“That’s quite a hasty assumption. The Duke of Rahins tends to be rather slow to act.”

“As usual, he’s a dull character.”

Duke Quito responded nonchalantly, moving his bishop. Known as the Northern Wolf, his aggressive temperament was at odds with his indifference toward the brewing tensions between the Central and Western regions.

Instead, Duke Quito poured his energy into exterminating barbarian tribes and hunting monsters, showing little interest in the subtle power struggles between the nobles and the emperor. This was a reflection of the Northern people’s attitude—they only respected wars that spilled real blood.

And it was precisely this attitude that made the emperor repeatedly choose Quito as his chess partner.

“Your Majesty, you’ve improved since last time.”

“I’ve had some excellent motivation.”

“Have you met another formidable opponent?”

A glimmer of curiosity appeared in Quito’s eyes. The emperor, recalling his previous crushing defeat, let out a hearty laugh.

“‘Formidable’ doesn’t even begin to describe them. They’re leagues beyond me.”

“If they’re that exceptional, I’d love to meet them as well. Surely, you’ll introduce us?”

“They’ve been quite busy lately, but I’ll arrange a meeting when the time comes.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

Quito moved his knight with a satisfied expression, but the game was already tipping slightly in the emperor’s favor.

“It seems fortune favors me today,” the emperor said with a smile, moving his queen.

“This weekend, I’ll host a hunting competition.”

“Again? Didn’t we just have one recently?”

Quito frowned as though the idea gave him a headache. The emperor simply smirked, his expression unbothered.

“This time, the prize is extraordinary. The winner will receive the Hand of Zeus.”

“…What?”

Quito stared blankly at the emperor, who declared checkmate and theatrically dusted off his hands. Picking up his tea with a relaxed air, the emperor added, “You should join, Quito. Who knows? You might just take home a remarkable trophy.”

Morning at Xavier’s duchy was as tranquil as a submerged pond.

With Hester off to the academy and the Duke of Xavier away on estate patrol, only Kias, Yelodia, and the staff remained at the mansion.

The siblings leisurely ate breakfast, their languid movements mirroring their mutual resemblance in both appearance and demeanor.

Sipping tea, Kias casually dropped a surprising piece of news.

“His Majesty plans to hold a hunting competition this weekend.”

“A hunting competition? On such short notice?”

Yelodia stared blankly at Kias, baffled. The event was to take place just a week before her engagement ceremony. She felt an irreverent urge to question the emperor’s intentions.

“It seems he wishes to formally introduce Baron Adrian to the nobility. His Majesty even sent me an invitation.”

“Will Fabian represent our family?”

“He’s the emperor’s guard. Trust me, he’ll be too busy to participate.”

“Oh…” Yelodia nodded in understanding, then frowned nervously. “Then… will you be going, Kias?”

“Unfortunately, I won’t have time. I’ll be busy preparing for your engagement ceremony.”

“Then surely not…”

Yelodia couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. The only one left was Hester. Kias chuckled wryly.

“We’ll just have to hope Hester manages to stay balanced in the saddle.”

Yelodia couldn’t help but laugh. Hester, of all people, was utterly unsuited for such an event.

He was more afraid of hunting dogs than wild animals and preferred feeding horses over riding them. In his spare time, he sat under trees reading books rather than engaging in any vigorous activity.

The idea of Hester representing the family at a hunting competition was almost laughable. If he wasn’t guaranteed last place, who would be?

“You should prepare as well,” Kias said suddenly.

“Me? For the hunt?”

“Yedi.”

Kias’s expression turned stern, and Yelodia instinctively pouted. She couldn’t help but feel she’d be better at hunting than Hester.

“The emperor specifically commanded your attendance.”

“As Hester’s stand-in?”

“Let me clarify,” Kias said sharply. “Ladies will also be attending. You won’t need to ride or shoot unless you want to.”

He mentally reviewed the knights he trusted to watch over her, his expression growing grim.

“One warning: you are absolutely not to hunt.”

Yelodia reluctantly gave up the idea of participating in the hunt. But her eyes soon lit up, cheeks flushing with excitement.

Even if she couldn’t join the hunt, the thought of watching others mount horses and draw bows was enough to quicken her pulse.

“Perhaps I might get the chance to ride a horse across the emperor’s vast hunting grounds.”

As Yelodiah fidgeted with her fingers, Kias raised an eyebrow.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, I just suddenly remembered something I need to do.”

With that reply, Yelodia started pacing in excitement.

Meanwhile, a messenger from the emperor also arrived at Edward’s office.

Upon reading the invitation, the naval officers were utterly flabbergasted and immediately began bombarding Edward with their concerns.

“Sir, do you even have hunting attire appropriate for the emperor’s hunting grounds?”

“Hunting attire?”

Edward’s nonchalant response ignited another wave of alarm.

The officers nearly jumped out of their skins and turned on Edward’s personal adjutant, grilling him relentlessly.

After enduring over two hours of badgering, Beyhern returned to Edward with a thoroughly exasperated expression and confronted him.

“Sir, you’re not seriously suggesting you don’t own any hunting attire, are you?”

“Well… I mean, is there a specific outfit one must wear for hunting?”

Edward genuinely couldn’t understand why it was such a big deal. As far as he was concerned, a shirt, vest, and trousers that were expendable would suffice for hunting.

Beyhern, however, appeared to be barely restraining his simmering frustration.

“Do you have archery gloves, then?”

“Archery gloves?”

That was the tipping point.

Edward was practically shoved out of his office by his adjutant, under the pretext of finding appropriate hunting attire fit for the emperor’s hunting grounds.

Pressing his temples with his fingers, Edward glanced wearily at Beyhern and Second Lieutenant Walter, who had accompanied him.

“Is borrowing an outfit not an option here?”

Beyhern’s response was long-winded and impassioned.

“Sir, as a noble bestowed a title directly by His Majesty, it would be unthinkable for you not to own a proper set of hunting attire. Imagine what the other nobles would say; this will undoubtedly become fodder for gossip.”

“…Fine. I understand what you’re saying.”

Though Edward responded as if he understood, he clearly didn’t.

“This is not something to dismiss lightly,” Walter chimed in, raising his voice. “Proper attire befitting the occasion is a fundamental aspect of being a noble.”

As the second son of Baron Walter, the second lieutenant had been doling out various pieces of advice to Edward about noble conduct for some time now. Lately, he often wore an expression that suggested he wanted to grab Edward by the collar.

“Take it easy. Didn’t I leave my office this morning to follow you two precisely for this reason? And I’ve got a mountain of work piling up.”

“Now is the time to decisively put work aside,” Walter declared.

“But that work is precisely why His Majesty pays me,” Edward retorted.

“Sir, you may not realize this, but hunting attire follows trends. If you wear something out-of-date, it will haunt your reputation for years. Trust me, I’ll ensure you get hunting attire that suits you perfectly.”

Walter’s eyes burned with a sense of mission, leaving Edward feeling utterly drained.

“What about that shop over there? It’s popular among nobles for hunting gloves, boots, and protective gear.”

“Then let’s go there,” Edward replied flatly.

Walter had pointed to a sophisticated-looking shop. Through its clean glass windows, various hunting hats could be seen on display.

As Edward granted his approval, Walter’s face lit up with determination.

“We’ll browse this shop first, and then check out a few others as well.”

“…Fine,” Edward sighed, lacking the energy to argue. He still couldn’t fathom why he needed a separate outfit just for hunting but had long since given up debating the matter with his subordinates.

All he wanted was to let them handle everything.

“Welcome!”

As they stepped inside, a cheerful clerk greeted them warmly.

The boy, who couldn’t have been older than fifteen, gave Edward’s group a quick once-over, his gaze sharp and assessing.

“You’re here to pick out hunting attire for this gentleman, correct?” the boy said, pointing directly at Edward.

“And how did you figure that out?” Edward asked, intrigued.

“Just a hunch,” the boy replied with a grin, scanning Edward from head to toe. Analyzing customers was his specialty.

Noting Edward’s naval officer’s uniform, the boy deduced he was likely a noble from a modest family, recently promoted and flush with prize money. Clearly inexperienced with high-end hunting attire, Edward looked like an easy mark who would be fleeced by anyone.