Dory waved her hands dismissively. "I can go back on my own! Besides, if I walk in with someone who isn't one of our staff, my sister might misunderstand."
"I thought it'd be fine since I've met Miss Natalie before, but if you're worried, I won't insist. At least let me escort you to the camp entrance, then?"
"Um… fine, just that far."
Dory nodded after a brief moment of thought. Rick laughed cheerfully, saying, "Excellent choice!" and stood beside her, effectively blocking her silhouette from view.
Tristan clenched his teeth.
Why is Rick Rey here?
The workers' camp is on the opposite side. Unless he had a specific reason, there's no way he would have come here "by coincidence."
Could it be… he knew Dory was here and came on purpose?
He knew it was an unfounded suspicion. But no other explanation came to mind, leaving him feeling as though his brain had turned to mush.
While Tristan agonized, the two grew smaller in the distance and eventually disappeared from his sight.
He couldn't tell if Rick had truly left Dory at the entrance or followed her further inside.
Right now, Tristan had only one question on his mind.
Dory Redfield.
Had she been smiling while talking to Rick?
Dory. I…
And the answer to her earlier question, which he had finally realized now, was…
***
As soon as I returned to my quarters, I thought I'd pass out immediately.
"I'm so tired I could dieee…"
But my irritation with Tristan kept me wide awake.
After tossing and turning until dawn, I finally fell asleep—only to dream of something bizarre.
In my dream, Tristan threw a net at my feet and said, "Get in already, I'm too lazy to catch you myself."
At least put in some effort, you jerk!
I think I was trying to grab the net and throw it back at him in the dream. When I woke up, I was drenched in cold sweat.
While I was catching my breath in frustration, a maid approached my bedside.
"Are you awake, Lady Dory? Would you like to wash… or perhaps sleep a bit more?"
"Do I look that exhausted?"
"You look like you spent the night at the hunting tournament."
She wasn't wrong.
But what good would sleeping more do? I wouldn't have pleasant dreams anyway. I shook my head and got up.
Father wasn't even awake yet, likely due to a hangover. Good thing, though—I was worried he'd break his ankle running around pretending to hunt foxes again.
Meanwhile, my sister Natalie was busy sorting through the gifts that had arrived since morning. She was as popular as ever.
Most of the items were registered game from the tournament, but my eyes were drawn to the small bouquets scattered among them. I didn't recognize any of the flowers; most were tiny wildflowers with blooms no larger than a fingernail.
"Sis, what are these little bouquets?"
"They're from those who didn't prepare a proper bouquet in advance. It's their way of saying, 'I'm a pure-hearted man who picks wildflowers as gifts!'"
"Ah…"
"Truly pure-hearted men wouldn't even come up with such an idea. These are just slackers trying to get away with laziness."
"…"
She probably didn't mean anything by it, but I couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt.
Yes! I'm the one who thought a letter would be enough of a gift because my present for my fiancé seemed inadequate!
Ugh, how am I supposed to write that letter now?
"If I write it with how I feel right now, it's not going to be very nice."
Should I just forget about it?
We practically fought last night; Tristan wouldn't bother asking for a letter anyway!
"Dory, is something bothering you?"
"No!"
"Liar."
"I'm serious!"
I stubbornly denied it. No matter how sharp Natalie might be, she couldn't read my mind!
But Natalie, in her own way, created a new problem for me.
"Now that I think about it, haven't you received any game yet?"
Correct.
And just like that, I had a new issue to deal with.
"…No, I haven't."
"Seriously? What has Prince Tristan been doing this whole time?"
"He was busy with work yesterday. He spent the day fixing roads damaged by the storm."
"He should've still made time for his fiancée! Do you think you'll get anything from him today?"
Not a chance.
I fought with my fiancé yesterday, remember?
"Well, today is the closing ceremony, so His Highness will probably be busy again."
"Every year, Prince Tristan catches at least five animals during the hunting tournament. And now, the one year his fiancée participates, he shows up empty-handed? That's highly suspicious. It's like he doesn't want to give you anything."
"He was truly busy this year. I doubt he meant anything by it."
"Being too kind can be a fault, you know. Ugh, what should we do? Mother's going to nag you again, and more than that, I want to go nag His Highness myself!"
Clearly, this was a pressing issue for Natalie.
Even during breakfast, she was mulling it over, and by the time we finished eating, she had a solution.
"Let's get something from someone else. I'll convince the people bringing me gifts to hand them over to you instead."
"Who's going to give a gift to a woman with a fiancé? That'd only start strange rumors."
"Then we'll cover it up with an even bigger rumor! Now, what kind of story should I cook up…?"
"Please calm down!"
If it were Natalie, she might actually go through with it!
By the time we finished breakfast and got dressed, Father had also gotten up. However, thanks to his hangover, he was more zombie than human.
"Ugh… those foxes… their lives… got extended… urp."
In my opinion, the one who had their life extended was Father. He would've just slipped and fallen again if he'd gone out hunting.
Leaving behind Natalie, who was sorting through the gifts, and Father, who had collapsed back onto the bed, I stepped out of the tent.
The hunting tournament was supposed to end at noon.
The campgrounds were chaotic in the morning. Some people were already packing their belongings, while others were still eagerly preparing their hunting tools and rushing into the woods.
A middle-aged noble clicked his tongue.
"It's dangerous to hunt on the second day. The docile animals have hidden far away, leaving only the aggressive ones nearby."
Oh well. I guess I should prepare to head home empty-handed.
Surprisingly, I felt more at ease after giving up.
At the end of the path I was walking briskly along, I happened to meet Maria, who was out for a walk.
"Oh, Dory! Did you sleep well? I'm so glad to see you this morning!"
"Likewise, Maria."
Maria truly looked delighted.
But I knew better. That happiness wasn't entirely from friendship.
After exchanging brief pleasantries, I went straight to the point.
"Maria, I heard you had a pleasant evening with a certain someone last night?"
"Ah… uh, yes, well…"
Maria's cheeks flushed red.
"I gave a gift to Lord Arthur. My hands were trembling so much, afraid he might reject it, but then—he took it with hands trembling just like mine!"
"Wow, I guess you two were on the same page."
"Exactly. The moment I realized that, I felt so overwhelmed. Even without saying it aloud, we both knew we felt the same way about each other."
Maria beamed brightly.
Normally, a beauty's smile would be likened to a flower. But Maria's current smile felt more like a sturdy zelkova tree with deep roots, radiating stability.
"Of course, that's all that happened last night. We didn't officially take our relationship further or anything… but it doesn't feel as hopeless as before. Thank you, Dory."
"Thank me? For what?"
"You said so yesterday, didn't you? Thanks to you, I found the courage to give him a handkerchief."
"…Oh."
"Thanks to you, I was able to take a step forward. Please continue to look out for me, Dory!"
We exchanged smiles.
Well, it worked out in the end. At least this crucial event is unfolding similarly to how it did in the original story.
The topic naturally shifted to the hunting tournament.
In the original story, Maria didn't have much luck with her haul. But this time, it seemed our male lead, Arthur Albion, had gone all out to present his offering to her.
Maria, looking a little troubled, asked, "Dory, what do you do with the game you receive?"
"We take it home, have the staff butcher it, and use it for leather and meat."
Even after hearing my answer, Maria's expression didn't clear up. I guessed the reason and asked, "Are you worried about your uncle scolding you?"
"Yes… he told me to find a suitable man."
"Well, what's done is done. How about suggesting that the leather from the game be donated under your uncle's name? He'd probably be thrilled since it'd boost his reputation."
"Oh… that's a great idea, Dory!"
I barely had time to feel pleased that I'd helped Maria before she asked me a naïve question.
"So, what animal did you get?"
"…"
Her innocent assumption that I must have received something stung more than I expected.
"…Nothing."
"Really? Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"Wait, really?"
A familiar voice suddenly cut into our conversation.
It was Rick Rey.
He looked every bit the part of a hunter from a classic painting, his light outfit perfectly complementing his brown hair.
He spoke with a mischievous grin. "Weren't you supposed to have a dashing fiancé? Did I misunderstand something?"
"You know he was busy all day yesterday."
"That's true. But even I, who was just as busy, managed to bag something."
Rick held up a rabbit. It was so large and plump that it could almost be mistaken for a Welsh Corgi.
It looked a little pitiful… but wait, that was not the problem here!
"Rick! Are you serious? This is a royal hunting ground!"
You're not even a participant, and hunting in a forest owned by nobles is a serious crime!
Rick simply shrugged.
"I helped the nobles as a beater for a bit and got this as payment. The guards are willing to overlook something like this."
"Oh…"
"Want it? It's just an extra, so it can't be formally registered as tournament game. But at least it'll stop anyone back home from saying, 'You came back empty-handed?'"
"Rick! That's so rude!"
Maria looked appalled. But rude or not, Rick wasn't wrong. Instead of reprimanding him, I chuckled softly.
Well, what should I do?
As I hesitated, a voice called out from behind me.
"Dorys Redfield."
A voice my instincts welcomed, but my rational mind screamed at me not to.
The owner of the voice was…
"Prince Tristan."