Chapter 94
“The treasure hunt is officially over! All participants, please return to the plaza!”
The whistle announcing the end of the game echoed through the forest, and children who had been scattered began to gather one by one.
Elvin spotted Annie and Eric.
“Did you find a lot?”
“Hehe, just wait and see! I found plenty!”
“I found a lot too! I’m going to win!”
“Well, let’s see who ends up finding the most.”
The three Frost siblings exchanged mischievous smirks.
“But where’s the young master?”
“He hasn’t come back yet.”
“When I saw him earlier, it didn’t look like he had much luck finding anything.”
Elvin recalled the dejected expression on Leonhard’s face when they’d crossed paths earlier. He felt a bit sorry for him, but this was still a competition.
The young master needs to learn how to handle things on his own at least once, he thought.
Even if it’s just a game.
The three siblings searched for Leonhard’s distinctive red hair among the crowd. Soon enough, they spotted it in the distance as he emerged from the forest.
“There he is!”
“There’s the young master… wait, what?”
They were about to wave and call out to him, but their expressions froze.
The children around them also stopped in their tracks, their gazes filled with shock.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor!”
Leonhard wasn’t alone—he was walking with the Emperor himself. To make things even stranger, Leonhard was soaking wet and being carried on the back of a royal knight.
Elvin was completely dumbfounded, unable to process what he was seeing.
What happened, young master? Did you cause some kind of trouble?
Leonhard, blissfully unaware of Elvin’s panic, waved enthusiastically.
“Brother Elvin!”
The knight carrying Leonhard approached, and Elvin hurriedly lowered his head, overwhelmed with nervousness. Looking directly at the Emperor without permission was considered disrespectful.
“Raise your head,” came the Emperor’s command.
With permission, Elvin cautiously lifted his gaze. Emperor Sylvester, his violet eyes gleaming, gave him a relaxed smile.
“Is this the right spot?”
“Yes, thank you for bringing him here,” Elvin replied politely.
The knight carefully set Leonhard down, who winced and limped slightly as he tried to stand. Elvin quickly moved to support him.
“Are you hurt?”
“I twisted my ankle when I slipped and fell into the stream…”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re soaked…”
Leonhard’s wet clothes now made sense.
“I happened to come across him and brought him here. I’ll call for the royal physician, so please watch over him for a moment,” Sylvester said.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your kindness.”
Elvin’s respectful demeanor reminded Sylvester of Leonhard’s sister, Hestia. He chuckled softly, clearly amused.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. Enjoy the rest of the event.”
Knowing his presence might make others uncomfortable, Sylvester decided to leave. Before departing, he made brief eye contact with Leonhard.
“What we talked about earlier is a secret, understood?”
“Yes! I won’t tell anyone!”
The two had agreed to keep their earlier conversation private to avoid unnecessary gossip.
As Sylvester and his knight left, Annie and Eric hurried over to Leonhard.
“Young master, are you okay?”
“You’ll catch a cold like this!”
“Let us see—are you injured? Is your leg broken or…”
“I’m fine! I just twisted it a little. Look at this instead!”
Ignoring their concerns, Leonhard pulled something out of his soaked pocket. Despite being wet, the two pieces of paper inside were still legible. But more importantly, there was something else.
“Wait, is that…?”
“Wow! Is that gold?!”
“Ha… I guess you’ve won, young master.”
In addition to the two notes, there was a small glass bottle containing a golden slip of paper.
“Where did you find this?” Elvin asked, astonished.
“I found it in the stream! It was hidden underwater!”
Leonhard explained how he had noticed something shining in the water when he slipped and fell.
“I never thought they’d hide the golden slip in a glass bottle in the stream!”
If Leonhard hadn’t slipped and fallen into the water, no one would have ever found it.
“I win, right?!”
Leonhard was thrilled to have won first place, but Elvin could only shake his head, both impressed and exasperated.
“Sure, sure… but—achoo!”
Leonhard began shivering, sneezing uncontrollably. Seeing this, Elvin quickly wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
“Let’s get you into dry clothes first. You’ll catch a cold at this rate.”
After handing in their treasure for the check, Elvin and the Frost siblings helped Leonhard back to the Winston tent.
Hestia and Luciard were naturally startled by the whole situation.
That night, the imperial palace was still brightly lit, filled with laughter and festivities. While the children had returned to their accommodations, the adults stayed behind to enjoy the evening.
This was a time for socializing, forming connections, and—for those unmarried—seeking potential matches. Among the crowd, one individual stood out in particular.
“Lord Gabriel, no one here can compare to you.”
“You’re so beautiful, you make the rest of us look plain.”
“If you’re without a partner, might I have the honor?”
Gabriel Florence, heir to the Florence Duchy, was the center of attention.
With his stunning beauty inherited from his mother, Gabriel captivated both men and women alike. His high status, perfect academic record, and widespread reputation as a dependable leader made him the ideal marriage prospect.
He was so exceptional that few dared to approach him, yet some bold individuals still tried their luck.
Gabriel responded to them all with his usual kind smile, but his eyes subtly scanned the room.
“Are you looking for someone, Lord Gabriel?” one young lady asked.
“I was just wondering where Sir Luciard might be,” Gabriel replied.
“I believe the Winstons didn’t attend tonight, just like yesterday.”
“Yes, only the Frost baron and his wife made a brief appearance yesterday.”
“But the Winstons do seem to attend the daytime events regularly.”
The two prominent families were well-known enough for everyone to keep track of their comings and goings.
“I heard young master Leonhard had a small accident and couldn’t attend tonight,” Gabriel added.
“An accident? Was he hurt?”
“Not seriously. He fell into a stream during today’s event but was rescued in time. Still, better safe than sorry.”
“Oh my, the poor thing!”
“By the way, I heard he discovered something amazing. My siblings couldn’t stop talking about it.”
“Oh, me too! Apparently, he found the golden slip—the prize for winning the treasure hunt!”
“The golden slip? What does that grant?”
“They say it allows the holder to make one wish to the Emperor himself.”
“A wish? Truly?”
“Yes, and His Majesty will grant almost anything within reason. There was only one golden slip, and young master Leonhard found it!”
Gabriel listened to the murmured gossip while sipping his wine.
A wish, huh? How childish.
Suppressing a smirk, Gabriel quietly slipped away from the crowd.
“Lord Gabriel, where are you going?”
The others called out to him, but Gabriel simply waved them off with a faint smile.
“I’ve been out all day and feel rather tired. Please, enjoy the rest of the evening.”
Leaving the ballroom, Gabriel’s friendly smile vanished, replaced by his usual stoic expression. He wandered through the palace with confidence, passing guards who didn’t even think to stop him.
After all, Gabriel had been coming to the palace with his father, Grant Duke Acid, since he was a child. Emperor Sylvester had even granted the Florence family access to most parts of the palace, save for a few restricted areas.
Thanks to Silvester’s generosity, Gabriel was free to roam the palace, but he didn’t feel any gratitude. In fact, he found the emperor’s kindness irritating.
Gabriel eventually stopped in front of a room deep inside the palace.
Knock, knock
“Mother, it’s Gabriel.”
“Come in.”
Entering the room, Gabriel noticed not just his mother, Lasie, but two other familiar faces—his uncle and aunt, the Marquis and Marchioness of Oz, Ramil and Karin.
“Oh, so you were here. I was wondering why I didn’t see you at the banquet.”
“We’re a bit too old to mingle with the young ones at their parties. But what about you? Why are you here instead of enjoying the banquet? It’s still going strong.”
“I was bored. Besides, he didn’t show up.”
“Gabriel, how many times have I told you to watch your words?”
Lasie, who always wore a kind smile in public, spoke coldly, her tone like an icy thorn. Gabriel smirked.
“Don’t worry, Mother. You know I’m careful when it matters.”
While Gabriel was excellent at pretending to be polite and noble in front of others, his true personality often came out when he was with family.
Lasie scoffed at her overconfident son. “So? Did you gather any information today?”
“Yes. I observed him closely.” Gabriel’s smile turned sharper.
“And?”
“Things aren’t quite as we thought.”
“You mean… he really doesn’t want anything?!” Karin’s voice was filled with disbelief.
“I told you this might be the case,” Ramil said calmly, as if he wasn’t surprised.
“That boy has been like that since his academy days. Even when I subtly tried to gauge his desires, he showed no ambition, only the mindset of someone who’s already given up,” Ramil continued.
During their academy years, Ramil had planted people close to Luciard to uncover his thoughts—especially about his connection to the ducal family.
“It makes sense, though. He’s a bastard, after all. He’s probably never felt entitled to anything in his life. Even if the opportunity comes knocking, he’d hesitate to grab it.”
“So, are you saying there’s no hope?” Karin asked, her face clouded with concern.
Gabriel’s lips curved into a sly grin. “He’s still human, isn’t he?”
Gabriel vividly recalled Luciard’s hesitation earlier in the day.
“With just a bit more pressure and the right spark, he’ll be useful to us.”
