Chapter 54

Time flew by quickly, and the day of the hunting competition arrived.

“So, you’re participating in the hunting competition in place of Princess Valencia?”

“…It just happened that way.”

“What a pity.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Now, waiting for the start of the hunting competition with Mikhail, the protagonist of the original story, who had become more than just familiar but almost intimate.

“No special meaning. It’s just strange that the Princess wouldn’t participate in such a competition.”

“…”

“The Princess Valencia I know wouldn’t just pass up a competitive opportunity like this.”

Could it be because of you?

The Crown Prince looked at me sharply, asking directly.

His gaze was so sharp that, even though I had done nothing wrong, I felt as if I had committed a crime.

“It’s the deep thoughts of the Princess, how could it be because of me?”

“If it’s not because of you, then why didn’t the two of you come together today?”

“…”

I had nothing to say.

If, as Mikhail said, there was nothing between Rebecca and me, we would have arrived here together, just like at the imperial banquet.

From a third-party perspective, it was clear that this situation looked as if something had happened between Rebecca and me.

“…There was a bit of an incident.”

Moreover, since there actually was an incident, it was correct to say that Mikhail’s insight was quite sharp.

It wasn’t a big deal.

It was just that Rebecca refused to meet me, just like last time.

– Thank you, my most merciful fiancée in the world.

That day, after hearing my last words, the Princess, whose face was already red, turned completely crimson.

– …Get out.

– Huh?

– I said get out.

– …

And just like that, she kicked me out of the Duke’s mansion.

It was only natural that I, a mere fiancé and not even a married husband, couldn’t refuse the words of Rebecca, who was practically the mistress of the mansion.

Being kicked out of the Duke’s mansion was also only natural.

– I’m sorry, the Young Lady said to send you away if you came.

– …

– She also said she wouldn’t see you again until the day of the hunting competition…

It was also natural that I couldn’t refuse Rebecca’s wish not to see me.

“May I ask what that incident was?”

After hearing my words about the incident, the Crown Prince asked me with a curious expression.

“It’s not a big deal…”

And I intended to tell the Crown Prince why Rebecca didn’t come with me.

It was a bit embarrassing, but it wasn’t something I couldn’t talk about.

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

“…?”

“Since you seem to be quite involved in the private lives of the Princess and me.”

“…”

The only problem was whether the Crown Prince’s limbs would be okay after hearing the story.

If someone in front of me told me that they had said something like, ‘Please let me have my beloved fiancée’s handkerchief, won’t you just lose once for me?’ and got kicked out of their fiancée’s house because of it.

‘This is a bit…’

It was clear that I wouldn’t be able to stand properly due to the cringe.

Even I suffered severe aftereffects in my room after being kicked out by Rebecca that day.

The destructive power of the sentence I uttered was that great.

“…I spoke out of turn. There’s no need to talk about it. Let’s talk about something else.”

Fortunately, Mikhail made a wise choice before any mishap could occur.

“Your Highness, it’s almost time to start.”

As if there wasn’t much time left to start, a man who looked like an imperial knight approached Mikhail and me, who were chatting.

[The Crown Prince draws his sword.] The second event to occur.

The start of the ‘Hunting Competition.’

***

Unlike the imperial banquet that lasted for two days, the hunting competition was held for only one day.

Unlike the imperial banquet, which lasted for two days, the hunting competition had the problem of having to solve accommodation and meals in the forest, and unlike the imperial palace, where the culprit could be quickly caught and subdued, it was very difficult to grasp the situation in the forest.

It was too much to hold an event involving high nobles and the imperial family for two days.

“If someone is determined to cause an assassination, they can do it.”

“…What did you say?”

Rebecca, who heard my muttered soliloquy, looked at me as if to ask what on earth I was talking about.

By the way, Rebecca arrived shortly after Mikhail left to start the hunting competition.

Of course, whether she still remembered my words or not, she found it difficult to look me straight in the eye.

But that was also a characteristic of Rebecca these days, so it wasn’t a big deal.

“Isn’t that so? Unlike the imperial palace or the Valencia Mansion, it’s not easy to stop anything from happening in the forest.”

“…You’re not planning to do that yourself, are you?”

“Do you think I’m crazy enough to commit treason and get caught?”

“That’s a relief.”

“…”

If what I know is correct, the word ‘relief’ is originally a word that makes you feel good, not bad.

Why does the word ‘relief’ that the Princess is expressing to me now sound so much like nagging?

It somehow made me feel uncomfortable.

“Were you worried?”

“…Huh?”

I decided to counterattack.

“If what you just said is true, then you were worried that I might do something like that, weren’t you?”

“…”

The Princess made a dumbfounded expression, as if she hadn’t expected such a response.

As if my words were truly unexpected, the Princess, who had slightly opened her mouth and was staring blankly at me, looked the most foolish among the Princesses I had seen recently.

“Were you worried that I might be arrested for treason?”

“…I never said that…”

“If you’re worried about that, you don’t have to be. There’s no way that would happen.”

“No, I didn’t say that…”

“Where would I go, leaving my fiancée behind?”

“…”

The word ‘my fiancée’ immediately shut Rebecca’s mouth.

As I always feel, Rebecca is a woman whose charm lies in her consistency.

Even after so much time has passed and after so many experiences, she should have gotten used to it by now.

But Rebecca’s cheeks, more honest than anyone else’s, turned red every time she heard embarrassing words.

“…Just wait and see.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll definitely wipe that annoying look off your face in a little while.”

And then came Rebecca’s threatening remark.

It was a threat that wasn’t scary at all and was just cute.

But what that threat meant became clear soon after.

“Now, since we’re about to start the hunting competition, ladies who have prepared handkerchiefs, please hand them over to your men.”

Mikhail, who had been diligently reading the opening speech of the hunting competition, used magic to amplify his voice and conveyed this message to everyone here.

The entrance of the forest, which had been filled only with the Crown Prince’s voice, quickly became bustling.

“Don’t get hurt!”

“I’ll bring back a splendid animal for you.”

“I don’t have a handkerchief?”

“What are you expecting from your sister, you brat.”

Between lovers, or between family members.

The voices of noble ladies handing over handmade handkerchiefs and noble sons kneeling to receive them could be heard.

And we were no exception to this situation.

“Kneel.”

Rebecca, holding a handmade handkerchief in her outstretched hand, gestured for me to kneel before her, just as others had knelt before their ladies.

“What are you doing, not kneeling?”

“…”

“Aren’t you going to accept it?”

It seemed that Rebecca had made up her mind during the days she refused to see me.

“This is the handkerchief made by the fiancée you so desperately wanted.”

As she waved the handkerchief in front of my eyes, she spoke these embarrassing words without batting an eye.

Honestly, if it were the original me, I wouldn’t have knelt.

I have a strong sense of pride, not inferior to Rebecca’s.

No matter how much I wanted what was in front of me, I wouldn’t have knelt.

“…Alright.”

“…Huh?”

But the current me was not the original me.

Rather, my current state was one of being moved, not hurt in pride.

The fact that she had gone so far as to sew a handkerchief herself, something she had probably never done before, just to win against me.

Moreover, Rebecca’s hands had small wounds.

Although she seemed to hide them to keep them from my sight, the needle pricks were very clear up close.

Even if the reason for making the handkerchief wasn’t entirely for me, in the end, the wounds were from making a handkerchief to give to me.

That moved me.

Thud-

It made me kneel before Rebecca without hesitation.

“…Huh?”

Rebecca, who hadn’t expected this situation, let out a strange sound that wouldn’t normally come out.

Well, among the appearances I had shown Rebecca so far, there had never been such a submissive one.

She probably didn’t expect me to kneel so easily.

“Why are you like this? I just did as you said.”

“I didn’t expect you to kneel so easily…”

“Is it not enough?”

“Huh…?”

Rebecca, who didn’t seem to fully understand my words, asked if it wasn’t enough.

In this situation, a normal fiancé would kindly repeat their intentions clearly.

But I wasn’t a normal fiancé.

I was the most malicious fiancé in the world, impulsively acting on thoughts as they came.

“May I have your hand?”

“…Why my hand?”

Grabbing Rebecca’s hand, which was expressing doubt at my sudden action.

Peck-

I lightly kissed it.

“Kyaa-!”

The screams of noble ladies, reminiscent of crows, could be heard around.

Whoosh-

The face of Rebecca, the protagonist of that sound, turned red as if it would burst.

As always, it was a fact that would only hurt to say.