“It seems like there are no shoe stores around here.”
Aide Cain said, looking around.
Arundel frowned and stared at the empty space in front of her. Then she went into the grocery store next to it.
“Welcome.”
“Excuse me, I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“Did an old woman happen to tell fortunes here?”
“No. This is a no-vending zone, so commercial activities on the street are not allowed.”
Arundel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“…Has she ever appeared occasionally?”
“No. I come to work every day, but I’ve never seen an old woman telling fortunes on the street.”
At the firm words of the grocery store owner, Arundel left the store.
‘Then what did I see…?’
Arundel stared at the place where the old woman had been.
‘Could it be… Mannheim trying to help me…’
No way.
Arundel, who was making assumptions, shook her head. Even though he was a god, him pretending to be an old woman here, it was absurd.
But strangely, the atmosphere was similar. There was nothing similar about the face or the way of speaking, but it felt that way.
The sly attitude, and yet helping her.
She would ask him the next time they met.
“They say the shoe store is over there.”
When Arundel showed no signs of moving, Cain asked someone else for directions.
“No… I don’t think we need to go.”
“What?!”
Cain looked at Arundel in surprise, but Arundel didn’t have the luxury to care.
She had come to ask the old woman about the future and what she should do, but it was a wasted trip.
In that case, it was better to go back quickly. If someone discovered the mark on her wrist while she was wandering around, it would be a real headache.
“I want to go back.”
“But… you said you really need to buy shoes.”
“I don’t want them anymore.”
“Okay… I’ll call the carriage.”
She felt sorry for Cain for making him take a wasted trip, but she couldn’t help it.
Until she decided what to do with the mark, she had to avoid places with many people. She was disappointed she couldn’t see the old woman, but if she had no purpose, it was better to go back quickly.
Arundel and Cain got on a carriage that was waiting nearby.
Cain, sitting across from her, blinked and looked at Arundel.
“By the way, have you heard about the hunting competition from His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Hunting competition?”
Arundel blinked and asked back. It was something she had never heard of.
“I guess you haven’t been told.”
“I haven’t heard anything.”
“To put it simply, a hunting competition will be held at the palace in three days. It’s one of the big events that happens once a year.”
At Cain’s calm explanation, Arundel frowned.
‘You mean she wasn’t told about that until now?’
Of course, she didn’t expect such a delicate side from Zion, but the situation was different now.
Arundel was annoyed by the unexpected situation.
If it was a big event, surely many people would gather, and now she had to avoid such places. If this mark was discovered by the nobles… it was dizzying.
“Do I have to go there too…?”
“Well, but looking at the current atmosphere, it seems likely that Her Majesty the Empress will attend.”
“…I see.”
Arundel made a dissatisfied face. To such Arundel, Cain added an additional explanation.
“To explain a little more, the hunting competition is a very important event. It’s a great event to suppress the nobles.”
“Suppress the nobles?”
“Yes. After all, the most commonly used method for His Majesty the Emperor to establish his imperial power is ‘strength’.”
Arundel understood Cain’s words.
Strength is power. Background, strong supporters, abundant wealth, Zion, who didn’t have anything, would have used ‘strength’ to establish his imperial power as he is now.
After all, there was no more threatening method than suppressing the nobles with force.
“There’s no place like a hunting competition where you can show your strength so blatantly. The gap between first and second place has been overwhelming since His Majesty participated.”
Cain said with a voice full of pride.
“As the public sentiment is ominous due to the demons these days, the voices of criticism against His Majesty the Emperor are getting louder.”
“…Demons.”
“Yes. That’s why this hunting competition is a very important event.”
Cain’s face was serious as he explained.
Arundel felt once again that being a royal was not a position to enjoy life while playing around.
By the time the conversation was over, the carriage had arrived at the palace.
“We’re here, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Cain bowed politely in front of the Empress’s Palace and left.
Arundel, who was left alone, relaxed and had a headache.
Belle rushed to Arundel, who was walking in holding her head.
“Your Majesty the Empress! Are you not feeling well?!”
“No… I was just thinking about something.”
“For that… you don’t look well. Would you like to wash in warm water first?”
“No!!”
Arundel, recalling the mark on her wrist, refused in surprise. Belle approached with a worried face at her reaction.
“Why are you so agitated?”
“…From today, I’ll wash myself.”
“What?!”
Belle was shocked at Arundel’s radical declaration.
“Why… did I do something wrong?”
“No! Just… I think I can wash myself.”
“…Okay. Then I’ll tell the head maid.”
“Wait! And one more thing.”
“Yes?”
Arundel fiddled with the hem of his clothes.
“Bring me a bandage.”
“Why?! Are you hurt??”
Arundel hesitated for a moment.
She had thought of various things, but she had not yet found a plausible excuse.
But she had to spit out something.
“…Burn!”
“Yes?”
“I got a burn.”
“Then I’ll call the doctor!”
“No!! I’ve already treated it, but I don’t want anyone to see the scar.”
Arundel felt sad that she had to lie to this extent.
“…Understood. I’ll bring a bandage!”
“Thank you.”
Belle seemed a little disappointed at Arundel’s attitude of hiding her wound, but she didn’t pry any further.
Not long after, Belle returned and handed her a bandage.
“Here!”
“Thanks. You can go now.”
Arundel, who was left alone, washed and wrapped a bandage tightly around her wrist. If she didn’t raise her hand, the bandage wouldn’t be visible under the sleeve.
She could probably hide the mark with the bandage as an excuse for more than a week.
She would have to remove it as she might be suspected of having a burn as time passed.
By then, she had to somehow solve this mark. But the problem was that there was not even a solution as small as a fingernail.
‘Can’t I tear my wrist off, or just skin it?’
Extreme options were swirling in Arundel’s head.
But she was really desperate.
These days, due to the appearance of the demons, there would be a lot of interest in demon worshipers, witches, and black magicians.
Also, they would be bloodshot to identify the worshipers. If she was caught, there was a 100% chance of being burned at the stake.
No matter how much she thought about it, she could only think of a gloomy ending.
“When your head hurts… just sleep.”
Arundel closed her eyes to escape from reality.
****
“Hunting competition?”
Bianca said, closing her book.
“Yes. The day after tomorrow, there will be a big hunting competition, right?”
“That’s right. I’m also attending, but I forgot.”
“Bianca? Are you participating in the competition?”
“No. I would like to participate if I could, but my father will never allow it.”
Bianca’s red eyebrows drooped. It seemed like the conversation was going to be long.
The two moved outside for a simple tea time. Summer was almost over and the weather was mild enough to sit outside.
An old book was placed on the white table. The hardcover had been worn a lot, and the corners of the book were rounded.
“You must have read this book a lot.”
“Yes… I’ve been studying harder since His Highness the Crown Prince tested my magical power!”
“That’s really great. So, can Bianca use magic?”
“I’m embarrassed to say, but I can only use very basic magic.”
Bianca’s white cheeks turned red in embarrassment. If she were a man, she would have looked at her drooling, she was so cute.
“By the way, it seems that Her Majesty the Empress has hurt her arm.”
“Ah… I got a little burn.”
While she was distracted, her sleeve went up, and part of the bandage wrapped around her wrist was exposed.
‘I need to be more careful.’
She felt like breaking out in a cold sweat. Since something that wasn’t there before appeared overnight, there were many times when she couldn’t be conscious like this.
“Oh, you should be careful. Won’t you get a scar?”
“I guess I might. Haha.”
Arundel said with an awkward face. Fortunately, Bianca seemed to be worried, not suspicious.
“By the way, it seems that Captain Royden will also participate in this hunting competition.”
Bianca said with sparkling eyes. She had blushed when she was with Royden last time, and she seemed to be interested in him.
“Even though it will be difficult to surpass His Majesty the Emperor, he has always caught the most game next in line.”
“I see.”
“He’s really amazing! He silenced the people who grumbled that a person without qualifications for a hunting competition became the captain of the Royal Knights.”
Considering that Royden held an important position at a young age, there must have been voices of jealousy at that time.
As expected, Zion would not have put Royden in that position for political reasons alone.
“Actually, the real monster is ‘His Majesty the Emperor.’”
Bianca said in a dissatisfied voice.
“…He is indeed like a monster.”
He’s sly, but he doesn’t lack anything in appearance, strength, wealth, or charisma.
Arundel nodded, thinking to herself.
Then a more surprising statement followed.
“That’s right. He doesn’t use magic at all in the hunting competition.”
“Yes?”
“He only uses a bow to hunt. Sometimes he doesn’t seem human. Most magicians often have lower physical abilities. Because they don’t need to train their bodies.”
At Bianca’s words, Arundel admired him anew.
She thought he was a person who could laugh and joke around, but he was a great man who could rise to the position of emperor on his own.
She had to admit his abilities.
“I’m looking forward to this hunting competition.”
Bianca seemed to have high expectations for this event because she aspired to be a magician.
But from Arundel’s point of view, this competition was ominous.
‘Is it just to kill life to determine superiority…’
Arundel, who was depressed, asked Bianca.
“So, what happens to the animals that are caught?”
“After catching the biggest game that day, there’s an after-party, and the rest of the game is dried well and made into jerky, and then distributed to the common people.”
At Bianca’s kind explanation, Arundel’s uncomfortable feeling subsided.
“I hope Bianca will definitely participate next time.”
“Yes! I’ll try to persuade my father somehow. It’s hard to see his face these days because he seems busy with other things.”
Bianca’s face darkened a bit when she mentioned her father.
When Bianca mentioned her father, Arundel was suddenly curious. ‘Duke Hellen’ was said to be a political figure in opposition to Zion.
“What kind of person is Bianca’s father? I don’t know much because I don’t fit in with the social world.”
“Hmm… I don’t know. He’s always strict with me and demands a lot. He always looks disappointed because I can’t live up to his expectations.”
The more she spoke, the more clouds gathered on Bianca’s face.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been whining too much.”
“You can talk anytime.”
Arundel smiled kindly.
Being a friend is about being there for each other when times are tough!
Moreover, Bianca’s detailed explanation was always a great help in understanding the situation in advance.
Although one thing was bothering her,
Arundel looked down at her wrist where the mark was stamped.
‘What could possibly happen.’
And so, the day of the hunting competition dawned.
