“The two of them went outside the imperial palace?”

“That is correct.”

Upon hearing his subordinate’s report, Ileon rested his chin on one arm and gazed out the window.

A sky with just the right amount of wind and just the right amount of sunlight shining down.

Though the emperor’s duties were many, Ileon handled them with great ease.

No one held any complaints against the new emperor who was both capable and of perfect lineage.

Everything was going smoothly.

In fact, almost boringly so.

‘……Balt has been acting suspicious lately.’

Balt left the imperial palace not long after Ileon became emperor.

And Balt has not returned to the imperial palace since.

Ileon tried to have people investigate Balt’s whereabouts, but they all returned as corpses hacked to pieces by swords.

Ileon’s eyes narrowed.

“What are those two doing now, and where?”

“Well……”

As his subordinate trailed off, he quickly added under Ileon’s cold gaze.

“They are at some blacksmith’s shop in the capital city.”

“……A blacksmith’s shop?”

“Yes, it seems Duke Calypso is having a sword made for the woman.”

“A sword……”

Ileon recalled Celiya’s white, slender wrists.

They were delicate wrists that looked incapable of even lifting a spoon, let alone a sword.

However, Celiya’s hands were also the ones that killed the old lecherous emperor.

He had wondered what grudge she held to kill the emperor, but it turned out to be revenge for her kingdom.

Does Celiya know that he is her true enemy?

“She probably knows……”

Ileon muttered in a languid voice.

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

The emotion in those eyes did not bother Ileon at all.

That dark, deep inner self.

When those eyes turned towards him, Ileon felt as if something empty inside him was being tightly filled.

It was a truly strange thing.

If Celiya was the figure mentioned in the prophecy, he should kill her now.

But Ileon was hesitating.

‘What.’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with an answer.

It felt like he needed to meet that woman one more time to resolve this curiosity.

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

He would face some criticism, but people forget past events surprisingly easily when given something sensational.

“We should hold a hunting competition.”

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

“A hunting competition, you say?”

“Yes.”

Ileon lifted the corner of his lips.

“It’s a competition where anything happening wouldn’t be strange at all.”

“Understood. Where shall we set the location?”

“Isn’t there a forest owned by the imperial family behind the palace? That will do.”

“……There are only small animals in the forest. Shall we release some magical beasts?”

“Magical beasts……”

As he repeated the words ‘magical beasts’, Ileon finally recalled the existence of his younger sister.

“Come to think of it, what happened to Reina?”

“Duke Servantes killed her. He really did feed her to the magical beasts. When we found her, not a scrap of flesh remained.”

At his subordinate’s report, Ileon burst into hearty laughter.

In the loud laughter that echoed off the ceiling, not even a speck of affection for his sister could be found.

“Release magical beasts into the forest. There’s nothing better than magical beasts for disposing of corpses.”

“Who shall we send invitations for the hunting competition to?”

“Send them to all the nobles in the vicinity.”

“Understood.”

A few days later, a hunting competition hosted by the imperial palace was held.

The imperial family’s forest, densely packed with tall trees, made one wonder what might be inside.

Everyone who received an invitation attended. Except for one person, Balt.

Wearing hunting clothes with a smooth sheen, Ileon smiled pleasantly as he explained the rules of the hunting competition.

“Thank you all for gracing us with your presence despite your busy schedules. The purpose of this hunting competition is to hunt magical beasts. From easy-to-kill low-grade beasts to high-grade beasts, hunt various magical beasts and bring back proof. The winner will be the one who captures the most, and the most difficult magical beasts.”

People stirred, perhaps not knowing they would be hunting magical beasts. But the commotion quickly died down.

“I, the emperor, will also participate, so there’s no need to worry. And, a grand prize will be awarded to the winner.”

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

At someone’s question, Ileon whispered to his aide.

Soon, the aide brought out a box wrapped in expensive cloth from inside a red tent, holding it with both hands.

Receiving the box from his aide, Ileon showed its contents to the people.

Click.

“Gasp!”

Someone let out an exclamation.

Inside the box were dazzlingly luxurious jewels.

They were of a noticeably different quality from regular jewels sold in the market. The box was overflowing with high-quality diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and the like, with superior luster and purity.

Even a single jewel seemed enough to buy ten mansions in the capital.

“These are precious treasures that were buried beneath the Shan Kingdom, which perished and disappeared ten years ago. By the way, this is just a bonus for the winner, and I will grant any one wish they desire.”

At Ileon’s explanation, Celiya’s eyes turned bloodshot.

Celiya, the princess of the Shan Kingdom, knew that Ileon’s words were lies.

On the day her kingdom fell, all the jewels, possessions, and living things alike were burned to ashes.

Those words were deliberately meant to provoke her.

Indeed, as he finished his explanation, Ileon’s gaze lingered on Celiya.

Ileon stared with a very persistent gaze at Celiya’s bloodshot eyes.

Killing intent was added to the resentment and hatred in her eyes towards Ileon.

Ileon smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Celiya’s face.

However, Dietrich, who was beside her, covered Celiya’s view with his large hand.

Ileon raised one corner of his mouth as he looked at Dietrich’s dry expression.

As the captain of the imperial knights, Dietrich could not disobey Ileon’s orders publicly.

Of course, if Celiya hadn’t been there, Dietrich might not have shown his face at this hunting competition.

But because he had something to protect, he showed up despite his displeased expression.

Ileon found it amusing.

Acting as if she were something very precious, when they weren’t even real lovers.

Even in this situation, he couldn’t leave Celiya alone and brought her to the hunting competition.

Seeing their clasped hands, Ileon had his aide bring a large box.

“Open the box.”

Thud!

With a heavy sound, the weapons inside the box were revealed.

Bows and longswords, axes, maces, and so on.

The box was filled with all sorts of deadly weapons.

Dietrich looked at Ileon with indifferent eyes.

Dietrich could tell what Ileon was thinking when he held this competition.

This hunting competition was not for hunting magical beasts.

Under the pretext of a hunting competition, it was a competition held to ‘kill’ someone.

It could be Celiya, or it could be Dietrich.

If Dietrich had not attended the hunting competition, he probably would have used another ploy.

Ileon was that kind of person, and then some.

If Arthur was a man who acted recklessly without thinking, Ileon was a thoroughly calculating man who made plans and moved according to those plans.

“Take the weapon you want and go hunt the magical beasts.”

“……”

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

Ileon smiled pleasantly. His blue eyes deepened in his narrowed gaze.

The noble ladies who had come to support their husbands in the hunting competition were mesmerized by Ileon’s smile.

Eventually…….

“My lady, where are you going!”

The noble ladies handed over to Ileon the handkerchiefs they had intended to give their husbands.

“Your Imperial Majesty, would you accept this?”

“Thank you.”

Ileon’s hands were full of handkerchiefs given by the noble ladies. There was a wide variety, from handkerchiefs embroidered with gold thread to those showing traces of effort despite clumsy craftsmanship.

Some noble ladies tried to give their handkerchiefs to Dietrich instead of Ileon, but Dietrich was only paying attention to Celiya as if they didn’t even exist.

His gaze, dry and withered towards others, softened immeasurably when looking at Celiya.

“Why does Duke Calypso keep that woman by his side?”

“I heard she’s a witch who brings misfortune……”

“Look. Even though she’s supposed to be Duke Calypso’s lover, she’s not even giving him a handkerchief. Doesn’t she wish for His Grace’s safety?”

The noble ladies gossiped about Celiya behind her back.

Dietrich cast a cold gaze at the gossiping noble ladies.

At his fierce glance, the noble ladies’ mouths closed without exception.

“I called Anderson, so he should be here soon.”

Celiya thought Dietrich was being too overprotective of her.

Celiya had her ability.

She also had the fine dagger Dietrich had recently gifted her.

But Dietrich worried about her as if she were a child left by the water’s edge.

“For this hunting competition, it would be best if Duke Calypso, the captain of the imperial knights, departs first.”

At Ileon’s words, Dietrich’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Set out. So many people are waiting, aren’t they?”

Ileon pushed Dietrich’s back.

“……Take care. Don’t get hurt.”

Celiya bid farewell.

“Of course.”

Dietrich smiled gently at Celiya as he took out a longsword from the box.

“I’ll be back.”

Celiya waved her hand towards the departing Dietrich.

If my heart aches at your kind smile, it must be because I’ve come to like you.