# 37
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"What? Are you serious now?"
Harold angrily took off his leather gloves and looked at the attendant who had just reported the recent events.
The attendant, who had been carefully monitoring Harold's reaction, continued reading the rest of the letter.
“…Duke Leonok took a small amount of sedative, so his true nature will likely be revealed in about a week.”
No matter how one tried to explain it, the presence of veterinary tranquilizers in the competition stable was suspicious.
“What does the association president plan to do?”
"It seems that the competition will continue as scheduled. Tomorrow has already arrived, and canceling it suddenly will raise more doubts."
“This foolish old man. He couldn’t even keep a tranquilizer in a safe place, and now this mess?”
The racetrack has gained great popularity through its use as a poster boy.
“We'll pretend we don't know anything about this. After all, the tranquilizer was found inside the competition grounds, not on my property, right?”
“…To prove that you had nothing to do with the Association’s tranquilizer incident, you must win tomorrow, sir.”
Harold picked up the gloves he had thrown and threw them at the attendant's face.
"You call that advice? Of course, I'll win. I don't need this damn tranquilizer to do this."
The escort responded roughly
'Then why have you been feeding the other participants' horses hay mixed with tranquilizer all this time?'
But he backed down and answered.
“Don't worry about unnecessary things. Just make sure to destroy any documents exchanged with the Association President.”
“…Understood.”
The attendant bowed and left the room.
* * *
Finally, the day of the equestrian competition arrived.
Dunswell looked a little nervous, but he didn't look sick.
Despite the disturbing events that occurred yesterday, nothing had been revealed yet, so he decided to wait and see.
However, he couldn't get rid of the words Evelin said.
“How could she be so sure it was a sedative?”
Dunswell looked at Evelyn.
If what they found yesterday was actually a veterinary sedative and the association was tampering with the results, it would be a huge scandal.
This meant that the Society was administering small doses of tranquilizers to the horses of everyone except Earl Harold Conner, who was consistently in first place.
Thinking about it, it seemed like the horses were a bit slow during each competition.
But as Evelyn said, today's results will reveal the truth.
If Harold's record was broken today, it would mean they couldn't sprinkle tranquilizers on the hay.
In other words, today will be a fair competition.
“Are you nervous?”
Evelyn approached and asked. Her gentle voice dissipated Dunswell's thoughts.
"I'm fine."
Dunswell replied, thinking to himf.
‘She is a hundred times better than my son.’
Defrin also decided to watch the equestrian competition today. Although he made time for Dunswell, Evelyn's warmth made Dunswell not find Dyffryn's gesture particularly special.
“If you're ready, let's go.”
Devrin approached with an indifferent expression.
Dunswell clicked his tongue. He wondered who Dyffrin looked like to be so silent, as if his voice was made of gold.
He thought about telling Dyffrin what happened at the stables last night but decided against it because Dyffryn didn't bother asking how things were going.
"Ahm. Okay, let's leave."
Dunswell took the lead and climbed into the carriage.
The competition ground was bustling with activity when they arrived. The area was filled with families supporting the participants, spectators there to watch the event and street vendors following the crowd.
When Dunswell got out of the carriage, he caught people's attention. He was rarely seen in the capital, as he spent most of his time in his dukedom.
Devrin and Evelin descended behind him, followed by their escorts. The crowd's eyes sparkled as they looked at Duke Leonok's entourage. Each member seemed to exude an aura that captivated those around them.
Dunswell, having brought his horse from the stables, sat in the waiting room, anticipating the commencement of the competition.
“You two should head to the spectators now.”
"concept."
Devrin nodded and looked at Evelin.
However, Evelyn did not leave, instead, she approached Dunswell. She took a carefully folded handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to him.
"What is this…?"
“It is a handkerchief embroidered with laurel leaves, symbolizing victory and good luck. I made it in the hope that you, Duke, would win this time.”
"Yes."
Dunswell was touched by Evelyn's thoughtful gesture. Running a household must have been hard enough, yet she took the time to prepare such a heartfelt gift.
“And...”
Evelyn hesitated, and looked at Dunswell.
“If that's okay, can I offer advice on competition?”
Dunswell tilted his head. What might she be hesitant to say?
"Yes."
“A long time ago, I watched Earl Connor race at the race track. His tactic is to move menacingly.”
“That's right. He's a bold guy. He often scares other contestants by getting too close to them.”
“But that's not the whole story.”
"… What do you mean?"
"People like him often have a lot of fear inside. They act threatening to hide their weakness."
Evelyn whispered in Dunswell's ear.
“If you attack, he may get upset and hesitate. So if he tries to scare you, move closer to his horse.”
“...How can you be so sure?”
“I can't be sure, but I think changing your strategy for this competition might be something worth considering. Of course, the choice is yours, Your Honor.”
With these words, Evelin blinked.
“Now, I will head to the spectator seats with my husband.”
Left alone, Dunswell looked at the handkerchief in his hand and opened it. Two laurel branches were beautifully embroidered on it.
“This is the first time I have received such a sincere gift.”
No, he received one a long time ago from Chloe. Even after all these years, her face remained clear in his memory.
If he had had a little courage back then, he might have been able to save her.
He felt sad for a moment, lost in his old feelings, but receiving such a gift motivated him to win this year.
Dunswell carefully folded the handkerchief and put it in his back pocket, then led his horse out.
While he was calming his horse at the starting line, a shadow fell over him.
“I heard there was a commotion in the stables yesterday.”
Harold, still mounted on his horse, spoke to Dunswell. Dunswell, who had calmed his horse, replied indifferently.
“Has the rumor actually reached you? Only the stablemaster should know about it. It’s strange.”
“…I found out by accident. If there are any unfortunate events in this competition, it will be really sad.”
"Why are you sad? No matter any unfortunate events, you were always first."
Harold replied confused.
“You seem to have misunderstood, Your Highness. I had nothing to do with this incident.”
“What did you say? Nothing has been revealed yet, but you seem prematurely worried, Earl.”
At that moment, the referee stepped forward and announced that the race was about to start, and asked everyone to prepare.
As the participants lined up at the starting line, the referee raised the flag.
“Ready, start!”
As the flag was raised, the horses began to gallop. Harold, with his characteristic menacing movements, quickly gained speed, terrifying those around him.
The other knights hesitated, fearing a collision, and retreated.
Meanwhile, Denswell pushed to the front.
“The horse’s condition is definitely different.”
Normally, there was no need for such a fast gallop, so if a horse seemed a little weak on race day, he accepted it. But now that he was aware, it became clear that his horse had much more energy compared to last year's competition.
It was clear that the association members were interfering.
Click, click!
Driven by a mixture of anger and confidence, Dunswell pressed forward. However, Harold soon caught up with him and was running alongside him.
Harold approached him menacingly, closing the distance as if he intended to make Dunswell stumble.
Just as Dunswell was about to retreat in surprise, Evelyn's advice came to mind.
‘People like him often have a lot of fear inside. They act in a threatening manner to hide their weakness.'
'So if he tries to intimidate you, get closer to his horse.'
Yes, avoiding him has always been the norm, but acting differently this time might not be such a bad idea.
Dunswell did not avoid Harold's approaching horse; But come closer.
Harold's eyes widened in surprise. He was startled and quickly pulled the reins and changed the direction of his horse.
The terrified horse neighed loudly and stood on its hind legs.
“Oh, oh!”
Harold, unable to maintain his balance, swayed and eventually fell from the horse.
The spectators sighed, covering their mouths in shock. But their attention quickly turned when Dunswell crossed the finish line.
The referee shouted loudly.
“The winner of this contest is the Duke of Leonnok, Dunswell!”
This was the first victory in ten years.