Chapter 99
“Sister.”
With a relaxed gait, I returned to the main area of House Valentine’s barracks.
I found Alicia sitting on a sofa, but she soon jumped up and welcod .
“Sorry you had to wait, Alicia.”
“Not at all. How is Lady Evelyn?”
My conversation with Evelyn took a while, but Alicia shook her head as though she didn’t mind at all.
Instead, she just asked about Evelyn, who was nowhere to be seen right now.
I reached forward to touch Alicia’s hair.
Perhaps she fiddled with it while waiting, but the ends of her hair was a twisted ss.
“She went ho first because she wasn’t feeling well. It took a while to co back here because I saw her off.”
“Oh my, she’s not feeling well?”
“She said she had a bit of a headache. It’s nothing serious, you don’t have to worry.”
As I said this, Alicia nodded.
‘Right, absolutely nothing to worry about.’
Far from being sick, Evelyn must currently be the happiest person in the whole empire today.
I could imagine her humming in the carriage right now—the one that I had prepared in advance through Blanca.
As I glanced at the cloth, I realized that the ti for the hunting festival’s opening speech was fast approaching.
“Goodness, we’re running out of ti because of . The opening speech will begin soon, so we should go now.”
“Yes, Sister.”
Answering with a refreshing tone, Alicia gently linked arms with .
No matter how much I think about it, Alicia was better suited to be the female lead of a healing novel, not a torturous angst novel.
It’s absolutely ridiculous that a child like her was the main character of an angst novel.
Feeling this slight frustration, I averted my gaze and looked towards the wall to the side.
And there, I saw Cassion, who was standing still in one corner.
“Maxwell.”
He turned this way after hearing call him.
“Yes, Milady.”
Soon, a low-pitched answer ca back.
It felt like our eyes t, but I couldn’t be sure.
Right now, he was wearing a mask that was covering his face from the eyebrows to the tip of his nose.
It was a mask that was especially made for today’s occasion.
There was no event other than the hunting festival where so many nobles were gathered.
Because of that, I got him a mask just in case. But honestly, he didn’t exactly look inconspicuous with it.
He’d stand out for no reason the mont he went outside, to a crowded place, so I told him to stay and wait here at the barracks instead.
In any case, there was only a brief ti for conversation before the start of the hunting festival, and I needed to use that ti only to solve that matter with Evelyn.
‘Well, he’ll have to go out in front of other people with that mask on later anyway.’
Still, wouldn’t it be nice to have a grand entrance and first appearance at the right ti?
“Follow closely.”
“Yes, Milady.”
A clear answer ca after the brief order.
He soon followed behind , slightly to the side. Only a slight turn of the head was enough for to make eye contact with him.
This ti, our gazes t for sure.
We exchanged glances without a word, and at the sa ti, we looked forward.
* * *
The designated place for the opening ceremony was already crowded.
Most of the participants of the hunt had already changed clothes or had already donned their hunting apparel.
Donning similar leather attire, this man and that man almost mirrored each other.
Nevertheless, there was one such figure who stood out among the rest.
A man who was taller than many others.
Damian.
“Brother…”
Alicia was looking around to find Damian.
If she just looked up a little higher, it would be easy for her to find him.
“Alicia, over there.”
As she was busy looking around the wrong spot, Alicia looked towards the direction I pointed out.
Her expression was serious just now because she was doing her best to search for him, but a smile gradually dawned upon her lips.
She raised one hand with great delight and was about to greet him, but when she beca aware of her surroundings, she dropped her hand.
It seed like she had beco self-conscious about the gazes turned this way.
“Brother!”
It wasn’t until we got near Damien that Alicia called him.
As he was focused on inspecting his gear, Damian slowly turned around.
Alicia’s voice seed to have put him in a good mood, and there was already a faint smile on his lips as he turned.
“Alicia.”
A gentle tone replied to her. Then, as I stood behind her, Damian’s gaze t with mine.
He hesitated for a mont.
“…Rosetta.”
A mont of silence passed before he called my na.
‘Don’t force yourself, please.’
‘I’ve told you ti and again. You don’t have to pay attention to . Just take care of Alicia.’
After what we talked about in our last conversation, I felt a bit awkward.
I smiled casually and nodded back. Perhaps feeling the sa way, Damian just blinked in response.
“Brother, Brother. You’re also going to participate in the hunt today, right?”
Alicia’s lively voice cut through the awkward atmosphere.
At her question, Damian nodded.
“Yes.”
“I’ve never seen you dressed like this, Brother.”
It’s just as she said.
Alicia and Rosetta were attending the hunting festival for the first ti this year.
Naturally, it was our first ti seeing Damian dressed up like this.
With a renewed gaze, I looked over Damian’s appearance.
The leather cape over his light and thin subjugation attire made him look like a skilled hunter.
“You have to take care of yourself, okay? Promise you won’t get hurt. Never ever.”
Holding onto Damian’s sleeve, Alicia murmured.
With that sulking tone of hers, the faint wrinkles between her knitted eyebrows made her worries apparent.
I know I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help but think that Alicia was so adorable right now.
Perhaps his thoughts weren’t so dissimilar to mine, but Damian smiled and nodded back.
“Yes, I promise. I won’t get hurt.”
“Good. Ah, this…”
A little relieved after hearing Damian’s answer, Alicia said so, but she soon reached into her pocket.
And her small, pale hand soon presented a neatly folded handkerchief.
At one corner of the white handkerchief was an embroidered golden rose, which was the symbol of House Valentine.
“Please take this, Brother. It’s my gift to you, wishing for your safety.”
“I’m thankful every year.”
After receiving the handkerchief, Damian naturally patted Alicia’s head.
It was an old tradition of the hunting festival for handkerchiefs to be gifted between family mbers or lovers.
The gift was like a charm with the wish for the receiver to return safely.
This was the first ti that Alicia had co to the hunting festival herself, but she had consistently given Damian handkerchiefs every year before at the mansion.
This ti however, she handed her gift to him right before the hunting festival. They might be feeling that this year was special.
Damian stared at the handkerchief Alicia gave him.
A slight smile tugged up at the corners of his lips.
“You’re getting better at it. Until last year, I had to look closely to see whether it’s a rose or a lily.”
“Brother! If you insist on teasing , then why don’t I just take it back?”
At Damian’s playful joke, Alicia pouted.
Seeing the picturesque scene of this brother and sister, I unknowingly smiled as well.
As I chuckled a little, Damian’s eyes turned this way.
Once more, our gazes t awkwardly. Damian started awkwardly fiddling Alicia’s handkerchief.
I could see his lips hesitating.
He must be thinking of saying sothing, but he couldn’t bring himself to.
I had a rough idea of what he wanted to say though.
‘By any chance, have you also co to give a handkerchief?’
Handkerchiefs were customarily given voluntarily at the hunting festival, but that’s not a rigid rule.
Sotis, a person who wanted to receive a handkerchief could ask for it outright.
And most people tended to hand over a handkerchief without refusing.
After all, refusing would be the sa as saying you’re not wishing for their safety.
However, I pretended not to notice and opened my lips first.
“Good luck, Brother. Take care out there.”
“Ah, yes. Rosetta. Thank you.”
Because I spoke up first, Damian missed the chance to bring it up. There was sowhat of a bitter smile on his lips.
He’s not a completely tactless person, so he must have noticed that I deliberately redirected the conversation.
There’s nothing that could be done anyway.
If I gave him a handkerchief here…
‘I just know that he’d bother with needless concern.’
Damian would beco an existence akin to a thorn in my throat.
As I already couldn’t call him family, I didn’t need one anyway.
While staring at him, Mog-i Oraboni from my second transmigration ca to mind.
Perhaps because they were both kind.
I had used Damian’s guilt as a ans before this, but right now, it was weighing down.
It was a troubleso change.
So, I had to be careful and not cross any more lines from now on.
I’m watching over two people as it is—Alicia and Cassion. And the people I had on my side were more than enough.
‘However, it might be too late already.’
Even as I made this cold-hearted pledge to myself, in my mind, I kept recalling the ‘Hunting Festival Arc’ of the original novel over and over. This was evidence enough.
The only reason I kept skimming through the arc was to confirm whether Damian would get injured or not.
I smiled again because I found myself laughable.
Fortunately, there was no sound this ti.
Just a standstill.
“Brother, do you know where Father is?”
As I felt an unknown sentint creeping up on , just in ti, Alicia changed the topic.
Damian’s gaze, which had been on , slowly returned to Alicia.
“I believe Father is at the Imperial Family’s barracks.”
“The Imperial Family’s?”
“Yes. Father won’t be participating in the hunt.”
“Ah, right. I forgot.”
Phew.
Alicia let out a brief sigh of relief.
She seed to be worried because it was, after all, a hunting festival.
Well, it’s true that the ‘hunting’ part doesn’t sound very safe.
“But why is Father with the Imperial Family?”
As she felt more relieved now, Alicia nevertheless asked, looking up at Damian with round eyes.
With a gentle smile, he replied.
“The dukes are originally barred from participating in the hunt, so instead, they’ll be standing behind His Majesty the Emperor while he delivers the opening speech.”
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