Chapter 2. The Beginning of Life’s Second Act

“Oh, let’s play one more round!”

A red flag cut through the fierce wind, passing over the endless horizon.

And below it, a chess game was in full swing on a massive cruiser.

“The game’s over, man.”

At Leon’s words, Luke, the captain of the Second Royal Guard of the Hunt Kingdom and ranked third in popularity within the palace, frowned deeply.

“This is cheating, isn’t it?”

“Cheating? How so?”

“Since when can a bishop move forward like that!”

Right, wasn’t the bishop supposed to move diagonally?

On a large sofa slightly away from the chessboard,

Charlie, who was watching the chess game while drinking quince tea with Hector, shook her head disapprovingly.

Meanwhile, Hector, who had been worried about whether Charlie was startled by the earthquake, smiled faintly at her noticeably fresher pheromones.

“This is all because of the chess set the Emperor gave us.”

Leon quipped as he picked up the king.

During their last expedition, the Hunt Knights had failed to find the card that Noel had blown away.

As a result, the Knights were left without their plaything.

Of course, they could have simply bought new cards, but the Hunt Knights didn’t do that.

It was due to the Knights’ tradition of not enjoying anything unless it was bestowed by the head of the Hunt family.

They also didn’t have time to enjoy games due to the series of events following the expedition.

[He said he’d reward us to commend our merits.]

As it happened, Kaisis had bestowed his favorite chess set to the Hunt Knights.

It was truly a gift from the Emperor.

The white pieces made of opal and the black pieces made of obsidian were even inlaid with diamonds, and the board made of gold was so splendid it was almost blinding.

‘The scale here is just too big.’

Charlie stared blankly at the incredibly luxurious chess pieces.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It means I do as I please.”

“In technical terms, it means he’s doing whatever he wants.”

The Knights chuckled as they chimed in with Leon.

Luke’s bottom, now thoroughly annoyed, jumped up a span.

“What does the Emperor have to do with cheating? This is abuse of power! It is.”

As Luke voiced his grievance, Tanner, who had been observing, added:

“If you don’t like it, you could always become the Commander of the Royal Guard by beating Sir Leon.”

“W-What are you saying…”

Luke’s mouth gaped in shock.

“Why are you suddenly so shocked?”

Derek, the captain of the Third Royal Guard of the Hunt Kingdom and proudly ranked second in popularity, muttered indifferently.

“Today’s night watch goes to the Second Knight Division!”

And so, Luke’s king fell with a thud into an empty container in Leon’s hand.

“Another day.”

“Yet another day.”

Gerard and Sam, members of the Second Guard Division, sighed.

Percy patted their shoulders, offering words of comfort.

“You can draw better next time.”

In the Hunt Kingdom, regardless of rank among the guard divisions, the Imperial First Guard Division took the vanguard, the Second provided support, and the Third handled special missions.

Also, they periodically rotated the members of each division, except for the division captains.

The selection method was none other than drawing lots.

[Alright, next is Percy’s ladder start!]

To think they’re selecting members by drawing lots.

Charlie let out a chuckle, thinking it was truly befitting of the Hunt Knights.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

Hector, embracing Charlie from behind, asked as he buried his face in her lush silver hair.

Charlie offered one shoulder for Hector to lean on comfortably as she replied.

“I’m just amazed that Sir Luke always seems to be the one getting picked on.”

“It’s been like that since he was young.”

“Since he was young?”

“On days like this when he’d get picked on, he’d wander in front of my office with a sullen face. But he never came in.”

A smile spread across Hector’s face as old memories surfaced.

Back then, he never thought such happiness would come to him.

No, Hector didn’t even know the definition of happiness.

“So what did you do? Did you scold Sir Leon?!”

“Why would I scold him?”

Hector turned to look at Charlie with a puzzled expression.

Blink- blink.

A moment of silence passed between them.

The attention that had been on the chessboard was now focused on Charlie and Hector.

“Then, what did you do for him?”

Charlie asked Hector again.

“Do for him?!”

What should he have done for Luke?

Hector fell into deep thought.

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his expression brightened.

“I increased his allowance.”

“……”

In an instant, the atmosphere on the cruise turned as cold as if someone had poured ice water.

The members who had been thinking, ‘No wonder Luke’s allowance was as much as any noble’s,’ swallowed dryly, and Luke, who had firmly believed until now that ‘He gave me more because he favored me,’ seemed to be in shock.

‘…Of course.’

For a moment, they had forgotten. The fact that the man before them was ‘Hector Hunt’.

Well, wasn’t that Hector’s own way of showing affection towards Luke?

Charlie smiled, lifting the corners of her mouth.

“You did something quite valuable and good for him.”

Hector rested his head on Charlie’s shoulder again, his face filled with satisfaction.

“It was nothing.”

* * *

“There are only minor injuries, no serious injuries or fatalities, and no tremors were detected in areas outside the capital. Also, I heard that the blizzard in the north stopped shortly after we left.”

In the deep of night while Charlie slept,

Hector’s expression darkened as he received Leon’s report.

After observing Hector’s reaction for a moment, Leon added,

“…It’s as if it’s following us.”

“I know.”

At Hector’s words, Tanner, who had been standing by, lost his composure.

He was someone who has regressed to the past.

But what Tanner knew was only the situation before the regression.

He didn’t know about the present where Charlie had changed the future.

“Your Highness, could it be… a Grand Master?”

Hector rubbed his gaunt face.

“Yes.”

Hector could sense it since Charlie awakened as Miracle and was declared a saintess.

That a light energy, different from Kaisis’s, was surrounding Charlie.

And that its identity was a Grand Master like himself.

The blizzard in the north was caused by a spatial rift.

This was something only a Grand Master could do.

Moreover, the power was unstable, and even the source of the attempted magic was unknown.

“Has the real princess returned?”

Leon asked.

It was quite a plausible guess.

Charlie awakened as Miracle, her marriage to Hector, a Grand Master, and even the independence of the Hunt Kingdom…

On the surface, the current Graham Imperial family could be seen as being in crisis.

The missing princess.

If she were alive, it would be natural for her to return.

But there was a major flaw in the premise, so Tanner answered instead of Hector.

“Princess Scarlet’s rank was Master.”

Leon, taken aback, asked again.

“What?! Master? Wasn’t the princess a Grand Master?”

“That was a lie announced by the late Emperor to appease the public. The princess’s actual magical power was that of a Master.”

“W-What…”

Leon’s face turned ashen.

Another Grand Master.

It had only been a few months since they had found peace.

“Then shouldn’t we return to the palace immediately?”

Even if they returned right away to prepare for war, it might not be enough.

But Hector spoke firmly.

“We’re not going back.”

Tanner, trying to gauge his lord’s thoughts, carefully asked.

“What do you plan to do?”

“We’ll wait and see.”

Whether they’ll be an enemy or an ally.

Or if they’ll need to be killed.

“We are on our honeymoon. Make sure the Queen has nothing to worry about.”

As Hector snapped his fingers, the darkness surrounding the cruise grew even thicker.

* * *

The previous night.

The cruise, having sped past the warp of the Wilkins Duchy at a tremendous speed, safely arrived at Chatori Island before noon. The warm southern sun and gentle breeze welcomed the Hunt royal family.

“It’s the sea~!”

Could it be that good? Was that why she was making a sailboat and wiggling her toes?

Hector’s lips curved into a soft arc at Charlie’s actions, hopping on the sandy beach.

“We passed by the sea, too.”

Step, step—

Charlie, leaving footprints on the white sand, suddenly stopped.

“This sea is different from that sea.”

“How is it different?”

Hector looked puzzled.

What could it be? This deep sense of déjà vu.

Charlie clicked her tongue.

“The scenery is different, isn’t it?”

Charlie’s outstretched hand swept around the beach.

Following her gesture, Hector’s gaze moved.

Soon, the vast white sandy beach, which was refreshing just to look at, filled Hector’s vision.

Yet, no matter how he looked at it, it was just the same sea.

Unable to understand, Hector tilted his head.

“Scenery?”

Charlie added.

“And you can’t step on that sea, but this sea, like this!”

Thud—!

Her small foot gently pressed into the sand.

“You can step on it.”

What did she mean by not being able to step on it?

Hector’s curiosity deepened.

Meanwhile, Charlie was in ecstasy.

“Does the region resemble its owner?”

The northern Hunt Kingdom was filled with black.

A prime example was the black roia tree that only grew in the north, resembling Hector.

In contrast, the south was filled with greenery everywhere one looked.

The high blue sky and the emerald sea that was clear enough to see through.

It looked just like Noel’s hair melted down.

How long had she been wandering around, leaving small footprints?

Hector asked meaningfully,

“Do you like this island?”

“!”

Leon, the knights, and Tanner, who were standing by, all froze at once.

However, not noticing them, Charlie casually replied.

“Of course. I love it.”

“I see.”

“…….”

At that moment, a chill swept across the beach as if a snowstorm had blown through.

Tanner was thinking about how to take Chatori Island without armed conflict, and the knights quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain in case of war.

“Oh?!”

Just then, Charlie smiled as she discovered a multicolored seashell.

She thought of giving it as a gift to Emma, the head maid of the Hunt royal palace, who couldn’t come due to a cold.

[I’ll bring back a souvenir.]

Not wanting to pass her cold to Charlie, Emma, without anyone telling her, was self-isolating.

‘I won’t say anything this time.’

Charlie quickly tucked the seashell into her pocket, worried someone might see.

The Hunt Knights would surely catch a giant clam alive if they found out.