# 36
---
The next day, Evelyn got up early to say goodbye to Dyffryn to work and have breakfast with Dunswell.
Fortunately, Dunswell seemed to be in a fairly good mood.
'Although maybe he's just pretending.'
He probably didn't sleep well because of his thoughts about Amelia. However, he controlled his emotions well, as befitted his position as Duke of Leonok.
“You're taking the horses to the competition ground today, aren't you?”
Evelyn asked and Dunswell took a sip of water before answering.
“This is the plan. To ensure fairness the horses are managed on the competition grounds from the day before.”
“Hmm… I think there are more cases of horses doping than I thought.”
“They say it was more common in the past.”
Evelyn and Dunswell were talking more comfortably than the day before. The wall between them had collapsed dramatically in just one day.
Evelyn's eyes lit up as she asked,
“Your Highness the Duke, can I go with you to the equestrian competition arena today?”
“Do you want...?”
“Yes. I have been very interested in horses since I was little. Even though I haven’t had many opportunities to be near them, I still love seeing them. I used to go to the race track with my grandfather a lot.”
Dunswell was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected fact.
“There will be mostly men, so it might be uncomfortable, but if you're interested you can come.”
"Thank you."
Evelin smiled cheerfully, even though her mind was busy with calculations.
When Evelin and Dunswell arrived at the competition arena, they looked around the bustling area. It was full of people who came to register their horses.
“There are a lot of participants.”
“It seems to be particularly crowded this year.”
At that moment, someone entered, drawing the attention of the crowd. That person was Earl Harold Connor, last year's champion.
In fact, he had won the competition every year since he started participating.
The Connor family has a long history of breeding excellent racehorses, and have even distributed high quality bloodlines across different regions.
Given their deep connection to horses, it was no surprise that they were a dominant force in competition.
As a result, Dunswell always finished second. The rivalry between the two has captured a lot of attention.
No matter how great Duke Leonok was, he couldn't beat the Connor Family, as people said.
Earl Connor participated not only in equestrian competitions, but also in regular horse races, where he always took first place.
Consequently, he was a star at the racetrack, attracting people who came specifically to see Harold.
Despite Harold's overwhelming presence, Dunswell was not displeased. Instead, he stuck to the goal of finally defeating him.
“Ah, who do we have here? I didn’t realize that Duke Leonok would be here so early.”
Harold, who approached unnoticed, greeted them with an arrogant demeanor.
'Of course, he won't know because we just arrived.'
Evelyn thought sarcastically.
Harold acted like a king in this contest, knowing his influence, but seeing it in person, his arrogance was not attractive.
“Earl Connor, it has been a long time.”
“It is good to see you, Your Highness. You have brought a very strong horse again this time.”
“It's one of my favorites.”
"But if the results are disappointing again, perhaps you should consider one of our horses. We have prepared a very strong horse especially for you."
It was an outright taunt, suggesting, “If I keep losing, wouldn’t it be better to breed a horse of our own breed?”
However, Duke Leonok seemed unfazed when he answered.
“The horse must be tired from the long journey. He needs some rest.”
“I've kept you for so long without realizing it. I'll see you tomorrow then.”
Harold stepped aside with an annoying smile. Duke Leonok led his horse to the stables.
The stables had sections, and each section was equipped with hay and water.
The stablemaster hurriedly approached Dunswell.
“Are you Duke Leonok?”
“Yes, I am.”
“It is an honor to meet you. Please bring your horse this way.”
The place where Dunswell's horse was to stay was in the corner of the stable.
As Evelyn walked around the stable, Dunswell asked,
“Your Excellency, may I have a look around the stable? I would like to see the other horses up close.”
"Help yourf."
While Dunswell loosened the bridle and removed the saddle, Evelyn explored the stable.
The smell of manure and the distinct smell of straw stung her nose, but she ignored them and examined the place carefully as if she was on an adventure.
Then I noticed a glass bottle filled with a dark brown liquid in the corner of the stable.
The questioner looked very suspicious.
In fact, Evelin was looking for such a suspicious liquid. That was the reason she had followed them all the way here.
'I don't remember the exact description from the novel, but it had a rather unusual color.'
Evelyn decided to break the glass bottle. She was going to evaluate the stable master's reaction.
Pretending to examine the bottle, Evelyn picked it up, and when she saw that Dunswell and the stablemaster were looking elsewhere, she threw it to the ground.
What a shock!
Evelyn exclaimed loudly, “Oh my God!” It caught their attention. The stable master rushed towards her with a pale face.
"What is this…?"
“I'm sorry, I accidentally broke the bottle...”
“How can you touch things without permission!”
exclaimed the stable master, forgetting that he was speaking to a noblewoman because of his annoyance.
“What should I do… If you tell me what it is, I will replace it with the same thing.”
“I need it today!”
Denswell interjected with an annoyed expression.
“I'll have someone bring him over right away so it's not too late. Calm down.”
“But… it's not that simple…”
The stablemaster mumbled in frustration, his breathing heavy, but he seemed unable to utter any more words, as if his tongue was tied.
Evelin smiled inwardly. The stablemaster's reaction confirmed what the questioner was. The suspicious brown liquid was most likely a “veterinary sedative.”
The upcoming equestrian competition and Earl Harold Connor were deeply intertwined. In fact, the Connor family was the main sponsor of the event.
Thus, the President of the Competition Society secretly helped ensure that Earl Harold Connor won first place.
The method was simple. Under the guise of fairness, they kept the participants' horses the day before and fed them hay mixed with a small amount of tranquilizer. The next day, the horses would seem a bit sluggish, although not noticeably.
Naturally, Harold's horse, which had not consumed the soothing hay, was the best performer. This secret was the key to his victories.
Furthermore, the contest was promoted with the catch phrase, "Harold Connor vs. Denswell Leonock! Will Harold Connor win again this time?" To advertise the horses bred by the Connor family.
In other words, the competition was manipulated through dirty deals.
This is described in the original novel during a scene where Fenris blackmails the head of the Equestrian Competition Society.
Knowing this, Evelin deliberately came here to find the tranquilizer.
“Speak clearly. If it is an important item, it must be obtained immediately.”
Evelin insisted, acting as if she didn't know anything, causing the stable master to scratch his head in frustration.
The stable master was obviously embarrassed about discovering the tranquilizer in front of Duke Leonok.
“What is this liquid that makes you lip-tight?”
Evelyn asked, dipping her finger in the liquid and bringing it to her nose, smelling it.
“It smells sweet, like sugar water...”
As I pretended to taste it, the stable master quickly intervened, horrified.
“No, you shouldn't taste it!”
Dunswell frowned heavily. He realized that the stable master was hiding something.
“Why shouldn't that be?”
‘Ah… because… a veterinary sedative…’
Dunswell did not believe him.
"It appears that an investigation is required. I will be taking a small amount of this liquid with me."
The stable master looked like he was about to cry but he didn't dare stop Duke Leonok.
* * *
Evelyn and Dunswell got into the carriage to return to the palace.
Dunswell took some brown liquid into a small glass bottle. The results of the analysis will be available within a week.
“Maybe it's a veterinary sedative.”
Evelyn said, revealing the answer first.
You did it to receive credit. If she takes credit, Dunswell will acknowledge her contribution, which will later become compensation.
"Sedative...? How did you know that?"
“Veterinary sedatives have a sweet smell like this.”
Evelyn told a prepared fairy tale.
“When I was little, a vet came to operate on a sick horse. It smelled nice, so I touched the tranquilizer and my grandfather scolded me.”
“…Why do you think the tranquilizer was in the stable?”
“Well, it's just a guess, but maybe they mixed the tranquilizer with the hay to weaken all the horses except one specific horse?”
Dunswell's face turned dark with anger.