Vol. 1 - Ch. 48

Chapter 48

[“When the Princess and the Duke entered, it was dazzling, as if they were destined to find each other.”]

‘What nonsense…’

At the memory of those words, Damian instinctively turned to look at Daphne. She sat watching the scene unfold, her eyes darting as if to miss nothing, yet her hands rested calmly on her lap, and her lips showed no signs of tension.

“What a perfect pair they make!” 

The Emperor’s voice boomed, jolting Damian back to reality. The weight of the moment reminded him that this was no dream.

“Excuse me.” 

Edmund said, gently withdrawing his arm from Elizabeth’s grasp. Yet she reached out and held it firmly.

“Duke, you’ll keep your promise, won’t you?”

“Princess, what promise have you made with the Duke?”

“Father, oh, you.”

Elizabeth shyly averted her gaze, her lashes fluttering. A blush rose to her cheeks as she smiled delicately. 

“He promised to gift me all the animals he catches today.”

Gasps of surprise erupted around them.

“Is this true, Duke?” 

The Emperor questioned. All eyes turned to Edmund, who looked down at Elizabeth for a moment. To Daphne and Damian, all they could see was Edmund’s back. 

“...It is.” 

Edmund leaned in to whisper something to Elizabeth, then returned to his seat. Damian’s gaze followed him the entire time.

Damian wanted to question him immediately, but with Daphne seated between them, he could only fidget. It wasn’t until the banquet ended and the ball began that Damian finally approached Edmund.

“Father, what is going on?” he whispered sharply.

“I’ll explain later.”

“Explain now! Why...?” Damian bit back his rising voice. “Why are you wearing matching outfits with the Princess? And what promise did you make?”

Edmund sighed, rubbing his temples. He hadn’t anticipated the Princess matching her dress to his attire.

[“Carlito.”]

Just as he was about to deny the promise, he glanced over his shoulder at Daphne and was utterly unprepared for the mention of the Crown Prince’s name.

“Father,” Damian pressed, his voice tight with anxiety. He was wondering if he really plans on divorcing Daphne and remarry Elizabeth. 

“Are you really…?” 

The Emperor stood abruptly. 

“Before the hunting tournament begins, I have an announcement,” he declared, drawing the room’s attention. “You all remember the scandal involving the Bled family five years ago.”

The court murmured. The treachery of Marquis Bled, whose plot shook society, had not been forgotten.

“Marquis Bled passed away a few days ago, at peace, thanks to his son’s noble sacrifice.” 

The room buzzed with murmurs. Bled Marquis was dead.

From her corner, Daphne silently absorbed the Emperor’s words, replaying them in her mind.

“And after much deliberation, I have decided to free Sergei Bled, who has spent five years in prison atoning for his father’s sins.”

Thump. Thump. Her heart pounded with unease. Daphne, forgetting even the dryness in her mouth, found her gaze drawn to the commotion at the entrance as if entranced.

A flash of blue hair blurred her vision. As he passed by, she stared blankly, tracing the faint remnants of his fleeting smile.

Sergei knelt before the Emperor.

“I hereby appoint him as Chancellor and reinstate the title of Marquis Bled.” 

There was silence. 

“Congratulations, Marquis Bled!” 

Duke Bevelock sprang to his feet and exclaimed. With that, cheers, applause, and congratulatory remarks erupted from every corner of the hall. The signs of Sergei’s hardships in prison were apparent. His once soft features had grown sharper, his figure leaner. Yet, the gentle, vulnerable smile he wore remained unchanged.

“Thank you.”

As the people spoke to him, he grew closer and closer. Daphne, frozen stiff, could only watch Sergei approach her. Two steps. One step.

“Daphne.”

Finally, Sergei stood before her. Seeing Daphne’s shoulders flinch, he reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace.

“I’ve missed you, sister.”

[“I will miss you, sister.”]

It was the same whisper he’d said to her before they parted ways. Daphne, her face pale as if she might collapse at any moment, could only gasp for air.

“I heard you’ve been married since. I’m sorry I couldn’t attend the wedding.”

He acted as though it had truly been five years since he’d last seen her. As if he hadn’t kidnapped Daphne a few months ago when she came to the capital, holding her captive in an underground cell for three days.

When Sergei tightened his grip on her shoulders, Daphne felt a stinging pain, even though the wounds should have long since healed.

“...Brother,” Daphne managed to utter.

Sergei’s eyes softened, a faint smile curling his lips.

It was only then that Daphne noticed Sergei was dressed in hunting attire.

“You seem to have much to say.”

Of course she did.

Why had he kidnapped her, only to release her on the day of Demian's coming-of-age celebration? Why was he here now? Why had he reappeared in public?

Fwoo!

The blaring sound of a horn signaled the start of the hunting tournament. At that very moment, Sergei’s lips moved as though he were about to speak. A gust of wind made Daphne blink, and in that brief instant, she thought she saw a crimson gleam in Sergei’s eyes, which vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Daphne froze, unable to do anything but replay his words over and over in her mind.

‘...One hour from now.’

It was a trap. She knew that much in her head. Yet, one hour later, her body moved toward the forest on its own. Like a well-trained dog.

* * *

“What?”

Vent’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You’re going alone?”

“That’s the condition, isn’t it?”

“Even so…”

It was one hour after the hunting tournament had begun when Damian suddenly announced he would go alone. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision.

From the moment he saw the note instructing him to come alone and Vent promised to stay well hidden, Damian had resolved to go by himself.

“How about taking Sir Alec with you, at least? Honestly, we don’t even know if this information is reliable, and I can’t just let you go on your own.”

“Even if skilled assassins show up, they won’t stand a chance against me. Besides, it’s within the hunting grounds. No one in their right mind would cause a scene there.”

“I know, but technically, it’s right on the boundary of the hunting grounds. It’s risky.”

“And you know full well that people avoid the Black Forest, even on purpose. You can’t go without an escort. It’s too dangerous.”

A squire led Damian’s horse forward. Mounting the horse, Damian looked down at Vent.

“I’ve packed a signal flare. That’s enough, isn’t it?”

“…You must return within one hour.”

Ignoring Vent’s words, Damian sharply tugged the reins and rode off.

Vent watched Damian and his squire vanish into the distance, letting out a deep sigh. He didn’t completely disagree with Damian’s decision. Knowing how meticulous Damian was, Vent could understand. After all, this was their first solid lead in years.

At least he had taken the signal flare. As long as there was no thunderstorm or downpour, spotting it in the clear sky wouldn’t be an issue.

Just as Vent turned to leave…

Plop. A raindrop fell from the clear sky.

— — — 

“It looks like rain.”

Alec glanced upward.

“Your Excellency?”

“…What?”

Engrossed in thought, Edmund barely registered Alec’s words.

“It seems it’s going to rain.”

At Alec’s comment, Edmund finally looked up at the sky, now shrouded in dark clouds. It had been roughly one hour since the hunting tournament began.

“Let’s call it a day soon.”

‘Call it a day…’

Alec frowned as he glanced at the horse’s saddle and the growing pile of severed animal heads. Edmund had started hunting with a near-massacre, cutting down so many creatures that even discarding some carcasses hadn’t prevented the pile from growing.

Hearing the faint sounds of a nearby animal, Edmund dismounted. While Alec held the horse’s reins, Edmund returned, carrying the severed head of a bear. Seeing Edmund’s subtly furrowed brows, Alec accepted the bear’s head.

“Your Excellency, please don’t overexert yourself. You’ve hunted enough.” He added, “Nick mentioned acquiring a mana stone.”

Recently, the distribution of mana stones imbued with divine energy had abruptly stopped. The temple, citing various excuses, delayed their supply, making the already rare stones almost impossible to obtain. The issue was Edmund’s condition.

“How far has it spread?”

“About the size of a palm.”

Alec groaned softly.

It wasn’t too late yet, but if they delayed any further, the miasma could invade Edmund’s nerves, potentially costing him his arm. Edmund, pretending to be fine, continued hunting to mask the situation. When alone, he could treat himself. But Edmund’s only concern was ensuring Alec remained vigilant.

“And if you’re here, who’s acting as Daphne’s partner?”

It was Edmund himself who had assigned Alec as Daphne’s escort.

“Well…”

Alec began to speak casually but abruptly trailed off. He had accompanied Daphne to the banquet as her partner, but someone called him away during a smaller gathering. Before he could return, the hunting tournament began, leading him to enter the forest with Edmund.

As if on cue, the two stopped in their tracks.

“…I assigned Chris to watch over Daphne. There’s no need to worry.”

“My apologies.”

The horses began moving again.

“Is it true… that Madam plans to poison the Princess?”

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