TCCIO 121

Chapter 121

From a distance, the noble ladies watching the scene shook their heads.

“Tsk, tsk. Still the same, I see.”

“When will he ever grow up?”

The imperial hunting grounds were lively once again, filled with people attending the hunt festival.

Here and there, hungry hunting dogs drooled and barked.

The handlers grabbed the leashes of the dogs trying to dash out.

Servants were inspecting the guns and weapons necessary for the hunt.

Meanwhile, the nobles participating in the hunt clustered in small groups, chatting without a care.

Some groups flirted with young ladies they fancied, sending sly winks.

Hunting had once been a struggle for survival, but for the empire’s nobles, it was now just another outdoor party.

They were far more interested in the events unfolding before them than in the predictable outcome of the hunt.

“By now, it’s about time he grew up,” a young lady following her mother asked.

“Mother, who exactly are you talking about?”

“I’m referring to His Grace, the Duke of Bergen.”

“Huh?”

The young lady tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand.

But the mature noblewomen began to reminisce, calling up memories from the past.

“Oh, everyone remembers, right? When the Duke of Bergen was still a prince, he was such a mischievous little devil.”

“He spread rumors about the Marquise of Retnie and even pushed Countess Russell into the lake.”

“And he left Prince Sesto, who stole the Crown Prince’s prey, half-dead. Didn’t Prince Sesto stay away from society for six months after that?”

“At that time, he was famous among young ladies for being the ‘bleeding prince.’”

The young lady who had first asked a question looked scared and asked,

“Why? Did he… make the young ladies half-dead too?”

“When young ladies dressed up beautifully to meet Her Majesty, the Late Empress Carolina, His Highness would spill red wine on their dresses, ruining them.”

“They couldn’t get angry in front of the Late Empress, so all they could do was smile. How pitiful they looked.”

The Late Empress scouted future duchesses, while the prince ruined dresses. A river of sighs flowed from the countless young ladies caught in between.

“I see,” the young lady nodded at the noblewoman’s sweet-yet-savage explanation.

“But this time… is Miss Regina the target?”

“That’s strange. During the victory party, he danced with her and even kindly offered to guide her through palace life.”

“They didn’t seem to have a bad relationship,” some whispered, fanning themselves with curiosity.

Someone else delivered a sudden realization:

“You’ve already forgotten? It’s the Duke’s specialty: smiling while stabbing you in the back.”

Ah.

At last, small exclamations of understanding rippled around.

They turned their heads to look at the Duke of Bergen. Or rather, at Regina in his arms, their gazes full of pity.

Autumn had arrived at the imperial hunting grounds as usual.

Colorful leaves fell gracefully from the trees.

Squirrels stuffed their cheeks with food, scurrying here and there.

“We’ve arrived,” the coachman announced inside the carriage.

Regina, seeing the carriage stop, tried to rise, but Jeanne, who had been sitting quietly, immediately stood up.

“I’ll go ahead. This is my first time attending the hunt festival, and I’m so excited!”

Regina didn’t scold Jeanne’s seemingly impudent behavior. Like watching water flow, she simply observed her.

Seeing Jeanne leap lightly from the carriage, Regina finally rose.

“Let’s get down as well,” she said, stepping forward.

At that moment, someone suddenly tugged at her foot. She lost her balance and staggered, feeling as though the carriage step had collapsed beneath her.

As she neared the ground, a jolt hit her midsection.

“Oh my…”

Aaron’s strong arms caught her.

Instinctively, Regina clung to him, glancing at her hat rolling on the ground.

She couldn’t even comprehend what had just happened.

A familiar voice descended upon the frozen, bewildered Regina.

“You should watch your step more carefully, Miss Regina.”

She turned toward the voice, completely unprepared.

Aaron, supporting her with one arm to prevent her fall, smiled down at her.

Startled, Regina quickly withdrew.

“Excuse me,” she said.

Though she freed herself, the scent and touch that had enveloped her seemed to grow, almost consuming her.

Lowering her gaze to hide her emotions, she bowed deeply, like any other noble lady meeting the empire’s only duke.

“Thank you for helping me,” she said, her politeness accentuating Aaron’s irritation.

He curled one side of his mouth into a sly smile, teasing her gently.

“Be careful next time. My foot almost got hurt.”

Regina snapped her head up in surprise.

“Huh?”

“Your stepping on me almost hurt my foot,” Aaron said.

Regina remembered tripping as she got down from the carriage. Clearly, Aaron had tripped her on purpose. Yet now, he shamelessly claimed his foot was almost hurt.

Rage surged up her jaw, and she opened her mouth to protest.

“That’s—”

But she stopped herself.

It was daytime. The sunlight behind him was dazzling.

Facing his charming smile, her predicament was unmistakably clear.

She bowed her head politely, as if hiding from the light and slipping into darkness.

“I’ll be careful next time,” she said, lowering her gaze to avoid Aaron’s blue eyes.

Aaron frowned at her overly polite demeanor.

Regina clearly didn’t realize how contradictory she appeared—submissive and gentle while he held all the power over her.

Tsk, Aaron clicked his tongue lightly and gestured toward Jeanne.

At the duke’s signal, Jeanne picked up the hat from the ground and handed it over.

Aaron brushed off the dry leaves delicately and spun the hat lightly.

“Yes. Better be careful,” he said, smoothing the brim with his hand, approaching Regina.

Like placing a tiara on a duchess, he gently set the hat atop her head, brushing the trembling feathers aside.

“If you trip over my foot again, I’ll drag you to my estate and…”

Everyone nearby pricked up their ears.

Aaron noticed their curiosity and twisted his mouth into a sly smile.

He bent close to whisper into Regina’s ear, low enough for only her to hear, glancing arrogantly at the nobles around them:

“I’ll hide you somewhere so deep that no one will ever see you.”

Aaron straightened leisurely, gazing at Regina.

Startled by his intense threat, she stepped back. Her wide eyes seemed to glisten with unshed tears.

Satisfied, Aaron gave a suggestive smile.

“Just kidding. Why so shocked, Miss Regina?”

The nobles watching from the side shook their heads.

Had he really threatened to drag her to his estate and kill her secretly?

The arrogant duke looked down; Regina trembled in fear. Clearly, she was his next target.

Since she was connected to the emperor, she must have irritated him.

The nobles’ eyes reflected their pity for Regina.

Ahem.

Aaron’s mischief was interrupted by the emperor appearing from behind Regina.

“Miss Regina seems troubled, Duke,” the emperor said.

Everyone bowed respectfully.

Aaron simply tilted his head and replied lazily,

“You’ve arrived?”

“You said you’d help Regina adapt to palace life.”

“I was just playing a little since she seemed stiff. But she got so shocked—it’s amusing.”

The emperor sighed lightly and shook his head.

“The hunt will begin soon. Are you ready?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but I won’t be participating in the hunt this year.”

Walter’s formal suggestion to showcase the duke’s skill was immediately rejected in Aaron’s playful tone.

“I don’t want to,” he said.

That brat.

Walter gritted his teeth, restraining the curse that wanted to escape. He had endured, understood, and cared for his unpredictable younger brother countless times.

“If you won’t join the hunt, what brought you here, Duke?”

“To show Miss Regina the imperial hunting grounds,” Aaron replied.

Regina stiffened under the attention directed at her.

“Since it’s her first time, she might get lost, so I promised to guide her, Your Majesty.”

When did you even promise that? She hadn’t.

Confused, Regina took a step back.

Aaron continued casually,

“Fortunately, it’s autumn, so the lilies of the valley haven’t bloomed.”

He glanced at her and added,

“If they had, I would have had to pick them, and the forest would’ve been a mess.”

The memory triggered by the lilies of the valley made Regina let out a small groan.

Back then, when she was captured on Mount Tarens, Aaron had made a promise to Delia.

“The royal hunting grounds are vast, so first-timers often get lost,” he continued.

The sweet, gentle voice she remembered from Mount Tarens resurfaced in her mind.

“I’ll guide you, so no need to worry. When I was young, I lived with my brother almost every day, so I’d know even with my eyes closed.”

The cool wind brushing her cheeks on Mount Tarens.

The dreamlike sway with each step he took.

Even as the invading commander of Iorenti, he had been warm and comforting.

You remembered.

That moment, which she had tried so hard to bury.

Regina’s vision blurred, and she lowered her head, blinking repeatedly.