At Ophelia’s emotional words, Kaeron quickly moved forward and stopped in the middle of the forest in Zone 9. Getting off the horse, he took a small bottle from his pocket. Opening the bottle, he sprinkled the liquid inside on a particular tree trunk.

“What’s that?”

“It’s oil extracted from crushed apricot seeds. Foxes love the scent, so they’ll gather when they smell it.”

Whether he wanted to finish this hunt quickly or not, the Duke was well-prepared. Hiding in the bushes, he observed as, just as he said, foxes in the forest began to gather. Among them, a particularly noticeable white fox was seen.

‘Is that the fox?’

It was a white fox with a blue ribbon, the color of Zone 9. Noticing the target, Ophelia, with sparkling eyes, quickly gestured to Kaeron.

‘Hurry, shoot!’

Responding to Ophelia’s urgency, Kaeron picked up a stone from the ground instead of a hunting rifle he had on his shoulder.

‘…?’

At the sudden action of picking up the stone, Ophelia looked puzzled. Soon, her expression turned into astonishment as she witnessed the Duke’s unexpected behavior.

‘Thock!’

The stone thrown by Kaeron accurately struck the head of the fox marked as the target among several foxes, and the fox collapsed as if stunned. The remaining foxes all fled, leaving only one with a ribbon around its neck lying unconscious.

Approaching, Kaeron grabbed the ribbon around the fox’s neck and put it in his pocket. Then, as if trying to wake up the unconscious fox, he tapped its head lightly with his fingertips.

The fox, which had been shocked and fainted for a while, opened its eyes. Meeting the cold blue eyes of the human staring down at it, the fox shivered. After realizing that the human had no intention of attacking, it got up, shook its body as if waking up, and then trotted away.

“The fox is running away! Aren’t you going to catch it?”

“We’ve already marked the fox as caught. The purpose is achieved, so let’s go back now.”

Turning his gaze away from the white tail of the disappearing fox in the forest, Kaeron, with a cold expression, got back on his black horse. The figure of the man riding on the giant black horse looked dignified and powerful.

As if there was an amusing discrepancy between the man who had just touched the fox with his fingertips and this stern appearance. Laughing at this discrepancy, Ophelia asked the Duke with a voice full of laughter.

“I didn’t see it that way… Did you intentionally let that fox live just now? I thought the Duke would surely cut off its breath in one go.”

“…If it were in the past.”

“In the past…?”
“Before coming to the hunting ground, the Grand Duchess said something. She hoped that senseless killing would not take place, expressing sympathy for animals sacrificed in human entertainment.”

“…Indeed, it’s typical of Lady Adel.”

At his words, Ophelia chuckled, nodded in agreement, and then suddenly, looking surprised, she glanced at the side of Kaeron. He was gazing into the distance, as if lost in thought.

‘I wonder if Adel’s heart would ache. That merciless man showing mercy to the prey in such an annoying manner…’

Ophelia had clearly seen how many pigeons had been sacrificed under the Grand Duke’s bullets during the last hunting competition. She found this change in the Grand Duke not only surprising but also impressive, thinking that Adel, who brought about this change, looked truly remarkable.

Even now, without a doubt, his gaze was directed towards Zone 10 where the Grand Duchess and the Third Prince were. Although it seemed indifferent on the surface, there was a chimney-like desire in him to go to where Adel was at any moment.

“Let’s go back. With Reyan’s skills, hunting in Zone 10 will end soon.”

As if she understood the Grand Duke’s mind completely, Ophelia smiled knowingly and turned her horse back towards the entrance of the hunting ground. When the Grand Duke set off ahead, she, who was riding behind him, heard a faint sound of hooves from behind and paused for a moment.

‘Who could it be…?’

When she turned her head, she could vaguely see a man riding a horse in the distance, rushing hastily. Even though she couldn’t distinguish the man’s face, the form of the horse, with its golden mane fluttering, caught her eye. Upon hearing that the horse with this unique feature was given the name ‘Lion,’ which means ‘lion’ in Asian, by the Second Prince, she couldn’t help but laugh at how much of a fool he seemed.

‘But why is the Second Prince rushing to Zone 10?’

If the Second Prince, assigned to Zone 8, had finished hunting, there was no need for him to pass through Zone 9. Especially since the direction the Second Prince was heading was where Zone 10 was located.

‘Moreover, why is this fool Second Prince alone…?’

The most peculiar thing was that the Second Prince was alone. Not in a regular hunting competition, but in a hunting competition where participants formed pairs!

After becoming hunting partners, Viscountess Yeongae, who had been enjoying amorous relations with the Second Prince, was one of the favorites of his affection. As always, hunting was put on the back burner. However, to see the Second Prince, who must be busy enjoying himself with the Viscountess, rushing alone on horseback…

“This is incredibly suspicious!”

Ophelia, who judged that this was an action the Second Prince would never take, felt captivated by a somewhat ominous feeling. Then, as Ophelia’s presence was not felt from behind, Kaeron, who had turned his horse’s head to her, approached her and asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“Something is suspicious! I think I should follow and see what’s going on!”

“…What are you talking about?”

In response to Ophelia’s words that he couldn’t understand, Kaeron raised his eyebrows and asked. Ophelia, who turned her horse towards Zone 10, gestured to him urgently with a worried voice.

“Quickly follow me! I don’t know what might have happened to the Grand Duchess and the Third Prince in Zone 10!”

“…”