Around the time I was feeling drowsy after finishing lunch, Summer handed me a small letter.

“Miss, a letter has arrived.”

It was a warm letter from the daughter of Marquis Tepe, inviting me to attend a hunting competition being held in her territory.

“Summer, are hunting competitions done with bows?”

“There have been a few hunting competitions done with guns recently, but usually it is done with bows, yes?”

At Summer’s reply, I hesitated for quite a while before opening my mouth.

Standing out is not ideal, but I need to gather information too, so I should attend.

“All right, could you send a letter saying I will attend?”

The territory of Marquis Tepe was one with dense mountains, making it ideal conditions for hunting.

Since it was my very first hunting competition, I was fairly nervous, but I was gradually able to regain my composure.

It was not as though I would be shooting a bow from the back of a galloping horse. I would be standing still and shooting arrows at animals that were already dead.

Even for a hunting competition among young ladies, was this not a bit too dismissive?

I thought it might be better since I was not skilled at horseback riding, but no matter how I thought about it, it was far too dull.

This distance must be about twenty meters or so.

It was far too close a distance for a South Korean archery athlete.

Whether they had chosen a day without a single breath of wind, not a strand of hair stirred throughout the entire time of shooting.

And then came the grand first-place prey.

“Now, whoever catches this prey will take first place! Right here! You must catch a moving rabbit in a windy field.”

The first-place prey being a rabbit…

I had thought it would be a live rabbit, but it turned out to be a dead rabbit with a string attached to make it move.

The person who confidently went first was the daughter of Marquis Tepe.

If she was confident enough to host a hunting competition in her own territory, she must have been sure of her skills, and I was curious to see them.

Contrary to my expectations, the arrow shot by the marquis’s daughter did not travel far before dropping onto the field.

Even so, since it was a competition to determine a winner, the shooting distance seemed to have increased compared to the previous rounds.

Fifty meters at most, I supposed.

The arrows of the young ladies who challenged after her all failed to reach anywhere near the rabbit, defeated by the wind.

Because of that, no one stepped forward to try.

The gamekeeper, who had been so confident just moments before, began to look increasingly troubled.

“Is there no one else who would like to try?”

Awkward smiles were exchanged as everyone looked only at one another.

Amid the silence and the leaves swaying feebly in the wind, I raised my voice.

“I will try.”

“Oh, you are Lady Rumania of Count Rumania, are you not?”

“Yes.”

“Everyone, please give a round of applause for Lady Rumania of Count Rumania’s challenge.”

Before the gamekeeper had even finished speaking, the sound of applause rang out.

Leaving that applause behind me, I drew the bowstring.

As strength entered the hand gripping the bow and the string was pulled taut,

Twang.

The arrowhead of the swiftly flying arrow embedded itself precisely in the head.

Ooooh!

Cheers erupted from behind me.

“Lady Rumania of Count Rumania has caught the first-place prey!”

The gamekeeper, who had looked so troubled, now wore a bright expression just like when the competition had first begun.

A hunting competition in which a winner had emerged no longer needed to continue.

Just as I was about to head back, the daughter of Marquis Tepe approached me first.

“Lady Rumania!”

The daughter of Marquis Tepe came up to me cheerfully and immediately offered her thanks.

“Thank you for catching the rabbit just now. The truth is, I went first to boost the morale of the other ladies, but since I failed right from the start… I had been worried about what would happen if no one managed to catch it.”

“Not at all, I should be the one thanking you for inviting me to such an enjoyable hunting competition.”

What had been meant to be a brief exchange of pleasantries turned into a tea time before I knew it, as young ladies who had seen me talking with the daughter of Marquis Tepe came over one by one.

***

After finishing the brief recollection, I refocused on the situation at hand.

Making these adorable young ladies cry is not… the basic quality of a… no, of a noble lady.

“What a shame, my dear ladies… I’m afraid I cannot leave my seat because of the engagement ceremony.”

As I expressed genuine regret with an apologetic expression, all the noble ladies around me shot glares at Marquis Ter Giuo, who was standing nearby.

However, oblivious as he was, he simply shrugged his shoulders, pleased by the mere fact that the ladies’ gazes were directed at him.

“If my schedule allowed, I would love to attend all of them. But unfortunately…”

Though no tears came, I performed the ceremony of dabbing at my eyes with the handkerchief I had on hand. The reactions of the surrounding ladies to such a display were far from ordinary.

Sia Meyer, the daughter of Count Meyer’s household, who had been the most actively engaging me in conversation, opened her mouth.

“So then, is the young lady getting engaged to Marquis Ter Giuo?”

Starting with Meyer’s question, several of the nearby ladies opened their mouths as if they had been waiting for this very moment.

“Oh, right. I was curious about that too.”

It was a good opportunity. Since I didn’t know much about Giuo’s social reputation, it seemed like this was my chance to find out properly and use it as grounds to break off the engagement.

Of course, in the novel he was portrayed as a womanizing fool who ruined the marquisate, but that was after the marriage had already taken place, and right now I needed to find justification for breaking off the engagement.

“Could it be… that Marquis Ter Giuo has committed some impropriety toward the ladies without my knowledge?”

I sensed a peculiar atmosphere, as though they were exchanging glances with one another.

Five years of reading the room in sports clubs. There was no way I could miss this.

“I am asking because I wish to make a careful decision. So please, ladies, do not worry about hurting my feelings and speak freely.”

While everyone was busy reading the room and no one was speaking up, Ellie Roseman, who stood beside Meyer, carefully opened her mouth.

“There is one thing I witnessed…”

“What is it?”

“I saw Marquis Ter Giuo at the debutante of Lady Karl, the daughter of Viscount Russell, which was held recently. At that time, Marquis Ter Giuo behaved disgracefully toward Lady Russell…”

Before Roseman even finished speaking, the ladies around her began reacting one by one.

“That’s right.”

“I saw Lady Russell run out in tears.”

With so many ladies in agreement, it was clearly no small matter.

“Lady Roseman, could you elaborate a little more?”

“Marquis Ter Giuo, who had behaved disgracefully toward Lady Russell, not only refused to apologize but instead claimed that Lady Russell had seduced him first, and greatly ruined the lady’s debutante…”

“You’re saying the Marquis did not apologize?”

“Yes. The Marquis instead invoked his rank and made a scene, saying why should a marquis apologize to a viscount’s daughter.”

“So that is what happened. It must have been difficult to speak of. Thank you for telling me so readily, Lady Ellie.”

“Did the young lady not know of this?”

“Unfortunately, I had been ill recently and confined to my bedchamber for quite some time.”

“That explains it… I had thought there was no way the young lady would get engaged to the Marquis knowing this.”

No sooner had Roseman finished speaking than Meyer opened her mouth.

“This may be rude of me to say, but I think you are far too good for him.”

Sweet Meyer. I had known that myself for quite some time.

“Not at all, my lady. I am simply grateful that you think so highly of me.”

“To think that you are engaged to such a marquis, I cannot imagine it. If only you would just break off the engagement…”

In an instant, every lady around fell silent.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I said something I should not have said so carelessly.”

“Lady Meyer, do not blame yourself. It was not a careless thing to say.”

“What? But…”

“I will go and break off the engagement with Marquis Ter Giuo.”

I rose to my feet with confidence amidst the flustered ladies.

“The breakup, I will go and take care of it myself. So do not even think about canceling the promises you all just made.”

After speaking rather gallantly, I pressed my lips to the back of Lady Meyer’s hand like a knight, rose from my seat, and even threw in a wink.

After making my way through the ladies, Marquis Ter Giuo began walking toward me.

With the mindset of, this freedom I worked so hard to create, I will never let it be taken away. I began walking quickly despite wearing high heels.

I wasn’t sure where to go, but my feet did not stop.

In my attempt to shake off Marquis Ter Giuo, I kept deliberately turning corners until I was already somewhere unrecognizable. Without hesitation, I walked through the door that appeared before me.

Opening the door revealed a greenhouse, one through which the moonlight streamed in with unusual brilliance.

Beneath the brightly shining moonlight, blue butterflies danced and fluttered about, creating a breathtaking sight, but I was in no state to properly appreciate it.

“Lady Rumania!”