I approached, still unnoticed by Ernhart, who was deep in a serious conversation with a soldier. He eventually sensed the silence that washed over the area like a gentle wave, turned his head, and his eyes met mine.
His eyes widened in surprise.
“My Lady?”
He uncrossed his long legs and straightened up from his casual pose against the fence, then bowed to me more respectfully than the other soldiers. He was as tall as Ricardo, with features more delicate than most women, and his posture was impeccable—truly flawless. His well-kept, sky-blue bob cut swayed gently in the breeze, looking as refreshing as a summer sea.
“My greetings. My name is Ernhart.”
He was one of Ricardo’s most trusted knights and also acted as Grand Duke Gary’s right-hand man. In the original novel, he was a supporting character who helped the male lead, but he had all the qualities to be a male lead in his own romance fantasy. As soon as I saw him in person, I understood why the maids would weep and beg him to accept their feelings and why readers of the book had fallen for him.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Ernhart. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I kept the words “in the book” to myself and offered him a dignified smile befitting a grand duchess.
“But My Lady, what brings you to a place like this?”
“I had something urgent to discuss with the Grand Duke, but he seems to have gone out.”
He understood my reason for being there and smiled, his lips gently curving as he replied, “Yes. He left early this morning on some important business.”
He didn’t give me any specific details, of course. Since I wasn’t here to pry about Ricardo’s outing, I focused on my real purpose for meeting him.
“Is that an arrow?”
The object he and the soldier had just been examining was an arrow in his hand. I showed interest in the long, elegantly shaped red arrow to steer the conversation naturally.
“Are you planning a hunt?”
He gave me a friendly smile at my curious question. “No. I was preparing for an upcoming hunting competition. Since it’s hosted by the Imperial Family, we need bows and arrows of a better quality than usual. The weapons workshop just finished the arrows for His Grace, so I was inspecting them.”
I listened to him with keen interest. “I see. If it’s a hunting competition hosted by the Imperial Family, all the nobles in the capital will attend, right? I’m looking forward to it.”
“Yes…”
He gave a short nod, but his reply felt a bit lackluster. Seeing the hint of trouble in his eyes when I brought up the competition, I could tell something was wrong.
“Can I take a look?”
“Oh, of course.”
He held out the arrow, and I cautiously examined it. It was heavy, a custom arrow made for the large-framed Ricardo. The sharp arrowhead and well-made black feathers were both impressive and striking.
“Do the arrows for the hunting competition look slightly different for each family? How do you tell them apart if they shoot the same prey at the same time? Is it by the color or type of feather? Or is there a family crest hidden somewhere…?”
I raised the arrow high and observed it closely to find a unique feature. There had to be one. After all, in the original story, the arrow used by Kayla was suspected of harming Yerena.
“Yes. Each family’s arrows have different shafts and feather colors or shapes. Or, for events like a hunting competition, they might specially engrave the family crest on the arrowhead. Noble ladies attending imperial events will also sometimes engrave their own initials to commemorate the occasion.”
My eyes sparkled as if I was learning something new, and I nodded continuously.
“So, is a red shaft with black feathers the symbol of the Zenkishi Dukedom?”
“Yes. The Dukedom’s crest is a black lizard on a red banner, so His Grace’s arrows have always used those colors.”
“I see. Since it’s an imperial event, I’ll be attending too, of course, right? Will mine be the same as the Grand Duke’s? Or…”
I asked, naturally assuming I would attend, but his answer was unexpected.
“Actually, His Grace said that you would not be attending this hunting competition, My Lady. He said it would be better for you to rest at the mansion for the time being and not strain yourself since you hurt your arm.”
I was extremely flustered by his answer but tried my best to maintain my composure.
“The Grand Duke really said that? That I wouldn’t be attending?”
He nodded once with a troubled expression. “Yes.”
This was a major setback. This was my chance to see the Yerena and Kayla hunting competition incident with my own eyes, but now I couldn’t even attend.
‘I can’t let that happen. I must attend this hunting competition.’
It was no use talking to Ernhart since he couldn’t change Ricardo’s mind. My only option was to meet Ricardo myself.
I handed the arrow back to him and said, “Thank you for letting me know. But I will be able to attend, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes.”
I smiled at him as he scratched his head and turned to leave. But the sight of a huge figure standing right behind me made a short scream escape my lips.
“Kyaaa!”
“Whoa!”
Both the rock-like person and I screamed at the same time in surprise.
“Are you alright, My Lady!”
Ernhart quickly grabbed me. With my hand on my chest, I slowly looked up at the person standing in front of me.
“You’re…”
The huge man, whose hair looked like it was on fire, had a muscular, rugged face. He wore a black eye patch over one eye, but the other golden eye was so intense it looked like a wild beast’s.
“Karun! Make some noise when you move! Stop startling people. Apologize to My Lady right now.”
When Ernhart snapped at him, his beast-like golden eye instantly softened like a gentle lamb’s.
“My Lady? Oh my, I’m so sorry!”
He looked even more flustered than when I had screamed, giving an awkward smile before bowing his head deeply.
“I have been rude. I never imagined My Lady would be in such a humble place. My name is Karun.”
‘Ka-Karun? Is this really Karun?’
I was dumbfounded when I heard his name. He was the most different from the character I had imagined while reading the original novel. He was so different that I couldn’t have guessed who he was at all.
“Are you really Karun?”
“Yes.”
He bowed again. His broad shoulders, thick neck, and everything about him were so huge that he looked exactly like a bear pretending to be a human. The novel’s description of him as being as swift as the wind and moving with no presence had made me imagine a slender physique and sharp features.
In my state of shock, I felt something small and squishy brush against the hem of my dress.
‘What’s that?’
I lifted my dress slightly and looked down. A small gray lump bounced energetically off the floor.
“Ah!”
What landed nimbly and quickly on Karun’s thick arm was a small kitten. The kitten with glossy bluish-gray fur and lime-green eyes purred and snuggled into his giant chest.
The contrast between the cute cat looking at me so comfortably, as if in its mother’s arms, and the scary-looking Karun holding it so carefully, was stark. Yet, the unsuitably adorable sight made me let out a short laugh.
My worries about possibly not being able to attend the hunting competition completely flew out of my mind, and I was utterly charmed by the cat.
“I fed the kitten that roamed the training grounds a few times, and it seems to think Karun is its mother.”
Hearing Ernhart’s words made the scene even funnier. How could the cat possibly mistake that intimidating figure as its mother? While making a sullen and annoyed face, Karun was holding the small creature in his arm quite gently.
“Can I pet it?”
Karun took a step closer to me, and I gently reached out my hand. The tiny cat rubbed its head against my palm. The soft, warm feeling was as if it was asking for more pets.
“It seems Boris doesn’t dislike My Lady.”
“That’s strange. He won’t even let me touch him.”
Ernhart, seeing his chance, reached out his hand as well, but the cat, which had been so docile, hissed and bared its tiny teeth. As if expecting it, Ernhart swiftly pulled his hand back.
“I almost got a hole in my hand again.”
The kitten that showed a liking to me upon our first meeting felt even more lovable. Karun carefully handed me the cat that was in his arm, and Boris meowed once before settling into my arms without complaint.
