Startled by the unexpectedly intense reaction, Iris blinked slowly.
Why, why are you like this?
As she patted his back and tried to pull away, Cedric’s hand gently held her in place.
“There’s blood on the bed, two half-finished cups of black tea, and the note only said you’d be back by today.”
“……”
“Do you know how worried I was?”
At his words, a sudden wave of guilt washed over Iris.
I should have written more details.
In her rush, she hadn’t properly explained everything.
“I’m sorry. You must have been worried.”
If the blood had been hers, she too would have been shocked.
Cedric, who she had just managed to separate from her embrace to check if she was alright, squinted his eyes as he looked down at her.
“Why do you look so happy?”
“Huh?”
“You’re smiling like this.”
Cedric gently lifted the corner of Iris’s mouth with his thumb.
Oh no. So it was that obvious she was smiling.
Rubbing her cheek quickly with her fingers, Iris looked up at him nervously.
“Are you joking?” Cedric asked skeptically.
“No, no! Not at all!”
She hurriedly denied it, but lowering the smile turned out to be harder than she expected.
So Iris wrapped Cedric tightly again and chuckled softly.
“It’s just… because something good happened.”
Seeing his wife’s clear smile, Cedric was at a loss for words.
It doesn’t seem like anything serious.
That was at least a relief.
Still, he had worried a lot.
As a final tease, he lightly pinched her nose and said,
“I’ll ask you about this later. About Duke Hill too.”
When did he find out?
Though she hadn’t intended to hide anything, Iris was surprised that Cedric had learned everything in the meantime.
So the protagonist really is different after all.
“All right.”
“I’m really going to ask later.”
Iris nodded repeatedly to satisfy Cedric.
Feeling a deep fulfillment within her chest, Iris struggled to contain her emotions.
She couldn’t properly explain any of it.
Not being able to explain why she was happy was, in its own way, painful.
She clenched the brooch holding her sacred sword with one hand.
Is this what you wanted me to find?
The hope that it was okay for her to love him.
Her story.
No matter how far this path leads, it no longer mattered.
“I want to return to Leonthaime.”
Still, now she was someone who could leave a mark on Cedric’s life.
Just having a starting point let Iris face the end with a smile.
So she wanted to go to Leonthaime right now.
She didn’t want to waste her ‘today.’
“Aren’t you curious if I took first place?”
At Cedric’s question, Iris rolled her eyes briefly.
If it had been the Cedric she knew, he wouldn’t ask such a thing.
Could it be…
She felt a pang of sympathy.
Even though results didn’t matter to her, had she burdened him unnecessarily?
She smiled brightly, trying to encourage him.
“It’s all right. You’re always number one to me.”
Cedric immediately caught her meaning, smirked, and pulled her head closer.
Well, that’s fine then.
Just as the result didn’t matter to Iris, what mattered to Cedric wasn’t that she knew the result and felt embarrassed.
Not going would still create an interesting story.
Cedric smiled his usual cocky grin, unseen by Iris.
As evening passed, everyone returned from the hunt.
I hear the bustling noise.
Liliana arrived late at the hunting ground where the results were being announced.
By now, the nobles would have gathered all the flowers distributed based on the hunt and reported them to the royal court.
Are they waiting for me?
Her heart fluttered at the thought of once again being the center of attention.
They’ll regret underestimating me now.
Many, including Iris, had hurt Liliana before.
They’ll see that someone like Iris isn’t anything special.
And that Liliana was the eternal flower of the social circle.
Perhaps even His Majesty the Emperor will look at me differently.
Liliana adjusted her newly prepared attire nearby, wanting to impress the emperor.
But it’s too late. Even if I beg to become close again, no one will accept.
As Liliana pushed through the crowd, there sat the magnificent Emperor in the place of honor.
Usually, the Lady of the Hunting Festival stands before His Majesty wearing the Hunting Festival’s crown.
But there was no one before the emperor’s throne.
‘Why, of course. It’s because I didn’t arrive yet.’
The thought of receiving Emperor Ludwig’s gaze made Liliana’s heart race.
‘I felt it last year too, but maybe because I was exhausted afterward, this feeling is even more moving.’
Liliana cheerfully walked toward the seat where Ludwig was sitting.
“Were you waiting for Lily?”
All eyes naturally turned toward Liliana.
“Sorry for causing everyone trouble because Lily was late.”
With a bright voice, Liliana stood before Ludwig and greeted him charmingly.
“I am Liliana Valentine, the Lady of this year’s Hunting Festival. It’s an honor to see Your Majesty.”
Ludwig twisted his mouth into a cold smirk.
“Who invited such a low-level person to the Hunting Festival?”
“Apologies, Your Majesty!”
The imperial steward hurriedly stepped forward.
“Lady Valentine!”
The steward glared fiercely at Liliana, who occupied the center.
“Do you know what Lady Valentine has done right now?”
“Wh-why Lily?”
Liliana asked timidly.
“Do you think you can just stand before His Majesty without any qualification?”
Liliana’s unauthorized act was also a liability to the steward.
Ludwig was not a man to tolerate his subordinates’ mistakes lightly.
“And how dare you spread such baseless claims!”
The steward shouted angrily.
“You haven’t even received a single flower, yet you call yourself the Lady of the Hunting Festival! Impersonation is a crime!”
Liliana’s eyes widened in disbelief.
The word ‘impersonation’ was terrifying; she swallowed hard, clearly tense.
‘Impersonation?’
Liliana shook her head quickly, denying the steward’s accusations.
“I-I would never commit such a crime.”
“Are you telling everyone here that I am lying?”
The steward’s gaze sharpened further.
“The more Lady Valentine lies, the worse her situation will become.”
“It’s not a lie!”
Liliana clenched her fists and desperately appealed to the nobles around her.
“Something, something is definitely wrong. Someone must be framing me.”
Only the nobles nearby could be trusted right now.
“Really, truly… as you all know, there’s no way Lily didn’t receive a single flower.”
The nobles would surely notice the suspicious situation.
Originally, Liliana was the Lady who received the most flowers at the Hunting Festival.
“What nonsense. The Lady of the Hunting Festival is the Duchess of Leontheim!”
“W-who did you say?”
“The Duchess of Leontheim. Not Lady Valentine.”
The steward stated firmly and decisively.
Liliana’s mouth fell open without realizing it.
‘Sister Iris?’
At first, she thought the Duchess of Leontheim was someone else.
But in truth, there was only one Duchess of Leontheim in the world.
“…Something’s wrong.”
Liliana felt as if the ground beneath her feet cracked and she was falling downward.
“Maybe Lily’s flowers were miscounted? Otherwise…”
She looked pale as she faced Ludwig, who was coldly watching her.
“What does Lady Valentine think of this royal house?”
Hearing that, the steward raised his voice sharply.
“There has been no mistake in anything carried out in the name of the Great Majesty. Do not spread baseless slanders.”
Liliana tried to explain she didn’t mean that, but when the steward showed the list before her eyes, she had no choice but to fall silent.
[1st Place: Iris Leontheim.]
And Liliana’s name was not on the list at all.
Shocked, Liliana looked around for the gentlemen she had previously asked for help.
‘You all promised to support me.’
But those men ignored Liliana’s gaze and stayed by their fiancées’ sides.
No one had kept their promise to Liliana.
Thus, her usual flower-giving family had disappeared, and Liliana received not a single flower.
‘This is absurd.’
Liliana wanted to argue that it made no sense for Iris to take first place, but the flowers were officially registered as having come from a single person.
‘Leontheim Duke alone…’
He had hunted the most beasts and offered all the flowers to his wife.
Thus, Iris, having received the most flowers, became the Lady of the Hunting Festival.
Although her absence at this event caused an unprecedented situation, no one could dispute it.
“Then where is Sister Iris…”
Liliana sought out Iris, determined to resolve the turmoil.
But Iris was nowhere to be found.
“Is that what matters right now?”
The imperial steward asked Liliana sharply.
“Isn’t it far more important that Lady Valentine has recklessly disrupted the conclusion of the hunting festival?”
As Liliana stared at the roster in disbelief, harsh murmurs rose around her.
“Even if her sister became the festival’s Lady, does that give her the right to disgrace herself so shamefully?”
“She never even called herself the Lady to begin with. I don’t understand on what grounds she dares to claim the title.”
The nobles sneered at Liliana, who still hadn’t grasped the situation and was behaving disgracefully.
“Does she really believe she is the former Lady Valentine?”
“That kind of behavior wouldn’t make sense otherwise.”
“Maybe she thinks she alone can be the Lady of the hunting festival in society. How impressive.”
Tears began to fall from Liliana’s eyes, and she looked solely at Ludwig.
Only His Majesty needs to understand.
He was clearly different.
“Your Majesty, please believe in Liliana’s sincerity.”
Liliana knelt with grace, lowering her eyelids in submission.
I don’t know what methods Sister Iris used.
Liliana believed the entire mess began with Iris’s marriage, the critical turning point.
Maybe Sister Iris hasn’t even realized I’m aware of her betrayal yet?
But she was wrong.
If Liliana thought she would simply be a victim, she was mistaken.
“Liliana has long held Your Majesty in her heart. How could she ever think to sully your name?”
With a pitiful expression, Liliana pleaded with the emperor.
In time, the truth would surely be revealed.
It’s clearly an impossible situation for anyone to accept.
Even if the nobles didn’t sympathize, Liliana’s conviction remained unshaken.
Ludwig propped his chin on his hand and gave a subtle nod to the imperial steward beside him.
“Recently, it seems the steward’s duties have become quite lax, unbeknownst to me.”
“Y-Your Majesty… that’s not true.”
“To allow such baseless slander to reach my ears.”
The emperor slowly curled his lips into a cruel smile.
“I now understand very well how this court operates.”
The steward, well aware of the emperor’s temperament, trembled violently.
I might be next to die.
That smile only appeared when Ludwig’s displeasure was at its peak.
“Imperial Knights! Why are you hesitating? Seize that foolish young lady immediately!”
The royal knights guarding nearby hesitated but then approached Liliana.
“Your Majesty! Liliana is truly innocent.”
Even as the knights restrained her, Liliana never averted her gaze from Ludwig.
“If Liliana’s truth is revealed, then…”
To an outsider unaware of the context, their exchange could be mistaken for something intimate.
“Then, will you look kindly upon Liliana?”
“Truth, you say.”
Ludwig laughed incredulously.
“What kind of truth could there possibly be?”
Rising from his seat, Ludwig slowly approached Liliana.
Relief and hope gleamed in Liliana’s eyes as she faced the advancing emperor.
As expected, His Majesty—!
But Ludwig pressed down hard on her kneeling shoulders, glaring with his mad, scarlet eyes.
“You seem quite deluded.”
“……”
“Whatever truth you think you possess is none of my concern. Though, I do see something clearly now.”
The tightening pressure caused Liliana to tremble uncontrollably.
“You’re speaking recklessly without knowing your place.”
“N-No, Your Majesty…”
“You dared to soil my day with such lowly words.”
Ludwig drew the sword at his side. The blade gleamed chillingly in the twilight.
“Consider yourself fortunate if your insignificant life can pay the price.”
Known for his mercilessness, Ludwig’s hands showed no mercy.
Am I really going to die like this?
Terrified, Liliana shut her eyes tightly.
The sword came down toward her.
Then, just before her throat, the cold blade halted.
Wait…
If I kill this foolish woman, blood will stain my clothes.
I gave her a piece of this very garment.
A woman with softly glowing lavender hair, met by chance deep in the forest.
Chapter 76