Chapter 58
“…Me?”
“Yes. You, my lady.”
“I didn’t really mean it that way though?”
“But the people at the hunting competition will think so. And His Highness the Second Prince is even wearing the earrings you gave him.”
No, I seriously just wanted to come up with a reasonable excuse for why there wasn’t a handkerchief tied to Lionel’s bow.
…So, to sum it up—
“So it looks like I’m not only following Lionel around everywhere, but also shouting, ‘This man is mine, so don’t come near him!’ Something like that?”
“Why are you leaving out the part where you dreamed His Highness the Second Prince was cheating on you and ran to the Imperial Palace first thing in the morning?”
“That was so embarrassing I deleted it from my memory. So you delete it too, Yuni.”
“I can forget it… but…”
But no one else will ever forget, right?
‘Am I… steadily walking down the path of a possessive female lead?’
Ugh, whatever.
“My reputation? Forget it. It’s already ruined. There’s no fixing it at this point.”
“But, my lady…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it either. What does it matter what other people say?”
Hmm, that’s actually a pretty good mindset.
I should really carve that into my heart.
“Instead of wasting time on this, I should study magic productively. I’m going to study something difficult today, so tell the kitchen to bake some brownies.”
“Should I ask them to add lots of walnuts?”
“Of course! Tell them to add plenty.”
Thick chocolate brownies packed with brain-boosting walnuts!
Just imagining taking a big bite of that sticky, rich brownie already makes my head spin in a good way.
For some reason, I had a good feeling.
Like today’s studying was going to go incredibly well.
Despite attending the hunting competition, Lionel was the only one who showed no interest in actually hunting.
While he leisurely took a walk, explosion sounds rang out from all directions, signaling successful hunts.
Each time, Lionel looked concerned that the bluebird might be startled, and the attendant watching him thought, This is it.
“Your Highness. If you do not plan to hunt, how about heading toward the area where there are no beasts at all?”
“No beasts?”
“Yes. It’s near a cliff, so it’s a bit dangerous… but as long as you don’t go all the way to the edge, it will be fine.”
After a moment of thought, Lionel nodded.
“Very well. Lead the way.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As he guided the Second Prince, the attendant let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘At least this will get us close to the promised location.’
Once he received the signal, all he had to do was set off the fireworks naturally.
Actually, it didn’t even need to look natural. After he set them off, a pack of giant wolves would soon charge in.
He planned to run away quickly, pretending to be shocked by the wolves. What happened after that wasn’t his concern.
If several knights struggled to take down even one of those giant wolves, how could the Second Prince possibly handle an entire pack?
He wouldn’t die because of the divine prophecy, but he certainly wouldn’t come out unscathed.
Calming his pounding heart, the attendant led Lionel toward the cliff.
“…We’re here.”
“Indeed. The terrain is so rough that neither beasts nor people would come here.”
At the edge of the forest, beyond dead trees and withered bushes, the ground turned into barren rock as the cliff began.
With no trees or shrubs, the view was wide open. Standing at the edge, one could clearly see the mountain below.
“Y-Your Highness, it’s dangerous!”
“There’s no need to worry. I’m watching my step.”
Even though one wrong move would send him tumbling down the cliff, Lionel stood fearlessly at the edge, gazing at the scenery below.
“It feels refreshing, doesn’t it?”
“Cheep!”
“It’s fine here. If you want to fly, go ahead.”
Lionel gently sent the bluebird from his shoulder into the air. Excited to fly after so long, the bird soared high.
“Cheep, cheep!”
Watching from a distance, the attendant couldn’t hide his disbelief.
‘He’s probably the only person who would bring such a tiny pet bird to a hunting competition instead of a hawk…’
If he returned without catching even a single rabbit, it would be a lasting embarrassment. How could he be so relaxed?
‘Whatever. It’s not my concern.’
In a way, it was fortunate. Failing to catch anything was one thing, but returning safely was very different from coming back gravely injured by a pack of giant wolves.
For the Second Prince’s honor, being seriously injured might actually be better.
‘Yes… This… this isn’t such a big sin.’
Afraid of being suspected later, the attendant kept his distance from Lionel, nervously biting his thumbnail and glancing around, waiting for the signal.
Meanwhile, Lionel continued looking at the scenery below. Watching the tiny figures that seemed almost to be flying, he suddenly thought of Cecilia.
“Come here for a moment.”
“Cheep?”
The bluebird, who had been freely flying in the sky, fluttered down and landed on Lionel’s palm.
As usual, Lionel stroked its head and asked,
“I want to show Riri the view down there.”
He was asking if it could connect to her through communication.
The bluebird chirped and flew up from his palm.
But after a short while, it landed back on his hand and shook its head.
It was the first time this had happened, and Lionel looked slightly surprised.
“You can’t connect?”
“Cheep.”
“Why?”
The bluebird plopped down on his palm.
Then it lifted one wing toward its beak as if holding something up, and with the other wing curled into a circle, it made a scribbling motion.
Lionel easily understood what it meant.
“Studying? She’s studying, so she can’t?”
“Cheep!”
Not long ago, Cecilia had told him she had started studying magic again.
Lionel nodded in understanding, though he couldn’t hide his disappointment.
‘She said it was her dream to fly around a wide place like this.’
Of course, the current Cecilia had lost her memories and likely forgotten all about that.
Bringing her here in person felt too dangerous. Maybe he could come back later with the bluebird again.
As if carving it into his memory, Lionel quietly took in the view below.
—Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, fireworks exploded in the distance.
Not once, but three times in a row.
Instinctively securing the bluebird first, Lionel looked up at the sky.
Against the bright blue sky, a red circle lingered—a flare signaling danger.
“Your Highness! A red signal flare has been launched!”
“Yes. I saw it.”
“I’m not sure what’s happened, but perhaps you should leave the area—”
—Boom!
Before the attendant could finish, another firework exploded, and this time black smoke formed an X in the sky.
Lionel narrowed his eyes.
It was the signal to halt the hunting competition and have everyone return to headquarters.
“T-The competition is being stopped! A pack of giant wolves must have appeared!”
“…A pack of giant wolves?”
Lionel’s cold gaze fell upon the attendant.
Realizing his slip of the tongue too late, the attendant flinched and hurried to explain.
“T-Twenty years ago, the competition was once halted when a pack of giant wolves descended to the lake. It must be something similar this time!”
“Giant wolves…”
Lionel muttered softly, and the attendant felt his heart drop.
‘D-Damn it. Has he figured it out?’
With Lionel’s face revealing no emotion at all, it was impossible to tell whether he suspected anything.
In any case, the important thing was to leave quickly.
“Anyway, Your Highness, something serious enough to halt the competition has happened. It would be best to return to headquarters at once. I will guide you.”
“Very well.”
Thankfully, Lionel obediently allowed the attendant to walk ahead.
With Lionel behind him, the attendant walked anxiously.
‘They were supposed to lure the giant wolves here. Why hasn’t the signal come?’
It was strange that the halt signal had come from somewhere else.
According to the plan, Lionel was supposed to be the first prey of the giant wolves. But there had been no word from the hunters driving them. Something must have gone wrong while luring the black wolf pack.
As if proving his suspicion correct, multiple urgent flares exploded in the northern sky.
Soon after, chilling screams echoed through the air, along with the howls of beasts.