I Became the Emperor’s Sleeping Pill - Chapter 64

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Even if they attacked again, she now knew how to wield a sword, and Edin had given her a protective bracelet, so she wouldn’t be as helpless as before. A fully armed knight would have been far more intimidating, but as it was, if Seiren dared raise her sword again with her remaining arm, she risked losing not only that arm but her head as well.

“Since you’re already dressed for it, why don’t you participate in the hunt?” the blasted Empress suddenly chirped.

“Your attire is rather disruptive to the elegance of our tea party, so it seems fitting,” the noblewomen, eager to please the Empress, echoed the ridiculous sentiment.

“And why should I?” Lysei retorted instantly. She had no intention of participating in the hunt. She’d only chosen this outfit for its practicality, anticipating potential threats, finding a dress too cumbersome. It was absurd that they were now using her attire–chosen for protection against them–as a reason to force her into a potentially dangerous hunt. It was the height of hypocrisy.

“Now that I think about it, it has been a while since I received a hunting trophy. His Majesty hasn’t bestowed one upon me recently, and my knight can no longer participate due to a certain someone.” The Empress droned on. How much longer would this charade continue?

“So, perhaps you and His Majesty’s Nyxna could bring me a trophy.”

Lysei knew this was a provocation, a calculated move to force their hand and reveal whatever plan they had yet to uncover. Despite this, the mocking gazes of the noblewomen, Seiren’s condescending stare, and the Empress’s clear intent to find another excuse to send her and Luigia to the hunting grounds if she refused, Lysei reluctantly rose.

“Luigia, let’s go.”

“But, Lady Lysei…” Luigia started to follow, a confused look on her face, but Trey immediately interjected, “It’s alright. I’ll be there.”

“Indeed, what is there to worry about with His Majesty’s personal knight present?” the Empress scoffed. Lysei’s lip curled in annoyance. Seiren glared daggers at her, but Lysei couldn’t bring herself to care.

“We’ll bring you a trophy, Your Majesty.” I’ll bring you the ugliest, most grotesque head I can find. Just you wait. Lysei turned sharply and headed towards the hunting grounds, Luigia and Trey hurrying after her. Raz and Seiren exchanged smug glances, unseen by the departing trio.

***

Meanwhile, Edin’s mood darkened considerably as he watched Lysei disappear towards the hunting grounds with Trey and Luigia. He’d explicitly warned her to stay within sight, given the danger. Where did she think she was going? He longed to grab her arm and pull her back, but he couldn’t.

Bound by protocol, he was seated in the place of honor as the Emperor. His refusal to sit beside the Empress left him alone at the high table, unable to leave before the hunt officially began. He desperately wished for the sounding of the hunting horn. Previous emperors had remained spectators, citing the dangers of imperial participation, but Edin, since his ascension, had insisted on joining the hunt.

He possessed an unusually strong affinity for the unique powers of the royal bloodline. Witnessing the palace intrigue and bloodshed before his coronation had further solidified his resolve to cultivate his own strength. Thus, he’d made it a tradition to participate in the hunt, consistently claiming the largest, most powerful monster as his prize, then bestowing the reward upon whoever captured the fourth strongest. Trey always came in second, and Theo third, effectively ensuring the prize went to the fourth-place winner.

It was only Zerga’s preference for strategy over brute force that kept him from participating. If Zerga, a genius capable of outsmarting monsters rather than overpowering them, joined the hunt, it would become a competition solely between the four of them.

***

True to its nature as a dark fantasy romance, the hunt wasn’t for docile creatures like rabbits or deer. It was a hunt for monsters. While monsters had been mentioned in the novel, Lysei had never seen one, so they felt somewhat unreal. This hunt, with its extravagant prize for the slayer of the most powerful monster, was one of the empire’s most popular festivals.

Knights typically offered their winnings to a favored noblewoman, or kept the prize for themselves. It was a festival meant to celebrate strength and valor, yet the Empress, dripping with wealth and prestige, had the audacity to demand a free monster trophy from her and Luigia, a young baroness and viscountess with no combat experience.

It was a blatant display of the Empress’s appalling character, further amplified by her greed in demanding a prize that could be exchanged for a substantial sum. Of course, it was a thinly veiled ploy to get her and Luigia out to the hunting grounds, but the sheer absurdity and audacity of it infuriated Lysei. And she was equally annoyed with herself for rising to the bait and promising a trophy. She now worried about putting Luigia in harm’s way. Her impulsive nature, as always, seemed determined to ruin everything.