Chapter 22
“No matter how hard she tries, it won’t make a difference.”
Brandley sneered continuously as he watched Lily wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Ever since the Tower Master arrived, she had taken a break from training under the excuse of rest. But as soon as she heard about the hunting competition, she suddenly went into a frenzy, training like a madwoman. Brandley found her desperation utterly repulsive. Maybe she could charm the young master with that pretty face of hers, but not him.
Once this hunting competition is over, everyone will see just how useless and insignificant that girl is. Brandley smiled with satisfaction.
“Who do you think will win this time, Gordon?”
Brandley asked his longtime friend. Gordon, pretending to be thoughtful, replied:
“Probably Thompson? He lasted a while even when sparring with the young master.”
As soon as the young master was mentioned, the corners of Brandley’s mouth curled upward.
When Stewart sparred with the knights… well, did he even use a quarter of his strength? Considering how he left them half-dead without breaking a sweat, maybe not even that much.
But it was different when he faced Brandley. His gaze was chilling, and the force behind his strikes was something else. The sharpness of that sword aura…
‘It must be because I’m strong.’
Maybe the others were too blind to notice, but ever since that day, Brandley had been basking in the delusion that he was the strongest among them.
‘If Hegelstern hadn’t barged in so cluelessly, it could’ve been a real showdown.’
Didn’t the young master himself say that Lily shouldn’t interfere in duels? Brandley felt quite proud. The young master had probably been annoyed that Lily interrupted what was shaping up to be a proper duel.
Being recognized by the young master… You guys wouldn’t understand that feeling. Brandley looked down at Gordon with some pity before smiling contentedly.
“My goal is to win too.”
“What knight doesn’t aim for that? Let’s give it our all, my friend.”
Gordon clapped Brandley’s shoulder encouragingly. He’d been worried that Brandley would lose his spirit after being utterly defeated by the young master and needing help from Hegelstern—whom he normally despised—to survive. But surprisingly, Brandley had become even more energized since.
What an annoyingly optimistic friend.
‘Either way, I’m stepping over you.’
He didn’t want the disgrace of coming in last. Though it was a relief everyone expected Hegelstern to take that honor, being second to last—right above her—was possibly even more humiliating. Gordon patted Brandley’s shoulder again, this time full of gratitude.
“Let’s do our best!”
“Of course!”
Clueless about each other’s true thoughts, Gordon and Brandley laughed and encouraged one another. Lily quietly watched the two toads.
‘Gordon… he got knocked out after just two blows when sparring with the young master, right? And Brandley… not even worth mentioning.’
Listening to them talk, you’d think they were the mightiest warriors in the North. Lily sighed deeply.
Saying their goal was to win meant they intended to hunt—but Lily had no desire to kill animals unless necessary.
Those beasts only attacked villages because they had nothing left to eat in the mountains. They were just following their instincts in search of food. Not that she thought it was okay for them to attack people, but still…
‘It’s complicated.’
Lily shook her head.
There were only four days left until the hunting competition.
❀ ❀ ❀
The hunting competition took place in four different areas:
Day 1: The western forest
Day 2: The northern forest
Day 3: The eastern forest
Day 4: The southern forest
Newly joined knights like Lily were assigned to the western forest on the first day, as it was considered the safest.
The skies had been cloudy until yesterday, but today, the weather was clear—thankfully. Even the servants were given a day off. The maids wore bonnets adorned with flowers and carried baskets of bread and juice on their arms.
Knights, dressed up in their formal uniforms for the first time in a while, proudly tied handkerchiefs embroidered by their lovers to the tips of their swords or spears.
Lily Hegelstern arrived after most of the knights had already gathered.
It hadn’t been long since she was clinging to a horse, being dragged around helplessly—but now, she rode confidently and dismounted with effortless grace.
Her deep red hair fluttered gently in the golden sunlight.
The knights assumed she was trying to show off by wearing a frock coat.
The black robe over her shoulders and the glimpses of her knight’s uniform underneath—blue shirt and white trousers—suited her very well.
She wore white spats over black leather shoes, which had noticeably lower heels than those of the other knights. Some knights, shorter than Lily even in their high-heeled boots, blushed and subtly hid their shoes under their trouser hems.
Lily walked slowly toward the gathered knights. Though many of them had tormented her with gossip and dirty jokes, now that she was here, none of them could take their eyes off her—even though they told themselves they should be ignoring her.
A few even stood there slack-jawed.
“What’s with that robe? Isn’t it a bit hot for that?”
The vice-captain, standing nearby, asked with a puzzled look.
Only then did the knights realize that what Lily wore was not a fashionable frock coat but a standard robe.
“I get cold easily,” she replied.
“…You?”
Even on colder days, she’d run around in nothing but her thin training clothes—and now she claimed she gets cold?
The vice-captain frowned but nodded anyway. Since the competition was in the woods, it might be chillier than the open air. Better to dress warmly than to shiver.
“Do your best today. As long as you can ride well, you won’t get hurt, understand? If you’re scared, your horse will be too.”
“Of course, sir. You taught me that.”
Even as she chatted casually with the vice-captain, the other knights’ eyes remained fixed on Lily. She ignored the attention and scanned the crowd with dispassionate eyes.
‘What are you staring at, idiots?’
She had checked her appearance carefully before coming—she didn’t want to give them anything to nitpick. But why were they all staring like they’d never seen a human being before?
“Um…”
A boy, hidden among the maids, shyly approached. He was a gardener around Lily’s age—the one who had carefully tended the rococo roses on her terrace.
“Ms. Hegelstern…”
Lily turned to look. He was tall, with sun-darkened skin and strong arms, as expected of a gardener. Blushing, he hesitantly stepped forward in his neat clothes.
The vice-captain found the peacock-like appearance distasteful and kept clearing his throat, but the sound was drowned out by the excited chatter of the maids nearby.
“Would you… accept this?”
The boy held out a light pink handkerchief. Lily stared at the embarrassingly colored cloth for a moment, then looked at him gently.
She understood the significance of giving a handkerchief in this setting, and what it meant to tie it to someone’s weapon. This might have been her first time in such a situation, and though it flustered her, it was… also nice.
But.
‘If I accept this, what rumors will they spread this time…?’
Lily didn’t want to give the others any more ammo. But she also didn’t want to hurt this guy’s feelings. After a moment of thought, she accepted the handkerchief and tied it carefully around his neck.
“The sun’s strong today. You’ll need to protect your neck.”
With just that, she turned and walked away.
The vice-captain watched Lily proudly, then glared daggers at the dazed boy, now wearing the pink handkerchief. He ruthlessly chased him away.
The boy, who had embroidered the handkerchief himself with help from the maids, absentmindedly touched the fabric at his neck, feeling both disappointed and flattered.
Maybe she didn’t know what it meant to give someone a handkerchief during the hunt? She’s not from the North, after all… maybe that’s it?
As he tried to convince himself, a cold, piercing gaze struck him from somewhere.
“…Huh?”
Thinking it might be the vice-captain, he looked up—but the vice-captain was now among the knights. Maybe another knight? But everyone else seemed focused on Lily and the vice-captain.
“…Who was that?”
He looked around, but couldn’t identify the source.
“Before we begin, I’ll explain the rules.”
Stewart stepped forward. As soon as he began to speak, the area fell silent. Dressed lightly, without even basic protective gear, he scanned the knights and continued in a calm voice:
“You have until 3 p.m. Anyone late will be disqualified.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And knights are forbidden from attacking each other.”
He cast a particularly cold gaze at Brandley, Thompson, Gordon, and Vickers—the four who often harassed Lily. His stare lingered on them noticeably longer.
“If such an incident occurs, the offender will not only be expelled from the knights but may also face legal consequences.”
“That’s a new rule,” the vice-captain whispered quietly to Lily, giving her a light pat on the shoulder.
Startled by the realization, Lily murmured, “Ah…”
So, this rule was made for her.
She made a mental note to thank the young master later.
Finally, Stewart’s gaze settled on Lily.
Meeting her eyes, he spoke clearly:
“Good luck.”
His calm, resonant voice was surprisingly comforting to hear.
