CH 12.3

“Hey, let’s not say that.”

“Oops, that was rude.”

Realizing the presence of the ladies, the man quickly apologized and shut up.

Everyone cleared their throats and waited for Lucas and Lila.

They rolled their eyes and watched as the carriage began to pull in.

Lucas was the first to step out of the carriage, and there were gasps of admiration.

Lucas wore a black dégagé coat with a hint of blue and matching hussarde trousers.

Even his jockey boots were the same color, clinging to his lower body. Only his shirt and hat stood out because they were dark green.

The men who saw him rolled their eyes in unison and looked at their own clothes. The style in the capital were brightly colored hussarde with a complementary coat.

Lucas was clearly out of fashion in the capital, but the other noblemen couldn’t take their eyes off him.

They chattered among themselves as they noticed the deeply colored emeralds on his buttons.

The finest of all emeralds, they said.

Lila, Charlotte, and the other ladies and gentlemen watched in anticipation as he stepped out of the carriage, holding her hand.

They weren’t expecting a sophisticated outfit like Lucas’s, but rather an outlandish one that met their expectations.

“Ho, ho, ho, what other surprises can we expect today?”

Despite all the cursing from the front and back, they were interested in Lila’s fashion. Honestly, they’d never want to wear one of her outlandish dresses, but it was strangely satisfying.

It was like a jarring but refreshing change to their monotonous lives of decorum and discipline.

But their expectations sank like a failed dough.

“Hmm… seems a little bland, don’t you think?”

“Yeah…”

Standing next to Lucas, Lila’s outfit wasn’t one of the eccentric outfits they were used to seeing.

She wore a blue dress with black trim, seeming to match his color scheme.

What set her apart from them was the length of the skirt, which fell just above her ankles, the sheer material, appropriate for the still-hot weather, and the exotic floral pattern embroidered with silver and green threads.

The skirt fell in a circle, like a birdcage, and the bodice was similar in style to Lucas’s dégagé coat, with emerald buttons.

Charlotte tilted her head slightly to look at Lila’s face, which was covered in a bonnet of light blue fabric and lace.

As all the nobles in the room watched Lucas and Lila, a long trumpet blast rang out.

“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, the Sun of the Empire of Vassium, and His Royal Highness the Little Sun, the Crown Prince, are entering, all at attention!”

Upon the prepared platform came the Emperor and Theobald, who bowed respectfully to his father, the Emperor, and then descended the platform.

It was an act of fairness for those attending the hunt.

“Hehe, this is going to be a very exciting day.”

The Emperor said as he sat down in the chair on the platform.

“I thank Lupus that we are able to hold the hunt again this year, a tradition that has been going on since the founding of the Vassium Empire. I hope you will endeavor to make more offerings to Lupus.”

As the Emperor spoke, Theobald turned to Lila. His sense of smell was instinctively heightened as he tried to catch the sweet scent he had only smelled in his dreams.

Theobald’s eyes clouded over as the sweet, spicy scent wafted toward him, then turned fierce.

He wasn’t sure why her scent had changed, but his first reaction was displeasure.

Theobald, who had been studying Lila without a care in the world, unknowingly turned his head to glare at Lucas, who stood beside her.

“To the one who brings in the most game, I will award a high-level magic stone, so let us begin!”

After the Emperor’s short speech, Lucas looked at Lila.

“Wife, please wait a moment.”

Before the hunting tournament could begin, he had to get a bow. There were many different types of bows provided by the Imperial Palace.

Some bows were equipped with magic crystals to improve wind speed, while others could shoot bundles of arrows, and so on.

Receiving a bow was an act of divining the favor of Lupus. Those who were favored would receive a good bow, and those who were not would receive a mediocre bow.

And since it was directly related to hunting, it was bound to be of interest to men.

Each man drew a numbered slip of paper and drew the same number.

“Number 15, a wind-enhancing bow with an inferior spirit stone.”

“Number 3! Congratulations, you’ve been favored by Lupus. This is a bow with a high-grade magic stone, and it can shoot three arrows at once!”

One by one, they were given their bows. Lucas glanced at his number.

“Number one, what a pity, it’s the most boring bow, but it’s a bow with excellent performance for its price, and is favored by commoners!”

Lucas let out a wry laugh as he listened to the servant’s words. He hadn’t really expected it.

The idea of recognizing Lupus’ favor was absurd. He knew it, for all the magical bows with magic stones were taken by the crown prince’s entourage.

Without expression, Lucas accepted the bow. Then Heinrich came up to him and said.

“Lucas, how are you?”

Lucas looked at him with a pensive expression.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Heinrich gave a small laugh at his short answer.

“I see you still haven’t changed.”

“When a man changes, it’s time to die.”

“Is that so?”

Heinrich admired his face, which was cleaner than it had been at the academy.

“You’ve changed a lot from when you were at the Academy.”

“…It just happened.”

Lucas smiled slightly, remembering Lila stomping her feet about having to wear makeup.

Heinrich looked at him curiously.

“Well, let’s get back to our respective partners.”

“…Yes.”

After a short conversation, Lucas turned back to Lila. Expecting the handkerchief she had made, he said.

“Wife, may I have your handkerchief?”

Lila pulled the handkerchief out of the pouch she had brought with her. It was not her secret pouch, but one that matched her clothes.

“The workmanship is not good, but I embroidered it with the hope of a safe life.”

Lila smiled and unfolded the handkerchief. A vibrant gray wolf gleamed in her green eyes.

Lucas let out a small chuckle and held out the tip of his bow. Easy for her to wrap the handkerchief around.

Slinging the bow over his shoulder, Lucas took Lila’s hand and planted a kiss on the back of it. Then he turned her hand over and kissed her palm deeply.

“I will do my best for you, my lady.”

Lila smiled brightly and waved him off. She watched as they mounted their horses and rode off into the mountains with their respective herds.

As she watched Lucas wander off on his own, unmixed with the rest of the pack, she thought of wolves.

He looked like a stoic gray wolf who chose to travel alone, if not with his family, then with one.

After watching Lucas disappear into the dense forest, Lila found her tent.

It’s a three-day hunting tournament, with hunting on the first day only. On the second day, the women would have a tea party, the men a whiskey party, and on the last day a banquet.

Lila took a deep breath and walked slowly toward the tent. She trudged across the dirty floor instead of the marble of the ballroom.

She had dressed lightly, so she didn’t feel uncomfortable, but the closer she got to the tent, the heavier her heart grew.

Until she went to the duke’s house, she always suffered, but the thought of suffering for the first time in a long time lowered her mood.

No one likes to be ostracized, but she did it to herself in the first place.

She was determined not to be an idiot like the original.

Even though she had strayed from her original path, she vowed to be careful in the capital. Lila took a small breath as she stood in front of the tent and lifted the fabric that covered the entrance.

The interior, bathed in soft sunlight, was as colorful and cozy as any mansion’s drawing room.

Finding her reserved seat, Lila glanced around the table with the women seated around it, feeling uncomfortable.

She had expected it, but she hadn’t expected it to begin in such a crude way.

Lila froze in an awkward pose as she tried to remove her foot, and the ladies and their ladies-in-waiting were busy covering their faces with their fans.

A wave of laughter brought her back to her senses.

No personal maids or servants were allowed to attend the hunt, only courtiers.

But even the courtiers were nowhere to be seen. Lila was standing tall in a tent with nowhere to sit.

“Ah, Lady Pinatelli. Have you heard the news?”

“Of what, young lady?”

“They say there’s a ship in the harbor of Harman in the Duchy of Frederick. They say it’s from the distant Duchy of Charlesworth.”

“Oh my, the Duchy of Charlesworth, isn’t it famous for its porcelain? I heard they don’t come in very often because they have to go through rough currents, but… what kind of merchant company did they make a deal with?”

“That’s all I heard from my brother, too, and that’s why the port of Harman is so crowded with people right now.”

“I don’t suppose they brought anything but pottery with them… very interesting.”

Charlotte replied, waving her fan gently. People never gave her a glance, as if they had forgotten she existed.

Every woman in the room glanced at her, pretending not to see. Only Monaca, sitting at the head of the table, glared at Charlotte.

Lila was dumbfounded by their behavior.

It was so childish, she was speechless. Everyone watched as she paced slowly. She covered her face with her fan, her eyes darting about. It was ridiculous.