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Chapter 23
White Raven (2)
Evening came.
As planned, Berenice returned to her room after dinner, using the excuse of being tired, and hurried to change into the clothes prepared by Marien.
“If you go out the back door, a carriage will be ready for you.”
Not just the clothes, but even a carriage?
It seemed Marien was very curious about where Berenice intended to go.
Pretending to accept her kindness, Berenice nodded and examined her reflection in the mirror.
Her sleeves and the hem of her skirt were worn, the outfit an overall shabby casual attire.
The colors were dark and dull, and the old brown robe draped over it made her blend into the shadows so well that, even at midnight, anyone watching would not know what was being carried in the carriage.
The only thing in her reflection that stood out was her face.
Her white hair, amber eyes, rosy cheeks, and red lips boasted a beauty that the worn clothes could never hide.
“Make sure to pull the hood down. You might attract unwanted attention.”
“Okay.”
Of all the advice Marien had given, this was the only one worth remembering.
“I’ll escort you to the back door.”
“That’s not necessary…”
“Then who else would help you, miss?”
Berenice didn’t need to read minds to know exactly what Marien was thinking.
‘The message got through, apparently.’
Who would be chasing her?
A foolish fiancé? His greedy father? Or someone pulling the strings from the shadows?
‘Or maybe all of them.’
Or perhaps someone Berenice hadn’t even suspected.
‘Either way, it doesn’t matter. This is just the beginning.’
She did not expect to catch anything today. Impatience only drove her further from the truth, a lesson she had painfully confirmed before her regression.
Thanks to Marien leading the way, Berenice safely reached the back door without being noticed and stepped into the carriage prepared for her—at least, on the surface.
Before the carriage departed, she confirmed that no one had locked the door outside, then told the driver the destination while keeping her hand on the door handle, ready to jump if anything went awry.
It had been a long time since she had jumped from a carriage, and moving her body like she could before regression was still difficult. She wasn’t sure she could land safely without injury, but she knew the technique and could manage if necessary.
How much time had passed in such thoughts?
Fortunately, the carriage arrived safely at her intended location and stopped moving.
“We’ve arrived. I’ll wait, so please move comfortably.”
Berenice nodded toward the coachman, whose face was masked, and stood in front of a darkened building.
It was a small shop, currently a flower store, and the second oldest building in the imperial capital, Tiresia.
Knowing that the door was unlocked, Berenice opened it without knocking and stepped inside, quietly approaching the window to watch the coachman in the carriage.
After confirming he had no intention of moving, she walked further into the shop.
The flower shop owner must have been meticulous; there wasn’t a single item underfoot in the darkened store.
“Only one person could keep a store this tidy.”
Berenice immediately recognized who the owner was at this time and nodded, recalling her role in the White Raven.
How far had she walked?
Stopping in front of a large shelf, she tapped the floor lightly with her toe to check for sounds, searching for the entrance to the secret passage whose location changed each time.
The entrance, moved according to the owner’s preference with magic tools, could be on the floor, in a drawer, or even hanging from the ceiling.
Fortunately, the current owner preferred a simple style, so she only had to check the floor.
“Found it.”
Upon finding the sound she was looking for, she stood on that spot and flicked the silver coin Bledin had left.
At the moment the coin rose and fell, the space beneath her lit up brightly.
Fortunately, it was only a momentary light, and magic tools ensured that the glow wasn’t visible from outside.
‘I can never get used to this.’
The teleportation using magic tools left Berenice slightly dizzy. Raising her head, she looked around.
Even before her regression, she had visited this place multiple times using magic tools.
‘Feels like it’s been ages since my last visit.’
The last time she had come, her “friend” scolded the foolish choices she made but ultimately couldn’t refuse her request.
The magic tool “Explosion” (commonly called a magic bomb) was an item she had asked for, intending to die together with her enemy.
In the end, her friend had handled all the setup.
‘If that counts as a debt, it’s a huge one.’
Debts should be repaid before interest accumulates, but hers had grown too large. Yet… holding her diary in her palm, she felt that today she might be able to repay a little of that debt.
“A first-time customer coming through the door only regulars use…”
Lost in thought, Berenice was suddenly startled by a voice.
Until a moment ago, there was no one…
Whenever she visited this place, her friend would always be waiting. Today, seeing the space empty, she expected she would have to wait.
But someone appeared so suddenly?
“Did my brother introduce you?”
“Bronwen…”
“If it’s the knight I know, he wouldn’t have even mentioned my name to his beloved sister…”
A woman slowly blinking, observing Berenice.
Berenice looked at her long-unseen friend, Bronwen, the owner of the White Raven, and noted that she hadn’t changed a bit since they first met.
Pale gray eyes, long dark gray curly hair.
Her pale face bore a cold shadow, her colorless lips curled into a faint smirk.
What made her special was the atmosphere surrounding her.
A calm, heavy presence that only someone who had lived for many years could exude, harmonizing with her white attire, created a feeling hard to put into words.
“P-pleased to meet you. I’m Berenice of Wiltiera.”
“I know.”
“I came to request help regarding my brother.”
“I’m not really interested in helping.”
“This will surely be beneficial for the White Raven’s owner as well.”
“Unlikely. After all the trouble I got from getting involved with Wiltiera’s firstborn…”
Berenice, knowing from Bledin’s diary what had been done with the White Raven, read the ‘longing’ and ‘regret’ in Bronwen’s blunt words.
Bronwen, realizing that Berenice had noticed, glanced at her white hair and sighed softly.
The story of Wiltiera’s eldest daughter, whose grief over losing her family turned her hair white, was well-known in the capital. Bronwen had even witnessed her hair turning white from afar.
“…Anyway, I’ll hear your story. Sit wherever you like.”
“Thank you.”
Berenice sat in the chair she had always used like her designated seat, facing Bronwen, who relaxed on the sofa-bed she used when not attending customers.
“Did your brother also tell you not to touch the sofa?”
“No. It just didn’t seem like a seat for guests.”
“You have good instincts, unlike my brother.”
Satisfied, Bronwen leaned back on the sofa, as if inviting Berenice to speak.
“First, I’d like to thank you.”
“Thank me?”
“You sent my brother back safely.”
“….”
“Thanks to you, I was able to hold the funeral without trouble.”
Berenice bowed to Bronwen, the unknown hunter who had transported Bledin’s body to Wiltiera’s mansion.
