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The rain that fell in the past was perhaps a sign of how it had visited the entire southern region, as the distant forest sparkled green with droplets reflecting off the leaves. The sky, having poured down water, was devoid of clouds. Only the sun, high in the sky, stood alone, and it looked quite beautiful.

The warm sunlight really feels nice.

Rain falling at this time isn’t unusual, but I hope it won’t rain while I’m wandering in the forest. The squelchy wet ground is uncomfortable, but more than that, it makes me recall the events that happened on days when it rained in the past.

The timing is similar to when I went with my father to the Hunting Tournament.

That day, for some odd reason, it seemed like a torrential downpour focused solely on the area where I had settled. To make matters worse, a horde of monsters that wouldn’t normally appear showed up. It was quite unusual for creatures that typically thrived in midwinter to be active on a spring day, but that’s precisely what happened to me.

A continuous stream of monsters was coming down towards the village.

And here I was, a mess, all mud-splattered from the fights with the monsters.

I don’t know if it was due to the first battle I experienced since becoming Damian, but I remember feeling extremely exhausted from the environmental conditions at that time. The sticky mud and discomfort from the rainwater were present, but such minor annoyances quickly faded from my mind as I moved around.

The biggest problem at that time was the sudden downpour that mixed timber and rocks into a mudslide.

With my body already drained from consecutive battles, I couldn’t react in time to the sudden landslide and was swept away. At that moment, I truly thought I was going to die… It was then I first realized that the sturdy body of the House of Kraus was just like any other person when faced with a mound of debris weighing several tons.

Well, at least I survived because of that.

After kicking the ground a few times, I felt the solid earth beneath my feet. The sunlight quickly dried up the moisture from the ground, so today I wouldn’t have to worry about collapsing beneath my feet.

“It doesn’t seem like it will rain.”

“Yeah! The weather is truly sunny!!”

I was startled.

As I mumbled while looking up at the sky, a voice suddenly came from beside me, making me turn my head. There stood Noel, sparkling brightly in the sunlight. She seemed quite excited, as if the tournament was highly anticipated.

Her eyes, determined to win, were ablaze with competitive spirit. Since I, too, was a competitor in the tournament, I could see multiple emotions reflected in Noel’s gaze as she looked at me. If we were to measure just her enthusiasm, she seemed more than ready to win the tournament… after all, this was the first time she was competing against someone.

She had lived until now as the sole princess of the Empire.

While Orcus stood beside her, unlike other nobles who would compete for their succession, they didn’t have that kind of relationship. They even had different areas of interest. I thought perhaps this was the first time she would deal with someone in a competitive context.

As a creature that naturally burns with competitive spirit even over trivial bets, it was understandable that she wouldn’t be able to contain her excitement, especially since the theme of this tournament coincided with her interests. Naturally, she would want to win and stand at the top.

I didn’t say any words of encouragement to her.

The only thing I could offer as a competitor aiming for victory was to raise one hand into a fist and bump it against hers.

That was sufficient support and encouragement.

“It would be good to take one along if you can hang it on the black saddle.”

Noel’s attire was overall light.

A bow and arrows for hunting. And two daggers strapped to her waist were the weapons she prepared. Since the goal was hunting, not combat, this wasn’t excessive; in fact, it was quite appropriate. The practice carried out in the forest for days was also done in similar attire.

But there’s always the notion of “what if.”

“Oh, I knew this would happen, so I prepared in advance! Well… it somehow reassures me to have a sword handy near my hand.”

“I understand.”

With that, we stopped our conversation.

Part of my inability to speak was due to Noel’s gaze shifting from me to the forest. She stared blankly at the deep turquoise-colored area as she slowly collected her breath. Even the always energetic Noel couldn’t avoid the tension brought on by the word “first.”

Just as her breathing started to stabilize, Noel shifted her gaze back to me.

From the expression on Noel’s face, I could somewhat guess what she was about to say. It reminded me of my father and Orcus’s reactions after I was turned down by Elena yesterday. Had it really shifted over to Orcus overnight? It felt like I had unfortunately passed something uncomfortable onto her.

“What happened after that?”

“Well…”

Faced with her curious question, I could only respond this way.

To be honest, the answer to her question was precisely what I was most curious about right now.

Since that incident, I hadn’t seen Elena aside from dinner.

I had considered visiting her room as I did before in Merohim, but I was also unsure if that was the right thing to do since Elena’s reaction was new to me, so I ultimately stayed in my room. Looking back now, my reason for not leaving my room was that I subconsciously waited for Elena to come to me first. I may have thought that just as I approached her once, this time she should come to me.

Now, I slightly regretted that. I should have just gone to her room.

Anyway, while spending time in that room, I found myself laughing while thinking about what happened that day. It was funny that a single kiss had stronger repercussions than everything that had happened before, but what was truly hilarious was that despite my age, I was acting like a teenage boy going through puberty.

I had heard that the mind follows the body’s age, but I never expected it to manifest in such a way for me.

“…Your Highness, have you heard anything from Elena?”

I hesitated to ask Noel, but she cheerfully replied with an innocent smile.

“Not at all!”

Hmm, she genuinely seems not to know.

I couldn’t imagine her lying. If she tried, it would likely show on her face.

Well, there’s no helping it. I just have to wait.

At some point, the surrounding area started getting a bit noisy.

Looking around at the growing sound, I noticed more people outside than at the beginning. They seemed to be gathering, displaying their family crests as if to signal that the tournament was approaching. Among them, the crest of the House of Kraus caught my eye first, followed closely by the flag of the Imperial Family, which seemed to come along with the guidance.

At the forefront stood my father and Orcus side by side.

On the other side, Count Graham, the lord of the Legion, was preparing on a podium made for the start of the tournament, yet everyone’s gaze was, as if by default, focused on the two. Even in this southern region, which was considered relatively open, politics seemed to exist; it was inevitable that eyes would be drawn to those in power.

“It’s time to return to our places.”

“Yes.”

As the two pairs parted, Noel and I decided to go to our respective spots.

Everyone in our party was not far away, but moving together might raise unnecessary gossip. Just as I was about to put some distance between us, Noel suddenly turned to me and asked.

“Oh, may I ask one last question?”

“What is it?”

“Brother told me to make sure to ask this… um…”

Noel, who had stopped me, was beginning to blush. That noticeable reaction made it easy for me to guess what she wanted to ask. It resembled the expressions on my father and Orcus’s faces when they saw me after being turned down by Elena yesterday. Had she caught that feeling from Orcus overnight? Who knew it’d rub off on her.

“What happened after that?”

“Honestly, that’s something I’m most curious about.”

The conversation shifted yet again, this time with her leading the way.

And as I awaited her response, I became surprised for another reason.

“Um… that kiss…? Is it really sweet?”

“Pardon?”

“Brother says it will taste sour, but yesterday at the palace, Ella—ah, Ella is our nanny. Anyway! Ella definitely told me a long time ago that it’s sweet like a chocolate cookie!! It’s not sour, right? It’s definitely sweet?!”

What should I even respond with?

I was taken aback by a question that was the complete opposite of what I had been imagining, leaving my mind in a blank state.

I turned my gaze away from Noel, who was demanding an answer, toward the distant Orcus. He still looked at me with that playful smile, but this time, it brought me a mix of complicated feelings.

Is that what the male lead candidate looks like…?

Well, maybe not anymore.

It seemed I didn’t have much to say to them. I gave a little fist bump toward Orcus before departing.

“Good luck?”

 

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