# 47
One lazy afternoon, the butler came to me.
“The Duke has returned from the Imperial Palace.”
“Thank you for telling me!”
Upon hearing that Harold returned from the meeting
Imperial, I jumped to my feet. I grabbed the documents I needed to review today and headed to Harold's office.
As soon as I entered, Harold looked at me as if he was expecting me.
“Are you going to sit on the couch again?”
“Yes, it is the most comfortable place.”
Harold narrowed his eyes in annoyance and pointed toward a new office nearby.
But I ignored him and settled on the couch.
'This place is absolutely perfect.'
Harold suggested that we spend more time together whenever he was not busy with outside duties. This was his way of helping me get used to it.
It was a classic, straightforward approach. The only real change is that we're spending more time together than we used to.
‘There is no way to prevent the sensitivity caused by my divine power, but I can at least get used to seeing him around. So this is the best way.'
That's why I always brought my work to his office.
But sitting so close to him made it difficult to concentrate, so I've been working from the couch for days.
“Well, I guess there's no way.”
Harold sighed as if he was giving up. Then... huh?
'Why did he come here?'
Harold grabbed some documents and sat down on the couch across from me. Then, seeing my surprised expression, he smiled slightly.
“You didn't come to me, so I came to you.”
“…Did I say that out loud?”
“No. Your lips were calm, but your face said it all.”
I wondered what expression I had shown. Since there was no mirror, I touched my face curiously.
I couldn't figure it out.
As my eyes wandered, curiosity got the better of me.
“Can you guess what I'm thinking right now?”
“Hmm.”
Harold let out a soft hum and placed his hand under my chin.
The sudden touch made me shiver, and his deep blue eyes slowly scanned my face.
Everywhere his gaze touched I felt a strange tickle, like a slight sensitivity.
“Aha.”
Harold parted his lips as if he had figured it out.
Instinctively, my eyes focused on his lips.
“You're thinking about how much you'll enjoy sitting here with me.”
"H-Wrong! I was just thinking that the previous distance was perfect!"
My face burned like a boiled potato as I quickly backed away.
As if his proximity wasn't confusing enough, now he was making ridiculous assumptions!
"I know."
“Huh? Then why...”
“I was just kidding.”
“…”
Very annoying.
As I pursed my lips, Harold sneered.
“…Can you go back to your seat now?”
“You should get used to the closeness, like when I treat your injuries.”
“That's true, but...”
I stammered and pressed my lips together.
No matter how I looked at him, I couldn't focus on work with Harold sitting so close.
“If you don't move, I'll go there.”
Upon hearing my firm response, Harold rested his chin on his hand.
“Do whatever you want. But...”
His narrow eyes darkened, the deep blue looking like the depths of the ocean.
“No matter what you go, I will follow you, Diana.”
“…”
It was the look of a man who meant what he said.
‘…I think I should focus on getting used to it first.’
I decided not to waste my energy and sat down again.
'Let's just focus on work.'
I forced myself to focus and stared hard at the documents.
But at that moment, a large hand covered my papers, breaking what remained of my concentration.
I shot Harold an angry look, demanding an explanation.
He apologized immediately.
“Sorry if I bothered you. But before we get down to business, we need to talk.”
My annoyance disappeared with his quick apology, replaced by curiosity.
"Help yourself."
“You know that Prince Andrew attended today's Imperial meeting, right?”
"Yes."
Every noble knew that the prince had returned and would be at the meeting.
“If nothing extraordinary happens, Prince Andrew will be the next Emperor. I have decided to offer him some personal support.”
“...You're trying to build a debt with Prince Andrew, aren't you?”
I thought about it and then asked,
“Do you need my help with anything?”
“You're quick to understand things like this.”
“…Was that a compliment? Thanks?”
Harold stared at me silently for a moment.
'Or was it not a compliment?'
I was on the verge of embarrassment when Harold nodded elegantly.
“It was a compliment. You understood what I didn’t say. Very appropriate for Ms. Bessen.”
“Hmph.”
I felt good and sat up straighter.
“But are you okay with this?”
"with what?"
“He made you do something you didn't have to do.”
“Oh.”
"I think we've had a similar conversation before, but whatever the reason, I'm going to do my job. Every position comes with responsibility."
I wanted to say it was just me, but something felt different. My mentality and effort were different because of my character.
I didn't know why I was feeling this way. It was like a strong current pressing down on my chest the more I thought about it.
“Okay, if you feel bad about it, just give me an extra thousand gold coins later!”
Before the strange feeling got stronger, I joked, and Harold nodded.
“I can give you a thousand gold coins now.”
"You must keep that promise, Harold. Don't go back on your word!"
There is no reason to turn down free money! Feeling happy with my unexpected reward, I smiled brightly.
“So, what exactly do I need to do?”
“During today’s conference, Prince Andrew requested that the ‘Eclipse Hunting Tournament’ be held, and His Majesty agreed. Have you heard about it?”
“No, this is the first I've heard of it.”
In Diana's memories, the imperial family would sometimes hold hunting competitions, but they never gave them a special name.
“But I know that Eclipse is the name of the first emperor who founded the empire.”
“It's the first time in 200 years that this tournament has been held, so it's not surprising that you don't know. Most people have forgotten about it.”
Harold crossed one leg over the other.
“Simply put, the winner of the Eclipse Hunting Tournament gets a wish granted by the Emperor. As long as it's not about killing someone or shaking the foundations of the empire, of course.”
"What? The Emperor will grant a wish?"
Wow...that sounds like something out of a novel.
Oh, right. This is a novel world.
I remembered that fact, and I blinked.
“The wish-granting fishing tournament reminds me of a play I saw during a festival. In particular, it reminded me of the fairy tale on which the play was based.”
I remembered how the play ended with a king granting a wish after a hunting competition.
“That makes sense. That fairy tale is actually inspired by a true story about the First Emperor.”
Based on Harold's explanation, I put together the story.
In the fairy tale, a monster with the wings of an eagle and the body of a lion destroys the kingdom of the First Empress, who was once a princess. Just like in the story, the first emperor was a knight from that fallen kingdom.
He made a deal with the princess, gathered the remaining knights, and went to war.
In the story, the monster is killed. Likewise, in fact, the first emperor won the war, married the princess, and founded a new empire. He then founded the Eclipse Fishing Tournament, naming it after himself.
“There were many small wars at that time, so they needed strong knights quickly. That's why the Eclipse Hunting Tournament was originally created. But once they conquered most of the surrounding countries and built a strong army, they stopped holding the tournament.”
“Oh… so it hasn’t been established for 200 years. But the Emperor never canceled it because it was established by the First Emperor?”
“As expected, you understand quickly.”
“Such a thing...”
Was that really a compliment?
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously, and Harold smiled slyly.
“It's a compliment.”
“…”
It still seemed a little weird, but whether it was a compliment or not didn't matter, so I decided to move on from it.
“It is surprising that His Majesty agreed to Prince Andrew’s request so easily.”
It was no secret that the Emperor did not love his son. Otherwise, he would not have kept the only prince away from the empire for so many years.
“Perhaps he enjoyed seeing the nobles disappointed in his helpless and incompetent prince. So he agreed at once.”
Harold's lips curled slightly, as if he was remembering the conference.
“But the emperor is still an emperor. Even if he is an old lion with broken teeth, he took precautions by changing some of the rules of the tournament.”
“...So you're sure the prince won't win?”
"exactly."
Our eyes met.
“But we will make sure that Prince Andrew wins the wish with minimal losses on our part.”
From here on out, Harold's words will be the most important part. I crossed my fingers together and focused on him.
* * *