Ludmila, who had been sitting where Kedilen left, gently pressed her fingertips to her brow.

An intense fatigue came over her, making her head dizzy and her body heavy.

She met Kedilen.

That fact seemed to pierce her heart sharply like a needle.

She didn’t particularly want to meet him, so she had asked Emma to plant someone, but before she could do anything, Kedilen appeared before her eyes. Had she been careless?

No, even so, the place to meet Ardina was far from the hunting competition and not a place nobles frequently visited.

She had pressed her veil down tightly and hadn’t even spoken.

Since she couldn’t plant someone inside the Erdi mansion, she had taken the utmost care to be able to track Kedilen’s location when he arrived at the imperial palace.

But fate seemed to mock her efforts by bringing Kedilen right in front of her.

That wasn’t the end of it; he showed the remarkable ability to find her just by her back view.

Had he been this interested in her? She resented her husband’s newly discovered observational skills, but the cup was already spilled.

Was it water or blood inside? Ludmila dried her face tiredly and put on the veil she had taken off again.

Let’s go back for now. Ludmila’s body stopped as she was heading for the door.

But where should I go? Kedilen wasn’t naive, and moreover, he wasn’t a fool. He must have put someone on her.

If she headed to the Turval Count family’s annex in this state, it would be like openly declaring that she was relying on Habertz.

If that happened, Aden, whom she was so worried and concerned about, would be harmed.

That can’t happen. Ludmila, who had quickly come to this conclusion, blinked her tired eyes several times and sighed.

She had nowhere to go. And she couldn’t meet Aden. As she reached this sad conclusion, her hands felt heavy. She wanted to sleep right away, but had nowhere to sleep.

Her eyes sank into an abyss of helplessness, like a child who had lost their home. But she couldn’t just stand still like this.

Let’s go out for now. She immediately opened the door, intending to move as ideas came to her.

“Ah, here you are.”

It was then that a low exclamation and voice were heard.

When Ludmila’s dry gaze rose, what she saw was a young man.

Wondering who it was, she furrowed her brow, and the man let out an “oh” sound before bowing his head.

“I am Hernen, Viscount and head chamberlain of the Crown Prince’s palace, as instructed by Lady Emma.”

“Ah, you’re…”

Ludmila, who had opened her tightly closed mouth to let out a quiet exclamation, nodded briefly.

She had identified who was supposed to watch over her today after hearing Emma’s message.

She had thought he would be around 30 based on the description of a young man, but she never imagined he would be this young, about the same age as Aden.

Viscount Hernen glanced to one side and then bowed his head with a sigh.

“I apologize for being late.”

Ludmila silently watched him apologize with a deep bow, then brushed her hair back in fatigue.

She had planted someone on Kedilen to avoid him. But that plan had already lost its meaning.

“Lady Ludmila.”

It was Barhan who called out to Ludmila as she stood there blankly.

Surprised, Ludmila glanced at Viscount Hernen, who was looking this way, and approached carefully.

“Is there a problem?”

“No, I’m fine. There’s no problem.”

Although saying there was no problem when a problem had already occurred, Ludmila smiled faintly, thinking this wasn’t something to tell Barhan.

Barhan let out a sigh of relief and immediately brightened his eyes with an “oh” exclamation.

“I’m glad. Oh, more importantly, the Duke asked me to tell you this. Don’t worry. He said everything will be settled when the hunting competition ends.”

“…What does that mean.”

Ludmila’s brow furrowed at the meaningful statement. Everything will be settled?

Ludmila’s expression hardened with foreboding, but Barhan just smiled brightly, apparently not knowing much either.

Biting her lip, Ludmila recalled the image of Aden leaving with a gun.

‘Surely not…’

Hadn’t he said it was a hunting competition where anything could happen without seeming strange?

Why was that statement coming to mind now?

Coming to her senses, Ludmila nodded briefly to Barhan and then approached Viscount Hernen.

“If it’s alright, could you take me to the forest where the hunting competition is taking place? There’s someone I need to meet.”

Viscount Hernen seemed to consider for a moment, stroking his chin, but having failed one request already, he had no reason to refuse.

“…It won’t be difficult if you wear a maid’s outfit.”

“Please.”

Ludmila’s steps moved to follow him as he nodded obediently and turned around.

Barhan also walked behind her.

Ludmila hurriedly stepped towards the forest where the hunting competition was taking place, where both Aden and Kedilen were.

The game was diverse. The vast greenery on one side of the imperial city was a hunting ground where many animals had made their home.

A place where the Emperor or royal family could go hunting whenever they felt like it. It was one of the places symbolizing their authority.

There were complaints that it lacked excitement without wild beasts or predators, but this was unavoidable as it wasn’t an ordinary hunting competition.

Bears and wolves that had been deliberately captured, along with fierce felines and predators, were released.

Safety personnel stationed throughout were protecting the nobles’ safety and managing to keep the predators from escaping the designated areas.

Benjamin, who was surveying the scene with his eyes, let out a dry laugh.

“Doesn’t this remind you of the old days?”

“Old days?”

“When we were young, our great-grandfather used to take us hunting often. We followed along without knowing anything and got chased by an elk we provoked.”

“Was that so.”

Benjamin frowned at Aden’s curt response as he recalled the past with a wistful expression.

Silently watching his dry reaction from the side, Benjamin let out a small sigh.

It was frustrating not knowing what he was thinking with that head of his, but he knew well that Ludmila was the factor controlling his actions.

Probably, even what he’s trying to do now is surely for Ludmila’s sake.

“I won’t say much since you won’t listen to me anyway.”

Benjamin, looking ahead, firmly grasped the hunting rifle in his hand as he felt Aden’s gaze rolling towards him.

“You’re selfish and only care about yourself.”

“Are you picking a fight?”

“It’s just the truth.”

Aden frowned at the expression that was little different from scorn.

It was then that a rabbit appeared in front of the two of them. Benjamin aimed the gun he was holding at the rabbit and pulled the trigger.

With a loud bang, the bullet flew and lodged just in front of the rabbit, not hitting it.

The startled rabbit escaped into the bushes without a scratch.

Benjamin, who had casually slung the smoking hunting rifle over his shoulder, narrowed his eyes.

“Being selfish, you always do things without asking others what they think. I know well that it’s something you do for that person’s sake, but to someone who doesn’t know, it might look like unnecessary meddling.”

Benjamin took a bullet out of his pocket and pulled back the bolt to remove the empty shell from the hunting rifle.

After throwing the ejected casing on the ground, he loaded a new round and turned to look at Aden.

“Think about Lady Olua’s case.”

“…”

“What she wanted was for you to stay by her side. But you didn’t think so and took action. As a result, Lady Olua died in a place where you weren’t present.”

Benjamin casually threw out what could be seen as a rude assumption about family matters.

It was something he could say because he was close enough to Aden and one of the few who had been by Olua’s side at her deathbed.

Aden, knowing this about him, didn’t rebuke his rudeness.

“Aden.”

Benjamin, who had loaded the gun with a click, turned to look at Aden.

“Don’t repeat the same mistake. Ask before you act.”

“…Don’t worry.”

Aden, who had been silent for a moment, nodded. Aden, who had been staring blankly at the sun that was now beginning to set, moved his steps.

“I’ve already got the answer.”

Bang-!

With the sound of gunfire, the fleeing deer collapsed.

The man who approached the deer, which was bleeding and twitching, raised his arm to make a circle with a satisfied face.

“Excellent, Your Majesty!”

“Your skills improve day by day, to the point where I wonder if we should appoint you as a rifle instructor for the army.”

What followed next was, as usual, flattery. Jeffrey, who had hunted the deer, handed over the gun he was holding with dry eyes.

A noble who had accompanied him as an attendant quickly loaded bullets and handed it back to Jeffrey, whose lips curved up gently.

“You all are so good at empty words.”

“Empty words? Not at all!”

“How could this be empty words when everyone in the world knows that Your Majesty possesses such excellent marksmanship?”

“That’s right, Your Majesty!”

The sight of these characters spewing flattery as if their mouths would dry up, sensing an opportunity, was a comedy in itself.

Jeffrey, who had been watching this spectacle with a smooth smile, briefly raised his gaze to observe the setting sun.

Quite some time had passed already.

The hunting competition would end when the sunset permeated the sky.

“How about we go hunt something bigger now?”

Becks, the Speaker of the Lower House who was leading Jeffrey at the front, suggested with glinting eyes.

He meant to go hunt the most dangerous beast in this hunting competition, a giant grizzly bear.

Catching that would mean victory, and the bear would belong to Jeffrey for years to come, no matter how much time passed.

Everyone chimed in, urging to go hunt it quickly.

Jeffrey, pretending to give in to their suggestion, soon turned his body.

“Alright, let’s go hunt it.”

He said so, but in fact, he didn’t feel much excitement. The biggest beast in this hunting competition was the grizzly bear, but the most dangerous beast was not such a thing.

When would the hunt that was likely proceeding far away come to an end?

Jeffrey moistened his dry lips and moved his steps.

“Damn it.”

Kedilen, who had missed with even his last bullet, cursed with a frown.

He sat down on a rock with an irritated face, having failed to catch even one pig that was supposed to be his prey.

Normally, by this time, the nobles who had followed him would have been falling over themselves to offer him cigarettes and water first, but not this time.

All that was by his side was empty air.

Kedilen, who had taken out a cigarette from his hunting outfit pocket and put it in his mouth, lit it with a dissatisfied face.

After exhaling a long stream of smoke and inhaling from the cigarette again, he repeated this several times.

By the time the end had reached the filter, he put another one in his mouth and smiled bitterly in frustration.

“Life ain’t much.”

An unexpected self-deprecation popped out.

He thought he had lived quite diligently, but in the end, nothing remained around him.

Wasn’t it said that you find out who your true friends are when you’re at rock bottom? If that was true, then he had no true friends at all.

There wasn’t anything special happening. It was just Ludmila. When his wife disappeared, everything fell apart.

Once he had denied it and doubted it, but now he acknowledged it.

That he was nothing, and that it was his wife who had made him who he was now.

‘Two days later.’

Lighting another cigarette, he recalled his reunion with Ludmila once again.

When she returns, everything will fall back into place. As planned, he would hold a press conference and appear with Ludmila to reveal the whole truth, and that would be the end of it.

By then, he intended to change everything. He would clear out the sycophants around him and make real allies.

And for Ludmila, he intended to do everything to win her heart.

Yes, if only you would return…

Kedilen’s gaze fell on the nearly burnt-out end of the cigarette as he continued his thoughts.

His eyes rose vertically as he silently watched the ash scatter in the wind.

“So this is where you were, Marquis.”

Aden, who had appeared without notice, was standing in front of him, looking down at him.