Chapter 30
Internally berating herself, Lea gave the nobles curt responses and looked around.
In the distance, she spotted Calix arriving with Ilian. His long golden hair was loosely tied back, and he wore a dark grey outfit.
A ruby pendant served as an accent, harmonizing perfectly with his eye color and naturally drawing attention.
That wasn’t limited to Lea alone. Even the nobles noisily chatting nearby fell silent for a moment, gazing blankly at the Crown Prince.
Though closer to a young man in age, he still retained traces of a boy, making him striking and graceful—like a rose just beginning to bloom.
It might not have been a suitable expression for the Crown Prince, but Lea had always thought so.
That he was beautiful.
Lea blankly stared at him, recalling the older Calix, who had stood a head taller than he was now.
Then their eyes met—his crimson gaze locking directly with hers.
That indifferent glance stiffened ever so slightly with displeasure upon landing on Lea.
He quickly looked away and moved on, but she couldn’t forget that brief instant.
“…I shouldn’t confuse it with when I’m a fox.”
She had interacted with him more often in fox form lately, which had foolishly led her to hope.
That maybe he’d smile at her.
Yet just one look of displeasure was enough to make her heart ache…
“I really haven’t come to my senses yet, huh.”
She had endured far worse gazes in the past, so why was her heart pounding over something as trivial as this?
While Lea was caught in self-mockery, the Emperor and Empress ascended the platform.
Lea and Calix stood at the very front, looking up at the Emperor.
“Though we are currently in a truce, that does not mean we should neglect our long-standing traditions.”
At present, Cantabria was in a ceasefire with the Leonis Empire.
Though the two nations clashed often, they would reach relatively smooth truces whenever economic crises loomed.
Thus, despite the prolonged war, no other nation had managed to surpass Cantabria or the Leonis Empire.
That didn’t mean it was acceptable.
Having experienced war firsthand, Lea couldn’t understand the Emperor’s obstinacy.
“The blood of Cantabrian men is that of hunters! Even the beasts of Leonis were no match for us!”
“That’s right, Your Majesty!”
“Haha, they could never be our equals!”
Cantabrians often referred to werebeasts as ‘beasts’ or ‘animals’.
They demeaned them as lesser creatures, inferior to humans… completely unaware that both the Empress and Lea were werebeasts.
Which made the situation all the more ironic.
Lea twisted her lips into a smile as she bowed, pretending to agree.
The idea that they were being ruled by a ‘beast’ without even knowing it was laughable.
“To today’s victor, I shall bestow a treasure of the imperial family, personally chosen by me! Show your full capabilities!”
“We shall obey!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
With loud cheers, the nobles mounted their horses.
Some rode off in groups, others alone, and clouds of dust rose in their wake.
Lea departed later, alone.
Her plan was to leave her horse and clothes in a pre-selected cave and approach Calix in fox form.
Determined not to repeat the mistakes of the last banquet, she spurred her horse forward with resolve.
Zion’s eyes trailed Lea’s retreating figure obsessively.
While the Crown Prince hadn’t brought many attendants either, he at least wasn’t completely alone like her.
Who knew what might happen in the hunting grounds?
Wasn’t her preparation far too lacking?
He stood in a formal posture beside the Emperor and Empress, eyes fixed ahead.
With hearing sharper than that of ordinary people, he listened to the movements of the riders and stole a glance at the Empress.
He knew well that she didn’t particularly like her own daughter—no, she outright disliked her.
And the Emperor? He wasn’t warmhearted enough to care for a daughter that wasn’t his own.
That’s why he granted her a palace but no title.
Everyone called her ambiguously ‘Lady Haisley’ didn’t they?
Well, the Emperor was an Esper too.
Espers all seemed emotionally deficient, as if something was missing from them.
Zion figured he wasn’t much different.
If he hadn’t known that Lady Haisley was a Guide, he wouldn’t be this worried now.
Staring out at the hunting grounds with a complicated expression, he forcibly tore his attention away.
After all, his duty was to protect the Empress.
And yet, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing again and again in the direction Lea had disappeared.
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