~Chapter 113~
Delphina tilted her head in puzzlement. She couldn’t understand why Prince Ruan was frowning at her.
Johannes turned to Alfonso, who had come closer.
“What happened for you to argue with Prince Ruan?”
“I’m not sure. From the start, he seemed displeased with me.”
Alfonso thought for a moment, then added,
“Ah, and when he realized that Delphina is my granddaughter, he looked even more upset.”
Johannes frowned.
“How could people from the Eastern Empire know of House Rikeion and dislike it?”
“I wonder the same. Even when I asked, they wouldn’t tell me anything. They seemed very cautious.”
Johannes nodded slightly.
“Well, people from the Eastern Empire are always cautious.”
He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead. Since Piaje’s threatening words, Johannes hadn’t been sleeping properly.
Because of that, a dull headache was pressing on him.
Delphina looked at him with concern.
“Your Highness, are you all right?”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“You’ve been sweating since earlier.”
Johannes shook his head.
“No, it’s nothing. I just didn’t sleep well while preparing for the hunting competition.”
“If that’s the reason, then I’m relieved…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
“When the competition ends, before I leave, I’ll cook you some nourishing food.”
Johannes, looking pale, nodded. A faint smile spread across his lips.
“Thank you, as always, Delphina.”
Those words were sincere.
Since his mother’s death, Delphina had been his driving force. She was like a real younger sister to him, and protecting her was what had kept him going until now.
And now, the fruits of his endurance were finally close.
‘Father promised me.’
Not long ago, the Emperor had called him and promised: if the exchange with the Eastern Empire went well, he would be officially granted the position of Crown Prince.
If that happened, there would no longer be much danger for Delphina. As Crown Prince, it would be easier for him to deal with the wrongdoings of Piaje and the Empress.
‘But all of that depends on convincing the people of the Eastern Empire.’
He glanced at Prince Ruan’s sharp, hostile eyes.
‘He really doesn’t even seem willing to talk.’
It made Johannes sigh, since persuading them was his most important task.
Just then—
“The Emperor has arrived!”
With the herald’s announcement, the Emperor entered.
“Welcome, everyone. I thank the honored guests from distant empires for your long journey. May you all enjoy this time without any trouble.”
His opening speech was short, out of courtesy to the foreign guests.
“Those who will not join the hunt, please enjoy the banquet. That is all.”
But even as he spoke, the Emperor’s eyes never left the delegation from the Eastern Empire.
Delphina thought to herself,
‘His Highness Johannes was right. The Emperor truly wants to open ties with them.’
It wasn’t strange. The Western and Eastern Empires hadn’t interacted in a long time. Neither side knew much about the other’s ruling class.
That was why Johannes had poured so much effort into preparing this hunting competition.
‘He wanted to use this chance to befriend Prince Ruan and the Eastern nobles.’
Many nobles now began approaching the Eastern guests, greeting them and even inviting them to hunt together.
But Prince Ruan didn’t move. He made no effort to join the hunt.
Delphina quickly approached Elcayan, who was preparing to head out with Calix.
“Elcayan, here.”
“Delphina?”
She attached a small ornament to his sword.
Elcayan narrowed his eyes, studying it closely. Ever since he had carelessly commented about the handkerchief she embroidered last time, he no longer judged any gift from her hastily.
The ornament was clearly made with care, but it looked quite clumsy. In fact, almost strange.
The stone carving seemed to resemble a monster’s head, but her poor handiwork made it barely recognizable.
‘Could this be something Delphina made herself…?’
Elcayan chose his words carefully.
“Ahem… This shows a very unique artistic sense. The maker must have sharp eyes.”
“…”
“Is this… a gift for me?”
Delphina smiled softly.
“Yes.”
He stared at the sword ornament. What had seemed ugly suddenly looked beautiful to him. Even… a little cute.
Elcayan gently touched it with care.
“Truly… it’s lovely.”
“Sir Calix made it for you himself,” Delphina added.
Elcayan stiffened, staring at the ornament tied to his sword.
Calix, standing nearby, laughed loudly.
“Haha! I didn’t think you’d like it this much, Elcayan. Arias and I thought it over together. I felt bad that I hadn’t given Lady Delphina a gift, so when I made hers, I made one for you as well.”
“….”
Elcayan frowned, but Calix only grinned.
“I’ll make more for you in the future, don’t worry! Hahaha!”
Delphina giggled shyly.
“Oh, and mine was made by the Grand Madam. Isn’t it pretty?”
Elcayan looked at the small dagger in her hand, which had a slightly better-made ornament attached. Still, it looked just as strange.
He let out a dry laugh. For some reason, he wanted to rip the one on his sword off immediately… but since Delphina had placed it there herself, he couldn’t.
Delphina’s voice was gentle.
“You don’t have to win first place. Just… come back safely without getting hurt.”
Elcayan nodded firmly.
“I’ll return, Delphina.”
Delphina’s eyes turned toward Prince Ruan. He wasn’t joining the hunting competition; instead, he stood with his arms crossed.
‘People of the Eastern Empire don’t know much about those of the West. But he… looks at me as if he knows me.’
In truth, Delphina didn’t know them either.
She had some idea who the royals were, but it was nearly impossible to know in detail about the nobles of the Eastern Empire.
Yet Prince Ruan’s gaze seemed to say he knew her.
And not only that—his attitude toward her was openly hostile. From his behavior, Delphina drew a conclusion.
‘Prince Ruan must know my teacher.’
Her teacher, Isthar, had always hated the people of House Rikeion.
Surely, he wouldn’t have spoken kindly about them to Prince Ruan. He had even told Delphina many times herself:
“Those people… I won’t let them off. Someday, they’ll pay for everything they did to you, Delphina.”
If Prince Ruan truly knew her teacher, then his hostility was believable.
And in truth, Delphina had long suspected her teacher must be someone of fairly high status.
‘Could it be… he mistook my grandfather for my uncle, and confused me with Evelyn?’
She thought about it seriously.
‘That would be bad.’
Delphina quickly decided she had to clear up the misunderstanding. She had no intention of being mistaken for Evelyn.
