***

Henrietta was now sitting on the boat. Although it was a breathtaking scene, she had absolutely no desire to be part of it.

A heavy silence settled over the boat carrying the women. Henrietta kept her gaze fixed straight ahead and her hands folded neatly on her lap.

Her monochrome clothing stood out like a shadow against the sea of bright, colourful dresses. It was better to be called a ‘red-feathered crow’ than to be mocked for wearing something too vibrant and ‘forgetting her place’.

By the time the boat had drifted to the centre of the lake, one of the women — after casting a nervous glance at Janice — spoke up hesitantly.

“The weather is lovely today, isn’t it? Just look at those beautiful clouds in the sky.”

She raised her arm to point, prompting a few awkward laughs from the others. They filled the silence with meaningless remarks every now and then, all the while carefully watching Janice’s expression.

Henrietta found the idle chatter irrelevant and it drifted away from her like light shimmering across the lake’s surface.

“Lady Bryan, please try to forget what you heard earlier. You know how quickly rumors spread in high society—there are more of them than clouds in the sky. I’m certain it was all just baseless gossip.”

Louisa Ashton, second daughter of the Ashton viscountcy.

Henrietta had assumed her sole role was to praise Janice’s beauty and nothing more.

Henrietta let out a small, incredulous laugh, stunned that Louisa was capable of saying anything other than “You’re truly beautiful.”

At the same time, she had a gut feeling that something was about to happen. She unclasped her hands and gripped the railing of the ship tightly.

“That’s right. The daughter of Osborne, of all people.”

Henrietta stiffened. Even though she knew the “daughter of Osborne” they were referring to wasn’t her, it felt as if all the blood had drained from her body.

Somehow, it felt like she’d already heard what they were about to say.

“Even if she’s the daughter of a Protestant, how could someone like Osborne possibly be engaged to His Grace? It’s unthinkable.”

The words struck like an attack. Henrietta clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Don’t let it show. Don’t let them see you’re shaken.’

Even as she tried to steady her breathing with her eyes closed, the women’s conversation continued.

“Well, after all, Sir Osborne is practically a symbol of the old faith.”

“And what of it? He’s already dead.”

A heavy silence fell over the deck at Louisa’s words.

“Ah, even so, Lady Louisa, he’s referred to as the last martyr of the old church… That was a bit much.”

“I didn’t say anything that wasn’t true.”

“Still…”

Henrietta wished more than anything that this was all just a bad dream.

Just last night, Robert Ian Schutzman had looked into her eyes with relentless intensity and shared his breath with hers. And now, here she was, stuck on this boat forced to hear that her half-sister would be his fiancée.

There was no escape from this.

Behind her closed eyes, Robert’s image rose up unbidden. His radiant blond hair, those deep brown eyes that matched him so well, the way he trapped her in his arms.

She recalled his large hand sweeping through his tousled hair, his smooth forehead, and his lips tinged with a reddish hue, almost like a woman’s. One by one, those memories resurfaced.

He had conquered Henrietta so effortlessly—just last night.

Henrietta shook off the thoughts and forced herself to focus on the present. This was bound to happen eventually, and showing surprise now would be like exposing a wound. That would be humiliating.

When she finally opened her eyes, struggling to keep her composure, she met Janice’s gaze directly.

Henrietta gripped the edge of the boat tighter instinctively.

Even if the Countess of Bryan’s daughter pushed a governess into the lake out of spite, she would never be held accountable.

In this vast hunting ground, she wasn’t even prey; she was barely a bug in the grass. She had to protect herself.

After all, the hunter, armed with the finest rifle, was at risk of losing the game she’d spent so long pursuing.

“Why not?”

Janice’s voice cut sharply as she directed it straight at Henrietta.

“When just anyone can throw their hat into the ring, why shouldn’t Osborne’s daughter try as well? Even an imposter from Osborne is eyeing that position, isn’t she?”

Bang!

The words hit like gunfire, and Henrietta gasped and screamed.

“Of course, that impostor might only manage to claw her way into the position of mistress.”

Splash!

The moment she plunged into the lake, her first thought was how much colder the spring water was than she’d imagined.

She hated it.

She hated the way her soaked dress dragged her down.

And she hated the terrifying idea that she might actually die like this.

‘Damn it, I can’t swim! This is murder!’

Of course, no one heard her silent scream of injustice. No matter how desperately she flailed, her body only sank faster and deeper.

‘So this is it. I’m really going to die.’

She’d thought about death before, but like all things in life, the real thing turned out to be nothing like she had imagined.

They’d probably call it an accident. She wondered what kind of expression Robert would make. Would he shed even a single tear?

No, probably not. If anything, he’d just look irritated that something so troublesome had happened to his oh-so-perfect life.

Darkness crept over her tightly shut eyes, extinguishing the last flicker of hope. Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder. With a powerful grip, her body was pulled upwards in an instant.

There was no trace of emotion on Hendrik’s face as he stepped unflinchingly into enemy territory.

William shook his head slightly to dispel idle thoughts and turned his gaze to the Schutzman estate, which was coming into view in the distance.

“Who would believe it if the man who might soon become the crown prince showed up like this—no attendants, no ceremony, just a simple, unannounced arrival?”

As William continued his noisy grumbling, Hendrik’s eyes wandered down to the vast lake stretching out below the hill.

It was a beautiful lake — so vast that it seemed to capture the essence of spring in the Huntingford Kingdom, a season all nobles longed for deeply.

“Is it really proper to barge in without sending a letter first? It’s terribly rude.”

As they drew close enough for the entire lake to come into view, two men — most likely guards — approached the carriage.

The lush forest surrounding the grand lake belonged entirely to Duke Schutzman.

They had heard that the duke had been hosting one banquet after another lately.

Sure enough, even in the middle of the day, the vast hunting grounds and serene lakeside were already bustling with people.

“Well, I suppose that only matters if Duke Schutzman is willing to open his doors to us.”

For the first time since setting off, Hendrik let out a quiet laugh.

When William’s attendant revealed their identities to the coachman, the guards were visibly startled and promptly escorted William and Hendrik to the main gate of the estate.

“Guards, really? Hasn’t it been over a hundred years since all the guards in this country were placed under imperial authority?”

“…”

“They say imperial law doesn’t apply within Schutzman’s domain…”

Even as they stepped down from the carriage and continued on foot, William kept talking.

“It’s certainly a house worth boasting about.”

For once, Hendrik agreed.

All Hendrik had was the name Ansonaisen.

But Schutzman had the backing of generations of noble support that had been steadily built up over time.

It was so solid and entrenched that few would dare to challenge it.

Now, Duke Schutzman was consolidating his power with a boldness that verged on outright audacity.

Rumour had it that every official document bound for the imperial palace now passed through him.

At this point, it was likely that there wasn’t a single person in the empire who would object to his becoming the next emperor.

‘And now, of all times, I’m being summoned back to the homeland.’

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. All Hendrik could do was let out a dry chuckle.

In the center of the forest, several boats floated serenely across the lake.

The story of the previous Duke Schutzman falling in love with the lake and building his mansion on the hill overlooking it was well known.

After visiting the estate, a young artist from Huntingford was inspired by the beauty of the lake to paint a picture of it. This painting once set the kingdom’s high society ablaze with excitement.

Amidst the tranquil, picturesque scene, Hendrik’s gaze fell upon a woman.

She stood out amidst the riot of colours, dressed in shades of grey.

Her face was expressionless and she stared straight ahead, maintaining perfect posture.

She appeared calm on the surface, but Hendrik could sense her underlying tension.

This contrast struck him as strange, and he tilted his head slightly out of curiosity.

Suddenly, the woman’s face twisted with unmistakable fear.

At that very moment, something happened that was hard to believe, even when witnessed first-hand.

As if acting in unison, the women sitting beside her pushed her out of the boat.

They didn’t even glance around to see if anyone was watching.

“Unbelievable.”