Chapter 34
Several wagons returned, loaded with hunted animals. They were brought by hunters who no one even knew had taken part in the contest. One by one, they dumped the game at the spot marked with Empress Isabelle’s name.
But that wasn’t the end.
Next came Blair’s hunters. He had brought even more people than Isabelle and dumped six full wagons of game.
Reina gaped in shock and pointed.
“What… what is all that?!”
Seeing her shocked face, Kahlheil shrugged.
“I told you, we wouldn’t win anyway.”
“But still! I hunted by myself and that…”
‘That was clearly caught by a whole team!’
Reina pointed toward the hunters. They stood far off, casually whistling as if they had nothing to do with the contest.
“…They say they didn’t catch anything?”
Reina was speechless.
‘Wait, are they really pretending she hunted all that herself?’
To make it worse, Empress Isabelle, who boldly claimed to have participated, was dressed in a gown. It was obvious she hadn’t even ridden a horse or shot an arrow.
“This isn’t even a real contest!!”
Reina yelled. Kahlheil patted her on the shoulder.
“The world’s not fair, Lady.”
Damn it. Now Reina understood why Kahlheil never joined this hunting contest before. There was no way to win—it was unfair from the start.
As Reina pouted in frustration, the crowd suddenly went quiet. People stepped aside like parting the Red Sea, and Blair walked through them, covered in blood from head to toe.
He walked up to the pile of animals stacked under his name and casually threw a fox on top.
‘Did he wipe out every animal in the area?’
Reina thought Blair’s cold expression was scary. Compared to him, Kahlheil seemed almost warm and human.
Blair scanned the line of game and stopped when he saw the bear Reina had hunted. He looked at the name tag: Reina Fillon. Tilting his head, he asked Kahlheil,
“…Did you catch that, Uncle?”
“No.”
“Then…?”
Kahlheil didn’t answer. He simply looked at Reina. Following his gaze, Blair looked at her too, frowning.
“…That young lady caught a bear by herself?”
He sounded full of doubt.
‘Yeah, it’s hard to believe. Even I can’t believe I did it. I just fell backward and the arrow somehow hit the bear’s heart on its own…’
Reina had so much to say but kept her mouth shut. Blair’s eyes were so cold they could kill. One of the nearby nobles spoke up in her place.
“Yes, Your Highness. We’ve asked the Grand Duke many times, and he confirmed it. Lady Reina Fillon caught the bear.”
“Really…?”
“She got it with a single arrow—right in the heart!”
Blair looked her up and down. His face clearly showed he didn’t believe it.
“Haha… ha…”
Feeling awkward under his stare, Reina shrank back and laughed nervously. Blair looked surprised for a moment, then turned his head as if he didn’t care. He seemed to think he would win anyway.
‘Ugh… even after catching a bear, I still can’t win…’
It was frustrating, but what could she do? She was just a powerless noble lady. Blair acted like Reina’s success was just a fluke and walked off.
As Reina sighed, Patricia returned from her hunt, still surrounded by the same group of male followers.
When Patricia saw Reina, her face lit up and she shouted,
“Reina!”
She waved enthusiastically, clearly happy to see her. Then, looking annoyed, she waved off the guys who had been following her. They lingered for a moment, then left.
Patricia hurried over.
“I heard you caught a bear! Is that true?!”
Her purple eyes sparkled with curiosity. But instead of answering, Reina narrowed her eyes.
“You told me there’d be a big beech tree in that direction, but there wasn’t, Marchioness of Doggerson.”
Patricia burst into laughter.
“Sorry for lying! But thanks to that, you met Kahlheil, and you got to give him what you made, right?”
She glanced at Kahlheil’s sword hilt, where a handkerchief was tied—mostly empty, with just a bit of embroidery.
“Haha, wow, thanks so much.”
Reina replied sarcastically. Patricia just gave a sheepish smile.
“But because of me, you caught a bear! Everyone’s amazed by what you did.”
“Hmph!”
Reina crossed her arms and snorted. So what if she impressed people? She wasn’t getting anything out of it.
“What’s the point of a fake hunting contest like this? The person who wins is just the one with the most money and manpower.”
Patricia laughed again.
“Wow, that’s a really honest opinion. It’s all just for show. No one wants to make Blair angry, and the Emperor loves these events. Looks like Empress Isabelle went all out this year.”
She glanced toward the pile of game under Isabelle’s name.
Despite Patricia’s explanation, Reina still felt bitter. Patricia noticed her mood and tried to comfort her.
“Well… the prize this year is that island, so maybe it’s actually better not to win.”
‘Huh? What’s she talking about now?’
As Reina blinked in confusion, Kahlheil interrupted them.
“Patricia, that’s enough.”
“Oh, come on! Reina’s going to be part of the family soon. She should know.”
Reina didn’t care that the two were bickering. Her curiosity had already taken over. Even before, she’d noticed how tense things were between Isabelle and Blair. Something was definitely going on.
“What’s the deal with Flontine Island?” she asked eagerly.
Kahlheil shook his head and walked away. He clearly didn’t want to talk about it.
But Patricia didn’t care. She leaned in and whispered, even though no one was around. Reina also leaned in closer to hear her.
“You know Blair isn’t really Empress Isabelle’s son, right?”
‘Hmm? Was that mentioned before? Maybe? I’m not sure… but judging by the way Patricia’s saying it, it must be true.’
Reina nodded quickly. Patricia continued, as if expecting that reaction.
“Blair is the son of Countess Sienna, the woman the Emperor married when he was still Crown Prince.”
‘Ohhh… really?’
It was an interesting story.
“Why did he leave her then?”
“Not sure… but I think the Emperor didn’t want his child to suffer the same ‘burden’ he had.”
“Burden?”
“You know how Emperor Eckarter is ashamed of his mother being from a low-ranking family?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Well, when Countess Sienna’s family faced ruin, he didn’t hesitate to abandon her and marry someone new. That’s how Empress Isabelle came into the picture.”
“Ahh…”
Reina sighed deeply.
‘What a terrible guy. He dumped his first wife just for that?’
She silently cursed Emperor Eckarter.
“…They say Sienna was already pregnant with Blair when she was exiled.”
“…No way.”
Reina gasped.
“Why didn’t she say anything? Maybe that would’ve stopped it!”
“She probably didn’t believe it would matter. If he could throw away his wife, he could abandon a child too.”
It was harsh, but not impossible—especially for someone like the Emperor. But something didn’t add up.
“So what’s this got to do with Flontine Island?”
“…That’s where Sienna lived in hiding with Blair until he turned six.”
“WHAT?!! Really?!”
Reina jumped and yelled, startling a few nearby people. Embarrassed, she bowed her head again to talk to Patricia.
“How… how could they make that the prize?”
“Exactly! I was shocked too when I heard.”
Reina rubbed her head. Now she understood why there was so much tension between Blair and Isabelle.
“Well… it’s been almost 20 years, and no one talks about it anymore…”
Patricia seemed like she wanted to say more but stopped herself. Maybe she realized she’d already said too much.
Even in silence, Reina understood everything.
‘No wonder Blair is so desperate to win!’
She clicked her tongue and tilted her head.
“But… why does Empress Isabelle want to win so badly too?”
“Not sure. I really don’t know…”
Patricia shrugged.
“Well, if what you say is true, I guess it’s better that I didn’t win.”
“Right. If you had, you’d be going against Blair completely.”
Reina felt like a clown in someone else’s rigged game. But honestly, it was better than making an enemy out of Blair.
DING DING DING DING
The loud bells rang, signaling the end of the contest. People gathered, and the Emperor and Empress walked up onto the stage. Blair joined them, standing at their side.
