Chapter 51
As Anna said, the servants were looking around the ground as if they had lost something.
Even the other household servants, whose family I didn’t recognize, were doing the same.
Then, I noticed a noblewoman in the middle of them.
‘That lady… She’s the wife of Baron Handley, isn’t she?’
I remembered her clearly from the wedding banquet, where she had greeted me with a voice trembling like a frightened goat.
‘Would it be okay if I approached her?’
Baroness Handley was scared of Diana, so I hesitated.
If I wanted to borrow a servant, it would be polite to ask her directly…
After a brief moment of hesitation, I decided to approach her with Anna.
“Excuse me, Baroness Handley.”
“Eek! D-D-Duchess…!?”
Her already pale face turned even paler.
“W-W-What do you need?”
…Maybe I should’ve just sent Anna instead of coming myself.
Swallowing my regret, I explained the situation.
“Would it be alright if I borrowed one of your servants for a moment?”
“Y-Y-Yes! Of course!”
Baroness Handley nodded so vigorously that I thought her head might fall off.
“Thank you, Baroness Handley.”
“N-No p-problem…!”
“……”
“Hiiik!”
The moment our eyes met, she gasped sharply.
‘If I talk to her anymore, she might faint from fear.’
I decided to take the nearest servant and leave quickly.
“Umm…”
Just then, the Baroness spoke in a weak voice.
“Baroness, is something wrong?”
“N-No, it’s nothing! Have a safe trip back!”
That didn’t seem like what she originally wanted to say…
I wanted to ask, but seeing her trembling like a scared squirrel caught by a snake, I held back.
Even as I walked away with the servant, Baroness Handley lingered in my thoughts.
After some hesitation, I finally gave in to my curiosity and asked the servant.
“Why was the Baroness looking around like that?”
“She was searching for a lost ring.”
“A ring?”
I had seen her wedding ring on her finger, so it must have been another ring she cherished.
‘A ring… Something about this feels familiar…’
Ah!
Baroness Handley always wore a ring on a chain around her neck, like a necklace.
Diana had this memory because that ring was a keepsake from the Baroness’s mother.
‘If it’s a keepsake, then it must be incredibly important!’
I stopped walking abruptly.
Anna, who had been following behind me, called out, “Madam?”
The servant also turned back to look at me.
But I was too deep in thought to respond.
‘Maybe she wanted to ask for my help earlier?’
It wasn’t just any item—she had lost a keepsake.
Even if she was scared of me, she must have wanted to ask for help.
I had also lost family before, so I understood how precious their memories were.
“Anna, take the servant back to the tent and bring as many free hands as you can.”
“Yes! I’ll bring as many people as possible.”
Anna, realizing what I planned to do, answered enthusiastically.
After sending them off, I turned around and headed back the way I came.
Pwoo—!
While I was resting after finding Baroness Handley’s ring, a short horn signal echoed, marking the end of the hunting competition.
When I stepped out of the tent, I saw people gradually returning from the forest.
As I anxiously watched them, I overheard nobles chatting nearby.
“Who do you think will win the Eclipse Hunting Tournament this time?”
“I’m not sure. Honestly, I have no idea.”
“Me neither. It’s not just about catching the most prey, after all.”
For this competition, the Emperor had changed the rules—rather than winning by catching the most prey, participants would now offer their hunt to a lady of their choice.
The woman who received the most offerings would win the tournament and be granted a wish.
The rule change was made to prevent Prince Andrew, who had little political power, from winning.
“I think the new rules make this event even more fun!”
“My knights promised to give all their prey to me.”
“Oh my, mine did too.”
Not just the young ladies, but many people were eagerly dreaming of winning the hunting competition, their eyes shining with hope. If they won, they could ask the Emperor for a wish, so everyone seemed to be holding onto that hope.
I watched Countess Jayna, the Emperor’s mistress, and recalled my conversation with Harold.
He had told me that the Emperor would likely ensure that someone from his faction won by directing all the hunting prizes to one person.
‘It’s probably going to be her, the Countess.’
Seeing Countess Jayna at the center of the Emperor’s faction, speaking with them, I could easily guess what was happening.
The Emperor’s faction had many members, but most of them were scholars or officials.
On the other hand, the nobles who secretly supported Prince Andrew were mostly from knightly families. Since Baisen’s territory was in the north, many of its vassals were also knightly families.
Harold was confident that winning wouldn’t be a problem.
However, it was crucial not to make it obvious that Baisen was supporting Prince Andrew.
It was good to have the prince owe us a favor, but we didn’t need to openly make an enemy of the Emperor.
I agreed. If we weren’t careful, the Emperor might see Harold and Prince Andrew as threats and try to eliminate them.
The most important thing was to ensure the Emperor didn’t realize they were working together.
…And that was my role in all of this.
Hoo.
I turned my gaze back to the forest. Then, my eyes widened in surprise.
‘…Harold.’
In the distance, I saw Harold riding his horse down the forest path, appearing like a small dot at first.
The sunlight filtered through the thick leaves, casting light onto Harold’s face.
Even though he was far away, I still felt as if our eyes met. No, they did meet.
His lips curved into a smirk, and I found myself smiling back as I observed him.
‘He looks unharmed.’
Pwoo—!
Ten minutes later, the hunting competition officially ended.
Now, it was time to determine the winner.
‘Finally, it’s time.’
I took a deep breath, reminding myself of what I needed to do today.
Since some people found animal corpses unsettling, the prey would be exchanged for flowers to avoid scaring anyone who was afraid of animal corpses, and those flowers would be offered to the woman they wished to support.
Most people gave flowers to a lady from their own family or the household they served, hoping for their faction to win.
As expected, the Emperor’s supporters were all giving their flowers to Countess Jayna.
“At this rate, Countess Jayna will be the winner of this year’s Eclipse Hunting Tournament.”
“It seems like no one will be able to overturn this now, right? And all the nobles giving flowers to Countess Jayna are from the Emperor’s faction. Could it be that the Emperor had planned this from the start?”
“Shh! Someone might hear you.”
The excitement in the noblewoman’s eyes started to fade.
Even the noble ladies who had been hoping for a chance now looked discouraged.
On the platform, the Emperor sat with a faint smile.
It was a relaxed, satisfied smile—as if everything was going exactly as he had planned.
‘…Will this really be okay?’
Even at a glance, Countess Jayna had received a massive number of flowers.
I wasn’t sure if Baissen’s vassals and Prince Andrew’s hidden supporters could surpass that number.
I told myself not to be nervous. It would be fine.
I discreetly wiped my damp palms on the hem of my dress.
Just then, it was Harold’s turn.
He walked straight toward me.
Seeing the flowers in his arms, I bit my lip to hold back a laugh.
Ah, seriously.
“You kept your promise.”
He had said he would bring the most flowers.
And he had actually done it.
Among all the individual participants, Harold carried the largest number of flowers.
I had been watching people offer flowers this whole time, so I was sure of it.
“This is just the beginning.”
He casually motioned to the flowers in his arms, as if it were nothing.
“I haven’t fully kept my promise yet.”
Then he kneeled on one knee and offered me the flowers.
Gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd.
Though the sound of their astonishment covered his words, I understood what he had said by reading his lips.
‘But it will happen soon.’
His slightly raised lips exuded his confidence.
How could he be so arrogant and sure of himself?
And yet, as I looked into his steady, unwavering gaze, my own nervousness faded.
I responded with a smile.
Harold straightened his knee and stepped back.
And behind him…
