TCBUP 03

Chapter 03 — The Hunting Tournament

[SYSTEM]

The second romance route episode for the male lead, Damian Ortiz, Duke of Ortiz, has been completed.

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Now that the episode was over, Damian’s affection for Lily had surely increased.

Then it wouldn’t be fair to say he hadn’t been distracted at all.

Of course, how could anyone resist a woman who deliberately targeted every single point that would make him fall for her?

“Think about it for a while.”

“Miss.”

“Could you leave me alone? If I write the apology letter right now, my emotions will seep into it, and that’ll only make things worse.”

“Ah, you’re right. Then I’ll bring you some tea instead. Drink it and calm yourself first.”

“Okay. But not hot tea—please bring me something cold.”

After sending Mary away, I silently stared at the status window floating in midair.

Not to sort out my emotions, as Mary had suggested—

But to organize the review I was about to write.

▶ Even if she’s just a disposable extra, if you’re going to force her to say and do childish, lazy nonsense like this, your game is definitely going to fail, you bunch of developers! If you won’t fix it, at least add a skip button!

A month later, the day of the hunting tournament arrived.

For Lily, this episode was an opportunity to raise Damian’s affection dramatically in one shot.

For Siena, it was the ordeal that would brand her with the disgrace of a broken engagement.

And for me…

It was my chance to escape dying from embarrassment.

“You seem to be in a good mood.”

Inside the private tent assigned to the Hargreaves Count family, the Countess spoke softly.

“Me?”

Had I been that obvious?

Startled, I hurriedly composed my expression.

“What would I have to be happy about? Damian still barely contacts me… and he won’t even meet me…”

As I lowered my head gloomily, the Countess let out a long, weary sigh.

Compared to Count Hargreaves, the Countess was timid and quiet, someone who never asserted her own opinions.

Whenever the Count scolded me, she would merely sigh from the side—never reprimanding me herself, but never defending me either. A complete bystander.

“Siena. Please behave yourself today. If you cause another incident, your father truly won’t let it slide.”

“Yes.”

“Please, just live quietly for once. You’ve been giving me such terrible headaches.”

“I’m sorry.”

Whenever I caused trouble and the household was thrown into chaos, the Count couldn’t vent all his anger at me.

Instead, he would unleash the rest of it on the Countess.

How had she raised their daughter?

What had she been doing while the child was causing trouble?

The girl turned out like this because she took after her mother.

Lacking the courage to argue with her husband, the Countess relieved the stress of his constant nagging by going shopping.

Even the notoriously stingy Count would eventually feel guilty for taking out his anger on his wife, and during those times, he allowed her to spend as much money as she pleased.

Which meant that after today, the Countess would be spending lavishly.

Because “Siena” was about to cause a catastrophe that would both ruin her reputation in high society and end her engagement.

“Did you bring the handkerchief for Duke Ortiz?”

“Yes.”

Held every year in the eastern forest outside the capital, the hunting tournament wasn’t especially grand in scale.

But for unmarried noblemen and noblewomen, it held special significance.

A woman embroidered a handkerchief herself and tied it around the man’s wrist, wishing for his safety and hoping he would return with valuable prey.

The man, in turn, hunted something rare and precious to present to her.

In other words, it was both a place for unmarried nobles to meet—

And a battlefield of romantic rivalry.

After every hunting tournament, countless scandals and rumors inevitably followed.

“Let me see it.”

Perhaps because I had been unusually indifferent compared to last year, the Countess looked uneasy and held out her hand for the handkerchief.

When I hesitated, she curled her fingers impatiently, urging me to hand it over.

After several rounds of reluctant resistance, I had no choice but to place the folded handkerchief into her hand, carefully hiding the embroidery.

“…This is it?”

“Yes.”

“You’re really giving this to Duke Ortiz?”

“Yes.”

The Countess stared at me as if asking whether I’d brought the wrong one.

But after I confirmed it again, she turned the handkerchief over several times, examining it closely.

Which was understandable.

The embroidery could depict anything, but the most common design was the other person’s family crest.

Since this would be the last one, I’d considered putting in that much effort.

Unfortunately, I’d procrastinated until only one day remained, and the Ortiz ducal crest was far too complicated to finish in time.

So I had given up early and embroidered a single pink tulip instead.

The reason was simple.

I liked tulips.

And Siena liked the color pink.

“…Even so, this is a bit…”

The child who had always painstakingly embroidered these every year had suddenly presented something so simple.

The Countess looked utterly baffled.

Pretending not to notice, I casually took the handkerchief back from her.

“Then I’ll go see Damian.”

Judging by the bright smile that appeared on “Siena’s” face—filled with anticipation at the thought of seeing Damian despite my own feelings—the episode must have begun.

Carrying the handkerchief she’d made for Damian, “Siena” stood up.

“All right. Go on.”

With her mother’s farewell, “Siena” left the tent.

I wanted to beg someone to stop me.

But once the episode had begun, I could do nothing except follow the predetermined dialogue and actions.

Why is that man here?

On my way to Damian’s tent, I spotted a familiar man.

The same man who had looked at me as though I were insane.

Unlike the other nobles, he wasn’t wearing an elegant suit or carrying a hunting rifle.

Instead, he wore practical black clothing and carried a short musket rather than a hunting gun.

A pistol and dagger rested in the leather holster strapped across his upper body.

Now that I looked around, I noticed several other men dressed similarly scattered throughout the area.

Security personnel? Guards? Something like that.

Well, considering how often romantic disputes broke out—and the fact that firearms were permitted during the hunting tournament—it made sense that security would be strict.

But no matter how much I stared at the man, my feet refused to stop walking.

Eventually, my neck began to hurt from looking sideways, forcing me to face forward again.

Then I entered the battlefield itself—

Damian Ortiz’s tent.

“Damian. I’m here.”

“Ah, Siena.”

“I came to give you your handkerchief.”

“Thank you.”

Perhaps because this was something they did every year, Damian didn’t seem particularly moved.

His reaction was completely different from “Siena’s,” whose cheeks had flushed pink despite how I truly felt inside.

However, when he noticed the simple embroidery of a single pink tulip, he did look slightly surprised.

Even so, he quickly stuffed the handkerchief into the inside pocket of his jacket.

“Damian?”

“Siena” froze awkwardly, her outstretched hand still reaching toward his wrist.

It was only natural for a fiancée to tie the handkerchief around her fiancé’s wrist.

Yet Damian didn’t even leave her the opportunity.

He simply shoved it into his pocket instead.

“Um…”

Humiliation twisted across Siena’s reddening face.

Unsure what to do, she fidgeted with her clasped hands.

Then something caught her eye.

Tied around the inside of Damian’s shirt cuff—

Another handkerchief.

Siena’s voice immediately turned shrill.

“What’s that?”

“It’s nothing.”

Damian answered indifferently while pulling his jacket sleeve down.

But Siena grabbed his sleeve before he could.

“I knew it! What is this? Another woman gave it to you, didn’t she? Who was it? Was it Lily again?”

“Siena. Let go before we talk.”

“I knew this would happen! And you still say there’s nothing between you? What exactly are the two of you doing together to the point where she’d give you something like this?”

“Siena.”

“So that’s why you haven’t contacted me all this time?”

Without giving Damian even a chance to speak, Siena shouted while stamping her feet.

Just then, someone lifted the tent flap and stepped inside.

“Duke, I brought the—… Miss Siena?”

Holding a white basket, Lily stopped short the moment she saw Siena.

The instant Siena laid eyes on Lily, she shrieked.

“You little vixen!”

Consumed by rage, Siena grabbed the hunting rifle Damian had leaned against the floor.

Before Damian could stop her, the barrel swung toward Lily.

Startled, Lily instinctively stepped back.

“Siena. Put the gun down.”

The rifle had already been loaded for the upcoming hunt.

And Siena didn’t even know how to hold it properly.

It was far too heavy—and dangerous.

Damian stepped forward, extending his hand.

“Give it to me. It’s dangerous.”

“So you’re taking her side again?”

“Think about what you’re doing right now.”

“You think I don’t know?”

As though she couldn’t hear a word, Siena refused to lower the rifle.

Damian stepped directly in front of Lily to shield her.

Now the rifle was aimed squarely at Damian’s chest instead.

Yet Siena stubbornly refused to lower the gun.