The Hunting Festival Summons
A peaceful week had passed.
No more grotesque nightmares, and the Grand Duke had stopped picking fights with me for no reason.
I stopped by the kitchen, where lunch preparations were in full swing, to check on the progress. I was on my way out after a quick look-over when Riel pressed a freshly baked roll into my hand.
"Eat this before you go, Freya! Ever since you came back to the Grand Duke's estate, you've seemed so full of energy! Fighting today, too!"
"Thank you, Riel."
"Don't mention it."
I flashed her a smile and left the kitchen, the bread warm in my hand.
I'd just stepped out and was tearing into the roll when I spotted Sir Allen walking out of the knights' building.
The moment he saw me, he shouted, "Miss Freya!" and came jogging over.
"Where are you headed?"
"Ah, His Highness summoned me, so I was on my way to his office."
"What a coincidence—I'm headed that way myself. Shall we walk together?"
"Yes, let's."
Sir Allen and I began walking side by side.
He summoned me... and Sir Allen too?
Ordinary butler duties were no reason to call for a knight as well. Preparing tea or tidying the office was, as a rule, work he'd assign to a maid.
I puzzled over why we'd both been summoned as I walked.
Partway down the quiet path, Sir Allen spoke up, careful and hesitant.
"These."
"Pardon?"
Fidgeting with the end of his sleeve, looking thoroughly embarrassed, he fiddled with the edge of his cuff.
My gaze drifted there naturally. Ah—cufflinks. The cufflinks I'd given him as a gift.
I smiled faintly as I looked at them.
"They suit you very well, Sir Allen."
"...You think so?"
A soft smile settled at the corner of his mouth.
He's even pretty when he smiles.
I'd always assumed he was simply dashing, handsome, and dependable—turns out his smile was lovely, too.
Come to think of it, he did say his family was well-off as well.
Allen Fratiers. Eldest son of Count Fratiers—a house that had served as vassals to the Grand Duke Ballot's family for generations, renowned for its unwavering loyalty to the duchy and the exceptional natural gifts of its members.
And here I thought only the Grand Duke had it all. Turns out Sir Allen's a man who has it all too.
With an even better personality than the Grand Duke, no less.
Well, well.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I made my way to the office.
When I arrived at the Grand Duke's office, his aide Ed was there as well.
Why is everyone gathered here?
At my puzzled look, the Grand Duke spoke.
"Read it."
He held out an envelope that gleamed gold.
Oh. This is from the imperial palace?
I wondered if I was really allowed to read something like this, but since the Grand Duke told me to, I took it without fuss, drew out the letter inside, and read it.
"...The Hunting Festival?"
Ed's face darkened like a storm cloud at those words. The Grand Duke's expression, of course, remained as indifferent as ever.
The Hunting Festival was an imperial event held once every two years, and precisely because it wasn't a frequent occasion, it drew an enormous amount of public attention.
The problem was that this letter announcing the festival came with a brand-new condition attached, starting this year.
Sir Allen took the letter from me, scanned its contents, and spoke.
"A Hunting Festival requiring butlers to participate is unheard of, Your Highness."
The Grand Duke gave a slight nod, and Ed echoed him.
"A first indeed."
Sir Allen read through the letter once more, thoroughly, then said:
"Not merely guarding the family's camp—they're expected to join the hunt itself. This is..."
Sir Allen's and Ed's eyes both turned to me.
Right. This is...
A condition thrown together at the last minute with me in its sights, no matter who looked at it.
"..."
"..."
It seemed everyone here had arrived at the same conclusion I had.
The Grand Duke called on me.
"Butler."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Who exactly did you make enemies of at the palace?"
"..."
Um... er... hm...
Too many to count?
I couldn't answer right away and merely blinked slowly four or five times. At that, the Grand Duke gave a resigned shake of his head.
"Never mind. Consider your answer given."
"..."
I briefly recalled my time in the palace lounge with those attendants.
Still, honestly, could you even call that making enemies?
It was a brief quarrel of the sort you'd see anywhere, wasn't it?
Did I insult their parents? Their family head?
All I did was return the rudeness they'd handed me, exactly as delivered.
I felt a little wronged, but I didn't bother defending myself.
His pride must be stung, that's all.
He'd no doubt scurried back to his master to report everything—shrinking his own faults and blowing mine out of all proportion.
Sneaky, petty little bastards, the lot of them.
As I moved my lips, swallowing curses in my head, tak—the Grand Duke pulled off his glasses and set them on the desk.
"It would seem our butler has grown rather popular since the Assembly of High Nobles. ...Given that the imperial household is making this much of a fuss just to catch a glimpse of her."
"Haha, indeed..."
I laughed awkwardly.
Ugh, honestly. I'm not thrilled about it either.
But I'd expected that the spotlight would land on me one way or another.
The Grand Duke surely knew it too.
The moment he took me to an official event, he must have anticipated that people would start digging into me.
I just hadn't imagined the imperial family itself would come knocking.
Then Ed spoke.
"If the palace is moving so openly, it's probably... because of the Third Princess."
I looked at Ed.
"What does the Third Princess have to do with it?"
At that, the Grand Duke leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. Ed, carefully watching his reaction, continued.
"The Third Princess is deeply, fervently in love with our Grand Duke, you see."
"..."
My head snapped toward the Grand Duke.
In love. As in, likes him. Loves him. Something like that?
I did my best to hide my astonishment as I stared at him. And yet even at the news that a princess of the empire was pining for him, the Grand Duke showed not the slightest flicker of reaction.
So he already knew. That's why he was so calm about it.
But why, though?
Ah. What a stupid question.
Because he's gorgeous, that's why.
Rich, tall, huge estate, massive lands.
The Grand Duke is big on everything, after all.
Back in my Tenasis Empire, he'd count as a villain, a demon—but here in the Cadea Empire, he's an absolutely perfect match as a groom.
Aside from his rotten temper.
In any case, that one sentence—the Third Princess loved the Grand Duke—snapped every piece of the puzzle into place.
It did seem a bit strange that the palace would go this far based only on gossip from a few nobles.
The Third Princess's influence had clearly been at work.
So that's what this is. The Princess wants to claim the Grand Duke, and she's gone as far as engineering all this to do it?
Ha. No. That's not right. Something surged hot and tight in my chest.
I had no lingering attachment to the Grand Duke's neck now—but even so, the original promise that the Grand Duke would surrender his neck had been made to me.
The Grand Duke promised his neck to me. When did he ever promise it to the Third Princess? So why is she raising hell?
I gazed quietly at the Grand Duke.
—"Let's postpone today's duel for now. ...So survive, if you can. My neck—you'll have to come take it."
The Grand Duke's voice and gaze on the battlefield—the promise that I'd have to come claim his neck—rose in my memory.
Yes. That promise was—
...Mine.
I couldn't hold back this strange feeling welling up inside me.
It was like someone snatching the toy out of my hands. That petty, spiteful impulse climbed all the way up to my throat.
Just then, the Grand Duke spoke in a low voice.
"Butler."
"Yes. Speak, Your Highness."
"This is not a mere invitation to attend as a butler. I expect you've already worked that much out."
I answered calmly.
"Yes, Your Highness. Their intent is so transparent I'm bored just looking at it."
Pfft. Beside me, Ed burst out in the laughter he'd been holding back.
"My apologies. Ahem."
I continued.
"That's where they'll try to dispose of me, isn't it."
"..."
"..."
Bows, guns, swords, magic—even aura. It was a hunting festival, after all; the means of attack permitted on the hunting grounds were endless.
Which means there may come a moment when I have to reveal what I can do.
But I'd settled that dilemma long ago.
I was taught to return every provocation, without exception.
That was the standing of the Grand Duke Ballot's house—the power carried by the duchy's very name.
Our old master Norbert taught me that himself.
Ah...
But what if the one throwing the provocation is royalty? He never taught me how to handle that, did he?
Oh well. Who cares.
This one or that one, it made no difference.
I'll simply act as I was taught.
I bowed to the Grand Duke, one hand laid over my heart.
My voice was formal and grave, but an irrepressible delight leaked through in the smile at the corner of my mouth.
"If you would grant me the honor of running the Hunting Festival at your side, Your Highness, I shall repay it with the finest results."
At that, the Grand Duke broke into a short laugh.
"I'll be expecting it, Butler."