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※ This work contains depictions of coercive relationships, explicit language, and other graphic content. Reader discretion is advised.

Part 10. The Calm Before the Storm

The imperial family hosted the Hunting Festival each year in late summer, just before autumn’s arrival.

Originally, its purpose was an event to give thanks to the goddess after the founding of the kingdom, an offering of beasts at their most vital to welcome the coming season of abundance.

But as time passed, men began presenting their hunts to women as expressions of affection, and among them, they started showing off their popularity based on ‘who received the most game.’

Gradually, the Hunt’s original meaning faded, and it became merely a pastime for the nobility.

‘In the original, Serenity received the most game and won… Of course, she was not in her right mind, having been violated by the Crown Prince.’

The weather, sunnier than usual as if it had waited just for this day, and the verdant hues of nature truly deserved to be called the season of life.

Though it was bothersome that she had to watch the Viscount heave his heavy frame onto his horse with great effort in the midst of such a beautiful scene. Edith, looking at him with contempt, once more reviewed the Hunt’s episode and her plan for today.

Amidst this, a herald’s voice rang out announcing the entrance of the Emperor and Empress. With an opening address that kicked off the Hunt’s prologue, he boosted morale. Then, revealing that the Crown Prince, the successor, would participate in the Emperor’s stead, he took his seat.

‘He really has the palace in his grip. For the Emperor to officially name him as his proxy…’

Expressing such intent in an official setting indirectly showed that the Crown Prince had already seized control of the imperial family and held a public position.

Knowing his true nature, Edith was certain he would commit the deed today, determined to claim the Saintess, his final piece.

Feeling unnecessarily nervous, she fiddled with the earring on her right earlobe. Around her, people began bustling about. At the Hunt, women had two choices: participate directly, or elegantly await their huntsmen at the prepared tea tables.

Edith had intended to choose the former to disrupt the Crown Prince’s plans, but no matter how much she practiced before the Hunt, she had no talent for riding horses.

As she despaired, Kaidros, unable to watch any longer, had told her of the earring’s other function.

‘This earring contains my condensed mana. That means even someone like you, with almost none, can use magic if you learn just a little.’

In this world, magic potential was directly tied to one’s mana. Learning magical formulas was easy, but to understand and utilize them required a sufficient quantity of mana to support them.

Mages practiced even a single spell countless times because, the more they did, their proficiency increased, and as a result, their mana consumption decreased, allowing for freer casting.

For example, if a person with 5 mana used a basic spell that cost 5 mana, they could only cast it once immediately. But if they studied and practiced to reduce the consumption to 1 mana, they could cast it five times in succession.

Of course, high-level magic required a high base mana quantity to even learn, which was precisely why only archmages could use it and why mana was referred to as “potential.”

But if one had an earring containing a condensed portion of a dragon’s mana—which easily surpassed human limits—it meant Edith could use mid-level magic a few times without extensive practice, if not high-level magic.

He taught her Invisibility and Levitation. And he advised that if she needed to break the earring to summon him in an emergency, it required sufficient mana, so to use each spell only once and conserve it as much as possible, just in case.

‘If he’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have suffered with riding or wasted time…’

It was as if she could hear his nagging advice in her ear. With a sigh, Edith decided to wait demurely at the tea table for now. Once the hunt began, she would slip away and use magic to track them.

Looking toward the Crown Prince’s party, he was indeed on horseback with Serenity, and Knight Commander Carlton and other knights were by his side.

As she frowned while watching them, she noticed the angelic Young Duke of Blackford approaching their group. He greeted the Crown Prince courteously, exchanged a few words, then moved away again.

Edith wondered if Mikael, another male lead, might also be nearby, but she didn’t see him.

Instead, the Duke, noticing her gaze, spotted her and guided his horse over.

“Miss Moulton, we meet again here.”

“Have you been well, Your Grace, Duke of Blackford?”

True to his angelic image today as well, he greeted her cheerfully with a harmless smile. Edith lifted her dress slightly, bowed her head, and asked after him in turn.