Clink, clink.

With each step, a rattling sound came from inside the pocket. How fortunate it was that the hunting pants had four large pockets.

Even though the pockets bulged awkwardly with the purple horns she had collected, making her pants look unsightly, Stella was in high spirits.

The more purple horns she gathered, the more she appreciated Milla’s choice of the perfect hunting outfit.

The people watching from outside the fence were no longer on Stella’s mind.

Having developed a taste for hunting, Stella darted around the hunting grounds with her eyes bright, searching for purple-horned lizards.

“Stella! There’s another one over there! It’s a big one this time!”

“Really? Let’s go!”

The earth fairies were just as excited. Afraid she might miss it, Stella sprinted in the direction Esta pointed.

“It’s behind that tree!”

Ark, perched on Stella’s head, shouted excitedly.

For hours, until the horn signaled the end of the hunt, Stella ran tirelessly, completely absorbed in hunting.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fireworks erupted, accompanied by applause and cheers from all around. Soon, the princesses who had entered the hunting grounds and the knights stationed everywhere for safety would emerge.

Milla stood anxiously at the entrance, waiting for Stella to appear.

As soon as the celebratory sounds began, the princesses rushed out of the hunting grounds as if they had been waiting for it.

Among them, several princesses emerged triumphantly, having caught a small monster or two. Most owed their success to the excellent weapons supplied from their homeland.

It was permissible to use simple weapons infused with a small amount of magical power inside the hunting grounds.

Melissa, who had been watching with a haughty gaze, scoffed at the princesses who, despite succeeding in hunting due to the magic in their weapons, acted as if they had done it all on their own.

“How cute.”

Just in case, she glanced at Kai, but no princess had caught his attention. Melissa asked in a more relaxed tone.

“What do you think of the princesses participating in the hunt this year? Is there anyone who caught your eye?”

Her tone carried a subtle hint of expectation.

Kai, seeing through Melissa’s transparent question, chuckled lightly and watched the princesses emerging from the hunting grounds.

Even as he looked at these women, as beautiful as blooming flowers, Kai’s gaze was as indifferent as if he were looking at rolling stones.

Watching Kai, who showed no emotion, Melissa leaned back in her chair as if bored. It was then.

Kai, who had been lounging lazily, suddenly sat up straight. Melissa quickly turned her head toward the entrance of the hunting grounds, following Kai’s gaze. She had a bad feeling.

Who was he looking at?

With dozens of princesses pouring out at once, it was hard to pinpoint anyone. Melissa scrutinized Kai again. The corners of his lips, which had been set in a straight, annoyed line, twitched slightly.

Was he smiling?

That was the expression Kai made when he found something intriguing—like when he discovered a swordsman with exceptional skills, a monster he had never caught before, or a weapon he didn’t own.

Without realizing her eyebrows were furrowing angrily, Melissa anxiously scanned the princesses pouring out.

Who is it? Who could it be?

Just before she was about to explode, Melissa’s eyes caught sight of someone, and her gaze sharpened.

A purple horn?

One princess, wearing a relatively plain hunting outfit compared to the others, pulled out a shining purple horn from her bulging pocket and waved it with a wide smile. The purple horn sparkled like amethyst in the sunlight.

A maid ran toward her. It seemed the princess was greeting the maid with the horn. She must have done quite a bit of hunting, judging by the number of horns in her pocket.

“That princess must have caught a purple-horned lizard. It looks like her knight helped a lot. But they helped too much, making her stand out compared to the other princesses.”

Melissa spoke as if it were nothing, pretending to be uninterested.

She expected Kai to say something, but he remained silent, only maintaining the faint smile as he continued to watch the same spot. It was clear that the person Kai was looking at was the princess with the purple horn.

“Do you like that princess?”

Melissa tried to ask as casually as possible, but her voice inadvertently carried an edge. As she cleared her throat to compose herself, Kai looked at her and smiled.

“No way.”

Although his smile was softer and kinder than before, Melissa somehow felt it was empty.

This was the first time she had ever felt this way. Forcing a smile, Melissa looked at the princess again. She was a woman whose smile was like sunshine.

“Princess, what is all that?” Milla asked, her eyes wide with disbelief at what the princess was waving.

“Oh! This? It’s a purple-horned lizard horn. Isn’t it really pretty?”

Of course, Milla knew it was a purple-horned lizard horn. What puzzled her was how Princess Stella had so many of them.

She had heard that knights sometimes helped with hunting, but it was usually just one or two creatures. It was the first time she had seen such overt assistance, as they were supposed to help discreetly.

“Did you really catch all of those yourself, Princess? Alone?”

“Yes. I’m quite impressive, aren’t I?”

“How… did you?”

“That’s a secret. Here, this is for you, Milla.”

Stella handed one of the horns she was holding to Milla.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“Because I caught it.”

Stella replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But Milla still looked confused. Including the ones in her pocket, Stella had a total of 11 purple horns.

“I should give one to Brynn, Darren, and Lianne too.”

It was a different kind of satisfaction than sharing the harvest. Stella gazed quietly at the sparkling purple horn and then said,

“I should give one to Royce too.”

* * *

Now, only the final event of the hunting festival remained.

For the first time in her life, having moved her body so vigorously, Stella felt like she was going to die from the aches and exhaustion that hit her later.

She sat in the very back seat of the Plant District with a grimace when Esmi, sitting a few seats away, waved and acknowledged her.

Stella smiled back, but she was so tired she couldn’t even tell if she was smiling or crying. Trying to stifle her constant yawning was also a struggle.

She couldn’t even hear the chatter from the front properly. She saw someone from the front row go up to receive something amid the applause.

Stella sat like a corpse, clapping, just waiting for this tedious ceremony to end quickly.

“Stella!”

She tried hard not to fall asleep but seemed to have dozed off for a moment. At the urgent sound of someone calling her, Stella’s eyes snapped open.

Still unaware that she had been sleeping, Stella straightened her back in embarrassment, pretending she hadn’t dozed off.

“Stella!”

She heard the voice calling again. Turning her head, she saw Esmi pointing toward the front, repeatedly calling her name.

“Why?”

Stella mouthed the question, not understanding, then slowly turned her head at the strange feeling and flinched. All the princesses around her were looking at Stella.

Had she really slept that deeply? Her mind went blank, and then a man whose face she couldn’t see called her name once more from the front.

“Princess Stella Oberlite from Amalrune.”

That’s her name.

Stella couldn’t understand why the man was calling her. Next to her, Esmi whispered, pointing to the front.

“Go up there.”

“What? Oh.”

Feeling at a loss, Stella slowly walked forward. The closer she got to the front, the more people stared at her.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Applause echoed from all around. Judging by the looks, it seemed they were applauding her, but not knowing the reason was driving her crazy.

She couldn’t very well say she didn’t hear what happened because she was dozing off, so she maintained an elegant smile outwardly.

“I am truly amazed. How could you be so skilled at hunting? Princess Stella, you have won the Rose Hunting Competition.”

“Thank you.”

Only then did Stella realize why she had been called up, and she responded with a composed demeanor as if she had known all along.

Shortly after, a man lavishly dressed presented a large box to Stella. Milla, appearing from nowhere, quickly approached and took the box from the man on Stella’s behalf.

Feeling lost about what to do, Stella was greatly relieved to see Milla, like finding an ally.

“This is a gift from His Majesty the Emperor to Princess Stella, the winner of the Rose Hunting Festival.”

Before attending the hunting festival, Stella had been instructed by Milla to bow in the direction of the Emperor, who was seated far away.

Hunting had been fun, and receiving a prize like this was an unexpected fortune. At this moment, Stella sincerely thanked the Emperor.

The Emperor was seated so far away that his face was hard to see. From where Stella was, all she could make out was his jet-black hair, broad shoulders, and an air of arrogance.

She couldn’t even remember how she got back to her seat. Somehow, the hunting festival ended, and she gained unexpected attention for her performance.

Some princesses from the Plant District, who had never spoken to her before, came over to congratulate her.

Even as Stella reluctantly accepted their congratulations, she couldn’t shake off an uneasy feeling. Among them were those who had mocked her while hanging out with Princess Annette.