Bang!

The bullet fired.

The gunshot sliced through the air, followed by the sound of something heavy falling in the bushes. The hunting dogs grew restless at the scent of blood, eager to race toward the target. The hunters followed the dogs to collect their fallen prize.

Baron Würgen’s gentle terrain made it ideal for hunting. Being a hunting enthusiast himself, Baron Würgen’s hospitality proved convenient under the pretext of hunting.

The stay stretched unusually long compared to normal hunting trips.

“Your Grace’s skills remain excellent.”

Baron Würgen flattered Kian. Though Würgen served the Larson house, an unannounced visit for hunting outside the season must have been unexpected news. Yet despite the potentially bewildering situation, Baron Würgen seemed thoroughly excited.

It made sense. A very unofficial and personal visit from the Duke.

Moreover, building a close relationship through their shared interest in hunting would be nothing short of a shortcut to success from Baron Würgen’s perspective.

His excessive enthusiasm became understandable.

“Thanks to you.”

Kian lowered his gun barrel, still trailing smoke, giving a brief response.

“I’m not just saying this to flatter you, but you amaze me every single day. If all the beasts in the territory die out at this rate, I wonder what pleasure I’ll have left in life.”

The flattery was obvious to any observer.

Kian maintained an indifferent expression, swallowing a derisive laugh at the transparent adulation.

“I’m grateful for your warm welcome despite my sudden visit.”

“Not at all. Please come whenever you need to hunt. My wife left for the capital, and I was feeling lonely. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten to host a precious guest, so it worked out well.”

“Won’t your wife dislike it if I come too often?”

“Not at all. She hardly stays at the mansion anyway. She said she hated this rural place since she first married in. I can endure it because I’m obsessed with hunting, but my wife absolutely detests it.”

The hunting began immediately the day after arrival. It required little elaborate preparation.

Advance notice might have warranted different arrangements, but not this time. The schedule remained simple: light hunting in the morning, rest in the afternoon.

This followed his usual habit. When the ocean smell became too much, he craved the scent of earth. Usually, horse riding in his territory satisfied this urge, but the recent heavy rain had made the salty ocean smell particularly persistent.

That drove him here. The hunting trip stemmed from impulse; no particular reason beyond that.

“A deer! We’ve caught quite a large one!”

One of the hunters came running to report the hit. An unusually large catch for their first prize of the day.

“We’ll get to taste venison for dinner after a long time. It’s amazing. These creatures show such caution that they would all hide after several days of gunshots. This is all thanks to Your Grace.”

“The kitchen master will have his hands full preparing it for dinner.”

“Not just the cooking, but thanks to you, my trophy room has grown considerably. They’re all gifts from Your Grace. My friends will probably die of envy when they see them.”

“I’m glad it made for a good gift.”

The trivial pleasantries had become tiresome.

“Shall we wrap up here?”

“What? Are you tired?”

“No. I’m just not feeling it as much as I expected.”

Even he couldn’t understand his own capriciousness.

Their several-day stay had yielded numerous trophies. This abundance filled the dining table with dishes daily, and expanded the Baron’s collection, but Kian found no particular enjoyment in it.

Compared to the trophy he had taken at the mansion, everything else seemed mundane.

No matter how good the meat tasted, it couldn’t compare to the feeling of holding that woman that night.

He had m*sturbated four times during his four-day stay. One of those times was this morning. His mind filled with thoughts of that woman.

A woman whose name was all he knew.

Though he said it wasn’t an act, that only applied to their physical relationship.

He took her to prevent her escape. Despicably, he had considered his fiancée. She remained unaware that from the moment of her arrival, her very existence posed a threat.

Even while yearning for this side of things, if she showed needless hesitation, making her an accomplice proved the best method.

Reality surpassed acting when the goal was to show off to someone.

That’s why he took her, but.

Still. Why did she persist in his thoughts?

Her eyelashes fluttering slowly while standing on tiptoe to kiss him. Her trembling fingertips worried about the ribbon coming undone. Her tiny feet, ankles so thin they seemed breakable, and the new flesh that sprouted behind them.

The s*x proved incomparably good, but these trivial and insignificant details kept stirring in his mind.

Something small, insignificant, and pretty.

Something he wanted to hold in his hands and destroy simultaneously.

The problem lay in how this peculiarity wedged its way into his rigid daily life.

Just when he thought she might perfectly decorate his bleak bedroom, she kept getting on his nerves.

So what, did he plan to fall in love?

With a woman who didn’t even know his true identity?

No, perhaps he couldn’t reveal his identity.

The inexplicable discomfort he felt from their first meeting persisted until now.

Whatever her identity, it didn’t matter. His plans would remain unchanged, and he would keep her by his side only for as long as necessary.

Hadn’t he already shown excessive favor to a woman of unknown origin? That’s why he deliberately maintained his distance.

If instinct preceded reason, he couldn’t proceed according to plan.

While Kian pondered what he had left at home, the men emerged from the forest carrying the fallen deer.

“The antlers on this stag look magnificent. Shall we work on the head and send it to the duchy?”

“You mean that?”

“Yes. The trophy. Though you said you’d bestow them to me, I thought I should prepare at least one for you. We have a very skilled craftsman in our territory. He can make it look so lifelike…”

“Ah, that won’t be necessary. I’m already collecting something else in my trophy room.”

Kian flatly refused.

“What kind of things?”

“Since Larson borders the sea, it’s not land animals.”

“If it’s sea creatures, do you mean things like turtles or sharks? I’m curious about what Your Grace collects.”

Kian let out a small laugh before reluctantly answering.

“It’s a secret. I’m collecting something even more rare.”

The questions had become annoying. Time to head back.

Even killing time with this boring hunting game had reached its limit.

Kian lightly gripped the reins and turned his horse around.

He heard Baron Würgen following behind.

He deliberately rode ahead, hoping the talkative and bothersome hunting enthusiast wouldn’t speak to him.

“Ah, Baron Würgen.”

After arriving at the mansion and dismounting, Kian spoke seemingly remembering something.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“If it’s alright, may I ask for something else?”

“Of course. Please ask anything.”

A personal request from a duke to a mere baron of a rural borderland territory was uncommon.

Originally, hunting enthusiasts showed decidedly goal-oriented personalities, and everyone would advance if circumstances allowed. No man lacked interest in advancement. Baron Würgen’s face flushed thoroughly.

“About the chocolate served for dessert yesterday.”

“The chocolate?”

“Yes. Could I taste it once more?”

Perhaps the request seemed too trivial.

Wanting to taste the chocolate one more time. Baron Würgen’s face showed slight bewilderment.

“It was made with rum. Did it suit your taste, Your Grace?”

“Yes. Not too sweet. It hit the right notes in many ways.”

“I’m honored. I’ll tell the kitchen master to make more for the formal dinner.”

“No, I’ll be returning to Larson territory.”

“Already?”

When Kian cut him off decisively, Baron Würgen’s face fell like someone who had lost a friend.

“I’ve enjoyed myself sufficiently, thanks to you, Baron Würgen.”

“The honor was mine. It was a privilege to hunt with such an excellent partner as Your Grace. Please come again anytime, and I’ll have everything prepared in advance. Ah, of course, you don’t need to notify us in advance, we can prepare right away!”

He truly despised such needless desperation. The flood of flattery had become exhausting.

Kian slightly furrowed his brow as he reached for the cigar case in his inner pocket. A smoke before returning to the mansion seemed necessary.

Usually, he smoked mainly on the bedroom balcony, but she occupied that space now.