I could have been worrying for no reason, but given Lord Elios' sudden confession and Max's victory in the recent war against Lagon... Well, a lot had changed, and the information I possessed wasn’t relevant anymore. Moreover, the people's support for Max had grown rapidly after he emerged victorious in the war. Given the emperor's greedy nature, it wasn’t a stretch to say that he might have been trying to get rid of Max.
Deciding I couldn't let a scheme like that unfold, I turned around and faced Sir Victor, who was sitting behind Bea. I tried to gesture at him for a quick conversation once our eyes met, but he hastily avoided my gaze.
What was going on? Why was he looking away? After a moment of confusion, I called his name. "Sir Victor, I have a favor to ask of you. Could you please come close for a moment?"
With a stiff expression, he approached me.
"What’s the matter, Your Ladyship?" He sounded somewhat frightened, which was strange.
Was he afraid of me because of the rumors about me? But I had been living quietly for the past few months… I sighed. Then, I noticed Bea looking at me with a puzzled expression and a thought crossed my mind: if I gave Max the flowers she went through so much trouble to obtain, she would be offended.
Once Sir Victor was next to me, I took out one of the flowers and gave it to him in secret.
"This is..."
I hushed him, hinting at him with my eyes to put it away as quickly as possible. However, he stood still with his mouth agape and his eyes trembling.
"I-I can't take this, Your Ladyship!" he cried.
Everyone's attention was now focused on him. I frowned. He really didn't have a clue as to what was happening. Fortunately, it would be difficult for others to see what we were exchanging because of the angle I held it at.
For a moment, I wondered if I could trust this man, but then I recalled that if Max entrusted him to escort Bea, he must have been a dependable person. Moreover, he shouldn’t be ignorant of the situation at all... I had no idea why he would mistakenly assume I was giving the flower to him.
In any case, I ignored his frantic cry. "Could you go to my carriage and bring me back a spare glove? As you can see, I'm only wearing one right now, and it’s proving rather inconvenient,” I said clearly enough to be heard. Then, in a much quieter, quicker whisper, I added, "Give this flower to your master."
With a ferocious gaze, Count Pyrex watched as the emperor stood on the platform.
"Chase after Maximilian today and make sure he catches something early. Once he does, drive all the remaining animals to the others so that they cannot return to the arena as easily."
Although he was the one who obtained the magical beast, the emperor completely excluded Count Pyrex from the plan. Instead, he chose Mikhail to become the winner of the competition—using the very beast that Count Pyrex had captured. How inconsiderate of him.
The emperor frequently ignored Count Pyrex. At times, he even slapped him. Still, the nobleman had never doubted his loyalty to the throne. Now, however, he was becoming infuriated. After all, the count had remained at the emperor's side as his close confidant no matter how neglectful he had been. The resentment that had been boiling toward the emperor began to turn into hatred the moment the count saw Mikhail's face.
He clenched his jaw. It was all because of that damned Mikhail!
Just then, the emperor began making his announcement. "As you all know, today's competition will be scored according to the quality of the prey captured,” he began. "The more difficult it is to hunt the beast, the more points one will be awarded if one manages to catch it."
The participants' eyes lit up. All of them were dreaming of winning the competition or building their reputations by hunting leopards, bears, and even rare animals such as the swift silver fox. If they contributed to a victory, they would receive a large reward from their lord.
Not to mention that the ultimate reward was...
Once everyone's attention was focused on him, the emperor beckoned the grand chamberlain over. The grand chamberlain was holding a red satin cushion covered with a black drape cloth. Smirking, the emperor revealed the item hidden below the cloth.
A moment of silence descended as everyone stared at the beautiful necklace in awe. The jewel glimmered brightly, reflecting a myriad of shades including red, blue, and even gold. No one could determine what kind of mineral it was made out of because the impeccable thing deserved the lore it had been presented with: that it was a gift from the god of the underworld to his companion, who longed day and night to return to the overworld.
Smiling, the emperor surveyed the wonderstruck crowd. "This necklace is precious. It is the Flower of the Underworld’s Goddess, an imperial treasure that had been given to the first emperor of this empire by his dragon father. I pray that you all do your best to take possession of it."
It was a national treasure, an invaluable item. Everyone's eyes glistened with the desire to win the necklace. Not long after, however, the horn sounded. It was a signal that indicated that one must prepare to hunt soon.
While everyone was preparing to leave the arena, someone rushed to the crown prince. "Your Highness!"
Upon spotting Victor's sudden appearance, Max scowled. Didn’t Victor have something better to do?! He was as busy as he could be right now! He knew his subordinate was dimwitted, but not to this extent. Having reached his limit, Max was about to take his temper out on Victor, but the latter acted before he could.
"This is a gift from the Handkerchief Lady," Victor hurriedly reported.
Max's anger immediately dissipated the instant he heard those words and he smiled as he accepted the item.
It was a lunariel. Did Jubelian give it to him on purpose? Lunariels were alluring flowers that reflected what looked like rays of moonlight. They were considered a good luck charm among northerners because they believed that lunariels warded off wicked spirits. Smiling, Max put the flower in his pocket. Maybe she gave it to him to wish him good luck.
He turned to glimpse at the Floyen family's seating area where Jubelian would be. She was looking from afar as well, a smile on her face.
How could someone be so beautiful? Her lovely appearance gave rise to a fluttering sensation in his chest that traveled throughout his body. If he could, he wanted to kiss her deeply, announcing to everyone that she was his. The only thing holding him back was…