Chapter 72
Since only one person per family could participate in the Hunting Festival, Evelina naturally became the representative.
For Evelina, who had assumed she would be going with Arsen, this was a shocking revelation.
“You can’t participate in the Hunting Festival, but you can go along, so don’t worry.”
“Yes…”
The thought of entering the forest alone made Evelina a little nervous.
But she had no intention of backing down.
She steadied her wavering resolve and set her expression firmly.
“…So, I’ve decided to attend the Hunting Festival.”
During dinner, Evelina told Karina that she would be attending the festival.
Karina nodded slowly at her words.
“Right. Since words won’t help, that method isn’t bad.”
Even though winning first place was essential, Karina’s expression conveyed her firm belief that Evelina would claim it.
“Have you sent your reply saying you’ll attend the festival?”
“Ah, yes. I just sent it.”
“The Hunting Festival determines the winner by quantity. It doesn’t matter the weight—just catch as many as you can.”
Karina spoke about the festival while cutting her steak.
“But there’s one exception.”
“An exception?”
“Yes. Only one Giant Bear is released during the festival.”
A Giant Bear was far larger and fiercer than a normal bear.
Once it bit something, it had a habit of not letting go until the prey’s life ended, making it extremely dangerous.
“Whoever catches the Giant Bear automatically wins.”
“Automatically?”
“Yes. Even if you didn’t catch a single other creature, catching just the Giant Bear is enough.”
Evelina’s expression grew serious.
Though she had never seen a Giant Bear herself, she knew how dangerous they were.
Evelina asked Karina:
“Has anyone ever won by catching the Giant Bear?”
“Of course.”
“Really? Do you know who it was?”
Karina smiled subtly and nodded.
“Of course I do. They’re sitting right next to you.”
Evelina whirled her head around.
Sitting next to her was Arsen, who was looking away.
Karina chuckled lightly.
“Don’t be shy. For the prestige of the royal family, Jonas and Arsen had to participate… Every time Arsen joined, he always took first place.”
“That’s incredible…”
Evelina’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Arsen.
Arsen, unusually flustered, cleared his throat.
The tips of his ears, visible through his hair, were flushed red.
Evelina couldn’t help but giggle at his embarrassed expression.
“Arsen probably caught the most Giant Bears. He always won by catching them and likely found catching smaller animals bothersome.”
“I see…”
“That’s why the festival often ended in record time.”
After chatting a little more, dinner finally concluded.
On her way back to her room, Evelina chattered happily.
“Arsen is amazing. He caught the Giant Bear every time he participated…”
“…I was just lucky.”
Arsen said with a dry laugh.
Evelina covered her mouth and smiled softly.
“Please tell me later how you managed to catch the Giant Bear.”
“Of course. Go wash up, and I’ll see you in your room.”
Arsen lightly kissed her forehead.
After Evelina returned to the Grand Duke’s residence, the Chancellor’s mood hit rock bottom.
“Who does he think he is, acting cocky in front of me and claiming he can read Ancient Tongue…”
The Chancellor muttered under his breath and clicked his tongue.
He had been annoyed at Evelina’s boldness in requesting a reinterpretation of the prophecy, claiming the previous one was incorrect.
He paced the room anxiously.
“This is troublesome… Maybe we shouldn’t have made the prophecy public in the first place.”
In truth, the Chancellor knew he had misinterpreted the prophecy.
But he only realized this years after it had been published.
Correcting it now would erode people’s trust, which terrified him.
Even if he continued interpreting the prophecy, people would surely suspect he had made another mistake.
“I need to secure the Chancellor’s position for next year as well…”
If this major mistake were exposed, he would not only lose the position but would also likely be expelled from the temple.
He bit his lips nervously.
He had considered not revealing the prophecy during this year’s Festival of Abundance, but since it was traditionally shown every year, refusing now would seem odd.
Had he known this would happen, he would have insisted on keeping it secret.
Judging by Evelina’s expression, she wasn’t going to give up easily.
At that moment, the Cardinal who had escorted Evelina and Arsen earlier entered the room cautiously.
The Chancellor hastily composed himself, though a trace of unease remained.
The Cardinal, sensing this, asked quietly:
“Chancellor, what were you discussing with the Grand Duchess earlier?”
“Nothing important. If any letters come for the Grand Duchess, don’t give them to me—just return them immediately.”
“Understood.”
The Cardinal bowed slightly and then spoke again.
“I overheard something about the prophecy… Is there a problem—”
“Didn’t I say there isn’t?! Get out now!”
As soon as the prophecy was mentioned, the Chancellor shouted.
Startled, the Cardinal bowed and hurried out.
Once outside, he glared at the firmly closed door.
“There’s definitely something going on…”
The Cardinal who had just left was Knox, a former candidate for the Chancellor’s position.
Since there could only be one Chancellor, Knox had been demoted to Cardinal after failing to secure the role.
He had been looking for any opportunity to unseat the current Chancellor.
The key to this seemed to be Evelina, who had come today.
Mentioning the prophecy to test the waters and seeing such a sensitive reaction confirmed that there was something significant.
The prophecy was stored where only the Chancellor could see it, so Knox couldn’t confirm it himself.
“I’ll need to find someone soon.”
Knox muttered under his breath and left quickly.
The current Chancellor was competent and diligent, expected to secure the position for next year if nothing went wrong.
But judging by the present situation, something was bound to happen soon.
The once untouchable seat of the Chancellor now seemed almost within reach.
Late at night, Arsen absentmindedly scanned through a pile of documents.
They contained detailed personal information about Knox.
“The next Chancellor candidate…”
It was obvious Knox would be scheming to claim the position.
That made him the easiest to manipulate.
Arsen was considering contacting him after the Hunting Festival when a light knock sounded.
He quickly slipped the documents under the pile and got up.
Evelina had entered.
Arsen’s eyes widened, and he stepped closer.
“Evelina, you’re still awake?”
“Ah… I woke up, but you hadn’t come yet…”
She smiled sheepishly, adjusting the shawl over her shoulders.
“Are you still working?”
Arsen glanced at the papers stacked on the desk.
“I still have a little reviewing to do. Don’t wait up—go to sleep first.”
“Well… I just can’t sleep alone.”
Evelina cleared her throat softly and looked away.
Since marrying, she had always slept with Arsen, so sleeping alone in the large bed felt unfamiliar.
Unable to sleep, she had ended up wandering into the study.
Arsen smiled faintly and said:
“Then would you mind waiting here for a moment? I’ll be done soon.”
“Oh, okay. Let’s go together.”
Her expression brightened as she carefully sat on the cushioned chair.
Arsen returned to his desk and continued reviewing the remaining documents.
Evelina stole glances at him from the side.
Before long, she began to doze off.
It was strange.
Even though she had struggled to sleep alone in the bed, simply being in the same space as him made her drowsy.
The soft light soothed her, and the gentle rustle of papers sounded like a lullaby.
Arsen looked up from signing the documents.
Her gaze on him had suddenly stopped.
He saw her tilting her head slightly as she slept.
Suppressing a chuckle, he rose silently and approached her carefully.
He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to wake her.
But he couldn’t leave her like that.
After a few seconds of thought, he smoothly scooped her up into his arms.
“Mmm…”
Evelina shifted slightly in his arms and fell back asleep.
Arsen muttered quietly:
“If someone tried to kidnap her like this, what would happen…”
He looked at her with a loving gaze.
Slowly, he climbed the stairs.
He opened the slightly ajar door with his body and gently placed her on the bed.
He decided that next time, even if there was work to do, it should be handled in the bedroom, not the study.
Arsen lay carefully beside her so as not to wake her.
Evelina naturally turned and nestled into his embrace.
She slowly opened her eyes.
“Arsen…?”
“The work is done, so I brought you to the bedroom. You were sleeping too soundly to wake, so I carried you here.”
“Then let’s sleep…”
Evelina mumbled sleepily and closed her eyes again.
Even so, she held onto his shirt, unwilling to let him go.
Arsen bent his head and pressed a brief kiss to her lips.
She was too endearing to resist.
He whispered softly into her ear:
“Have sweet dreams.”
“Yes…”
Evelina responded reflexively, a gentle smile lingering on her lips.
