“Did the two of them leave the palace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At the subordinate’s report, Ileon rested his chin on one arm as he cast his gaze toward the window.

The sky bathed in a pleasant breeze and gentle sunlight.

The Emperor had many duties, yet Ileon handled them with ease.

No one harbored complaints against the new Emperor, who excelled at his work and possessed impeccable origins.

Everything proceeded smoothly.

Truly, to the point of being dull.

‘……Balt has been acting suspicious lately.’

Balt had left the palace shortly after Ileon ascended the throne.

And ever since, Balt had not returned to the palace.

Ileon had sent men to investigate Balt’s whereabouts, but all of them returned as corpses, slaughtered by blades.

Ileon’s eyes narrowed.

“Where are those two now, and what are they doing?”

“Well……”

Hesitating at the end of his sentence, the subordinate quickly added more under Ileon’s cold stare.

“They are at a blacksmith’s shop somewhere in the capital streets.”

“……A blacksmith’s?”

“Yes, it seems Duke Calypso is crafting a sword for a woman.”

“A sword……”

Ileon recalled Celia Brillion’s pale, slender wrist.

It was a delicate wrist that seemed too frail to even lift a spoon, let alone wield a sword.

Yet, that same hand had killed the lustful old Emperor.

When he had wondered what grudge she held, it turned out she murdered him out of vengeance for her fallen kingdom.

Did Celia know that he was her true enemy?

“Perhaps she does……”

Ileon murmured in a languid voice.

He remembered the hatred and resentment directed at him in those fresh green eyes.

Those emotions did not bother Ileon in the slightest.

Dark, deep within—when that gaze fell upon him, Ileon felt as though something long empty inside him had been tightly filled.

It was truly strange.

If Celia was indeed the person foretold in the prophecy, then logically, he should kill her now.

Yet, Ileon hesitated.

‘Why?’

No matter how much he pondered, he found no answer.

He felt he needed to meet her once more to resolve this curiosity.

Once his curiosity was satisfied, he could dispose of her and Dietrich right before his eyes.

He might receive some criticism, but people easily forgot the past when given a sensational distraction.

“We should hold a hunting tournament.”

At Ileon’s words, his subordinate raised his head.

“A hunting tournament, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

Ileon lifted the corner of his lips.

“It’s a tournament where anything unusual happening wouldn’t be surprising at all.”

“Understood. Where shall we hold it?”

“There’s a forest behind the palace, owned by the imperial family. That should suffice.”

“……But the forest only has small animals. Should we release monsters?”

“Monsters……”

Muttering the word, Ileon suddenly remembered his younger sister.

“Now that I think of it, what happened to Reina?”

“The Duke Servantes killed her. He truly fed her to the monsters. When we found her, not even a shred of flesh remained.”

At the report, Ileon burst into hearty laughter.

The high-pitched laughter that echoed against the ceiling held not a speck of affection for his late sister.

“Release monsters into the forest. Nothing disposes of corpses better than monsters.”

“Who should we send the hunting tournament invitations to?”

“Send them to all the nobles nearby.”

“Understood.”

A few days later, the imperial hunting tournament was held.

The imperial forest, densely packed with tall trees, stirred curiosity about what lay within.

Everyone who received the invitation attended—everyone except Balt.

Ileon, dressed in smooth, glossy hunting attire, smiled faintly as he explained the rules of the hunt.

“Thank you all for gracing us with your presence despite your busy schedules. The purpose of this hunting tournament is to hunt monsters. Simply bring back proof of the monsters you’ve slain—ranging from easy-to-kill low-level monsters to more formidable high-level ones. The one who brings back the most, and the most difficult, monsters will be declared the winner.”

The crowd murmured in surprise—clearly, they hadn’t expected to hunt monsters. But the murmuring quickly subsided.

“I, the Emperor, will also participate, so there’s no need to worry. And the winner shall receive a grand prize.”

“Your Majesty, may we know what the prize is?”

At someone’s question, Ileon whispered into his aide’s ear.

Soon, the aide emerged from a red tent, carrying a precious-looking box wrapped in luxurious fabric with both hands.

Ileon took the box and revealed its contents to the crowd.

Click.

“Ah!”

Someone gasped aloud.

Inside the box glittered dazzling, magnificent jewels.

They were of a quality far superior to ordinary market gems—high-purity diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and other precious stones overflowed within.

A single gem could probably buy ten mansions in the capital.

“These are the priceless treasures buried beneath the Shan Kingdom, which vanished ten years ago after its destruction. By the way, this is merely an extra gift for the winner—I will also grant any one wish the victor desires.”

At Ileon’s explanation, Celia Brillion’s eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

Celia, the princess of the fallen Shan Kingdom, knew Ileon’s words were a lie.

On the day her kingdom fell, every treasure, every possession, every living thing had been burned to ashes.

This was a deliberate provocation meant to taunt her.

Sure enough, Ileon’s gaze lingered on Celia the moment he finished speaking.

He stared intently, almost obsessively, at Celia’s bloodshot eyes.

Her gaze, already filled with resentment and hatred, now brimmed with murderous intent.

Ileon smiled, visibly satisfied by her reaction.

However, Dietrich gently covered Celia’s eyes with his large hand, shielding her from Ileon’s gaze.

Ileon raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at Dietrich’s expressionless face.

Dietrich, the Captain of the Imperial Knights, could not openly defy Ileon’s orders.

Of course, had Celia not existed, Dietrich might not have shown his face at this hunting tournament at all.

But because there was someone he needed to protect, he appeared despite his obvious displeasure.

Ileon found this amusing.

They weren’t even real lovers, yet Dietrich acted as if she were something infinitely precious.

Even now, he had brought her to the hunting tournament—surely he couldn’t bear to leave her alone even for a moment.

Seeing the two of them holding hands, Ileon signaled his aide to bring forth a large chest.

“Open the chest.”

Boom!

With a heavy sound, the chest revealed its contents—weapons of all kinds.

Bows, longswords, axes, maces, and more.

The chest was packed full of deadly weapons.

Dietrich looked at Ileon with indifferent eyes.

He understood exactly why Ileon had organized this event.

This hunting tournament was not truly about hunting monsters.

Under the guise of a hunt, it was a gathering meant to ‘kill’ someone.

That someone could be Celia—or Dietrich himself.

Had Dietrich not attended, Ileon would have devised another scheme.

Ileon was exactly that kind of man.

If Arthur was one who acted recklessly without regard for consequences, Ileon was a meticulous planner who executed his schemes with cold precision.

“Take whatever weapon you like and go hunt the monsters.”

“……”

“If you need more weapons, just say so.”

Ileon smiled faintly, his sharp blue eyes deepening as his gaze narrowed.

Noblewomen who had come to cheer on their husbands were utterly captivated by the Emperor’s smile.

Eventually……

“Madam, where are you going!”

The noblewomen began handing their handkerchiefs—originally meant for their husbands—to Ileon instead.

“Your Imperial Majesty, would you accept this?”

“Thank you.”

Ileon’s hands were soon filled with handkerchiefs—some embroidered with golden thread, others clearly made with clumsy but heartfelt effort.

A few noblewomen tried to offer handkerchiefs to Dietrich, but he ignored them completely, his attention fixed solely on Celia.

His gaze, cold and dry to others, softened immensely when it fell upon her.

“Why does Duke Calypso keep that woman around?”

“They say she brings misfortune—a witch, really……”

“Look. She claims to be the Duke’s lover, yet she doesn’t even offer him a handkerchief. Doesn’t she wish for his safety?”

The noblewomen whispered spitefully behind Celia’s back.

Dietrich shot them a chilling glare.

At the sharp look, every noblewoman instantly fell silent.

“Anderson has been summoned, so he’ll arrive soon.”

Celia thought Dietrich was being overly protective.

After all, she had her special abilities.

And she even had the elegant dagger Dietrich had recently gifted her.

Yet Dietrich treated her as if she were a child left by the riverbank.

“For this hunting tournament, it would be best if Duke Calypso, the Captain of the Imperial Knights, sets out first.”

At Ileon’s words, Dietrich’s eyebrows narrowed slightly.

“Go on. So many people are waiting, aren’t they?”

Ileon pushed Dietrich forward.

“……Come back safely. Don’t get hurt.”

Celia bid him farewell.

“Of course.”

Dietrich gently smiled at Celia as he pulled a longsword from the chest.

“I’ll be back.”

Celia waved at Dietrich as he walked away.

The reason my heart aches at your tender smile must be because I’ve fallen for you.