Chapter 59

Chapter 59

The silence was so icy cold like a blizzard had blown through the carriage. Haha. I’m done for. All I could do was laugh internally.

“Did... Penelope give that amulet to you?” Derrick asked in a low voice. For some reason unknown even to myself I shivered.

The duke was oblivious as he grinned, taunting them. “Ahem. You two should have been nicer to her like I was. It’s your personalities that make you so unpopular with the ladies, you know.”

Reynold only laughed incredulously and Derrick, who had been regarding the duke silently, turned his stare on me. There was an emotion I couldn’t read in his blue eyes.

“You didn’t give me...” he began tensely, before abruptly falling into a sullen silence and turning stubbornly away from me. His affection score shimmered and changed.

Affection score minus 1%

[Affection Score 26%]

Oh, come on! What’s the big deal? It was just an amulet! I felt a surge of resentment for how ridiculously easy it was to send the affection score down in hard mode.

* * *

The carriage slowed as we approached the palace and I glanced out the window to see a long line of other carriages, starting at the front gates.

“Why is it taking so long?” I murmured. The hold-up was strange since there had been no such line last time.

The duke replied, “They’re searching the carriages for magical weapons or items, and also mages.”

“Searching?”

“Yes. This hunting tournament is being hosted by the crown prince himself. If he has any regard for his own life, he’ll ensure the security is flawless.”

I nodded, agreeing with this assessment of the situation. The crown prince was a war hero with enemies both in and outside the empire. The attempts to attack or assassinate him probably wouldn’t ease until he ascended to the throne.

I suppose it’s only natural that he’s so unhinged, I thought, acknowledging that his crazed personality wasn’t all that surprising. Not that I sympathized in any way, of course. I was the one who deserved the sympathy of the two of us. But if they’re also checking for mages... Does that mean Winter can’t take part?

Our carriage reached the gate, interrupting my train of thought. We were allowed through rather quickly, as was expected. Though the magic-detecting crystal balls flagged the magic marbles in my crossbow, it wasn’t a problem since they were clearly meant for hunting.

After a palace mage completed the inspection, he returned my crossbow and its case to Emily, who had arrived in a separate carriage.

“What lunacy are you planning this time? You seem overly prepared,” Reynold mocked, stubbornly gazing out the window.

Derrick glared at me accusingly and sighed, obviously in agreement with his brother.

“Ahem!” The duke, who had prepared the crossbow himself, cleared his throat uncomfortably.

I felt unfairly judged yet again.

* * *

The Eve Festival was to be held in a large garden located not far from the forest that would later serve as the hunting grounds. As was to be expected of the imperial palace, even located outdoors as it was, the venue was beautifully decorated. There were fine fabrics and ribbons draped artfully, complementing the natural beauty of the colorful flower beds. There was also a high, dense wall of vegetation that surrounded the venue, protecting it from prying eyes, and gorgeous lights hanging from various points all around.

It seemed as if many of the guests had already arrived, as the attendants were flitting between the round tables, of which there was one allocated to each house. The duke and my two brothers left to check on the lodge and horses they’d be using during the hunt, leaving me to enter the garden alone save for Emily trailing behind me.

Where is he? Is he not here yet? I wove between the countless nobles, searching the many faces around me almost desperately. I needed to know where the crown prince was. I had no way of knowing when he might suddenly appear, so my heart was racing. Maybe I should have just gone with the others...

The prince might be a crazy, arrogant bastard, but even he wouldn’t try to kill me while the duke and his family were present. I felt regret wash over me but was soon distracted as I noticed people whispering nearby.

“The gall of that girl! Even if her ban was lifted, I’m surprised she was brave enough to show her face here of all places!”

“Exactly. How on earth is Duke Eckhart educating his children...”

“Oh, my lady, don’t say that. No amount of education can change the fact that she is of low birth.”

They were obviously talking about me. Scowling, I cast my eyes around in search of the ones responsible for saying such things, but I couldn’t pick anyone out of the crowd since everyone was staring at me.

I suppose it’s to be expected, I was infamously badly behaved last year. Knowing this didn’t make the experience any more pleasant, though. I realized that I was in no position to judge the crown prince’s situation as all that different from my own. Penelope also had many enemies positioned everywhere—there was good reason for her aggressive attitude toward life.

“Ugh! Look at her vulgar clothes!”

“She hasn’t even had her coming-of-age ceremony. Does she have no shame?”

Emily’s face fell—she had been responsible for choosing the dress that would best compliment my looks, along with the other maids. This was the fourth time today someone had criticized my clothing.

I heard if you endure hearing the same thing three times, you can get away with murder. Since I’d endured unsolicited criticism more than three times, did that mean I could cause trouble now if I wanted?

“Emily,” I said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Go get my crossbow.”

Emily shot me an alarmed look but nodded. “Yes, my lady! I’ll go right away!” she replied, turning to leave. Her voice was much louder than mine.

Her eager compliance was in stark contrast to earlier when she’d asked me not to bring up using the crossbow again. Seeing her rush toward the lodge made me grin. The ugly muttering had gone completely silent.

Say one more word. I dare you. I held my head high and scanned the crowd. Every pair of eyes that met mine flinched and glanced away hurriedly, much to my amusement. Even though my maid was gone, leaving me alone, nobody seemed willing to mock me again. I guess they don’t want to get shot by the crazy Eckhart chimpanzee, huh?

I decided to look for the crown prince later. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have arrived yet; if he was here, I was sure he would have approached me by now. Relieved, I moved to the Eckhart table, which was toward the front. I fell into my seat, crossed my legs, and called one of the passing attendants.

“Over here.”

“Y-yes!”

“Bring wine. I want a bottle, not a glass.”

Gasps were heard all around as I confirmed the notion, everyone, no doubt had that I was some kind of a philistine.

Emily soon returned with the crossbow case. “My lady!” She was out of breath, seemingly having run the whole way.

“Good work, Emily,” I said, and Emily grinned with pride. It was the same nasty expression I’d seen on her face when she’d woken me using a needle.

The case clanged loudly as I dropped it onto the table, before removing the crossbow. I began slotting in the small marble-like pellets that served as ammunition in full view of an avid audience of onlookers. The loud sound the pellets made as they were loaded echoed unpleasantly through the silent venue.

“My goodness! Someone should stop her!”

“Shouldn’t we call the guards?”

I could hear whispers, but I ignored them, turning the crank on my weapon.

“Ha! What the hell are you doing?” came a confounded voice. I looked up and found that the duke and his sons had arrived. People were openly sighing with relief.

“You look like you were really looking forward to this. Was the title chimpanzee not enough for you? You’re already trying to shoot someone?” Reynold asked, mystified.

The crossbow clicked, indicating it was loaded and ready to go. I slung it over my shoulder, not bothering to turn and look at him. “It’s none of your concern.”

“Can’t you see that everyone’s staring at you? I can’t let you bring shame to our family again!”

“Reynold,” the duke warned, his voice steadily getting louder.

Reynold glanced around at our audience and leaned toward me to ask viciously, “Are you just going to sit there looking ridiculous, you crazy b*tch?” The way he clenched his teeth and spat profanities at me sent a chill down my spine.

I knew I looked pretty silly with the huge crossbow slung over my fancy dress, but I refused to respond to him. He wouldn’t believe me even if I told him I was only doing this in self-defense.

“Penelope Eckhart,” Reynold spat. It seemed as if I could add another name to the list of people who seemed to think I was out of my mind.

“It took a year for them to lift your ban. You’d better think carefully before you act.”

“I have permission from Father to use my crossbow,” I was finally forced to reply. I chose the most effective excuse I had at my disposal. Reynold’s eyes gleamed unpleasantly. He whipped around to the duke and asked,

“Is this true, Father?”

“Ahem! Hem!”

I flinched as the duke glared at me, but thankfully he didn’t deny it. He simply clucked his tongue.

“There is no rule that forbids a person from carrying a weapon at the festival. Be quiet and sit.”

“But Father! You know what she’s like—”

“Silence! Why are you so distrustful of your sister? She told me she has seen the error of her ways, so let’s wait and see. And you, Penelope,” the duke warned seriously. “If you cause another disturbance, I will not lift a finger even if you’re locked in the palace prison.”

“Of course, Father! You can trust me,” I said with a giggle.

Reynold seemed to have a lot that he still wanted to say, but in the end, he kept his mouth shut and fell into the seat next to me. He wore a savage glare as he studied my mocking smile.

Ha ha! If you think this is unfair, you should get him an amulet, too! I was able to mock him to my heart’s content internally, very satisfied with the outcome of my gift to the duke. I’d been very wise to give him the amulet.