To my surprise, Kishian returned safely.
No, he didn't just come back fine.
When the game, which was so large that it could not even fit into a sack and had been dragged in with a rope, was revealed, an uproar arose among the crowd.
"Isn't this a higher-level monster? It must be three times the size of a grizzly bear."
"This alone?"
"No, how..."
Everyone looked surprised.
It wasn't easy to even find a monster like this in the empty forest.
But he found this and hunted it perfectly without even getting hurt.
To the other participants who gathered to ask what had happened, Kishian simply explained it this way.
"It was hidden very deep. That's why it took a long time to find it."
He later explained in more detail where he found his prey.
He said he found it in a cave underneath a cliff that appears if you go all the way east of the forest.
It was a place quite far away from here.
I had a rough idea of why it took so long.
Kishian, who was surrounded by other participants, suddenly looked toward us.
The direction where Letie and I are.
But the gaze didn't linger for long.
He turned his gaze again and gave instructions to the attendant standing next to him.
"Let's start the awards ceremony. Before the sun sets."
Yeah, the competition isn't over yet.
One final step remained.
The winner seems to have been decided without further ado, so now all that remains is for that winner to present the Golden Lissenblume.
For that, I whispered quietly into Letie's ear, who was standing next to me.
"Let us go and sit down. We must receive the Lissenblume from the Grand Duke."
Even though I said that, for some reason there was no answer from Letie.
The moment I saw Letie, I felt my heart sink and pound.
Letie was looking at Kishian.
She was so focused that she couldn't even hear my voice, and she was just looking at Kissian.
I've seen those eyes from Letie many times.
When she already has all the precious things in the world, she still covets the one precious thing I have in my hand.
Every time that happened, Letie would always look at me like this.
With eyes that were filled with quiet, persistent greed, staring like this.
"...Letie."
"Oh, you called?"
I went closer to her ear and called her name once more, and only then did I get a response from Letie.
The child who turned her gaze to wards me had returned to her usual cheerful expression as if she had never looked at Kishian before.
"You should go and sit down."
"Yeah, I wonder who the Grand Duke will give the trophy to."
"..."
I didn't answer and just sat down on the seat provided on the podium.
Soon the attendant announced the winner.
Since only Kishian had succeeded in the hunt in the first place, there was no need to vote and Lissenblume was given to him.
Now all that remained was to pass it on to one of us.
He slowly walked up to the stage amidst a strange sense of excitement and tension.
'Don't be too disappointed. Even if I don't receive flowers...'
Even though I had been bragging all this time that I believed in him, I had been comforting myself by thinking such things for no reason.
If I didn't do that, I would become so nervous that I couldn't stand it.
My mouth went dry, afraid that his steps might stop in front of Letie.
But there was no such uncomfortable twist.
Kishian, who had been walking with his usual calm gait, knelt down on one knee and lowered his body.
In front of me.
"I brought it, as I promised."
I accepted the golden flower with slightly trembling hands.
The moment the flowers were handed over, Letie's expression seemed to have distorted into an eerie expression, but when I checked again, she was smiling as usual.
Did I see something wrong?
While I was thinking about it, Kishian stood me up.
Immediately, a loud cheer erupted which made my ears numb.
Leti, who at first glance appeared to be frowning, came up to me and said.
"Congratulations!"
And so the competition came to a close.
The nightmare I kept having in my head never became reality.
***
The participants were each given a small gift of grains and a piece of meat.
The general participants were sent away, and the families that served Lennon were called in separately and a banquet was held.
This was an opportunity to properly greet the nobles of the North and strengthen ties between families.
So a meeting was arranged for us, the couple. Letie and the Duke of Herssen, the participants from the families that served the Lennon family, and even Rodrick.
The atmosphere at the banquet was not very friendly at first, as it was attended by not only the nobles of the North, but also Letie and Rodrick, but as the drinks and music came in, people gradually relaxed and began to talk.
The couple sitting at the head of the table were particularly bombarded with questions of all kinds.
"I think everyone is probably asking the same question, so I'll ask on your behalf: How did you recognize Her Highness the Grand Duchess right away?"
It was Count Rosen who asked that question to Kishian.
He was the ruler of the County of Rosen, a relatively fertile land in the North.
It was said that he had a connection with Kishian during the time he was subduing demons.
So Kishian answered while observing Count Rosen, who had light brown hair and eyes.
"I don't understand the question. Isn't it natural that my companion should be seen as more special than anyone else? The Grand Duke didn't have to bother trying to choose who it was, he just gave flowers to whoever caught his eye."
The Margrave of Gratz, a large, bear-like man with a cheerful countenance, burst into loud laughter.
"After all, where can a woman be more beautiful to her husband than his wife? Now that you have just become a married couple, you must have looked so special and beautiful!"
The banquet became even more lively thanks to his loud laughter.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was so ripe, there were times when some people would flatter too much or bring up uncomfortable topics, but whenever that happened, Kishian would step in and resolve the issue.
He stepped in for me and responded to them, while simultaneously holding my hands under the table.
My hands, which had grown cold from tension, quickly regained their warmth as they were wrapped around his large hands.
Thanks to that, I was able to enjoy the banquet without any major inconvenience.
Could it be because of that? It was only after a while that I noticed that there was an empty seat on one side of the banquet hall.
It was Letie's seat.
She clearly left her seat earlier, saying she was going out for some fresh air, but she still hasn't come back even after a long time has passed.
I knew it was unlikely, but I was worried that she might have been drinking too much and collapsed somewhere.
After much thought, I decided to call Duke Herssen, who was sitting nearby.
"Duke? It seems like my sister hasn't come back for quite some time since she left her seat..."
"Oh, I was worried too, so I was thinking of going to look for her. I'll look for her, so don't worry and enjoy the banquet."
"Yes, please."
Duke Herssen immediately got up from his seat and went towards the banquet hall entrance.
It seemed like he was probably planning to visit the garden first.
As I was blankly staring at his back, Kishian asked.
"Do you care?"
"A little bit. But it's okay. She couldn't have gone far."
Even so, Letie would be somewhere in the mansion.
The Duke will soon find the child and place her neatly in her room.
There was no need for me to worry anymore.
"I'm sure she's just napping somewhere. She's been out all day and it looks like she drank too much earlier."
When I answered like that, Kishian continued to ask.
"Are you tired too?"
The hand I was holding under the table suddenly started to tickle.
That was why he raised his index finger and gently scratched my palm.
My hair stood on end and heat rose inside me.
The sensation of rough fingertips brushing against my sensitive palms was so vivid that it was almost overwhelming.
It shouldn't be like this, but my body, which had learned pleasure, seemed to recognize the meaning of that small signal and was filled with anticipation.
As I was hesitating for no reason, he asked in a slightly quieter voice.
"Do you want to go to the bedroom?"
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