Chapter 47
On a lazy afternoon, the butler came to me.
“The Duke has returned from the imperial palace.”
“Thanks for letting me know!”
Hearing that Harold was back from the imperial meeting, I jumped up. I grabbed the documents I needed to review today and headed to Harold’s office.
As soon as I entered, Harold looked at me as if he had been expecting me.
“Are you going to sit on the sofa again?”
“Yes. It’s the most comfortable spot.”
Harold narrowed his eyes in disapproval and gestured toward a new desk nearby.
But I ignored him and settled onto the sofa.
‘This spot is just perfect.’
Harold had suggested that we spend more time together whenever he wasn’t busy with external duties. It was his way of helping me get used to him.
It was a classic and straightforward approach. The only real change was that we spent more time together than before.
‘There’s no way to prevent the sensitivity caused by my divine power, but I can at least get used to seeing him around. So this is the best way.’
That’s why I always brought my work to his office.
But sitting too close to him made it hard to concentrate, so I had been working from the sofa for days.
“Well, I guess there’s no helping it.”
Harold sighed as if he was giving up. Then… huh?
‘Why is he coming over here?’
Harold grabbed some documents and sat down on the sofa across from me. Then, seeing my surprised expression, he smiled slightly.
“You wouldn’t come to me, so I came to you.”
“…Did I say that out loud?”
“No. Your lips were quiet, but your face said everything.”
I wondered what kind of expression I had made. Since there was no mirror, I touched my face curiously.
I still couldn’t tell.
As my eyes darted around, curiosity got the best of me.
“Can you guess what I’m thinking right now?”
“Hmm.”
Harold let out a soft hum and placed his hand under my chin.
The sudden touch made me flinch, and his deep blue eyes slowly scanned my face.
Everywhere his gaze touched felt strangely tingly, like a mild allergy.
“Aha.”
Harold parted his lips as if he had figured it out. Instinctively, my eyes focused on his lips.
“You’re thinking about how much you enjoy sitting here with me.”
“W-Wrong! I was just thinking that the distance before was perfect!”
My face burned like a boiled potato as I quickly pulled back.
As if it wasn’t already overwhelming having him this close, now he was making ridiculous assumptions!
“I know.”
“Huh? Then why…”
“I was just joking.”
“……”
So annoying.
While I pouted, Harold smirked.
“…Can you go back to your seat now?”
“You should get used to being close, just like when I treat your injuries.”
“That’s true, but…”
I trailed off and pressed my lips together.
No matter how I looked at it, I just couldn’t concentrate on work with Harold sitting so close.
“If you won’t move, then I’ll go over there.”
Hearing my firm response, Harold rested his chin on his hand.
“Do whatever you want. But…”
His narrowed eyes darkened, the deep blue looking like the depths of the ocean.
“No matter where you go, I’ll follow you, Diana.”
“……”
That was the look of a man who meant what he said.
“…I guess I should focus on getting used to it first.”
Deciding not to waste my energy, I sat back down.
‘Let’s just focus on work.’
I forced myself to concentrate and stared hard at the documents.
But just then, a large hand covered my papers, shattering what little focus I had left.
I shot a glare at Harold, demanding an explanation.
He immediately apologized.
“Sorry if I distracted you. But before we start working, we need to talk.”
My annoyance disappeared with his quick apology, replaced by curiosity.
“Go ahead.”
“You know that Prince Andrew attended today’s imperial meeting, right?”
“Yes.”
Every noble knew that the prince had returned and would be at the meeting.
“If nothing unusual happens, Prince Andrew will be the next emperor. I decided to offer him some personal support.”
“…You’re trying to build a debt with Prince Andrew, aren’t you?”
I thought about it and then asked,
“Do you need my help with something?”
“You’re quick to catch on with things like this.”
“…Was that a compliment? Thank you?”
Harold stared at me silently for a moment.
‘Or was it not a compliment?’
I was about to feel awkward when Harold nodded elegantly.
“It was a compliment. You figured out what I didn’t say. Very fitting for the lady of Baisen.”
“Hmph.”
Feeling pleased, I sat up straighter.
“But are you okay with this?”
“With what?”
“Making you do something you don’t have to do.”
“Oh.”
“I think we’ve had a similar conversation before, but whatever the reason, I’ll do my duty. Every position comes with responsibility.”
I wanted to say it’s just my personality, but it felt different. My mindset and effort were different because of my personality.
I didn’t know why I was feeling this way. It was like a strong current pushing against my chest the more I thought about it.
“Well, if you feel bad about it, just give me an extra 1,000 gold coins later!”
Before the strange feeling grew stronger, I joked, and Harold nodded.
“I can give you 1,000 gold coins right now.”
“You have to keep that promise, Harold. No going back on your word!”
There was no reason to refuse free money! Feeling happy about my unexpected bonus, I smiled brightly.
“So, what exactly do I need to do?”
“During today’s conference, Prince Andrew requested to hold the ‘Eclipse Hunting Tournament,’ and His Majesty approved it. Have you heard of it?”
“No, this is my first time hearing about it.”
In Diana’s memories, the imperial family occasionally held hunting competitions, but they had never given them a special name.
“But I do know that Eclipse is the name of the first emperor who founded the empire.”
“It’s the first time in 200 years that this tournament is being held, so it’s not surprising that you don’t know. Most people have forgotten about it.”
Harold crossed one leg over the other.
“To put it simply, the winner of the Eclipse Hunting Tournament gets a wish granted by the emperor. As long as it’s not about killing someone or shaking the foundation of the empire, of course.”
“What? The emperor will grant a wish?”
Wow… That sounds like something out of a novel.
Oh, right. This is a novel world.
Remembering that truth, I blinked.
“The wish-granting hunting tournament reminds me of a play I saw during a festival. More specifically, it reminded me of the fairy tale that the play was based on.”
I recalled how the play ended with a king granting a wish after a hunting competition.
“That makes sense. That fairy tale was actually inspired by a real story about the first emperor.”
Based on Harold’s explanation, I pieced the story together.
In the fairy tale, a monster with eagle wings and a lion’s body destroyed the kingdom of the first empress, who was once a princess. Just like in the story, the first emperor had been a knight of that fallen kingdom. He made a deal with the princess, gathered the remaining knights, and went to war.
In the fairy tale, the monster was slain. Similarly, in reality, the first emperor won the war, married the princess, and founded a new empire. Then, he established the Eclipse Hunting Tournament, naming it after himself.
“There were many small wars at the time, so they needed strong knights quickly. That’s why the Eclipse Hunting Tournament was originally created. But once they conquered most surrounding nations and built a strong military, they stopped holding the tournament.”
“Oh… So that’s why it hasn’t been held in 200 years. But the emperor never abolished it because it was created by the first emperor?”
“As expected, you catch on quickly.”
“This kind of thing…”
Was that really a compliment?
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously, and Harold simply smiled slyly.
“It’s a compliment.”
“…”
It still felt a little off, but whether it was a compliment or not wasn’t important, so I decided to let it go.
“It’s surprising that His Majesty agreed to Prince Andrew’s request so easily.”
It was no secret that the emperor disliked his son. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have kept the only prince away from the empire for so many years.
“Maybe he enjoyed seeing the nobles disappointed in his useless, incompetent prince. So he agreed right away.”
Harold’s lips twisted slightly, as if remembering the conference.
“But the emperor is still the emperor. Even if he’s an old lion with broken teeth, he took precautions by changing a few tournament rules.”
“…So he made sure the prince wouldn’t win?”
“Exactly.”
Harold and I locked eyes.
“But we’re going to make sure Prince Andrew wins the wish with minimal losses on our side.”
From here on out, Harold’s words would be the most important part. I laced my fingers together and focused on him.
