mouth again.

“Why did you do it?”

Unlike before, her voice was lowered, unable to completely hide her emotions, and a cool answer flowed out.