The horn signaling the start of the hunting tournament echoed long and loud, and the horses galloped forward in unison. Victor took the lead with a vigorous start, while Henrik followed behind him with an air of composure, reins firmly in hand.

“…My brother seems confident,” Dana murmured, her spirits slightly dampened as the horses dispersed into the underbrush, disappearing from view.

“What if Sir Victor doesn’t catch anything, Lady Amelia?” she asked nervously.

“That won’t happen. He seems very capable,” Amelia reassured her with a calm smile, which brought a bit of brightness back to Dana’s face.

“Baron Blondel, Sir Victor’s father, comes from a long line of soldiers, as does the entire Blondel family,” Dana added.

“I see,” Amelia replied.

“When my brother heard that, he just smirked and said, ‘At least that’s one good thing about him.'”

Amelia couldn’t help but chuckle softly at Dana’s remark. Even stoic Henrik seemed less than thrilled at the prospect of his younger sister marrying too quickly.

“Cookies, my ladies,” came a polite voice from beside them. A maid in a simple gray dress layered with an apron extended a basket toward them. As the hunting tournament was expected to last several hours, it seemed snacks were being distributed.

“Thank you,” Amelia said as she and Dana each took a cookie. The rich scent of butter wafted up as Amelia set her cookie on a handkerchief spread over her lap. Another maid soon followed, passing out pewter cups filled with milk. The spectator stands grew lively with chatter and the sound of nibbling as everyone settled in for the wait.

“Now we just have to wait,” Dana said, chewing her cookie with a hint of boredom. Entering the forest was prohibited, as there was always a risk of a stray arrow mistakenly hitting someone.

The scenery was beautiful, and a gentle breeze blew at just the right moments, but it felt slightly restrictive to be confined to the shaded spectator stands beneath the parasols.

“So this is where you’ve been,” came a voice.

“Oh, Lady Romberry,” Amelia greeted as the noblewoman approached. Her hair was styled high with a small decorative hat perched atop, and she too held a pewter cup.

“I’ve been passing the time chatting with different people until the winner returns,” Lady Romberry said with a laugh.

“How is the winner determined?” Amelia asked, taking the initiative on behalf of Dana, who was likely anxious about Victor’s performance.

“The first to catch a deer wins. There aren’t any large animals like bears or elk in this forest,” Lady Romberry explained. Unlike the snowy mountains where sled races were held in winter—home to wolves and bears—this area only housed deer and foxes.

“The Crown Prince always took first place, but with him absent this year, who knows? Why didn’t he participate, I wonder… Oh!” Lady Romberry’s musings were interrupted as she looked around in surprise.

“Where has His Highness gone?”

Amelia followed Lady Romberry’s gaze. The emperor, smiling benevolently, was engaged in conversation with Marika, but the seat next to him, where Josef had been sitting, was indeed empty.

“Could he have changed his mind suddenly?” Lady Romberry speculated.

“…Perhaps,” Amelia said vaguely.

“And from here, the emperor’s seat is quite visible,” Lady Romberry observed, her tone tinged with curiosity. Many nobles were also discreetly watching the emperor; opportunities to observe him directly were rare unless one was a high-ranking official. At events like this, every move the emperor made became a spectacle.

A distant cheer broke the hum of conversation.

“What’s happening?”

“It seems someone succeeded,” came a reply. The crowd grew noisy as the sound of hoofbeats drew closer.

—

Amelia recalled Lady Romberry’s earlier comment that Josef always claimed first place in the tournament. And now, his seat was conspicuously empty.

Could it be? Was Josef about to emerge from the underbrush, trophy in hand? Amelia suspected she wasn’t the only one entertaining this thought as others eyed his vacant seat.

But it was Henrik who appeared on horseback instead, returning to the stands.

“My brother?”

Dana shot up from her seat, initially surprised, but her expression quickly turned complicated. Disappointed, she plopped back into her chair, clearly having hoped Victor would be the first to return.

“So the captain of the guard claims victory in place of the Crown Prince, huh?” someone muttered behind them. The comment, tinged with envy and admiration, was soon drowned out by thunderous applause and cheers.

Henrik guided his horse in a slow circle before the stands, a customary gesture for successful hunters. Tied to the back of his saddle was a deer, its head pierced cleanly by an arrow.

As the applause subsided, Henrik dismounted. He carried the deer under one arm and approached the emperor’s seat. Josef, now back in his place beside Marika, appeared to have only briefly stepped away, putting an end to any speculation.

Henrik knelt on one knee and placed the large deer at Marika’s feet with a respectful demeanor. A handkerchief, likely Marika’s, was wrapped around the deer’s head to conceal the wound, marking her as the recipient and showcasing Henrik’s chivalry. The deer’s impressive antlers jutted out like the branches of an ancient tree.

“…Why did it have to be my brother who took first place?” Dana muttered in frustration, watching the emperor praise Henrik with a warm expression.

“Now Sir Victor will be compared to him.”

“My, Dana, it seems you’ve already taken Blondel’s side,” Lady Romberry teased with a cheerful laugh.

It was long after the arena had settled that the second successful knight returned. Judging by his lack of the imperial knighthood uniform, he appeared to be a knight from a noble’s estate. The deer slung over his shoulders was just as large as the one Henrik had brought back.

Fortunately, Victor returned as the sixth to succeed. The deer tied with a handkerchief was somewhat smaller, but Dana, who had been anxiously waiting, looked overwhelmingly relieved just to see that Victor wasn’t too late. She was far more thrilled than when Henrik, the first-place winner, received a bow and quiver from the emperor.

—

When ten knights had successfully returned with their catches, an imperial knight blew the horn to signal the end of the tournament. Soon after, the remaining participants trudged back empty-handed. As the competition was based on the speed of the hunt, there was a strict time limit.

With the tournament concluded, the nobles dispersed, riding off in carriages, some carrying deer and others not. Amelia also climbed into her carriage alone. The journey back felt shorter than the trip there.

After disembarking and passing through the east gate toward her residence, Amelia walked along a path lined with lush trees. The dense branches and swaying leaves cast enough shade that she didn’t need her parasol. Occasionally, the foliage obscured her view.

“…”

That’s why she noticed Josef standing near the mansion’s outer wall too late to turn away unnoticed. Had she seen him earlier, she might have avoided the encounter altogether.

“…Greetings, Your Highness,” Amelia said reluctantly, stepping forward and bowing. The distance between them wasn’t close, but it was enough for her greeting to be heard.

“You broke your promise,” Josef’s low voice rang out. Amelia hesitated, then slowly raised her head. His appearance was as composed as usual, but something about him felt strangely off.

“Your Highness, but…”

“But what?”

…But where should she start? Surely the imperial crown prince wasn’t ignorant of Olstein’s traditions, so explaining the significance of the handkerchief seemed unnecessary. If anyone should demand an explanation, it was Amelia, not Josef.

“…”

Josef spoke again as Amelia hesitated.

“A broken promise deserves punishment, doesn’t it?”

Then, without warning, he bent down. Amelia instinctively stepped back.

“Ah!”

She let out a startled cry as she saw what Josef placed on the grass.

It was a small fawn, curled up on the ground. Amelia’s earlier sense of unease about Josef had been because he had been holding this fawn close to him the entire time.

“What… what happened?” Amelia asked as she naturally sat on the grass near him, drawn by the sight of the trembling fawn. Its head was pressed to the ground, and its small body quivered in fear.

“It was in the hunting grounds,” Josef said.

The fawn blinked its smooth, pebble-like eyes a few times, seeming to calm down slightly. It raised its head, sniffed the air a few times, and then, unsteady on its disproportionately long legs, stumbled awkwardly toward Amelia.

“It’s less than a week old,” Josef added.

“…”

“After the hunting tournament, it’s not uncommon for one or two to be left behind.”

Amelia watched the fawn wander around her, stepping on her dress as it pleased. While she wasn’t one to mourn the deer sacrificed to the knights’ arrows, seeing this young, milk-dependent fawn left alone stirred an undeniable sense of pity.

As if it had taken a liking to her, the fawn began nuzzling against Amelia’s lap. She stroked its fur, feeling its warm, living heat against her hand.

Surely not…

A chilling thought crossed Amelia’s mind as she looked up at Josef.

“…Do you mean for me to kill it?”

“What?”

Josef laughed incredulously.

“Why would you think that?”

“…”

“There’s no point in killing something so small and helpless.”

Then, does he mean for her to kill it when it grows older? But looking at Josef’s expression, which showed no hint of such intentions, she felt that wasn’t the case.

Amelia had been certain that Josef, of all people, wouldn’t feel sympathy or a desire to save an animal. His suggestion caught her completely off guard.

“Raise it,” he said.

“What?”

“It seems to like you.”

As if proving his point, the fawn had nestled by Amelia’s feet, looking somewhat weary, likely from hunger.

“…”

As always, Amelia wasn’t particularly inclined to go along with Josef’s suggestions. For her, Olstein was a difficult, unwelcoming place. Developing emotional attachments here felt burdensome and uncomfortable.

It was unsettling how her life was becoming more entwined with this place—how the crown princess’s residence was gradually shaping to her taste, and how she found peace sitting in the garden with Josef, basking in the sunlight.

“Alright,” Amelia finally said with a nod. Accepting this, she thought, could be its own kind of penance.