Chapter 53

“Hah! The so-called warrior made all the nobles wait. Isn’t that grounds for disqualification?”

Count Cort sneered as he sipped the wine brought by his attendant, glaring at Adam.

The thought of a commoner warrior basking in the spotlight made his blood boil.

If not for that man, his son could have impressed the emperor and secured favor…!

No, more than that—his son could have been the one to claim the title of warrior!

His son, who had proudly returned with two fallow deer, had completely lost his spirit upon seeing the size of the bear Adam had brought back.

Clicking his tongue, the count downed another mouthful of wine.

“Calling it a disqualification is a bit much, considering the quality of that bear’s hide…”

“A bear is just a bear. His Majesty’s chambers must have dozens of hides like that!”

“But Count Cort… What’s wrong with your face?”

“My face? There’s nothing wrong with it—just a little itchy, that’s all.”

“Count… Do you have some kind of illness?”

A nobleman subtly took a step away from him.

As others also began to notice and discreetly distance themselves, the count, too consumed by his anger toward Adam, failed to pick up on their reactions.

Instead, he furiously scratched at his face.

“Ugh! Why is it so itchy?!”

It had started with the back of his hand, then spread to his neck—now his entire face was red and swollen.

As if ants were crawling all over him, Count Cort writhed as he scratched his skin.

Now that the loudest voice arguing against Adam had gone silent, the other nobles took their cue and went along with the shift in mood.

An attendant raised his voice for the final announcement of the hunting competition.

“If no one has brought back a larger catch, the winner of this year’s hunting competition is the warrior!”

Faced with the sheer presence of a bear twice the size of an average man, the nobles could only clear their throats in acknowledgment, voicing no complaints.

“The winner of the hunting competition is the warrior!”

In the formal ceremony, the attendant called Adam’s name.

At that moment, even those who had been unaware of the situation understood as they watched Adam step onto the platform.

“He’s more skilled than the rumors suggested.”

“Indeed. They said he slipped in the rain and got injured, yet he still managed to hunt down such a massive beast…”

As the nobles whispered among themselves, this time in admiration, Eveline smirked and shrugged.

It almost felt as if she had accomplished something herself, knowing they were finally recognizing Adam’s true abilities.

She had long forgotten how furious she had been earlier when Adam refused to leave quietly and insisted on participating in the hunt.

Now, she turned her gaze toward the emperor.

The moment Adam stepped onto the stage, the emperor’s smile had begun to crack.

It was more satisfying than she had anticipated.

“…Very well. Congratulations, warrior.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The emperor glared down at Adam.

His lips twitched as if he was barely holding back his anger.

However, unwilling to reveal his true emotions before the nobles, he quickly forced his expression into a smile.

But there was something chilling about that grin.

“I’m glad you returned safely. When the storm hit, I assumed you had simply slipped and fallen.”

“There was a minor incident that delayed my return, but I’m pleased to present such a fine gift to Your Majesty.”

“In return, I’ll be sure to prepare an excellent gift for you next time.”

The emperor’s face was ominous as he patted Adam’s shoulder while spouting words he clearly didn’t mean.

With that, he turned and walked away.

Count Cort was nowhere to be seen.

He had attempted to approach, but upon seeing the state of his face, the emperor had coldly ordered him to stay away.

“I-It’s not a deadly illness, Your Majesty!”

“Do not approach His Majesty. If it’s contagious, how will you atone for such a crime?”

A royal guard blocked the count from getting any closer.

His face was now grotesquely swollen, covered in a severe rash. It was the effect of a rare poisonous herb.

‘It’s a shame it wasn’t life-threatening.’

Eveline had slipped the herb into the count’s wine while distracting the attendant who had been serving drinks to the nobles who hadn’t participated in the hunt.

A small act of revenge, but a satisfying one.

At that moment, her sharp eyes caught something—

Had that royal guard just glared at Adam?

She tensed, recalling how she and Adam had been pursued by his comrades just hours ago.

As the emperor left, a young noblewoman approached Adam and offered him a handkerchief.

“His Majesty was planning to send a search party for you after sending us back! And not just any search party—the royal knights themselves!”

Eveline let out a dry laugh.

What a clever way to say ‘I was going to send a squad to kill him after eliminating the witnesses.’

Something boiled inside her.

She wanted to call out the emperor’s hypocrisy right then and there, but there was no proof—and Adam remained silent.

Still, she knew that, despite his foolish kindness, Adam would never let someone who tried to harm him walk free.

It just wasn’t the right time yet.

Since he was injured, one of the nobles generously offered Adam their large, luxurious carriage.

It was the same noble who had been glancing at Adam since he first arrived.

As they exchanged words, the noble seemed positively elated.

‘As expected, he’s popular.’

The young noble lady, who seemed to be the daughter of the noble lending the carriage, brightened as Adam accepted her kindness.

She was blushing, clearly delighted just from speaking with him.

“Eve. Come here.”

“Ah, yes!”

Adam suddenly called for her.

She could feel the sharp gaze burning into her back.

Most likely, it was from the noble lady who had lent them the carriage, now glaring daggers at her.

Eveline had intended to get in the carriage without much fuss, but she turned slightly and gave a polite nod before stepping inside.

Our ever-so-polite warrior, as always, offered his hand.

She wanted to ask if he was doing this on purpose, knowing full well that the noble lady was watching her.

But Eveline was more worried about Adam’s condition than the unnecessary tension, so she quietly approached the carriage.

From the moment they had stood before the nobles, Adam had acted as if he weren’t injured at all.

As if these wounds were nothing.

Even though he must have been in pain, no matter how effective the medicinal herbs had been.

His movements were so natural that, for a brief moment, she almost believed his injuries had been a delusion.

But the traces of blood still staining his abdomen pulled her back to reality.

“I’m fine.”

She didn’t want to add any more burden to Adam.

Even though he acted as if nothing was wrong, she knew his body was under strain—so even accepting small gestures of kindness seemed difficult for him.

“Ah!”

In an instant, Adam effortlessly lifted Eveline into the carriage.

Startled, she looked at him, but he simply shut the door behind them as if nothing had happened.

Eveline quickly turned to the window, hoping he wouldn’t hear her heart pounding so loudly.

Through the glass, she could see the Crown Prince and the Emperor talking.

The figures were too distant to make out clearly, but she could guess what was happening—they were likely questioning him about his sudden disappearance.

After briefly considering Judis’s situation, Eveline pulled the curtain closed, blocking the view.

Thud.

“Warrior?”

“…I’m sorry, Eve.”

So he really had been pretending to be fine.

Eveline was startled as his heavy body collapsed onto hers, but she quickly steadied him and helped him sit down.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“No. Compared to being out in the rain, this doesn’t feel nearly as hopeless.”

Leaning his head against the back of the seat, Adam muttered quietly.

Eveline nodded in agreement.

Adam had lost consciousness. The rain had continued to pour.

As she had struggled to carry him, she herself had nearly collapsed.

If Judis hadn’t arrived in time, things would have been much worse.

“It’s a relief that the rain stopped quickly…”

“Even if it hadn’t rained, the situation would have still been dangerous. If visibility had been clear, the knights with crossbows would have been an even greater threat.”

Listening to Adam’s murmur, his eyes closed in thought, Eveline fell silent.

‘If that’s the case… then wasn’t the timing of the rain—both when it started and when it stopped—far too convenient for us?’

 

 

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