As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, the blazing sunlight poured down on their heads.

The weather was rather hot, as it was just past noon. The carefully chosen attire now felt uncomfortably stifling.

The streets were bustling with numerous carriages and people.

Since they were close to Lilith Park, it seemed like the crowd was growing as time went on.

Edward and Yelodia stood side by side in front of the restaurant, waiting for a servant to bring their carriage. Watching the passersby from the wide shade of the eaves turned out to be quite entertaining.

“It’s peaceful, isn’t it?”

“Indeed.”

“Once we return, will you be resuming work?”

Edward quietly nodded before speaking.

“Thanks to you, Yelodia, I was able to save some time.”

“That doesn’t sound like a good thing to me. If it were me, I would’ve intentionally taken my time.”

Edward couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he looked down at his fiancée.

It seemed he was enjoying this unexpected encounter.

Time flew by whenever he had Yelodia, with her ever-changing expressions, right before his eyes.

That was when it happened.

“Well, isn’t this Baron Adrian? To think we’d meet here of all places.”

At the sound of the voice, Edward turned his head and let out a low “Ah.”

Standing there was Theodore Kesley, whom he had encountered at a social club previously. He was accompanied by a group of people who appeared to be around the same age.

Recognizing Theodore immediately, Yelodia hurriedly hid behind Edward’s back.

Edward, as always, greeted calmly.

“We meet again.”

Theodore cast a glance at the servant hiding behind Edward and then turned his gaze back to Edward.

“You seem to have quite a bold servant. Hiding behind their master and not even offering proper courtesy?”

“They’re unwell today, so I ask for your understanding.”

Claiming the servant was unwell was an absurd excuse.

However, Edward’s demeanor was so composed that Theodore refrained from overstepping and criticizing the manners of a noble’s servant.

Theodore swallowed his irritation and forced himself to ask a question.

“Are you here on some errand?”

“Yes, I stopped by a store briefly to pick up something.”

At that moment, one of Theodore’s companions joined the conversation.

“Is this the famous Baron Adrian? He doesn’t look like he could even hold a sword properly.”

“Let me see… Wow, he doesn’t strike me as an officer at all.”

The young noblemen, who seemed to be Theodore’s age, wore mischievous expressions. Edward stood silently as if he hadn’t heard them, seemingly intent on shielding his servant.

“Don’t say such things. He really is Baron Adrian, after all. The Vice Admiral of the Feorn Navy, no less.”

Feigning rebuke with exaggerated flair, Theodore smiled at Edward.

“Forgive their rudeness, Baron. My friends are unaware of your stature.”

“I see.”

Edward responded perfunctorily, his gaze fixed on a carriage approaching in the distance. He seemed uninterested in Theodore from the start.

As the carriage halted before them, Theodore hastily posed another question.

“Will you be participating in the hunting tournament, Baron?”

“His Majesty the Emperor was gracious enough to send me an invitation.”

“Then I suppose we’ll have the opportunity to see your skills in action.”

Edward glanced briefly at Theodore before extending his hand backward. Yelodia hesitated for a moment before taking it and stepping into the carriage.

As Theodore blankly watched the two enter the carriage, his eyes narrowed.

Edward gave a polite nod.

“Until next time.”

“Yes, yes… Until then.”

Theodore, his voice trailing off, awkwardly returned the farewell as Edward slipped into the carriage. As soon as the door closed, the carriage departed swiftly.

“What an insufferable fellow.”

“But he’s handsome. The noblewomen must be swooning over his looks.”

Even as his companions voiced their varied opinions about Edward, Theodore stood there, staring at the distant carriage.

The servant who had entered the carriage with Edward felt strangely familiar.

“Could it be… a woman?”

Suddenly struck by the realization, Theodore’s mouth fell open.

Though hidden behind Edward, the slender figure and the faint scent of perfume were unmistakably feminine.

“Well…”

Only then did he fully comprehend what he had just witnessed. He had caught a clandestine meeting in progress.

“Damn bastard.”

Theodore ground his teeth furiously. How dare Edward fool around with another woman before even holding his engagement ceremony with Yelodia…

In the very next moment, a flash of realization struck Theodore’s mind like lightning.

‘What if Lady Xavier learns of this?’

If the proud and lofty duke’s daughter were to find out, she would undoubtedly break off her engagement with Edward.

“Why do you look like that? Meeting Baron Adrian was that shocking for you?”

“No, it’s just… I have some things to think about.”

Muttering vaguely, Theodore sank into deep thought.

His companions, assuming Theodore was plotting yet another malicious scheme, simply smirked knowingly.

Finally, Theodore broke into a sly grin and began walking.

***

The day of the hunting tournament was sweltering right from the morning. It felt as if the summer of the Feorn Empire was swiftly approaching.

Yelodia wore a pale mint muslin dress, pristine white lace gloves, and a hat adorned with a satin ribbon.

Standing before the mirror, Yelodia gazed at herself with a peculiar expression.

With each passing day, she could feel herself transforming into a mature young lady.

“Who is this? Where’s my little sister, and why has a goddess descended from the heavens?”

“Ugh… That was creepy.”

Yelodia frowned and gave an exaggerated shudder at the comment, prompting Hester to grimace as well.

“Fine, I take it back.”

“Good call.”

At Yelodia’s response, Hester chuckled and extended his gloved hand.

“Shall we go?”

“…Hmm.”

Yelodia took a moment to glance Hester up and down, her brow furrowing unconsciously.

“You’re in hunting attire.”

“Impressive, isn’t it? Today, I’m representing our family.”

Hester struck a pose, one hand on his chest and one knee bent, showing off his tailored shirt, trousers, and boots. Yelodia couldn’t help but feel stifled.

“Where’s Sir Philip?”

“Half the knights have gone with Father. Naturally, Sir Philip went that way too. What’s with the doubt, Yedi? Don’t you trust me?”

“No… I do. I trust you.”

Yelodia answered as if affirming it to herself.

With a confident smile, Hester clenched his fist.

“Just you wait. This time, your dear brother will make it happen.”

“Okay, I’ll trust you.”

She didn’t believe it in the slightest, but Yelodia smiled nonchalantly, and Hester fell for it completely.

Soon, the two climbed into the carriage together.

The coachman loaded the baggage into the compartment, and the carriage set off with a sizable entourage of servants and escorting knights.

Three carriages were on the move, and with all the mounted knights and servants combined, the group numbered nearly thirty.

Even this number was restricted by the emperor’s strict limits; under normal circumstances, the entourage would have been five times larger.

The hunting tournament was, in essence, a grand stage for nobles to flaunt their prestige. Each family had brought their finest horses, carriages, and knights for the occasion. Kias had prepared thoroughly as well.

The carriages headed straight for Nafram Forest, located north of Freia. The forest, entirely imperial hunting grounds, was private property of the emperor.

After traveling for three long hours, they reached the massive forest, where logging was strictly forbidden. The forest was so vast it seemed to take up nearly half of Freia’s area.

At last, the carriage came to a stop, and Hester sighed before speaking.

“Well, here we are. Shall we get out?”

“Yes.”

Yelodia calmly took Hester’s hand as she stepped out of the carriage.

They had arrived at a clearing near the forest entrance, where dozens of carriages were already parked, indicating the arrival of many nobles.

“This place hasn’t changed a bit.”

Yelodia found herself involuntarily gaping at the sheer scale of the forest, which was awe-inspiring no matter how many times she saw it.

At the center of the clearing stood a tent embroidered with golden dragons and blue lions—the emperor’s tent. Surrounding it were tents bearing the flags of various noble families.

“This way, please. We’ll escort you.”

Guided by servants, Yelodia and Hester made their way to the tent of the Xavier family.

The lively atmosphere seemed to unsettle Hester, who kept darting his eyes around.

“Judging by the commotion, it seems His Majesty has already arrived.”

“Looks like it.”

“Wait here. I’ll go check the schedule.”

Hester, after quickly surveying the situation outside and stepping into the tent, returned with a perplexed expression.

“It seems the hunting tournament will begin shortly.”

“Already?”

“We seem to be among the last to arrive. With the enormous prize at stake, everyone’s been eager. I heard some people even arrived yesterday.”

“Really?”

Unable to believe it, Yelodia asked again, and Hester nodded.

“Come on. Before the tournament starts, we must greet His Majesty.”

“Ah, yes.”

Hurriedly grabbing Hester’s hand, Yelodia left the tent.

As Hester had said, nobles were gathered near the forest entrance, exchanging greetings while mounted on their horses.

Meanwhile, behind the fenced area, noblewomen and young ladies were quietly bidding them farewell.

“Well, well, look who we have here.”