The servants’ faces turned pale at my sudden question. But then, one of them explained in a gentle voice.
“Well, it’s a sacred event to offer the best offerings in prayer for peace to Wishd, the one true god of Hamilton.”
It seemed that my ominous feeling was right.
The true meaning of the Hunt Festival was far different from the Emperor’s description, aligning more with celestial beliefs than anything else.
One of the servants, noticing my stiff expression, comforted me.
“Ah, um… If you haven’t prepared anything, it’s alright. There’s no need to give a gift, since His Majesty isn’t actually going off to war…”
Still, in order to fulfill the role I had been assigned, I needed to be mindful of others’ perceptions.
Plus, I had recently received quite a bit of help from him, knowingly or unknowingly.
“So… would a piece of jewelry be appropriate?”
“Yes, exactly. Especially something made of white—it’s meant to symbolize wishing for a safe return.”
My eyes landed on two failed attempts at fabric sheep dolls that I had planned to give to Lord Kerif.
One was so far from resembling a sheep that it was almost unrecognizable, and the other had a head five times larger than its body.
The more I looked at them, the more shabby they appeared.
I didn’t even want to imagine what kind of reaction the Emperor would have if he saw them.
“I guess… these dolls aren’t quite right, are they?”
I pointed to the failed creations, and the servants’ gazes followed.
They smiled broadly, starting to heap praise on them.
“Oh, they’re really cute and lovable! I didn’t know you were so good at handicrafts!”
“Everyone in Hamilton will definitely want these. The first one looks like a pig, and the second one… let’s see…”
Another servant, standing nearby, snapped his fingers as if realizing something.
“Ah, it’s a scarecrow with a big head, right?”
They looked at me with absolute certainty about their guess.
I didn’t want to disappoint them, but I couldn’t lie either.
“Actually, they’re all supposed to be sheep.”
Suddenly, a heavy silence filled the room.
The servants looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
I couldn’t hide my nervousness, and I added a quick excuse.
“Ah, haha… I must be getting a bit old, I didn’t even realize the mistake…”
“I… I just mixed up the sheep and pig, I swear! No one could mistake these adorable sheep!”
Seeing their reactions, it was clear that bringing the fabric dolls would be a bad idea.
If they received them, I might end up just making things awkward.
I still hadn’t made a decision about what to do, and soon, the time came to move toward the shadow tree forest for the Hunt Festival.
“Miss, you should be going now.”
“Got it. I’ll be right out.”
After a moment of hesitation, I picked up the least ridiculous of my two failed dolls—the first one—and gripped it tightly in my hands before heading to the hunting grounds.
The area was already bustling with people who had arrived ahead of me.
As soon as I showed up, the previously warm atmosphere turned cold in an instant.
“Oh, was His Majesty the one who called for you?”
“How could someone like me, with no noble birth, be invited to such an aristocratic event…”
“That’s right, at least the late Emperor’s letter proved you were a prince of Tesser. At this rate, I’m afraid the reputation of Hamilton is going to plummet.”
Every glance I received carried an unspoken message of why are you even here?
Some of the stares felt like sharp thorns, leaving invisible scratches wherever they landed.
It’s fine.
This isn’t anything new.
I’ve dealt with this kind of thing in Medderland before.
Thankfully, I didn’t feel too sorrowful at their criticism.
I couldn’t help but let a bitter smile linger on my lips.
At that moment, I noticed someone approaching from afar.|
It was the Emperor, looking as magnificent as ever today.
“Today’s national conference ran longer than expected, so I didn’t get a chance to attend to you properly.”
His soothing voice made the critical whispers fade from my ears.
All I could focus on was the man standing before me.
“It’s alright, you even sent a carriage for me.”
In the distance, I noticed Sir Veratri and Sir Walton waving at me with warm smiles.
Their presence reminded me of something I had momentarily forgotten.
That’s right, I’m not alone here.
There are people supporting me!
I moved towards them, escorted by the Emperor.
Responding to their greetings with joy, I said,
“You two came to the Hunt Festival as well!”
“As you can see, we’ve been given new duties. But why is the little one over there looking so grumpy?”
Suddenly, Sir Walton asked with a surprised expression, looking at Perry.
“I’ve been seeing that face lately, but didn’t realize it was this bad.”
“Was it really…?”
Sir Veratri scratched his head as Sir Walton shook his head.
Then, Perry, who had been avoiding my gaze, quickly turned her head away when our eyes met.
Perry.
It seemed like she was still angry.
I glanced at her for a moment, then turned to the Emperor, who was escorting me.
My words came out a bit more curt than I intended.
“By the way, why didn’t you just tell me the truth?”
“What about?”
I was annoyed by his shameless expression.
We had even had breakfast together this morning, yet he hadn’t told me the most important thing.
“The Hunt Festival is a sacred and meaningful event to offer the best offerings to the gods, right? And I didn’t even know that…”
“Ah, that?”
Unlike me, who didn’t know what to do, the Emperor wore an indifferent expression.
Then, he said something that was hard to believe, an almost sacrilegious comment.
“Don’t worry about it. They’re just empty words meant to sound nice.”
But as I looked around, I couldn’t ignore it.
The other women were shyly handing over handkerchiefs and trinkets to those heading out for the hunt.
Just moments ago, a man who had received a handkerchief joyfully tied it around his scabbard.
How could I not care about that?!
I kept fiddling with the first failed attempt at the doll in my hand.
What would someone who had everything think of something so insignificant?
After a long pause, I finally closed my eyes tightly and held out the doll to him.
“H-Here.”
“What’s this…?”
“…It’s a doll I made. It’s not very big, so it could probably be used as an ornament for a scabbard. I know it looks kind of pathetic, but since everyone else is doing it… I thought I should at least offer something…”
He stared blankly at the ragged doll.
Then, slowly, he took it from my hand.
“Is this… a boar?”
I had expected this misunderstanding.
My urge to hide in a mouse hole was nearly unbearable, but I pushed it back and explained.
“…No, it’s a sheep.”
“No matter how I look at it, it looks like a shabby boar.”
“If you don’t like it, just give it back!”
As I tried to snatch the doll back, he fastened it to the scabbard.
I had expected this, but the ugly appearance made the Emperor’s sword look a little ridiculous.
“Thanks, I’ll make good use of it.”
A soft breeze blew from somewhere.
The stiff corners of the Emperor’s mouth curved into a gentle smile.
His hair, too, seemed to glisten in the sunlight as it swayed.
I stared at him for a moment, but suddenly, he knelt down on one knee.
He pressed a kiss to the back of my hand.
The warm, moist sensation of his lips passed over my skin.
Looking up at me, his expression was weary, but that weariness only made his beauty all the more striking.
The onlookers, too, seemed stunned by the Emperor’s unexpected gesture, and they took in a collective breath.
Among them, Sir Walton and Sir Veratri’s reactions were the most intense.
“I think I’m feeling a little ill all of a sudden, Veratry.”
“Damn, me too. I’ve seen things I shouldn’t have. I feel like I need to rush to the lake and wash my eyes out.”
Their voices made my face burn hotter.
No matter what, this was too embarrassing.
How could he behave like this in front of so many people?
In a voice barely audible to him, I awkwardly asked,
“W-Why are you doing this all of a sudden…?”
“How could I stay quiet when you’re being so lovely?”
His playful smile made my heart flutter.
I felt strange.
Whenever he looked at me with such a relaxed expression, it felt like the walls that had existed between us had disappeared once more.
And wasn’t it unfair to act like this as though we were actual lovers?
In that instant, my heartbeat rang louder than usual.
Thud…?
At that moment, a signal shot up into the sky, marking the start of the Hunt Festival.
The Emperor gave orders to Sir Veratry to guard me and then turned toward Sir Walton and the forest.
After walking a few steps, he paused and looked back at me, flashing a smile.
“I will hunt a game for you, one that’s not just some hollow idol. Look forward to it.”