# Chapter 27: I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter #
“Yes, it’s been quite a while.”
Even as I doubted her intentions, Ibhahroon continued speaking calmly.
“But, who might this be? Won’t you introduce her to me as well?”
“Oh, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Sern of Count Arfa’s family.”
Sern quickly bowed in greeting. Lupe, who had been gauging the mood, spoke up.
“I’m really glad to see Lady Sern and Lady Laila getting along. Weren’t your relations not so good in the past?”
“…That was in the past. We’re quite close now.”
“Oh my, that’s such a relief.”
Lupe nodded with exaggerated delight.
“By the way, have you heard that the young lord of Peregrin will be participating in the hunting competition this time?”
“Yes, of course.”
I answered without hesitation.
“We’re all quite curious about who will claim the glory this time. Of course, it’s only natural to expect Prince Altheo to win, but even second and third place hold honor.”
“Very true.”
“I personally believe young lord Lucran will take second place. He’s an exceptional mage, after all.”
“A mage?”
That part piqued my interest, and I asked again.
In the hunting competition, participants are generally free to use any tools or weapons. I had been wondering how a 13-year-old noble was considered a rising star, and now I understood—he was a mage.
Ibhahroon then spoke.
“You haven’t met my younger brother, have you?”
“No, not yet.”
“I’d like to introduce you.”
With that, Ibhahroon brought over a nearby boy.
True to the age of 13, the boy was small, with fair skin and delicate features. He had the same soft lavender hair and eyes as his sister. Dressed in a suit with a high collar and ribbon tie, he was a little shorter than me. Though his expressionless face made him look slightly stiff, he was undeniably adorable. Following behind his sister, the boy politely greeted us.
“I’m Lucran Peregrin.”
“Laila Rosheil.”
“Sern Arfa.”
After the short exchange of greetings, Lupe continued.
“As usual, the noble ladies have their little betting game. As you know, we each offer up a jewel and bet on who will take second place. The one who guesses correctly wins the jewels. You’ll join in as well, right?”
I hesitated in thought.
“…Of course.”
“However, young lord Lucran already has too many bets on him, so no more can be placed on him.”
I blinked in surprise. Betting on a 13-year-old, even if he’s a mage… Is it because he’s that powerful? Or is it just to get into the good graces of someone who might become the next head of House Peregrin?
I was never fond of such bets.
It wasn’t horse racing—we were talking about people here, and I didn’t like playing games with them.
Still, it was a tradition of sorts, and completely sitting out felt a bit awkward.
“There are many promising contenders. I’ll think about it and let you know whom I’ll bet on.”
“Of course, you’re welcome anytime.”
Now, who should I bet on?
I wanted to bet on Thearoha so badly. But I was worried that might make him feel pressured. For now, I decided to postpone the decision. I didn’t know many of the participants yet, and since I couldn’t bet on Lucran, I’d wait and see.
When the conversation hit a lull, Ibhahroon spoke again. Other than introducing her brother, she had remained quiet until now, so naturally, we all turned to her.
“Lady Laila, you and I haven’t had many opportunities to meet, have we?”
“That’s true.”
“As the daughters of two great duchies—Peregrin and Rosheil—I believe we should strive together on our paths.”
“Of course.”
Why was she bringing this up? I responded politely despite my confusion, and then she added,
“Which is why I wanted to ask—would you consider joining House Peregrin’s tent during the hunting competition?”
I blinked.
Peregrin’s tent.
During the competition, nobles would pitch tents to rest between hunts. Usually, prominent families set up large tents, and their vassals or allied houses would gather there.
If I were to set up my own tent, being the center of the central nobility as Rosheil, the central nobles would naturally gather around me. Since my brothers weren’t participating, the nobles under my tent would be rallying behind the next highest-ranked noble from our region.
But if I joined Peregrin’s tent, I would naturally be supporting Lucran, their heir. Not that I minded.
Still, Ibhahroon seemed close to Lupe… and I had no prior interactions with her. Was this an attempt to befriend me? Or was there another motive?
“…”
What should I do?
I fell into thought.
It wouldn’t look good if someone of Rosheil’s standing didn’t have her own tent.
Just as I opened my mouth to politely decline, someone interrupted our conversation.
“Don’t you think you’ve skipped a step?”
Ibhahroon bowed her head at the sight of him. Her lavender curls danced with the movement. I quickly followed suit.
“Prince Altheo.”
It was the First Prince. With so many people around, I hadn’t noticed his presence. If I had, I would’ve been more careful.
But why did Ibhahroon call him “brother”?
I soon realized.
The current head of Peregrin has an elder sister who is the First Empress. That makes Altheo and Ibhahroon cousins.
“Let’s set aside the matter of how inappropriate it would be for Rosheil to go without her own tent. Have you forgotten that the hunting competition is co-hosted by the imperial family and House Rosheil? If she is to join anyone’s tent, should it not be the imperial tent?”
“That is indeed true. However…”
Ibhahroon slowly raised her head.
“I haven’t had many chances to speak with Lady Rosheil, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to grow closer. A harmonious bond between young noblewomen would set a great example for the other houses.”
“Hmm. If that’s how you see it, how about this?”
Altheo raised a hand.
“We place Rosheil and the imperial tent together, and put Peregrin’s tent right beside it. Isn’t that a fair solution?”
I thought it over.
In that case, the biggest beneficiary would be Prince Altheo. Central nobles under Rosheil, northern nobles under Peregrin, and Altheo’s supporters would all gather into one powerful bloc.
That was definitely what he was aiming for.
I have to decline.
I didn’t want to appear aligned with the First Prince’s faction. But I had no proper excuse. If only my brother Eddy were here—he would have refused politely and diplomatically. But with my lack of social experience, turning it down was hard.
As I struggled to come up with a way to say no, Ibhahroon spoke again.
“But brother, I heard that the Second Prince will also be participating in this hunting competition. Will he be sharing the same tent as you?”
Altheo’s expression was far from pleased.
“You must mean Thearoha. Of course. But why do you ask?”
“No reason in particular. I just thought… if the First and Second Princes are sharing a tent, and then House Rosheil joins them too, wouldn’t it become far too crowded?”
She had a point. I’d heard the factions of the two princes were fairly evenly matched. If you added the central nobles supporting me, and then the Peregrin tent beside it, it would become a chaotic hub.
I quickly chimed in.
“Lady Peregrin, how thoughtful of you. In light of that, I believe it would be more reasonable for me to establish a separate tent with my people.”
“It’s true—too many people can be inconvenient. Then I’ll withdraw my invitation. But Lady Rosheil, would you stop by occasionally to keep me company during the hunt?”
“Of course.”
I nodded. Honestly, I’d rather drop by to chat with Lady Peregrin than be stuck talking to Altheo in his tent.
There was a brief silence. Sern, who had been quietly observing, cautiously brought up another topic.
“Come to think of it, isn’t the Second Prince rather late?”
Time was ticking, and he still hadn’t arrived.
Perhaps the rumors were true—that the Second Prince had no interest in the throne.
If he were interested, wouldn’t he be mingling and building connections like Altheo?
The Second Prince’s supporters were split between the old conservative nobles and the newer ones looking to adopt foreign innovations. In contrast, the First Prince had solid, unified backing from northern nobles, including Peregrin. Fewer in number, but more united.
If the Second Prince cared about the throne, he should be trying to consolidate his base.
Well, this doesn’t really concern us Rosheils anymore…
Eddy had told me that our father wasn’t opposed to remaining neutral. So our involvement would probably lessen from now on.
Still, I was curious to see what the Second Prince looked like. As we were in the midst of conversation…
“…His Highness, the Second Prince Thearoha, enters!”
A loud cry rang out from the distant entrance. The chatter halted for a moment.
Normally, the Second Prince avoided public events. Even his presence at this hunting competition was said to be near miraculous.
Now we would see the face behind the veil.
I couldn’t help but lift my head to look.
And then—I froze.
A black ceremonial uniform adorned with jewels, golden cords, and a silver sword matched his black hair perfectly.
But the radiant golden eyes—like sunlight—felt entirely foreign.
He walked confidently toward us.
Ah.
I spoke without realizing it, voice trembling.
“…Thea?”
His gaze landed on me.
