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IBP 88
Deep into the night, the hunting competition finally came to an end.
The children who had come to the detached palace for the excursion all returned to their homes.
I sank deep into thought.
‘Are those bad guys not moving today...?’
Contrary to my worries, the hunting competition had been very peaceful. I let out a lingering sigh of unease.
Before long, only the adults who participated in the competition and a tiny handful of children, including myself and Caligo, remained.
A banquet began to determine the winner of the hunting competition.
Sitting at a table laden with warm food and delicious appetizers in the banquet hall of the East Detached Palace, I craned my neck. When I saw my sister entering like a conquering army, I raised my hand high and waved vigorously.
“Sister! Sisterrr!”
Finally, finally, finally!
Sister came back to my side!
I followed her around, trotting close to her like a puppy suffering from separation anxiety.
“You stayed quiet and well.”
I was glad Sister returned safely... but then!
I saw a scratch on her cheek.
I let out a small whine, my eyebrows drooping into an inverted V.
“What is this! You’re hurt on your head too.”
“It’s my cheek, not my head. I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”
“Hmph. No. You’re not fine at all! You’re a weakling, a weakling!”
“...Ha. Now you’re trying to speak to me as an equal.”
Sister clicked her tongue with an incredulous expression. Then, she pulled me closer to the table.
“Sit down quickly. And listen.”
“To what...?”
As soon as I sat at the table, the banquet began.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the distinguished guests who participated in this hunting competition, the <Kapple Carnival>.”
After the long, drawn-out words of gratitude ended, the master of ceremonies continued.
“I will now announce the winner of the Kapple Carnival. The winner will be awarded a laurel wreath and the right to a private audience with His Majesty the Emperor within the next week.”
Come to think of it, I hadn't seen what the score difference was this afternoon!
I watched with a pounding heart.
‘Is it our sister, as expected?’
Everyone else seemed to already know who the winner was, while I alone was suppressing a heart that felt like it would burst.
Right then, the winner of the <Kapple Carnival> was announced.
“The winner of this Kapple Carnival is... Lady Chloe Ardos, who captured a total of about 100 magical beasts!”
Sister stood up as if it were nothing and walked up onto the podium.
I opened my mouth wide in delight.
‘Our sister is sooo cool!’
Seeing her reminded me of the first time, when she returned after crossing the rainbow bridge.
Back then, she looked lonely and desolate inside the Haeguk mansion, but now...
“Congratulations, Lady Chloe.”
The Count of the Court, who had announced the winner, placed the laurel wreath upon Sister's head.
Sister gave a slight nod, wearing the wreath as if it were no big deal.
“Thank you. I shall request a private audience with His Majesty at a later date.”
“His Majesty is also looking forward to it very much.”
...Leaving only those words behind, Sister returned to her original seat at the table with a majestic air.
I smiled brightly and clapped my hands.
“Wowww! You’re truly the best!”
Sister was looking at me with a smirk.
But it was right then.
A collateral relative of the Amadeus family sitting at the next table asked Sister with a smile on his lips.
“There is a tradition that the winner of the Kapple Carnival offers the laurel wreath to someone they cherish.”
“....”
“Who do you intend to give the winner's wreath to, Lady Chloe? Perhaps, someone in our Amadeus family?”
As if he already knew who she would give the wreath to.
Seeing his relaxed expression, people began to whisper softly.
They wondered if Marquis Gillen Amadeus of the Amadeus family was trying to start over with Chloe.
‘What total nonsense! That bad guy isn't even here!’
I couldn't see him anywhere; he was nowhere to be found.
Unlike me, who just scoffed, Dahlia's complexion turned pale white as soon as she heard those words.
The nobles sitting nearby speculated on who Sister would give the wreath to.
Would it be Grand Duke Rivera? Or perhaps her former fiancé, Marquis Gillen Amadeus?
Regardless of everyone's whispering, Sister calmly took off the laurel wreath.
Her expression was one of someone who had been selected as the winner but wasn't particularly happy about it.
Sister spoke toward me.
“All my glory will ultimately belong to our family.”
“...?”
“Therefore, I offer my winning laurel wreath to Lady Coco Ardos.”
As she said this, she placed the wreath on my head, but it was far too large for me.
The wreath Sister placed on my head slid off with a shook and hung dangling around my neck.
‘Ack! The laurel leaves are so prickly!’
Beside me, I heard a servant mutter, “Kuh, as expected of Lady Chloe. That way of speaking, upholding the family while acknowledging Lady Coco as family.”
I didn't know exactly what it meant, but I figured my sister must be really amazing.
‘The important thing is.’
“Heehee...”
That my mouth felt like it was going to rip open from smiling so much!
Sister not only won the final victory but also seized the laurel wreath of triumph!
My heart felt like it was going to explode.
‘Even though Sister did everything herself.’
Still, Sister, maybe I can think that I helped you a little, which is why you were able to come back to this world?
If I think of it that way, my heart feels so full it might burst.
People here and there were chatting about how our sister had made a magnificent return.
Voices of admiration also drifted in, calling her a great ability user who had overcome her berserk state.
Our sister won. And she let the world know about me.
‘I am the happiest puppy in the world.’
However, the one thing that remained unsettling...
Was the fact that, even until now, the bad villains had not moved at all.
Therefore, I did not let my guard down for a second.
‘Because no one knows when an incident will occur.’
The bastards who tried to kill Sister in the future used to do bad things in this pattern:
Release a powerful magical beast near Sister, pretending it was a mistake.
Drive Sister to the brink of death.
Then, pin the blame on Sister for attracting the magical beast.
But with only these simple clues, I couldn't know exactly when, where, or how they would harass Sister.
‘Today is a likely day, though.’
Like a scheming puppy, I braced my whole body and waited with eyes wide open.
And...
Just now, I caught a very suspicious vibe.
Not from the bad guys, but from Sister!
“Now, eat up. Say ah, Coco.”
Sister was continuously putting food into my mouth.
‘She’s trying to make me doze off again. Strange.’
I don't get fooled twice.
I stuffed my cheeks full of food, chewing away, and then pretended to nod off for no reason.
At that, Sister's face lit up with joy, and she grabbed my clothes and spoke to Caligo.
“We’re going home now. Do you want to go to the carriage first for a bit?”
“Kurrr.”
When I squinted my eyes and pretended to snore, Sister smiled brightly.
“Go to the carriage with Caligo. Coco, okay?”
I sniffed the air.
To a puppy's keen sense of smell, a suspicious scent was detected.
* * *
While Chloe stepped away for a moment to put Coco in the carriage.
The banquet had reached its peak, and most of the nobles were quite drunk.
Except for one person, Dahlia.
‘How on earth can everyone consider Chloe the protagonist even when I am here?’
She wanted to snap the necks of those who were chatting about how Chloe Ardos might give the laurel wreath to Gillen.
‘...How dare they insolently doubt our love.’
Dahlia shuddered with rage.
‘Chloe, how dare you wag your tail at my fiancé...’
“Dahlia.”
At that moment, the gaze of her fiancé, which had been filled with boredom, flashed.
“It seems Chloe has perfectly overcome her berserk state. You saw her hunting today, right?”
Seeing the interest spark in his eyes, Dahlia could no longer endure it.
“...But you know, Gillen. Chloe's glory is merely an illusion.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is, Gillen.”
Dahlia's gaze became colder than ever before.
“It means Chloe Ardos will go berserk again. She has a history of going berserk once, doesn't she?”
“...And?”
“A trigger will come where she cannot properly handle her mana and goes berserk again.”
If there is no trigger, one can simply create one.
“I'm certain of it.”
Once Dahlia reached this conclusion, she actually felt more at ease.
“Dahlia, don't belittle Chloe's abilities.”
Gillen patted Dahlia's cheek to soothe her. Dahlia smiled freshly at her fiancé's words.
It didn't matter if he didn't believe her right now.
‘It doesn't matter. In a little while, he will have no choice but to believe me.’
Dahlia gripped the bead she had received from Gillen at the Dragon's Lake.
The 'bead' Gillen had given her to use for other purposes.
But what if she used this bead on Chloe?
‘...What I am trying to do is justified as a lady.’
Her only purpose was to steal her fiancé's gaze that was directed toward Chloe.
‘All my actions are justified.’
Leaving the drunken people behind, Dahlia slowly stepped out into the hallway.
In the distance, Chloe was walking back toward the banquet hall.
“Hello, Chloe.”
At the sudden greeting, Chloe ignored Dahlia and passed her by.
‘You probably realize that I'm quite suspicious too.’
But Dahlia smiled thinly.
‘But you'll have no choice but to listen to me.’
Stupidly, Chloe had exposed all her weaknesses earlier.
“...About that baby. The one called the blessed child, who has now become your sister.”
Yes, look. She immediately turned her gaze toward her.
“I have something to say about Lady Coco Ardos.”
“What?”
“Shall we move to another spot for a moment? Since the moon isn't rising today, it'll be atmospheric.”
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