After that, the Prince did not send any news.
Judging by the quietness of the social world, it seems that Young Master's death was buried somehow.
No matter who he loved or how he died, what was more important was the family's reputation.
Although that fact doesn't feel too sad, it was an opportunity to realize once again how strong the wall of 'status' that exists in this 'world' is.
'In the previous world, there was a difference in 'status', even though it wasn't said out loud, so isn't there nothing special about it?'
Certainly, people praised Dorothea Highclere's genius, but they never spoke of her mother, even indirectly.
Inside the mansion, no one would point a finger at Ellen Highclere or say anything negative about her, but outside, she still seemed to be a taboo figure who 'must not be mentioned'.
“Thea, what are you thinking?”
“The idea that people get caught up in really useless things.”
Whatever they accomplish in this short life, they won't be able to take anything with them to the next life.
It was funny to see ignorant people who were so caught up in what they could see in front of their eyes that they ignored truly important things.
“Useless thing?”
“Whether it’s discussing rank while you’re dating, or establishing a hierarchy between subordinates and superiors.”
It's all so petty.
Valerie tilted her head at her words and then calmly responded.
“Well, I don’t think status itself is a bad thing.”
“...”
“Sometimes there are people who don’t fit their status. If they are suitable for that position, it won’t be a problem.”
“Those who are worthy?”
“If you are a person who knows how to perform the duties of a noble and how to exercise your rights justly and correctly, how could there be a problem in the first place?”
Dorothea fell silent at the words spoken with a smile.
The calm, calm blue eyes stared at the sparkling Valerie Germain.
She seemed calm and quiet, but she seemed to be more flexible than expected.
She knew how to accommodate Dorothea's quirks and capricious behavior, while also being courteous and courteous to the elders of the family.
Thanks to this, the Highclere family looked upon Dorothea's 'first friend' with a very favorable eye.
Except Dane.
Dane grumbled all the way to the end, insisting that she should stick closer to Marilyn Lehr than Valerie Germain.
Marilyn would be a great example and a good friend to her.
The cousin's nonsense, which sounded like he had been drinking since midday, could be ignored, but in any case, the people of the mansion thought that Valerie was a very good friend of Dorothea.
“By the way, Thea, did you hear that there’s going to be a hunting competition?”
“Hunting competition?”
“A delegation from the Kingdom of Rohen is scheduled to arrive soon. There’s supposed to be a friendly match between the two countries. I guess they want to see the skills of the noble children before that.”
It was a friendly match, as people say, but in reality, it was no different from a battle of pride between the two countries.
“There will be a lot to see. A lot of young ladies will come too.”
“It’s going to be messy. There are probably a lot of useless mouths.”
Hunting itself was unpleasant, but the moment you added the word competition to it, the disgust increased.
She didn't want to enjoy watching humans competing with each other to take lives for their own show.
“I thought it might be a good change of pace, but it might not be for you since you’re shy.”
Despite Dorothea's somewhat cold words, Valerie smiled as if she was not particularly offended.
“So you’re not planning on watching the hunting competition?”
Dorothea paused at Valerie's words, lost in thought.
She remembered the Marquis mentioning Ben's title at dinner a few days ago.
Ben's origins remained a matter of controversy within aristocratic society.
Even if he had obtained a title, there were bound to be sarcastic remarks that he had risen in status by flattering the nobles, since he had received it by fawning over the Marquis.
'So I said you would have to prove yourself sooner or later.'
Perhaps he had this to say with this hunting competition in mind.
“I will be attending too. Maybe."
She doesn't feel like it, though.
The place where the blood of lives taken for entertainment and show, not for a ritual, is sprinkled is particularly chaotic and attracts messy evil spirits.
The world she will 'see' will probably be terrible.
Dorothea drank the remaining tea without saying a word.
Valerie was staring at her friend with a calm smile.
A hunting competition hosted by the Emperor himself.
As the justification was to identify talented people from their country with excellent skills and bravery, all of the children of nobles who were said to be very talented expressed their intention to attend.
If you are lucky, it may be an opportunity to catch the Emperor's eye or gain the support of another family.
Ben Everly was one of those who had to 'prove himself'.
Dorothea looked for her father's face among the knights who were staring straight ahead.
The man who had once been nothing more than a wandering merchant was now showing signs of considerable experience with the sword.
Although he hasn't achieved great results since he picked up the sword late, it's amazing that he achieved that level of skill through sheer effort.
Some nobles seemed to recognize him and whispered, but fortunately, since there were so many people participating, their attention was dispersed.
Today's competition was attended by knights who usually received excellent reviews, as well as Princes.
It was natural that, unlike other times, there were a lot of young and tender-hearted young ladies who stood out.
Each participant standing at the starting line decorated the handkerchief they received clearly on their chest or hung it on the sword sheath worn at their waist.
Someone asked curiously.
“Did Lady Highclere give anything to the men of the family who attended the hunting competition?”
The handkerchief was not visible to Ben, nor to Dane and Philip, who were also present at the competition.
Dorothea blinked and answered.
“I gave it to everyone who attended.”
“But why...”
She raised her hand and pointed at Aiden Highclere, who triumphantly took out something yellow.
“A talisman that brings good luck.”
“...”
For a moment, the ladies' expressions became strangely distorted.
The 'amulet' that Aiden was happily waving was quite different from the handkerchief.
'It would have been better if there had been a ghost town made of maple wood.'
Willow paper wasn't bad either. Besides, the sincerity of the prayer was more important.
“What kind of symbol is that?”
The ladies fell silent as they looked at the red pattern carefully engraved on the amulet.
A look of understanding came into their eyes as they looked at Dane, Philip, and Ben, who were wearing nothing.
'You wouldn't want to brag about receiving something like that.'
'Even red. It's not even a little embroidery, it's filled with it.'
'Sir Aiden, your love for your nieve is truly amazing.'
Even her father, Ben, said he was grateful for the amulet but ended up folding it up and hiding it in his chest.
Aiden was showing it off with a very happy face.
Unlike Dane, who was looking down at the floor in embarrassment, Philip chuckled humorously and smiled at Dorothea.
“The 7th Prince is still not accepting anything.”
Luke, wearing a dull black cloak, had particularly sharp eyes today.
“The Third Prince is accepting it well.”
“I think His Highness the Crown Prince also received a handkerchief from her?”
The trivial conversation about handkerchiefs continued for a while, but then the soldier at the front blew his horn loudly.
“Okay, let’s begin!”
At the shout announcing the start of the competition, each person got on their horse and quickly disappeared into the forest.
As the hunting competition, which started excitingly, reached the halfway point, everyone seemed to have lost interest a bit and turned their attention to the tidbits on the table.
Today too, Dorothea was the first to touch her plate and finished her meal neatly.
“I guess you like the food.”
When the middle-aged woman spoke kindly, Dorothea smiled and nodded.
“Maybe it’s because we ate outside, but I feel more appetizing today.”
At that moment, a heavy thud, as if someone was putting down prey, was heard from afar.
“This is the trophy of His Highness the Third Prince.”
“That’s great.”
The 'game' that had been loaded onto a wagon was all killed with a single blow, having been hit in a vital spot.
Next to him, the 7th Prince, the 5th Prince, and other knights' hunting items were piled up in a pile, but in terms of the number of hunts, the 3rd Prince seemed to be by far ahead.
“It looks like the 7th Prince doesn’t have much interest in hunting.”
“If he wants to, in fact...”
Since the Emperor was not far away, she seemed cautious in mentioning the Princes.
“Thea?”
Despite Valerie's curious call, Dorothea remained silent, her eyes fixed on the spoils of the Third Prince that she had just captured.
The dark blue eyes under the long eyelashes narrowed as if they had caught something, but then they turned their heads.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
“If it’s difficult, it’s better not to look at it as prey.”
As the dead prey piled up, the smell of blood grew thicker.
Not only were the piled-up corpses corpses, but other carnivores that might gather to prey on the corpses also had to be watched out for.
Dorothea quietly looked around.
Naturally, the royal family was located in the most defensive location.
Next are the so-called 'noble families', such as Dukes and Marquises, who have a long history.
And the last are nobles who, although not very famous, still have the qualifications to observe and observe the competition.
A familiar face appeared among them.
She think her name was Marilyn Lahr.
It is clear that the Lahr family had a close relationship with the Combine Counts.
Strangely enough, Marylin was sitting in the far corner of another table, not far from her prey.
Dorothea, who had been looking at the pale complexion for a while, opened her mouth.
“Freed.”
The knight, who had been standing still like a statue, slightly raised his head.
A few of the young ladies who had been peeking at the table next to them quickly blushed and turned their heads away, but Dorothea paid no attention to that and instead gave instructions to Fried.
“I told you before. It’s called a citrus tree.”
The beautiful knight's hair fluttered in the wind. He blinked and nodded weakly.
“Cut down the pine tree on the hill over there and place it on top of the game.”
“I can’t leave my lady’s side.”
“It’s your job to keep me safe. The smell of the prey’s blood is too strong. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up with the wrong spirit.”
Fortunately, it was the time when the scent of the pine tree was at its strongest, so that would be enough as a temporary solution.
The knight, who had been silent for a moment at Dorothea's words, began to move quickly.
Valerie, who had been watching quietly from the side, asked quietly.
“I didn’t know you cared about Marilyn.”
Since it was obvious where Dorothea's gaze was directed, it seemed that it was easier to figure out her purpose.
Dorothea, who had been fiddling with the handle of her teacup and looking down at the tea that had already cooled, shook her head.
“There is no need to see human blood unnecessarily.”
Animals usually do not remain on this earth with any grudges or regrets after they die, but instead, go straight to the afterlife to prepare for the next life.
Unlike humans, they don't care about 'life' enough to find their own way to the afterlife even if the reaper doesn't guide them directly.
But there are exceptions even to such beasts.
The intense resentment felt so strong that it made her back tingle.
“There are manners that must be observed even in hunting.”
She don't know if some lowly human being is possessed by a demon who has forgotten even manners and is only focused on killing.
The beast's cruel words were hitting her ears again and again until they stung.
Dorothea's fingernails tapped the table, certain that sooner or later someone would pay.
“Gyaaaah!”
At the moment when Freed was about to cover the game with the bark, an extremely angry wild boar was seen attacking the table where Marylin was.
The knight quickly drew his sword and cut down the boar, which seemed to be twice his size.
A spurt of crimson liquid splashed onto Marilyn Lehr, who was frozen in place behind him.
"Oh my God."
The knights guarding the hunting grounds, who had reacted late amid the commotion, approached Marilyn.
She was frozen in place, covered in blood all over her body.
“You’re welcome.”
“No one was hurt.”
“I said you were stockpiling too much prey.”
When the wild boar disappeared, everyone said something, but no one came close to Marylin, who was covered in blood.
“Anyway, that knight...”
“Isn’t this the knight brought by the lady of Highclere Street?”
Curious eyes turned to Dorothea.
The place where the blood of lives taken for entertainment and show, not for a ritual, is sprinkled is particularly chaotic and attracts messy evil spirits.
The world she will 'see' will probably be terrible.
Dorothea drank the remaining tea without saying a word.
Valerie was staring at her friend with a calm smile.
***
A hunting competition hosted by the Emperor himself.
As the justification was to identify talented people from their country with excellent skills and bravery, all of the children of nobles who were said to be very talented expressed their intention to attend.
If you are lucky, it may be an opportunity to catch the Emperor's eye or gain the support of another family.
Ben Everly was one of those who had to 'prove himself'.
Dorothea looked for her father's face among the knights who were staring straight ahead.
The man who had once been nothing more than a wandering merchant was now showing signs of considerable experience with the sword.
Although he hasn't achieved great results since he picked up the sword late, it's amazing that he achieved that level of skill through sheer effort.
Some nobles seemed to recognize him and whispered, but fortunately, since there were so many people participating, their attention was dispersed.
Today's competition was attended by knights who usually received excellent reviews, as well as Princes.
It was natural that, unlike other times, there were a lot of young and tender-hearted young ladies who stood out.
Each participant standing at the starting line decorated the handkerchief they received clearly on their chest or hung it on the sword sheath worn at their waist.
Someone asked curiously.
“Did Lady Highclere give anything to the men of the family who attended the hunting competition?”
The handkerchief was not visible to Ben, nor to Dane and Philip, who were also present at the competition.
Dorothea blinked and answered.
“I gave it to everyone who attended.”
“But why...”
She raised her hand and pointed at Aiden Highclere, who triumphantly took out something yellow.
“A talisman that brings good luck.”
“...”
For a moment, the ladies' expressions became strangely distorted.
The 'amulet' that Aiden was happily waving was quite different from the handkerchief.
'It would have been better if there had been a ghost town made of maple wood.'
Willow paper wasn't bad either. Besides, the sincerity of the prayer was more important.
“What kind of symbol is that?”
The ladies fell silent as they looked at the red pattern carefully engraved on the amulet.
A look of understanding came into their eyes as they looked at Dane, Philip, and Ben, who were wearing nothing.
'You wouldn't want to brag about receiving something like that.'
'Even red. It's not even a little embroidery, it's filled with it.'
'Sir Aiden, your love for your nieve is truly amazing.'
Even her father, Ben, said he was grateful for the amulet but ended up folding it up and hiding it in his chest.
Aiden was showing it off with a very happy face.
Unlike Dane, who was looking down at the floor in embarrassment, Philip chuckled humorously and smiled at Dorothea.
“The 7th Prince is still not accepting anything.”
Luke, wearing a dull black cloak, had particularly sharp eyes today.
“The Third Prince is accepting it well.”
“I think His Highness the Crown Prince also received a handkerchief from her?”
The trivial conversation about handkerchiefs continued for a while, but then the soldier at the front blew his horn loudly.
“Okay, let’s begin!”
At the shout announcing the start of the competition, each person got on their horse and quickly disappeared into the forest.
***
As the hunting competition, which started excitingly, reached the halfway point, everyone seemed to have lost interest a bit and turned their attention to the tidbits on the table.
Today too, Dorothea was the first to touch her plate and finished her meal neatly.
“I guess you like the food.”
When the middle-aged woman spoke kindly, Dorothea smiled and nodded.
“Maybe it’s because we ate outside, but I feel more appetizing today.”
At that moment, a heavy thud, as if someone was putting down prey, was heard from afar.
“This is the trophy of His Highness the Third Prince.”
“That’s great.”
The 'game' that had been loaded onto a wagon was all killed with a single blow, having been hit in a vital spot.
Next to him, the 7th Prince, the 5th Prince, and other knights' hunting items were piled up in a pile, but in terms of the number of hunts, the 3rd Prince seemed to be by far ahead.
“It looks like the 7th Prince doesn’t have much interest in hunting.”
“If he wants to, in fact...”
Since the Emperor was not far away, she seemed cautious in mentioning the Princes.
“Thea?”
Despite Valerie's curious call, Dorothea remained silent, her eyes fixed on the spoils of the Third Prince that she had just captured.
The dark blue eyes under the long eyelashes narrowed as if they had caught something, but then they turned their heads.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes."
“If it’s difficult, it’s better not to look at it as prey.”
As the dead prey piled up, the smell of blood grew thicker.
Not only were the piled-up corpses corpses, but other carnivores that might gather to prey on the corpses also had to be watched out for.
Dorothea quietly looked around.
Naturally, the royal family was located in the most defensive location.
Next are the so-called 'noble families', such as Dukes and Marquises, who have a long history.
And the last are nobles who, although not very famous, still have the qualifications to observe and observe the competition.
A familiar face appeared among them.
She think her name was Marilyn Lahr.
It is clear that the Lahr family had a close relationship with the Combine Counts.
Strangely enough, Marylin was sitting in the far corner of another table, not far from her prey.
Dorothea, who had been looking at the pale complexion for a while, opened her mouth.
“Freed.”
The knight, who had been standing still like a statue, slightly raised his head.
A few of the young ladies who had been peeking at the table next to them quickly blushed and turned their heads away, but Dorothea paid no attention to that and instead gave instructions to Fried.
“I told you before. It’s called a citrus tree.”
The beautiful knight's hair fluttered in the wind. He blinked and nodded weakly.
“Cut down the pine tree on the hill over there and place it on top of the game.”
“I can’t leave my lady’s side.”
“It’s your job to keep me safe. The smell of the prey’s blood is too strong. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up with the wrong spirit.”
Fortunately, it was the time when the scent of the pine tree was at its strongest, so that would be enough as a temporary solution.
The knight, who had been silent for a moment at Dorothea's words, began to move quickly.
Valerie, who had been watching quietly from the side, asked quietly.
“I didn’t know you cared about Marilyn.”
Since it was obvious where Dorothea's gaze was directed, it seemed that it was easier to figure out her purpose.
Dorothea, who had been fiddling with the handle of her teacup and looking down at the tea that had already cooled, shook her head.
“There is no need to see human blood unnecessarily.”
Animals usually do not remain on this earth with any grudges or regrets after they die, but instead, go straight to the afterlife to prepare for the next life.
Unlike humans, they don't care about 'life' enough to find their own way to the afterlife even if the reaper doesn't guide them directly.
But there are exceptions even to such beasts.
The intense resentment felt so strong that it made her back tingle.
“There are manners that must be observed even in hunting.”
She don't know if some lowly human being is possessed by a demon who has forgotten even manners and is only focused on killing.
The beast's cruel words were hitting her ears again and again until they stung.
Dorothea's fingernails tapped the table, certain that sooner or later someone would pay.
“Gyaaaah!”
At the moment when Freed was about to cover the game with the bark, an extremely angry wild boar was seen attacking the table where Marylin was.
The knight quickly drew his sword and cut down the boar, which seemed to be twice his size.
A spurt of crimson liquid splashed onto Marilyn Lehr, who was frozen in place behind him.
"Oh my God."
The knights guarding the hunting grounds, who had reacted late amid the commotion, approached Marilyn.
She was frozen in place, covered in blood all over her body.
“You’re welcome.”
“No one was hurt.”
“I said you were stockpiling too much prey.”
When the wild boar disappeared, everyone said something, but no one came close to Marylin, who was covered in blood.
“Anyway, that knight...”
“Isn’t this the knight brought by the lady of Highclere Street?”
Curious eyes turned to Dorothea.
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