When I turned slightly to glance back, I met the eyes of the Emperor resting beneath a large tent the attendants had set up.
He was clapping, looking rather pleased.
In response, I bowed politely and then turned to the knight beside me.
“What are you doing?”
“Ah… Y-Yes!”
The knight scrambled down from his horse and collected the fallen bird.
Sion pushed up his slightly crooked glasses, staring blankly.
“Did you just hit a bird flying through the air?”
I said nothing and gave a relaxed smile.
“Well then, see you later, Sion.”
With that, I spurred my horse and headed in a direction no one else had taken.
As I entered the forest, early summer sunlight filtered through the green canopy, birds chirping from between the trees. But not long after, the peace was broken by the occasional sound of gunfire.
I, too, ventured deeper and adjusted my grip on the gun.
‘Looks like everyone’s trying pretty hard.’
Normally, the imperial autumn hunting tournament awarded victory to the one who captured the largest beast.
But the summer hunt, personally hosted by the Emperor like this one, was won by whoever caught the most game.
‘Not to mention, the location doesn’t compare to the autumn tournament either.’
This was the royal forest inside the palace grounds. There was no way dangerous beasts would be released here.
‘Just small animals like rabbits or deer.’
So this wasn’t about quality—it was a battle of quantity.
I readied my stance and aimed toward a bush. One of the knights who had followed me whistled.
The whistle rustled the bushes. Without missing the moment, I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
The movement in the bush fell still.
The same knight from earlier dismounted and checked the brush. His voice came back, tinged with surprise.
“Another clean hit, my lady.”
While he retrieved the animal and placed it into the royal-issued hunting box, I glanced back.
Three knights had followed me, including the one now on foot.
‘Time to reduce that number.’
I addressed them casually.
“Time will fly if I have to keep waiting for the game to be retrieved. Sir.”
At my call, the knight who had whistled bowed his head.
“Yes, Lady Bellady.”
“From now on, you help collect the game too. Only one knight is to follow me.”
“Yes, my lady!”
With a crisp salute, he dismounted and walked toward the brush. The other knight, already collecting the animal, must have overheard and also gave a small bow.
I then turned to the one remaining knight, locking eyes with him.
“Well then, shall we go?”
It was my first time clearly facing the trusted aide of my elder brother.
“Sir Vincend.”
“Yes.”
Zeppelin’s deep navy-blue eyes shone quietly.
Those tasked with cleaning up after powerful people rarely live long.
Having inherited his father’s position as leader of the “Watchers,” Zeppelin had long abandoned dreams of a peaceful life.
But even he had one small dream left.
‘I want to raise a genius with my own hands… at least once!’
Someone like Duke Theodor Elten, for instance.
To Zeppelin, Theodor was the most flawless being alive.
And for good reason—Theodor was the undisputed sword of the Empire, his charisma unparalleled.
Every swing of his blade had sent shivers through all who witnessed it.
To Zeppelin, Theodor was the strongest gem, cut from the hardest stone.
His proud father had agreed to serve the Elten family not just for duty, but likely because of that same magnetic charisma.
‘And I’m no different.’
Zeppelin, who had inherited that pride, had likewise sworn loyalty to Theodor.
But now he faced a dilemma.
Meldor Elten—the heir destined to succeed Theodor.
Tragically, Zeppelin was younger than Theodor. Which meant he’d spend more years serving Meldor than Theodor.
That fact deeply displeased him.
‘He may be young and full of potential… but he doesn’t have the same natural talent as his father.’
Meldor, to his credit, had the physique of a direct Elten bloodline—better than his peers.
But that alone didn’t meet Zeppelin’s strict standards.
‘Even if effort can compensate for lack of talent… the young master doesn’t even like swordsmanship.’
At that rate, when would effort ever bridge the gap?
He didn’t even want to train the boy.
What Zeppelin wanted was a prodigy—someone who could rival even Theodor.
A once-in-a-century genius that would leave everyone in awe.
Having watched Theodor since childhood, Zeppelin’s standards had grown sky-high.
Once Meldor came of age, it would fall to Zeppelin to teach him the ways of the Watchers.
But Zeppelin’s pride and standards found that reality hard to accept.
‘At times like this, I envy Father so much.’
Father had taught a genius like Theodor about the Watchers.
And he… he was stuck with…
Every time Zeppelin got this gloomy, his younger sister would thump her chest in frustration.
—You’re seriously the worst… Why are you so picky? Just quit being a Watcher already! I’ll take over your job myself!
Also a Watcher, she was currently undercover as a senior maid in the Elten household. She simply couldn’t understand Zeppelin’s obsession with genius.
But every time she scolded him, Zeppelin just sighed.
‘Why doesn’t she get it? What’s so wrong about wanting to raise a genius who will command the world? Is that so much to ask?’
Of course, it was asking too much.
Zeppelin refused to admit that.
Eventually, he began seriously considering her sarcastic suggestion.
‘Should I really hand over the leadership? And go on a journey to find the genius of the century?’
He barely stayed in the knights’ order anyway. Most of his missions were personal assignments from Theodor.
His sister already managed most of the internal Watchers. If he left the external group in her hands too…
She could handle it.
‘Alright. I’ll step down before Meldor’s coming-of-age ceremony and leave the Elten household.’
A wild idea—one that would probably make his sister faint if she heard it.
And yet… Zeppelin now felt that resolve crumbling.
Bang!
A clean gunshot rang in his ears.
The shooter lowered her gun and asked,
“How many have I caught so far?”
Still gazing blankly at her back, Zeppelin replied in his usual flat voice.
“Six birds, four rabbits, one deer.”
“Really? That’s less than I thought.”
Less than she thought…?
Zeppelin gulped.
Last year, Meldor had only caught two rabbits. That was it.
And yet, despite such overwhelming results, she showed no arrogance as she moved forward.
Zeppelin, watching her reload her gun in perfect form, stared at her with newfound awe.
Bellady Elten—the Empire’s only duke’s daughter.
And the daughter of Theodor Elten.
Other than those facts, Zeppelin didn’t know much about her.
On the surface, he was just one of many knights, and Bellady had always stayed far away from anything related to swords.
He had only met Meldor because Theodor wanted him to get acquainted with the heir in advance…
‘But I never had even the briefest interaction with Bellady Elten.’
This was the first time.
Normally, Theodor had Zeppelin assist Meldor during the Emperor’s hunting tournaments.
He didn’t like the job, but couldn’t refuse his master. So every year, he blended in among the knights and followed Meldor.
But this year, with Bellady attending in Meldor’s place…
It had felt like a bother at first.
But now…
‘You never told me your daughter was this good at hunting, my lord…!’
Bellady fired again using perfect textbook form.
Click. Bang!
Every bullet hit its mark. Never once did she miss. Her speed was astonishing.
Zeppelin glanced back. The two knights assigned to retrieve her game were already far behind. She had been hunting so swiftly they couldn’t keep up.
She even noticed and hit animals whose presence he hadn’t sensed.
And he was a trained expert in detecting movement!
As far as he knew, Bellady had never received any specialized training in detection—or even in swordsmanship.
Yet her instincts were sharper than his?
It bruised his pride.
‘When we get back, I’m tripling my training…!’
Still, his heart was pounding wildly.
A man who had craved talent all his life… his instincts now clung to her silhouette.
‘Inborn bone structure, superior physique, the endurance to shoot a high-recoil gun without flinching, the stamina to hunt for an hour without tiring… and above all—’
Neighhh!
Before he could finish that thought, Bellady’s horse reared up. The five-year-old black stallion was Alexander, infamous in the Elten estate for his volatile temper and strength.
When she first arrived riding him, Zeppelin had worried she might fall off.
“Alex, settle down.”
She spoke calmly, gripping the reins tightly with one hand. Then, she gently pulled his head upward, halting the thrashing mane.
The massive horse, so fearsome it was often mistaken for a beast, fell silent at that small motion.
Snort…
“Shh, good boy.”
Despite her gentle tone, the pressure of her hand on the reins was overwhelming.
The clever Alexander pawed the ground a few times, then flicked his tail as if accepting defeat.
‘And above all… the strength to subdue that beast of a horse with one hand!’
The other hand, of course, was still holding her heavy hunting rifle with ease.
Watching it all, Zeppelin was genuinely moved.