Hunting Festival (5)

"It's been a while, Lady Adel."

I froze momentarily at the sight of Estelle approaching with a sly smile.

Since possessing Adel's body, this was the first time someone had approached me so casually—so much so that I even felt a twinge of wariness.

Swallowing my unease, I replied awkwardly,

"It's only been a month, Lady Estelle."

"You and the Duke seem quite close."

"...Pardon?"

What was she suddenly talking about?

I gave her a questioning look, and Estelle continued with a mischievous smile.

"He's famous for being cold, you know. Duke Hardenberg."

'Was he?'

Since our contract marriage, nothing about Abel had struck me as particularly ruthless or cold.

It was hard to dismiss his playful demeanor as mere contractual obligation—there was sincerity in it.

Though, I could've just been misreading the mood.

"But to be so warm to his fiancée—people are genuinely surprised."

"I suppose Abel does have that side to him."

Warmth?

Well, from an outsider's perspective, I could see how it might come across that way.

A duke who never used honorifics with anyone else, yet spoke politely to his fiancée.

Re-entering high society, which he so despised, just for his fiancée.

To those unaware of our contract marriage, Abel must have seemed utterly devoted.

"You call the Duke by his name?"

Estelle stared at me as if fascinated.

'Ah, it's become a habit.'

He always corrected me whenever I called him "Duke," and now it was second nature.

But was it really so strange for an engaged couple to use each other's names?

Abel had been the one to insist on it first, so her question only confused me further.

"What do you mean...?"

At my puzzled tone, Estelle tilted her head briefly before seeming to realize something.

"Ah, you didn't know?"

The Duke doesn't like being called by his name.

Her added remark only deepened my confusion.

Then why had he asked me to call him Abel? And why would he dislike it in the first place?

As if sensing my questions, Estelle continued,

"I don't know the reason, but it's quite well-known in high society."

Never speak the Iron-Blood Duke's name.

"But why...?"

She chuckled lightly at my question.

"Shouldn't you know best, Lady Adel? Honey practically drips from the Duke's eyes when he looks at you."

I wish that were the case—it'd be easier to stomach.

I may not be the most perceptive, but I'm not so dense that I'd miss a fiancé's facade.

And no matter how beautiful Adel's possessed body was, it wasn't enough to captivate Abel's gaze.

"Oh, since we've met like this, why don't we get closer?"

Estelle extended her hand with a bright smile.

Her enthusiasm was almost overwhelming, but rejecting her outright would draw unwanted attention. Awkwardly, I reached out, and she immediately clasped my hand.

A brief handshake, then lingering silence.

"Sure...?"

"Ahaha. No need to be so tense. We're the same age, after all."

And we debuted in society around the same time.

Her added remark made it impossible to admit I had no memory of that.

Suddenly, it occurred to me—maybe Estelle had received some kindness from Adel back then.

'That would make sense.'

If so, her unconditional friendliness was at least somewhat understandable.

"What are your hobbies, Lady Adel?"

"Hmm... sewing."

In a world without smartphones, let alone the internet, it was the only hobby I could manage.

Possessing Adel's body had forced me into a dopamine detox, leaving sewing as my sole pastime.

It was one of the few skills I'd learned from my late mother, and the rhythmic work washed away stress and anxiety like nothing else.

"That's impressive. I find it so difficult."

As she spoke, Estelle pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.

Her words weren't an exaggeration—the embroidered design was, to put it kindly, not high-quality.

Was that a green earthworm... or a snake?

"It's a dragon."

"...You've certainly made something unique."

"Ahaha... It's pretty bad, isn't it?"

Scratching her head, Estelle laughed awkwardly.

It was unexpected, given her flawless image in the original story.

Come to think of it, hadn't Estelle been the only one not to give handkerchiefs to the men during the Hunting Festival arc?

The friend who'd told me about the original had complained the most about that scene.

Back then, I'd assumed the author avoided romantic setups to maintain the reverse harem dynamic—but who knew there'd been this kind of backstory?

"Sewing is a bit tricky, isn't it?"

"Yes... Just threading the needle is a hurdle in itself..."

"There's nothing difficult about it. You just need to moisten it with saliva."

As we exchanged idle chatter about sewing, I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sensed someone approaching.

Turning my head, I saw a knight clad in armor.

A man with black hair and dark eyes was walking toward Estelle. The lion emblem engraved on his pauldron and the Imperial crest emblazoned on his chest plate marked his identity.

The only male lead in the original story who held the title of knight—Karl, captain of the Blue Lion Knights, the Imperial knight order.

"Young Lady Estelle, do you have a moment?"

"Of course."

"There's something I'd like to request of you."

"Ah, just a second."

She rose slowly, then gestured lightly toward me.

"Let's meet again next time, Adel."

"Yes. See you next time, Estelle."

I awkwardly waved back. She flashed a faint smile before following Karl.

I didn't know why Estelle was being so friendly toward me.

Perhaps the original Adel had shown her kindness in the past. Though what kind of kindness it was, I couldn't say.

"Phew..."

This isn't easy.

As I lost myself in thought, the ground trembled faintly beneath me.

At first, I thought it was just my imagination—but glancing around, I saw others murmuring in unease.

Though this was the site of the Hunting Festival, it was still closer to a monster's den than anything else.

The sound of a passing monster's footsteps wasn't all that strange.

After all, the barrier cast over this place wasn't meant to slay monsters—just deceive their eyes.

THUD!

The earth shook with far greater force than before. Fear and panic flickered across people's faces.

The Imperial knights drew their weapons in unison.

"Young Lady, be careful."

Evan, my escort knight, stepped protectively in front of me, sword drawn. Though his talkative nature was a flaw, his skill was beyond reproach.

Yet, the unease refused to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fade.

CRASH!

A colossal monster emerged from beyond the mountain range. Its horns were as tall as two grown men, its bulk comparable to a fortress wall.

The crowd froze in terror.

GROOOOAR!

It can see through the barrier?

People recoiled at the monster's roar. The knights at the forefront, wreathed in aura, stood their ground against it.

I pulled out a few scrolls I'd hidden in my coat. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Good thing I'd brought them just in case.

The monster glared at the Imperial knights—then, as if losing interest, turned its head.

Its gaze locked onto mine.

And then—

...Huh?

GRRRR—

Before I could even voice my confusion, the beast charged.

Evan exhaled calmly, then blocked its charge with a gauntlet clad in blue aura.

"Tch!"

Not only did he halt the monster's momentum with one arm—he swung his sword with the other.

Aura surged along the blade, transforming into a slash that tore through the monster's hide.

Blood gushed, but the beast showed no sign of slowing.

"Huff!"

Gritting his teeth, Evan began pushing the monster back with sheer strength.

The sight of him, wreathed in aura, forcing back a creature of that size was nothing short of spectacular.

But even he seemed strained, his brow furrowed in exertion. I grabbed one of my scrolls.

SZZT!

A blue magic circle flared in the air before being absorbed into him, granting a buff.

"Ah, thank you, Young Lady!"

The monster thrashed wildly, howling as if resisting the enhanced strength. Evan drove his fist into its leg.

CRUNCH!

The beast collapsed to its knees—but only for a moment before struggling back up.

"You're annoyingly persistent, aren't you?!"

Evan gathered his aura again.

Yet the monster's eyes weren't on him.

They were fixed on me.

Now that I thought about it, this thing had been fixated on me from the start.

GROOOOAR!

I hastily grabbed several scrolls. Ignoring Evan's slashes, the monster barreled toward me.

CRACK!

Even after deploying three layers of shield magic, its horn pierced through two in an instant.

The last shield barely held—but before I could even steady my breath, my foot slipped backward into empty ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air.

"...Huh?"

A chilling realization struck me.

Behind me was a cliff.

My vision flipped in an instant.

Ah, falling to my death is going to hurt.

I hated the thought of bones shattering, organs torn apart by jagged rocks.

Bracing for the pain, I squeezed my eyes shut—but it never came.

Cautiously, I opened them.

"Adel. Are you alright?"

Abel's face, cold and composed, filled my vision.