#076. And Yet, I Know This Person
While I was calculating my options, an arrow grazed past my ear. …Was my judgment wrong? Could the enemy truly be willing to risk everything just to take me down?
Instinctively, I froze and only moved my eyes toward where the arrow had come from.
All I saw were trees. …Good. The trees formed a natural shield, so from that direction, they could no longer get a clear shot at me. I held my breath and slowly crouched down.
Hiding my body within the grass, I waited. Soon, faint voices drifted from beyond the trees.
“Do you see the child?”
“No, can’t see them.”
“Did they lose their way?”
Ah. So they weren’t aiming directly at me.
It seemed they had first confirmed I wasn’t on horseback, then tried to startle the horse into bolting—or perhaps shoot its leg to stop it from moving.
A normal child, realizing they had no way of returning to the base on foot, would panic. That alone would have been enough to frighten anyone. The arrow must have brushed my ear only by coincidence.
I turned onto my side so my conspicuous silver hair wouldn’t catch their eye.
Maybe my clothes blending into the background helped too. The culprits didn’t notice me at all, continuing their exchange casually.
“Well, a child can’t have gone far on foot. With this much forest, we’ll find them soon.”
“Shall we go search then?”
So they didn’t want me actually being eaten by wild beasts after losing my horse. Their plan was likely to let me panic, then appear later pretending to “rescue” me.
But since their opponent was me, that little plan wouldn’t work.
Keeping my eyes closed, I carefully imprinted their voices in my memory. If I heard them again, I’d recognize them even in a crowd.
That year’s hunting festival was a success in many ways. By that, I mean—
“Impressive, isn’t it? To earn such results on your first participation. I might just let you handle the hunt from now on while I remain at headquarters.”
“You say that, but you brought down that massive beast yourself.”
The Emperor and the Grand Duke had, in fact, split the festival’s greatest prizes: the heaviest catch and the fiercest catch.
This year, the Emperor’s prize was a moose, while the Grand Duke’s was a bear.
The Emperor had never once lost first place at the festival, but for the Grand Duke, who was participating for the first time, to achieve such a feat—astonishing and fortunate both.
After all, it was only proper for those with power to take the top spots. That kept everyone else at ease.
“Blanche hasn’t returned yet?”
Melchizedek, scanning the crowd gathered around the moose and bear, asked.
Berken, who had already stopped by headquarters and seen Liana before returning here, answered first.
“No, she’s not next to Liana, and she’s not here either. Maybe she caught more than expected, and it’s taking longer to collect her traps?”
It sounded plausible. Blanche was resourceful enough that good results on her first hunt weren’t surprising. Unlike Melchizedek, who had knights and hunters with him, she moved alone—so if she had caught too much prey, it could indeed delay her.
“Then I’ll go lend her a hand as porter.”
Melchizedek recalled the traps Blanche had prepared. They were sized for rabbits, squirrels, or at most foxes. Nothing worth bringing a whole entourage.
The thought of the young duke and duchess returning side by side with their spoils painted quite the charming picture. Without dismounting, he simply turned his horse.
“I’ll bring Blanche back. Hold things here for me, brother.”
“Go on, then. Even if you return a bit late, I’ll allow it under imperial privilege—so enjoy your little date.”
Berken smirked knowingly, even giving Melchizedek’s horse a light slap on the hindquarters.
Surely clever Blanche would be making her way back from the inner woods, collecting traps as she went. He’d start his search from the outer edge, then. With sharp blue eyes, Melchizedek swept the forest.
Leaning against a tree, I muttered blankly:
“…How much time is left until the hunt ends?”
After setting all my traps, I’d lingered deliberately near the forest’s edge. So this place couldn’t be far from headquarters.
But that “not far” was by horseback. On foot, who knew how long the trek would take.
Wandering aimlessly only risked me losing my way. Better to wait here until someone came searching.
Once they realized I wasn’t in sight, they would certainly come looking. Worst case, even the ones who had scared off my horse earlier might circle back.
So I stayed still, unmoving.
That was fine—until the rain began.
“Waiting for hours isn’t the problem. But… my body temperature dropping too low would be.”
This body was frail. If I wasn’t careful, I could end up bedridden with a serious illness.
…Then again. Maybe I should let myself get properly drenched. Fall ill on purpose. That way, I could hold them accountable later.
I tilted my head back, debating, watching the gray sky—when suddenly, a splash of red filled my vision.
“Tsk. My lady really is a handful, isn’t she?”
Not autumn leaves. The Grand Duke’s hair. His damp curls, weighed down by drizzle, lay smoother than usual. Blue eyes, sharp against the dull sky, looked down at me.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
A strange sense of déjà vu struck me. Ah. I’d seen this scene… somewhere before.
“Well, well. To think I’d see the ever-diligent you slacking off like this.”
“…I’m not slacking. I simply dismounted to gather some valuable herbs here, and in that brief moment, my horse ran off.”
“Ha! So you can be clumsy too. How amusing.”
“I’m glad Your Grace finds it entertaining…”
The rainy sky. Me, having lost my horse mid-hunt. The figure who found me huddling under leaves for shelter—him.
“…I’m not hurt. Just a little tired.”
“Your horse?”
“…I lost it.”
He glanced around. Neither my horse nor his was nearby.
I had said I was tired, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t walk. I pressed a hand to the ground, trying to rise. But before I could, a broad, knuckled hand reached toward me first.
“Here. Place your hand on mine.”
“Come, I’ll help you up.”
That hand—firm, solid, already bearing the shape of a man, unlike his still-youthful face or rounded shoulders.
And I realized: the Grand Duke had reached the same age I had been when I first met His Majesty.
“What’s wrong? Are you too tired to even lift your hand?”
Those eyes, unlike His Majesty’s, were bright blue. That hair, covering his pale forehead, burned red like flame. From the moment he was born, this boy had held everything in his grasp.
And yet—
And yet, I knew him. This boy who unsettled my heart so casually—half courteous, half impertinent, always toeing the line.
He pretended our bond was only of convenience, yet he coiled deep in my heart all the same.
…I had known, since my previous life, that reincarnation with memories was possible.
I had known the Grand Duke was one such reincarnator.
The only thing I hadn’t known—was that his past life might have been someone I once knew.
Blanche’s face had gone pale. Perhaps from the rain. Melchizedek slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
It wasn’t thick, but warmed by his body, it was better than nothing.
That faint warmth seemed to loosen her lips at last.
“…Ah, I still need to collect my traps.”
Though her face was pale and her body trembling slightly, her voice remained steady.
“Now you bring that up?”
“It’s because now matters. Tomorrow at the Feast of the Hunt, the results will be announced.”
Melchizedek sighed deeply.
“I’ll send knights to retrieve them. Don’t worry about it.”
“But… isn’t the rule that we have to return with them within the set time?”
He glanced up at the sky but swallowed the truth—that the official hunting period was already over.
“That’s just an unspoken rule. No one usually bothers setting traps during the festival anyway, so it was never formally written.”
He adjusted the slipping jacket, then drew her closer under his arm.
“So long as we recover them before the feast begins, we can use power to have your catches recognized.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“Were you aiming for first place in number of catches?”
Berken had already taken the size category, and Melchizedek the ferocity category. But the number of catches was still open.
“It would be a great honor if I could.”
Her voice was calm, but faint. Almost lost in the patter of rain, had he not strained to hear it.
“With your strategy, it’s well within reach.”
The soft rain. The sound of hooves crushing grass. Her gentle murmur falling like drops upon dew.
“And Your Grace? Did you enjoy the hunt?”
“Yes. Quite. And I’m satisfied with my results too.”
Despite the incident, the ride back to headquarters was pleasant. If Blanche hadn’t been trembling, he might even have taken the long way back.
