Chapter 75………………………………….
“Baby!”
“Ibelina.”
Ibelina, who was handing the reins to the servant, turned her head at the familiar voice.
Seeing Karina and Arsen, she broke into a bright smile.
“Mother! Arsen!”
Karina approached, fussing as she looked Ibelina over.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine.”
Ibelina nodded a couple of times as she answered.
Karina let out a sigh of relief.
“That’s a relief.”
Karina then turned her gaze to the giant bear in the cart.
“It seems even bigger than the giant bear Arsen caught.”
Arsen examined the giant bear and nodded.
“That’s correct. Even the giant bear I caught wasn’t this big.”
He looked at Ibelina with admiration.
She felt a little embarrassed for some reason, giving only an awkward smile.
And all the while, someone had been quietly watching her.
It was Jonas.
Seeing her like that, he found himself thinking he wanted to get married too.
Even though marriage had never crossed his mind before.
Arsen and Karina looked so happy that he felt a bit envious.
While at the palace, they had always seemed cold to each other, but in front of Ibelina, their affectionate behavior felt both unfamiliar and refreshing.
Jonas’s aide, Ridel, quietly spoke up.
“Are you envious?”
“What?”
“Then shouldn’t you just get married and have an empress of your own?”
Jonas clicked his tongue at Ridel.
“Do you think I could enjoy a married life like that through an arranged marriage?”
“…….”
Ridel had no response, simply rolling his eyes.
Jonas spoke with a calm expression.
“I want to marry someone I truly love.”
“Ah… y-yes…”
Ridel nodded reluctantly, looking as if he doubted such a thing was even possible.
Jonas cleared his throat awkwardly and then urged Ridel on.
“Have all the guests arrived yet?”
“They’re almost here, just wait a little longer.”
Shortly after, all the participants of the hunting festival had arrived.
Those who wondered why the festival had ended early were convinced when they saw the giant bear in the cart.
“Who caught the giant bear?”
“You can tell by the crest on the cart.”
Those checking the crest on the cart looked on in disbelief.
Even after rubbing their eyes and looking again, the crest of the House of Rockfelt was unmistakable.
“Are you saying the duchess caught the giant bear?”
“Wow… well, I’ll be…”
Most of them looked skeptical.
“She must have used some trick.”
“No matter the magic, there’s no way she caught such a huge giant bear alone.”
The crowd whispered, glancing between Ibelina and the giant bear.
Most were certain that Ibelina must have used some clever method.
Even knowing about the suspicion, Ibelina said nothing.
Though they whispered loudly enough for her to hear, her calm demeanor seemed to make them feel guilty, and they started gossiping among themselves.
Jonas cleared his throat, and Ridel spoke.
“We will now begin the award ceremony for the hunting festival.”
At Ridel’s words, everyone gathered in the center.
“The winner of this hunting festival is none other than Duchess Ibelina Rockfelt, who captured the giant bear.”
Jonas clapped, and the nobles, seeing his example, began clapping as well.
However, most looked reluctant rather than genuinely congratulatory.
One noble dared to speak up.
“Your Majesty—”
“Truly remarkable, Duchess,” Jonas interrupted with a sly smile.
“To have caught such a huge giant bear alone. I heard the roar and rushed there, only for a massive lightning strike to hit. And there she was, the duchess, standing beside the charred giant bear.”
He looked around and asked,
“The others with me saw it clearly as well, right?”
The nobles who were with Jonas cleared their throats and nodded reluctantly.
“Yes, it was incredible. I’ve never seen such a massive lightning strike. They say the more mana one has, the stronger the magic; it was astounding.”
The nobles were left speechless.
Since Jonas had personally witnessed the event, no one could object.
He turned to the noble who had tried to speak earlier and smiled.
“I think you were about to say something to me…?”
“Eh? Ah, no, Your Majesty. I misspoke,” the man stammered, shaking his head violently.
“Very well, then. Ridel.”
Ridel handed Jonas the golden laurel crown.
Jonas placed it gently on Ibelina’s head and said,
“Congratulations on your victory.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Jonas lightly tapped her shoulders.
“There’s another prize besides the golden laurel crown. What is your wish, Duchess?”
He was genuinely curious.
The Rockfelt family’s wealth ranked among the top five in the empire, and Arsen would provide for anything lacking. There should be nothing she needed.
Taking a small breath, Ibelina spoke.
“I request a correction of the prophecy that the temple misinterpreted.”
Her statement brought an eerie silence to the surroundings.
Sensing this was not a matter to be taken lightly, Jonas called Ibelina into the command tent.
Once she sat across from him, he tapped the desk with his fingers at a steady rhythm.
After a long pause, Jonas finally spoke.
“Tell me precisely what your wish is.”
Ibelina blinked slowly and spoke calmly.
“The interpretation of the prophecy from the year I was born is incorrect. I discovered this while studying, and requested a reinterpretation from the temple, but they refused. I had no choice but to seek your Majesty’s help.”
“……And why are you certain the temple’s interpretation is wrong?”
“I studied ancient languages. I discovered the error while viewing the prophecy during the Feast of Abundance.”
Jonas groaned.
The royal family and the temple were traditionally separate. The temple did not interfere with royal affairs, and the royal family did not meddle in the temple’s matters.
Jonas, looking troubled, spoke again.
“Any other wishes?”
“No,” Ibelina said firmly.
“…And if the duchess’s judgment is wrong, how will you make amends?”
“I will comply with anything the temple demands. But that won’t happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because I cannot be wrong.”
Ibelina spoke confidently.
Seeing her self-assured attitude, Jonas’s confused expression broke into a hearty laugh.
At that moment, he thought of Arsen.
“As I said before, couples grow alike, huh? Seems it’s true.”
Jonas genuinely looked pleased.
Ibelina, expecting anger, was taken aback by his unexpected reaction.
“A promise is a promise. I’ll send a formal request to the temple soon.”
Ibelina’s expression brightened.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!”
“You may leave now.”
She bowed to Jonas and exited the tent.
Ridel, who had been quietly standing behind Jonas, spoke.
“Why did you take on such a troublesome matter? If you had commanded her to state another wish, even the duchess would have had no choice.”
“Hm… because it’s fun?”
Ridel furrowed his brow.
Seeing Ridel’s grim expression, Jonas waved his hand and spoke seriously.
“The temple’s power is growing to rival the throne. That’s all thanks to the prophecy. It’s better to rein them in now. I was wondering how, and the duchess just gave me a perfect reason.”
Ridel looked surprised.
Jonas, noticing his expression, said incredulously,
“What’s that look for?”
“No… I just thought it was because you genuinely found it amusing.”
“And what exactly do you take me for?”
Ridel only smiled.
A few days later, Jonas sent an official letter to the temple.
Though wordy, it essentially stated that the prophecy seemed to have been misinterpreted, so perhaps they could reinterpret it together this time.
Of course, the temple was furious upon receiving it.
They responded, declaring it a clear overreach.
But Jonas did not back down.
He pointed out that they were always monopolizing the prophecy and suggested cooperating this time.
The envoy, seeing Jonas’s response, trembled violently.
His face was already flushed red.
“That lowly woman…!”
She must have whispered something to the duchess.
Everyone thought she had given up, but she ended up causing this massive problem.
No one knew what had happened with the duchess, but now all the priests had learned of it.
Though unspoken, everyone was unsettled by the claim that the prophecy had been misinterpreted.
“Absolutely… absolutely not… if this spreads outside…?”
The envoy went pale.
All the honor he had built would collapse, and he would be ridiculed.
Everyone would surely blame him.
“How… how did I even reach this position…!”
He could not afford to collapse over such a trivial matter.
He needed a plan.
The envoy paced the room, thinking frantically.
But his growing anxiety only led to darker thoughts.
Ultimately, imagining being expelled from the temple and wandering the streets alone, he let out a frenzied scream.
At that moment, the door opened quietly, and someone entered.
