The Peaceful Life of a Maid Who Hides Her Power and Enjoys It

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<Episode 133>

 

Rowayne was an excellent hunter.

Four out of five arrows he shot hit their target, and he accurately tracked the prey’s movement routes with his keen senses.

 

After about 30 minutes, the weight on my horse’s hind became heavy with nearly five prey.

“With this level of skill, we could aim for the top spot, not just the top five.”

 

Because of that, I also made sure to take care of him more diligently.

 

“Here, Sir Rowayne. Drink up. You need to stay hydrated to keep your body energized.”

“I’ll take care of this, so you can rest comfortably, Sir Rowayne.”

“Sir Rowayne, now that I think about it, you seem a bit impatient.”

“I’m telling you that it didn’t go this way, Sir Rowayne.”

“Rowayne, you idiot! What if you miss it!”

 

Thanks to my fervent support, Rewain’s hunting efficiency quickly improved.

 

Of course, his complexion was deteriorating at a rate inversely proportional to his efficiency, but that was none of my concern. He didn’t want me to propose to him, did he?

 

And so, about an hour and a half after the hunt began.

 

Clang.

 

A clear bell sound could be heard from somewhere.

 

It was the sound that signaled 10 minutes before the end of the morning hunt.

Since we were taking a break, our team immediately returned to the hunting headquarters. We passed by the nobles who were engaged in conversations after their return and made our way to the area where the scores were posted.

 

‘I’m kind of looking forward to this.’

We’d at least be in second place, right? With that thought in mind, I checked the scoreboard…

 

『<1st Place> Team 2 (Hunter: Raphael Zenail, Assistant: Gern Rosebell) 140 points

 

<2nd Place> Team 3 (Hunter: Jurian Berkeley-Gratten, Assistant: Kate Ezanelle) 120 points

 

<3rd Place> Team 4 (Hunter: Got Rosebell, Assistant: Emilia Rosebell) 105 points

 

<4th Place> Team 1 (Hunter: Rowayne Werkhord, Assistant: Daisy Weatherwoods) 100 points

.

.

. .』

 

It was devastating.

Unbelievable.

 

‘After hunting so hard, we’re only in fourth place?’

 

Of course, achieving fourth place out of 44 groups was a remarkable achievement.

 

However, our group was overwhelmingly superior in hunting skills and performance. At least in my opinion, that meant we should be incredibly close to winning.

‘Besides, the swordmaster was all smiles and relaxed everytime he passed by us.’

 

But second place? He scored 20 more points than us? He took care of everything while dilly-dallying? Did he even take a look at those monsters?

 

I sighed and looked back at Rowayne.

 

“It’s too bad, Sir Rowayne. We’re one step closer to getting married.”

 

Was he disappointed because of the score, or was he disappointed because the chances of marrying me increased? Rowayne nodded with an unusual expression of regret on his face.

 

“Yes…”

 

“Don’t be too sad. Even if I seem like this, I’m a pretty good woman.”

 

“Yes…”

 

He may seem mature, but he’s still young.

I patted Rowayne on the shoulder and moved towards the resting area. I stuffed some refreshments into his lifeless self’s mouth and asked about something I was curious about.

 

“By the way, since it’s called a hunting competition, there’s a prize for the winner, isn’t there?”

 

With a dull expression, Rowayne chewed on the biscuit in his mouth and answered.

 

“The winning prize is usually announced on the second day of the hunting competition. The first day of hunting is more like entertainment, and the distribution of points itself is focused on the second day of hunting.”

 

“But if it’s just for entertainment, why are their scores like that?”

 

In response to my absurd reaction, Rowayne let out a light laugh for the first time.

 

“Well, those people are naturally amazing.”

He murmured as he glanced at the scoreboard again.

 

“Duke Raphael will probably choose you as his aide for the afternoon hunt.”

 

“I guess so.”

 

“But… you seemed reluctant to move in a group with the Duke. Is my guess correct?”

 

“Well, if you want to put it that way.”

 

“I apologize for my lack of skill. I will do my best in the next round to ensure that Group 1 takes first place.”

 

It’s not really your fault. In truth, it’s the fault of Raphael and the swordmaster, who were born as human weapons, tch.

 

It was when I was about to raise my champagne glass to clink with his’ to cheer him up.

“Hey, Rowayne! It’s been a while since we enjoyed hunting together, right? You seem to be ranked fourth… Oh! Hello, Viscount Weatherwoods!”

 

A young man approached noisily, introducing himself as ‘Gern Rosebell.’

Gern was the assistant who was in Raphael’s group.

 

‘For him to come looking for Rowayne…’

 

As expected, there was a servant silently following behind Gern. The servant, who quietly bent beside me, whispered to me in a small voice that only I could hear.

 

“Viscount Weatherwoods, you have been selected by Duke Raphael Zenail. You will act as his aide during the afternoon hunt.”

 

Hmm.

 

I looked at the two young men who had started chatting happily.

 

‘I was thinking of suggesting that he could consider dancing with me at the banquet to tease him a little.’

 

But it didn’t seem like there was a chance to cut in.

As I quietly stood up, Rowayne glanced at me. It seemed like he had vaguely sensed the situation.

 

I lightly winked at him and moved towards Raphael, who was visible in the distance. People were bustling around him, drinking lightly.

 

Honestly, I was a little surprised.

 

‘I thought you would continue to ignore me.’

 

The relationship between Raphael and me had become slightly awkward after the dinner party.

Of course, this awkwardness was mostly one-sided. The only thing that had changed between us was that Raphael no longer initiated conversations.

 

He had appointed me as his partner, promising to take care of me, but I told him I didn’t want us to be in a team. He deserved to be upset.

 

‘But in the past, whenever I roughly explained things, didn’t he accept and move on?’

Was that only possible between Andert and his friend Raphael? It was a bit regrettable.

 

As the distance between Rafael and me decreased, the people surrounding Rafael slowly stepped back.

 

As I alternated between observing him and myself, they quietly whispered to each other and disappeared… How should I put it… I felt like a filthy bug…

 

But still, it was good that no one was sticking to me under the guise of last night’s scandal.

Raphael, whom I made eye contact with, nodded. I thought it was fortunate that he didn’t blatantly ignore me, so I made the first move, pretending like everything was fine.

 

“If you sweep away all the prey like that, how are we supposed to proceed with tomorrow’s hunt?”

 

While I pointed my chin at the mountain of prey in front of us, Raphael replied with a nonchalant expression, as if it was nothing new.

 

“Whether I sweep them away or not, it has no relation to the next hunt. On the second day, we won’t be hunting any living creatures, at least.”

 

“Not hunting living creatures? Then what will we hunt?”

 

Something like playing catch.

 

“Devils.”

 

“…Devils?”

 

The Devils I know?

In an instant, various thoughts raced through my mind. Could it be that the royal family was breeding Devils? Just for the sake of a mere hunting game?

 

‘But Raphael clearly said they weren’t going to be living creatures.’

 

In other words…

 

“Are they going to be using illusion magic?”

“Yes. You can think of it as a structure similar to a mental magic trap.”

 

Illusion and hunting Devils.

 

“Is it safe?”

 

Raphael, who returned an empty cup to a servant, slowly responded to my question.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I mean, it might be difficult for you to confront them head-on, no? After all, they are the ones who turned the empire into a sea of flames for a whole decade. I thought it would only bring back bad memories for you.”

 

Hadn’t I experienced auditory and visual hallucinations as if I’d fallen into the middle of the battlefield when I’d only just stepped into the Peace Centre Cemetery at Midwinterre?

 

Even I, who prided myself on having decent mental strength, only managed to overcome the post-war trauma after crossing the first wall.

For the soldiers who couldn’t overcome the wall, hunting demons and devils through hallucinations would be nothing short of being dragged into hell.

 

“My sister.. You truly are very kind.”

 

Raphael’s gaze was so cold that what he said sounded more like a mockery.

 

“Most of the  war veterans were treated for their trauma through modified mental traps. There haven’t been any incidents that could be considered problematic since then, so you can rest assured.”

 

He added that the mental trap to be used tomorrow was designed for training purposes.

 

“I feel like I’ve heard similar words before. You’re talking about the treatment methods researched by the Berkeley-Gratten family, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…Does Sir Raphael believe in the Swordmaster?”

 

Raphael looked down at me with a questioning expression.

“I’m not doubting the comradeship between you two. It’s just, the resurrection experiments by the Imperial family, the Berkeley-Gratten family most likely…”

 

“Duke Jurian always puts the greater good first. I’ve never once doubted that aspect of him. He is not someone who would manipulate the treatment methods for personal gain.”

 

“But he is the Emperor’s sword. He cannot defy his orders.”

 

“Have you truly had a private meeting with the Duke? Are you cautious because of his attitude towards you?”

 

“…….”

 

“My sister is not wrong to suspect him. Keep as far away from Duke Jurian as possible. He is currently a suspect in the terrorist attack at the Iregiel Conference. It would be best for you to only talk to him in public settings.”

 

I couldn’t hide my surprise at that statement.

‘The one behind the terrorist attack could be the swordmaster?’

Despite having such doubts, Raphael faced the swordmaster so casually?

 

They were once allies who trusted each other firmly. Now, they’d become adversaries and naturally remain cautious. Perhaps it was because I was finally seeing this change in front of me, but my heart felt slightly heavy.

 

I shrugged my shoulders slightly and replied, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

While Raphael began to mount his horse, we heard the afternoon hunting horn. 

As he passed by me, he said, “I look forward to your kind cooperation.”

“Likewise.”

 

We headed into the forest.

Perhaps it was because the past had come to mind, various other things I’d neglected popped up.

 

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t properly talked to Raphael about Andert since the interrogation.’

 

It felt unnatural to remember that Andert was the only connection between us.

‘Is it because he didn’t want to bring up the name of the dead before me?’

 

Afterall, I was Andert’s sister.

Since there was no one around, should I try to measure out the way for my confession? I naturally called out to Raphael’s back, who was leading the way.

 

“I heard that Princess Natasha is still searching for Andert’s body.”

“Yes.”

“If the reason she can’t find the body is… because he is still alive, what would you do?”

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I had come chapters in my arsenal sooo enjoy!