~Chapter 114~
She came in wearing riding clothes, a bow and arrows slung on her back, and she looked really cool.
“Your Highness, the Crown Princess has arrived.”
The noble ladies quickly avoided eye contact with her, pretending to be busy.
“…Crown Princess, they didn’t really mean what they said, so don’t take offense.”
Narcissa spoke with a smile that never left her lips.
“As the Crown Princess and daughter-in-law of Her Majesty, I go hunting, yet you let such words about hunting pass without comment?”
Josefina said each word firmly, glancing around at the ladies.
“Her Majesty truly has a generous heart.”
The noblewomen’s faces flushed red.
“As Empress, isn’t it my duty to cover up the mistakes of those beneath me?”
The corner of Narcissa’s lips twitched ever so slightly—so small only Leah, who stood nearby, noticed.
“You always say such admirable things.”
Josefina walked over to Leah.
“…It’s something we all should learn from, isn’t it?”
Then she lightly placed a hand on Leah’s shoulder.
“Your Majesty, if the greetings are finished, may I take Duke Blumhardt’s fiance with me?”
“…Go ahead.”
“Then I’ll excuse myself.”
Even as they left, Narcissa kept her perfect smile, but it made Leah’s skin crawl.
“Lady Leah, that must’ve been uncomfortable, wasn’t it?”
The Crown Princess, Josefina, linked arms with Leah as they left the Empress’s tent.
“…I didn’t know what to do on my own. Thank you, Your Highness.”
Leah bowed her head slightly.
“I was the same at first. Whenever people looked down on the North or mocked my family, I would just lash out.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. But in the refined social world, that only protected me for a while—it also isolated me. Not just my enemies, but even those who were a bit friendly started avoiding me. I was so lost.”
“That must’ve been hard, Your Highness.”
“Becoming Crown Princess was my own choice, so I had no choice but to change my ways.”
Josefina led Leah down a small forest path near the tents.
“I learned how to deal with society from Mathias—the Crown Prince.”
She winked playfully.
“Of course, I added my own twist to it.”
Her smile carried a hint of mischief.
‘When I saw her at the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, I thought she’d been born graceful and perfect… but she actually practiced.’
“Once I figured it out, facing those arrogant ladies—or even Her Majesty the Empress—wasn’t hard anymore. Sometimes it was even fun.”
Fun?
Leah was amazed.
“Leah, if you just learn, you’ll be able to do it too. One tip: no matter who’s in front of you, never lose confidence.”
“Yes.”
“And while keeping that confidence, copy their tone and mock them right back.”
Josefina lifted her finger as she gave advice.
She even gave examples and made Leah practice a few times.
“Oh, you’re good at this!”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Leah blushed a little at the praise.
“If you didn’t grow up in the capital, it’s really hard to adapt to high society here.”
Josefina said as they stepped out of the path.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll help you adjust.”
Her dependable voice instantly lifted Leah’s spirits.
‘It’s such a relief that Brother Mathias married such a good woman.’
“Well then, see you later.”
“Yes, see you later, Your Highness.”
After parting ways, Leah returned to the Blumhardt tent.
“Leah, was everything okay with the Empress?”
Johann came up to her like an eager puppy waiting for its owner.
“Yes, it was fine.”
Her lips curved into a smile at his worried face.
“The Crown Princess arrived at the perfect time and helped me.”
“Really? That’s such a relief.”
“She’s truly a wonderful person.”
“The Crown Prince really made a good choice marrying her.”
“It’s time to get ready and head out.”
Samuel came into the tent while Leah and Johann were chatting.
They prepared, brought their horses from the temporary stables, and Leah stroked Grace’s shiny coat before mounting her smoothly.
Together, she and Johann headed toward the gathering place.
Men and women were separated into different groups—women on the left, men on the right.
Josefina, who had arrived earlier, waved to Leah.
“Leah, be careful—even if it’s just small animals, it’s your first time.”
Before heading off, Johann stopped his horse and gave her a warning.
“I’ll be extra careful. You too, Johann.”
Leah answered his overprotectiveness with a smile.
“Then I’ll go.”
“Alright, see you later.”
Johann quietly followed Leah with his eyes as she rode away on Grace.
He even watched her chatting with the Crown Princess before finally turning his horse.
“Johann, even from afar I could see how worried you are for Lady Leah.”
Mathias rode up beside him with a smile.
“She’s participating for the first time, so I can’t help but worry.”
Johann replied with a serious expression.
“Don’t worry, she’ll do fine.”
Mathias’s voice carried a deeper meaning.
The Emperor stepped onto the platform to open the hunt with a speech, and at the sound of the loud horn, the gates to the hunting grounds opened.
Everyone set off in groups, and a cloud of dust rose in their wake.
Johann rode into the hunting grounds with the Crown Prince.
As always, the hunt started smoothly—
“…Your Highness, about that deer earlier.”
Until they spotted a strange deer.
Its eyes were unfocused and cloudy, like it was being controlled.
And it didn’t behave like a normal deer at all—it was aggressive, almost like a carnivorous beast, making it hard to bring down.
Two imperial knights, who were supposed to be guarding the Crown Prince, even got injured over just that one deer.
“You saw it too?”
Mathias asked grimly.
“Yes.”
“It must be the Empress’s doing.”
“To openly use dark magic like this…”
Johann frowned, rubbing his chin.
“Could she have done something to the women’s side as well?”
Mathias glanced left with concern.
“I’d better go check.”
Johann turned his horse.
“Yes, good idea.”
The two of them quickly galloped toward where the women were, with the Crown Prince’s knights following close behind.
***
Meanwhile—
“As you all know, this is Lady Leah von Blumhardt.”
Josefina introduced her to the others.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Leah.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
They all greeted her warmly.
Unlike the ladies in the Empress’s tent, these women had a completely different atmosphere.
Most were around Josefina and Leah’s age, lively and free-spirited.
“I heard you’re good at archery.”
They struck up a conversation naturally with Leah.
“Me? No, just the basics.”
“This is already my third hunt, but I still get so nervous my hands shake when I draw the bowstring.”
“That’s because Lady Tatiana keeps her shoulders too stiff.”
Marchioness Melua pointed out.
“I can’t help it, my shoulders just tense up on their own.”
Tatiana pouted.
“You don’t have to hit anything. Just relax a bit, that’ll help.”
“Alright, I’ll try to relax.”
Tatiana nodded.
“Lady Leah, are you nervous too, since it’s your first hunt?”
The marchioness asked kindly.
“Yes, a little.”
Talking with them inside the hunting grounds eased Leah’s nerves a bit.
“…Your Highness, there’s a fox over there.”
Someone whispered.
Josefina slowly stopped her horse and drew her bow.
Whoosh!
Perfect hit.
Leah’s mouth dropped open.
“A noblesse d’Ice is really on another level.”
“I know, she didn’t even hesitate before shooting.”
Everyone admired her skill.
“Don’t worry, you can all do it too. Let’s really get started now.”
Josefina grinned.
As they moved around the hunting grounds, most of the ladies managed to catch at least one animal.
Josefina then rode over to Leah.
“You haven’t caught one yet, have you?”
“No.”
She had hesitated too much and missed a few.
“Next time, you try. Slowly, relax your shoulders.”
Josefina gave her wrist an encouraging pat.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
They continued riding, hoping to spot a deer.
“Where do you think they are?”
“They should’ve appeared by now, but still nothing.”
“……Aaaahhhh!”
Suddenly, a scream pierced the air.
‘…What happened?’
The sound was so terrifying that everyone’s blood ran cold.
