Chapter 172
Though she didn’t know exactly what it looked like, the idea of an artificial wreath made of glass made it easy to imagine its general appearance. However, since she had never seen such a decoration in her room, Ysaris began to wonder if Kazhan, who had reportedly won the hunting competition several times, had made a different choice than Temisian.
It was a question that inevitably left Penesir feeling awkward.
“His Majesty the Emperor…”
Finding it difficult to answer, Penesir cleared her throat and reflected on the past. Before marrying Ysaris, Kazhan had rationally chosen the gold, returning the prize to the national treasury. However, in the year following his marriage, he had taken the Sepia Flower.
But its whereabouts were unknown to Penesir. At the time, the Emperor and Empress had seemed to despise each other, so it was surprising that he had even chosen the Sepia Flower in the first place. If Ysaris hadn’t seen it in her room, it was likely he hadn’t given it to her. So where could it be?
It was hard to imagine the efficiency-driven Kazhan keeping it as a mere decoration, and if he had given it to someone else, it would have been nothing short of a disaster. Thus, it was incredibly awkward to explain that he had indeed received the Sepia Flower before.
“Perhaps he’s trying to win this time to gift the Sepia Flower to Her Majesty the Empress?”
Not wanting to stir discord between the imperial couple, Penesir ultimately avoided giving a clear answer. In any case, it was obvious that the Emperor, who now loved the Empress, would throw himself into the hunting competition with fiery determination, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“…I suppose so. It’s not that I particularly want it, but I am curious to see what it looks like.”
Ysaris played along, not wanting to put Penesir in a difficult position. However, she couldn’t help but dwell on other thoughts.
The reason Penesir hadn’t answered properly must have been one of two things: either he had chosen the gold, or he hadn’t given the Sepia Flower to her.
Either way, it left a bitter taste in her mouth, and her curiosity about her lost past grew even stronger. As Ysaris pondered how and when she might unravel this mystery, the voice of a middle-aged noble overseeing the event reached her ears.
“We’ll begin in ten minutes! Participants, please gather at the starting point by then.”
The hunting competition in Uzephia was quite flexible in its procedures. As long as the start time was adhered to, it didn’t matter what participants did beforehand. There was no formal tradition of handing over handkerchiefs to wish them luck and safety.
Whether or not they had someone to share their feelings with, everyone was expected to handle their own affairs. After all, it was a hunting competition—shouldn’t the focus be on the hunt? There was no need for elaborate, detailed procedures. Everyone just had to gather, start, and finish.
The hunting competition, which had been reshaped by an emperor generations ago to suit his tastes, had stripped away romance and unnecessary formalities, focusing instead on the essence of the event. The prizes had grown larger as a result, and the stakes were high enough that even women and the elderly occasionally participated. It had even led to the emergence of nobles who specialized in hunting techniques. While the top prize was usually swept up by a few specific families, the rewards for lower ranks were still substantial.
In any case, this meant that acts of wishing luck were carried out privately. Some flaunted their handkerchiefs by tying them to their arms, while others deliberately hid them.
This, of course, made it the perfect breeding ground for all sorts of rumors…
“Ysaris.”
“You finally came.”
Ysaris let out a sigh at Kazhan’s appearance. She had hoped he might not show up, but it seemed that had been an unrealistic expectation.
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t prepare a handkerchief for you. If you don’t receive one, just pretend you did and go about your business.”
Ysaris deliberately spoke coldly, hiding the momentary wavering in her heart that had occurred when their eyes met earlier at the spire.
It was infuriating that he claimed to love her yet had never once presented her with the Sepia Flower. If he had been incapable of winning it, that would be one thing, but hadn’t he said he’d won several times before? Even with her suspicions about the past, this level of doubt was unbearable.
Pausing briefly at her icy demeanor, Kazhan glanced at Penesir before turning his gaze back to Ysaris.
“I didn’t come to you seeking a handkerchief.”
“Then what is it?”
“I came to give you this.”
What he pulled from his pocket was…
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