“What do you mean I owe you...?”
“After the Marchioness Aratus divorced my father, my father blamed me for the divorce.”
“...”
“Of course, my father didn’t treat me well.”
Adan continued speaking, not caring what expression Agatha was making.
How Ferdinand treated his young son, how helpless and resentful the boy was.
It was as if he had found someone who would listen to his stories after a long time without anyone to listen to them, and his stories poured out one after another.
“This is all happening because you, Madame, chose to divorce. So shouldn’t you take responsibility for my life?”
“...”
Agatha silently touched her forehead. She already had a headache, so she had to listen to such nonsense.
She was beginning to regret bringing the grandson into the barracks just to relieve some of the inconvenience.
"Your Highness."
“It would be best if you could give me a title and a fief, but if that is too difficult, I will be content with just a mansion in the capital, a settlement fund, and a monthly allowance. That should not be too much for you, Madam.”
There was no need to think twice about this. Agatha leaned back on the couch with a hollow laugh.
Yeah, it's a shame.
“Why is it my fault?”
"Yes?"
“They say that since entering the palace, you have lived as if you were there and then not there.”
Agatha scanned Adan's movements.
One direct attendant and one direct escort knight in high-quality Mainukor-style attire.
It wasn't a perfect treatment for royalty, but it seemed like he was being treated well.
There is no way the Emperor would just neglect his grandson.
There it is.
Agatha explained the reality one by one with a troubled face.
“Your Highness. If you don’t receive the favor of the head of the household, you won’t be given a title even if you are a direct descendant, not an illegitimate child. This applies not only to the imperial family but also to the noble family.”
"No-"
“And I was also hurt and divorced because of the Second Prince, so how can it be my fault? Even if Your Highness was treated badly by your father, it is your father’s fault, not mine. If that is the case, then I also suffered because of Your Highness’s appearance, so I should ask Your Highness to take responsibility. Don’t you think something is strange?”
Adan's eyes opened wide. From the beginning, this was a complaint directed at the wrong person.
“If His Highness is treating Your Highness unfairly, then you should petition His Highness. If that doesn’t work, Your Highness will have to find your own way to survive.”
As Agatha was, so should the grandson be.
Fortunately, the Emperor of the Mainukor Empire did not seem to be completely ignoring him, so the grandson was not without hope.
“Go back, Your Highness. I hope I never see you again.”
Adan, who had been sitting blankly, shouted with tearful eyes.
“Are you really going to do this to me? Are you really going to throw me out like this?”
“It must have been difficult for you to have appealed to me for sympathy since it was a matter for the royal family of a foreign country-”
Her tired purple eyes stared down at Adan from a high place.
"Everything is my fault, so there will be nothing I can give to Your Highness."
“After the Marchioness Aratus divorced my father, my father blamed me for the divorce.”
“...”
“Of course, my father didn’t treat me well.”
Adan continued speaking, not caring what expression Agatha was making.
How Ferdinand treated his young son, how helpless and resentful the boy was.
It was as if he had found someone who would listen to his stories after a long time without anyone to listen to them, and his stories poured out one after another.
“This is all happening because you, Madame, chose to divorce. So shouldn’t you take responsibility for my life?”
“...”
Agatha silently touched her forehead. She already had a headache, so she had to listen to such nonsense.
She was beginning to regret bringing the grandson into the barracks just to relieve some of the inconvenience.
"Your Highness."
“It would be best if you could give me a title and a fief, but if that is too difficult, I will be content with just a mansion in the capital, a settlement fund, and a monthly allowance. That should not be too much for you, Madam.”
There was no need to think twice about this. Agatha leaned back on the couch with a hollow laugh.
Yeah, it's a shame.
“Why is it my fault?”
"Yes?"
“They say that since entering the palace, you have lived as if you were there and then not there.”
Agatha scanned Adan's movements.
One direct attendant and one direct escort knight in high-quality Mainukor-style attire.
It wasn't a perfect treatment for royalty, but it seemed like he was being treated well.
There is no way the Emperor would just neglect his grandson.
There it is.
Agatha explained the reality one by one with a troubled face.
“Your Highness. If you don’t receive the favor of the head of the household, you won’t be given a title even if you are a direct descendant, not an illegitimate child. This applies not only to the imperial family but also to the noble family.”
"No-"
“And I was also hurt and divorced because of the Second Prince, so how can it be my fault? Even if Your Highness was treated badly by your father, it is your father’s fault, not mine. If that is the case, then I also suffered because of Your Highness’s appearance, so I should ask Your Highness to take responsibility. Don’t you think something is strange?”
Adan's eyes opened wide. From the beginning, this was a complaint directed at the wrong person.
“If His Highness is treating Your Highness unfairly, then you should petition His Highness. If that doesn’t work, Your Highness will have to find your own way to survive.”
As Agatha was, so should the grandson be.
Fortunately, the Emperor of the Mainukor Empire did not seem to be completely ignoring him, so the grandson was not without hope.
“Go back, Your Highness. I hope I never see you again.”
Adan, who had been sitting blankly, shouted with tearful eyes.
“Are you really going to do this to me? Are you really going to throw me out like this?”
“It must have been difficult for you to have appealed to me for sympathy since it was a matter for the royal family of a foreign country-”
Her tired purple eyes stared down at Adan from a high place.
"Everything is my fault, so there will be nothing I can give to Your Highness."
Agatha raised her hand. Leon Takran and the knights of Aratus moved immediately and saluted Adan.
“Please get up, Your Highness. I will escort you out of the barracks.”
Adan, trembling with both fists clenched, shouted in a suppressed voice.
“Marchioness, one day you will regret treating me so poorly.”
“Goodbye, Your Highness. I won’t be seeing you off.”
After briefly greeting him, Agatha quietly turned her head away. Adan, unable to control his anger, could be heard violently kicking the seat and leaving.
"Your Highness!"
“Excuse me, Marchioness.”
As the servant and the knight followed, the barracks became quiet.
Agatha put her hand on her forehead with a tired face. The maids around her quickly lowered themselves in front of the couch.
“Are you okay, Ma’am?”
“It’s okay. But have you heard any news about the Marquis yet?”
She wanted to see Enoch. What has happened so much since dawn until now?
First Vice-Captain Leon Takran, who had been watching with concern from beside the maid, quickly reported.
“The knight I sent with the contact has arrived. They say that there are no injuries that the bear was found and that they are returning safely after hunting.”
“Really? Then I guess I’ll be there soon.”
Like a flower bud holding spring water.
Agatha smiled brightly. Just hearing the news gave her strength.
The highlight of the autumn hunting festival was the awards and banquet.
As preparations for the evening banquet were almost complete, the sound of a whistle announcing the end of the hunt could be heard from all directions.
The ground is shaking.
Doo doo doo doo-
The dense forest vomited out dozens of rows of trees.
Agatha found the flag of the Aratus family within it and smiled brightly.
"Enoch."
He appeared with three wagons and seemed to everyone like the main character of this hunting festival.
Agatha instinctively examined his body from head to toe.
Under the fluttering cloak, his hunting clothes were as spotless and intact as when he had left, and only then did a sense of relief creep into her heart.
The man who arrived just in front of her got off his horse and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“I’m back, Agatha.”
“I heard the news. You caught a bear?”
“Would you like to take a look?”
Two wagons, neatly arranged so as not to damage the hides, contained a variety of game, but one was different.
Just one giant bear.
"And..."
The leather under the cover was very intact as if he had been caught with a single stroke. Crown Prince Anthony Roxiba, who had come near, congratulated Enoch with great joy.
“You caught a really big one. This should be enough to make a cloak.”
“I am sorry, Your Highness. I will present everything to Your Highness, except for a few things that my wife likes.”
“Huh? You’re not giving me everything?”
“Besides the fox, the marten, and the bear, we caught quite a few more.”
Agatha, who was looking through the cart, chose a rabbit and a colorful snake. They were good to use as belts and ornaments.
Meanwhile, the attendants who had written down the number and type of prey gathered in front of the dais where the Emperor was sitting.
The judge was awarding points to determine the winner of today's hunting festival.
The Emperor, who still had Prince Ferdinand by his side, had a flushed face from drinking heavily since noon.
Enoch, who was handing over the game to the Crown Prince by the cart, opened his mouth with a sad expression.
“Your Majesty seems to be enjoying a drink during the day. Did you finish hunting early?”
“Well, I did have some ulterior motives, but isn’t it all father's karma, Marquis?”
“Is it because of that?”
Enoch's eyes became sharp for a moment, but no one noticed it because it was so fleeting.
Anthony chattered excitedly.
“You knew, Marquis? You should have seen it. My sixth cousin brutally slaughtered three women in the morning, and the entire ducal family, including their head, in the afternoon without lifting a finger.”
Agatha shook her head. It was obvious that he had been waiting to say that, mumbling something that Enoch absolutely had to know.
Meanwhile, the Emperor, who had chosen the winner of the hunting festival, stood before the throne and raised his hand.
Pappabam-
All the people were instantly silenced by the magnificent sound of the trumpet.
“The Imperial Court will announce the winner of the first autumn hunting festival.”
At that moment, Ferdinand's face distorted as he first confirmed the winner's name next to the Emperor.
“The winner is the one who hunted one bear, two wild boars, three deer, five foxes, six martens, three rabbits, seven birds, and two snakes-”
Ooooh!
As the cheers of the nobles grew louder, the Emperor looked at Enoch and smiled happily.
“Marquis Enoch Aratus. Congratulations. As a reward, I grant the Marquis a rare bow, twenty horses, and 1,000 karls of gold.”
“I am sorry, Your Majesty.”
Enoch took a step forward, untied the handkerchief tied around his left arm, kissed it briefly, and handed it back to Agatha.
As if to show his skill, even after a rough hunt, the handkerchief was white without a single drop of blood.
“I dedicate this honor to my wife.”
“It is an honor, Marquis.”
Agatha smiled shyly. Congratulations and cheers poured in from all over.
“Marquis Aratus. Congratulations on your victory!”
“I knew the Marquis would win. There were three wagons, so how could he not win first place?”
“Congratulations, Lady Agatha. As expected of a lady’s husband, he is amazing.”
In particular, Aratus' vassals and knights had proud faces.
The atmosphere reached its peak as the Empress declared a banquet.
Today's hunting festival banquet was held in the central open space where the royal barracks were located.
Thanks to the pillars erected and the thin cloth covering the roof, the romantic sunset sky was clearly visible.
Beautiful melodies and lanterns hang from every pillar.
Wild boar, deer, rabbit, and other meats were being roasted in the braziers placed here and there.
“The banquet is about to begin!”
The Emperor raised his goblet full of wine and exclaimed.
“For the glory of the Roxbard Empire!”
“For Roxbard Empire !”
It was the first hunting banquet of autumn.
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