Chapter 30 – I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter
A commotion broke out.
Until now, no one had considered Thearoha a candidate for victory.
Of course, members of the imperial family are generally trained in swordsmanship by excellent masters.
But while Prince Altheo was already well-known as a master swordsman, there were barely any rumors about Thearoha. On top of that, Thearoha had never even participated in a hunting competition before, so naturally, everyone expected last year’s runner-up, Prince Altheo, to win this year.
But what was the outcome?
One of the judging nobles walked over to Thea, frowning slightly. The prey he brought looked as if it had been killed while asleep. Eventually, people started to infer that the prey had been captured using magic.
It was astonishing.
No one had ever heard that the Second Prince was a mage.
“Are you saying, truly… that all of these were captured by Prince Thearoha himself?”
“Yes.”
Thea turned his head to face the noble. The noble asked again in a trembling voice.
“Pardon me for asking, but… Your Highness, are you a magician?”
People were already overwhelmed by the sheer pile of prey he had brought. Thea smiled softly, his eyes curving.
“That’s correct.”
“…!”
A silent wave of shock spread through the crowd. I smiled brightly.
The judges began counting the prey he brought. It took quite a while just to tally them up.
Soon after, Altheo’s name was pushed down from the top spot on the slate, and Prince Thearoha’s name was written in its place. People began murmuring.
“The Second Prince is a mage…?”
“He must be incredibly skilled. Why has no one known until now?”
“But… if he’s first place now, then what happens to Prince Altheo…?”
Someone whispered, and others, pretending not to be interested, began sneaking glances at Altheo’s face.
His expression could only be described as shocked.
Feeling the weight of the stares, he quickly tried to control his expression, but his pale face clearly showed how hard he’d been hit.
It was only natural.
The quiet half-brother who had lived in obscurity turned out to be a powerful magician—and now posed a threat to his position.
With a trembling voice, the judge announced the result.
“Today’s first place… goes to Prince Thearoha, the Second Prince.”
Gasps of surprise rang out. Among them were disappointed sighs from young ladies who had bet on Prince Luke or others to be runner-up.
Very few were not surprised—and I was one of them.
I looked at him with sparkling eyes. Perhaps sensing my gaze, he looked back at me. It felt like we stared for a long time, yet perhaps it was only a brief moment.
Altheo was glaring at Thearoha. His eyes burned with intensity, especially after seeing his name dropped to second place.
I approached Thearoha under the pretense of congratulating the day’s winner.
“Congratulations, Prince Thearoha.”
“Thank you.”
Even though we tried to act nonchalant, people were definitely watching us. Some even knew I had predicted Thearoha’s victory, and their gazes seemed curious about our relationship. I pretended not to notice and simply smiled.
“You’ve made quite a catch on the first day. Will you bring in this many tomorrow too?”
“Who knows? Perhaps I will.”
He smiled faintly as he looked at me.
“I’d like to offer the most precious thing to the Lady of Rosha Hill.”
As he lifted his hand, one of the prey naturally flew toward us—as if guided by nature itself.
It was a silver fox with stunning fur.
“A silver fox with fur this vivid is quite rare.”
“Oh my.”
I blinked in surprise.
It’s fairly common for noblemen to offer their prey to the lady who gave them a token of luck. But it was the first time I had actually received one myself, and it moved me more than I expected.
“I’ll hang it proudly at home.”
“It’ll make a soft rug if you use it that way.”
…That might need more thought.
I smiled brightly.
That evening…
Because Thea had placed first, he sat above Altheo at the formal banquet that evening.
In high society, even the smallest actions are interpreted with great meaning. Thea sitting higher than Altheo could imply many things.
For example, it might suggest that Thea had ambitions for the throne.
Sipping a non-alcoholic cocktail, I glanced between the two. As always, Ceren was seated beside me.
Altheo’s face was stiff and expressionless. His pride seemed deeply wounded. Even when people spoke to him, he only responded perfunctorily. The confidence and sociability he displayed during the pre-party were nowhere to be seen.
By contrast, Thea gently smiled and conversed with everyone who approached him. The elusive Second Prince had not only participated in the hunt for the first time but was now charming everyone with warm conversation. The nobles scrambled to speak with him, and Thea met each one graciously, winning their favor.
“He’s amazing.”
I had heard he wasn’t well-versed in socializing, but that clearly wasn’t true. Warm smiles surrounded him.
“Perhaps good people naturally attract other good people.”
As I pondered that thought, someone called out from behind us.
“Lady Lila, Lady Ceren.”
“Oh! Lady Ibhahroon.”
“Good evening, Lady Ibhahroon.”
Ceren and I turned. Standing before us was Lady Ibhahroon, dressed in a bright gold gown. Beside her stood Lord Lukran.
“Are you enjoying the banquet?”
“Thanks to you, yes.”
Lady Ibhahroon seemed to be in a very good mood. The way she twirled her pink cocktail and smiled made her appear softer than usual. I could easily guess why.
“Lord Lukran placed third in the hunt, didn’t he? You must be very proud.”
“Thank you. It was his first time competing, and he did quite well.”
She looked at her younger brother with affection.
“I was just lucky,” Lukran replied.
He was more subdued than his sister. His short reply and composed expression made him seem rather reserved. But now that I looked at him again, his hands and face were small and cute—it made me wonder how he managed to hunt at all.
“Today’s event was really fun,” Ibhahroon said.
While I’d been briefly distracted by Lukran, she spoke again. I blinked in embarrassment.
“Ah… That’s too kind. I didn’t do much.”
“Not at all. Every year has always been boring, but today was truly delightful.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes.”
She smiled softly.
“You’ll join again next year, right?”
“…Of course.”
I felt a bit touched. I didn’t have many friends my age—really, just Ceren and Thea. So banquets could sometimes feel lonely. But now, someone had approached me first and even said she hoped I’d return next year—it really made me feel like we could be friends.
“Maybe she really is a good person.”
I felt my affection for Ibhahroon growing.
We continued chatting. She turned out to be a wonderful conversational partner—well-read, yet never boastful. She listened carefully and responded sincerely.
“By the way, Lord Lukran is quite impressive. Has he always had a gift for magic?”
“…I’m embarrassed to call it talent,” Lukran replied modestly.
But considering he placed third at just thirteen, his performance was nothing to be modest about.
I casually turned my head and spotted someone familiar walking in the distance.
It was my older brother Eddy, and beside him…
“That’s Lady Diaman, isn’t it?”
Following my gaze, Ibhahroon spoke up.
“Yes, I heard she participated in the hunt too.”
“I think she placed quite high—7th, wasn’t it?”
Ceren said cautiously.
“Seventh? That’s amazing. I’m a bit jealous.”
“Jealous? In what way?” Ibhahroon asked curiously.
I was caught off guard by her question.
“Uh… I admire her abilities. Becoming a knight isn’t easy, and I think it’s really admirable.”
“Does Lady Lila want to become a knight?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that…”
I just smiled shyly.
“I just think it’s admirable to live proudly using your own strengths.”
Ibhahroon nodded.
“I see. That makes sense.”
As I sipped my cocktail, a sudden question came to mind.
“Come to think of it, do you know how to use magic, Lady Ibhahroon?”
“Magic?”
She hesitated for a moment, a brief pause.
“I learned a little when I was young, but I don’t think I had any talent.”
Lukran glanced at her. I nodded.
“That’s unfortunate. But I understand. My father is highly attuned to spirits, but I don’t have even a trace of that ability. I suppose that happens sometimes.”
“Yes,” she said with a soft smile.
“That does happen.”
The next day was perfect for hunting as well. The autumn sky was high and clear, with not a single cloud. While the participants departed early, the young ladies once again gathered under the canopy.
“So, as I was saying…”
Today, instead of games, we sat together chatting. As mentioned before, Ibhahroon was a wonderful person to talk to, so the conversation never seemed to end. Ceren, Ibhahroon, and I chatted away comfortably.
“Lady Lila!”
Suddenly, someone popped their head toward me.
“What game shall we play today?”
With a hopeful face, a young noble girl—probably around my age—looked at me with sparkling eyes. I blinked in surprise.
