– Chapter 33
Suddenly, my legs felt weak.
Had I expected something like this?
No—what I’d imagined was just a petty quarrel between young ladies.
A bit of rivalry, perhaps a harmless power struggle—nothing more.
But this… was different.
This was clearly an attempted murder.
Chills ran over my entire body.
If Thea hadn’t come—if she hadn’t found us because she wasn’t a mage—or if she hadn’t had Uncle Laska’s magic stone to buy time until she arrived… would we really have survived?
The thought that what Thea might have discovered could easily have been our dead bodies made my chest tighten with dread.
“…Lala?”
My vision spun.
“Lala!”
“…!”
Thea shook me firmly, snapping me out of it.
I flinched in surprise.
“T-…Thea.”
“Get a grip.”
I couldn’t hide my confusion.
“S-sorry… my head’s a little… not in the right place right now.”
“It’s fine. Lala—look at me.”
Thea gripped my shoulders.
My green eyes, which had been darting about as if searching for an escape, were caught and held in place by her golden gaze.
“…Ah.”
A small gasp escaped me before I could stop it.
Thea’s eyes were truly pure gold—steady and unwavering, like a pair of strong, beautiful legs that never faltered. She looked straight at me like that.
“I will protect you.”
“…!”
She spoke each word with force and certainty.
“I will protect you.”
It felt almost like a spell she was casting on me.
Strangely enough… my trembling stopped.
The cold that had been running through my body faded, replaced by warmth.
The panic clouding my mind cleared.
“Do you understand? No matter what happens, no matter what comes—
I will protect you. There will never be another incident like this. Never again… will you be put in danger. I’ll make sure of it.”
Her golden eyes brimmed with regret and determination.
Without thinking, I answered, almost entranced.
“…Mm. I believe you.”
Only then did relief soften her gaze.
Cern and I emerged from the forest.
Several people brightened upon seeing us.
“Oh, so you went all the way into the inner forest?”
“We were worried!”
“Did you find the treasure?”
They crowded around, speaking over one another.
I nodded politely.
“Of course.”
Cern stepped forward and showed them a slip of paper.
Thea had said she’d take the original as evidence, so she’d made a duplicate for us—one that had nothing on it except a star drawn in the center.
Gasps of admiration rippled through the crowd.
“That was the last clue we were missing—now we have them all!”
“You found the most important one!”
I glanced past them.
Standing together were Lupe and Ibhahron.
Lupe’s expression was cold and unreadable, while Ibhahron’s was impossible to interpret.
Ibhahron approached us slowly and said,
“Shall we end the treasure hunt now?”
The purple-tinged sky was slowly turning black.
I met Lupe’s eyes.
She looked back at me, her poisonous expression unchanging.
I recalled what had happened in the forest.
‘I’ll take this clue and track down the culprit.’
That was what Thea had said. But I had shaken my head.
‘No. This alone isn’t enough evidence.’
If we claimed the note had been magically tampered with, would that be enough to imprison Lupe right away?
A physical clue was advantageous, yes—but Lupe hadn’t been caught holding it herself.
And the one who told us where it was hidden in the forest was Ibhahron.
The only other person who’d overheard my conversation with her was Cern.
If those two had decided to work together, they wouldn’t have been sloppy.
A noble trial would be long and grueling.
We needed to be cautious.
But that didn’t mean I was letting this go.
I held Lupe’s gaze without wavering.
Eventually, discomfort flickered across her face.
She would pay dearly for daring to threaten my life—
I, Laila Rosahill—no matter what it took.
In the end, I would be the one to win.
Lupe looked away first.
A horn sounded, and the young nobles began returning from the hunt.
Normally, there would have been excitement and chatter after such an event, but strangely, the air was subdued.
The rankings were as expected—
1st place: Thearoha
2nd place: Alteo
3rd place: Lord Lukran
Alteo had returned first, carrying an armful of game.
Everyone admired the beautiful peacock he’d caught—its magnificent tail feathers unruffled thanks to the clean capture.
By comparison, Lukran and the young man who’d been paired with Cern had brought back far less impressive prey—
obviously so they wouldn’t outrank Alteo or Thea.
And then—
“…Did you see that?”
Whispers spread.
Just as he had for three days straight, Thea returned with a staggering amount of game—far more than anyone else could dream of matching.
“….”
The young nobles could only stare in silent awe at the mountain of prey stacked behind him.
His expression was blank, his presence overwhelming enough that no one dared approach.
Alteo shook his head when he saw it.
Even his best efforts hadn’t been enough to change the outcome.
Though Thea’s face remained unreadable, his ability was undeniable.
Meanwhile, sighs of disappointment rose among the young ladies.
The scoreboard clearly showed Thea in first place, Alteo in second—
which meant anyone who’d bet on Lukran or someone else for runner-up had lost.
Only I had won my wager—having predicted Thea’s victory and betting on Alteo for second place.
Well… technically, Thea had promised me he’d win for me.
As a result, all the necklaces, rings, and jewels bet by the other young ladies now belonged to me.
And so, the long hunting competition came to an end.
The final night’s banquet began.
Thea was speaking with some noblemen I didn’t recognize.
As I watched, someone approached me.
“Lala, I’ve heard the news.”
Silver hair, blue eyes—my older brother, Eddie.
I stood quickly, smiling warmly.
“Eddie!”
It felt like it had been ages since I’d seen him.
He smiled back.
“How’s everything going?”
“Not bad.”
Eddie said he and Father had spent the hunt talking politics with the elder nobles who weren’t participating.
Judging by his relaxed expression, they’d achieved what they wanted this year as well.
Lowering his voice, he said,
“I heard Prince Thearoha won the hunting competition.”
“Ah… yes.”
“And that you bet on Prince Alteo for second place—and were the only one who won.”
“…!”
I nearly jumped.
Had the rumor spread that fast already?
I knew gossip moved quickly in high society, but this was faster than I’d expected.
“Did you… know something beforehand?”
I hesitated for a moment.
Would it be wise to let Eddie know about my connection with Thea?
The answer was no. Not yet.
“Well… it’s a bit complicated. I’ll explain later.”
“…Alright. Just don’t do anything dangerous.”
He reached out and ruffled my hair.
That’s what I should be telling you, I thought silently.
If he knew how hard I was working to change our fated rebellion, he wouldn’t say that so casually.
I simply smiled.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Good. Get some rest after the banquet.”
Then he smiled faintly.
“And I’ve heard you did an excellent job leading the other nobles during the hunt?”
“…Me?”
I blinked in surprise, but he nodded.
“People are saying the Lady of Rosahill is delightful and charming company.”
“That’s… too much praise.”
“Well done.”
He laughed.
“I always thought of you as the youngest child… but you’ve grown into someone admirable.”
That made my cheeks heat up.
After Eddie left, another visitor came.
Ibhahron—her wavy hair falling over her shoulders, a teardrop-shaped diamond circlet resting on her forehead.
I tried to keep my expression neutral, but my face stiffened on its own.
“Good evening, my lady.”
Even my voice wasn’t particularly pleasant.
She said simply,
“I came to apologize.”
Apologize?
If she wasn’t making some kind of joke, then she meant that kind of apology.
I studied her warily.
She gave a small tilt of her chin.
“I think this isn’t the right place to talk. Shall we step out onto the terrace?”
I followed her.
The silver terrace was empty.
After locking the door, she turned to me.
“I’m curious what exactly you’re apologizing for.”
At my sharp tone, Ibhahron regarded me with an unreadable expression.
“You don’t question the apology itself, I see.”
“….”
She slowly sat down on an elegant jade-green chair.
“It concerns Lady Lupe.”
“…!”
I sat opposite her, curious to hear what excuse she might give.
“…Lady Lupe?”
“Yes.”
“I wonder what you plan to say.”
I looked her straight in the eyes.
“But it had better be something I can accept.”
Perhaps she saw the sincerity in my gaze, because she stayed silent for a long moment.
“Lady Lupe asked me to leave you alone.”
“…!”
“She said she had something to tell you—
and that hiding the note was part of that plan.”
Slowly, Ibhahron began her story.
