TCMGF 44

Chapter 44

“I’ve watched His Majesty’s reaction closely. He’s so uncomfortable with you that even the Chief Chamberlain came to me to mention it directly.”

Camilla stood with her hands neatly folded, eavesdropping on our conversation. She couldn’t hide the pleased expression on her face.

“You didn’t come all this way without knowing that, did you? I’d like to hear the reason someday.”

The Crown Princess pressed out each word deliberately.

And then I realized.

Princess Giovanna wasn’t blaming me.

Rather, she was warning me—hinting at the problems that might arise if I entered the palace.

‘She’s asking if I’m prepared for it.’

Lowering my gaze respectfully, I answered,

“If Your Highness gives me the opportunity, I will explain in detail.”

After what felt like an eternity—

“Very well.”

It seemed I had guessed correctly, for the Princess nodded.

“Even so, I expect you to keep showing me why I should choose you.”

Her gentle gaze swept over me, and I finally let out a breath of relief, curling my hands into fists.

“I will remember, Your Highness.”

“Tsk tsk, what now? You came so confidently, flaunting yourself as the Duchess of Betra, but that’s turning into poison, isn’t it?”

As we left the drawing room and walked down the corridor, the tension drained from Camilla, and she chattered away beside me.

Sometimes I wondered why I had to drag her along through this whole selection process.

‘Fine. Let her misunderstand however she wants.’

She had looked so delighted, convinced I would be eliminated. But when my name was called among the five final candidates, her face turned dumbstruck.

Of course, I wasn’t entirely pleased either—because Camilla was also among the final five.

“They said the two of you don’t get along in the ducal estate! That prediction was completely wrong!”

“Tch. Strange. Rumors kept spreading like that. Why do they keep turning out false?”

Baron Starace flushed red with embarrassment.

“What good is it to claim you run an information guild if you just believe every cheap rumor anyone can hear?”

“If you’re not going to do anything, Baron, then maybe you shouldn’t talk so big.”

Baron Starace was struck dumb by Zenovio’s mocking glare.

“You—you little…!”

Ignoring the old lion, Zenovio focused on Camilla instead.

“Hey. There’s only one position for a lady-in-waiting. Because of the Crown Princess’s picky taste, she won’t keep more than one.”

“She really is a strange woman. Why should I have to pander to Princess Giovanna?”

Camilla grumbled.

“With a temper like that, she’ll probably become a tyrant someday.”

“Well, what can we do? Serving the Crown Princess is our fate.”

“I’m sick of it. How did my life end up like this?”

The two of them conveniently dumped all the blame on Baron Starace.

“If only you hadn’t gambled away everything into debt!”

“Then our mother wouldn’t have left….”

Their eyes bore into him.

Since he really had done wrong, the poor baron had no choice but to bow his head as the biggest sinner.

At that moment, Zenovio pulled something from his coat and handed it to Camilla.

“I went through a lot to get this from abroad. Even in Betra, the city of trade, you won’t find something like this.”

Sniff sniff. “Perfume?”

“A magical perfume that heightens others’ favor toward you. Just one drop costs more than ten gold.”

The baron wanted to ask where on earth Zenovio got that kind of money, but fear of trouble shut his mouth.

“Use it at the third selection trial when you meet the Crown Princess.”

“You’re sure it’ll work?”

And so, the Starace siblings’ scheme grew bolder. With the perfume, they were certain the third trial would be no obstacle.

“Today’s trial will decide the final choice among you five. Only one of you will become a lady-in-waiting.”

The third trial wasn’t held at the Crown Princess’s palace.

Instead, it was in the woods behind the royal palace.

‘Good thing I wore comfortable clothes.’

That morning, for some reason, Michele and Butler Alfredo had both bustled downstairs and warned me not to wear high-heeled shoes.

When I asked why, they only said it was a hunch. Apparently, the Crown Princess’s final trial often involved a test of stamina.

‘So the butler’s “hunch” was right. Or maybe they just passed along information they’d picked up.’

The place was full of uneven trails and unkempt brush, enough to bewilder any finely dressed lady.

Standing at the trail entrance was Princess Giovanna, and beside her, a robed stranger.

“This is the royal court magician, who will assist with the trial. Now, let us begin.”

From within the magician’s robe fluttered a handful of tiny animal-shaped origami.

When he blew on them, the paper animals swelled, transforming into life-sized creatures.

On their four legs, they bounded merrily up the mountain path.

And then—

‘Palace mountain deer jumping…?!’

Yes. Every single one of them was a deer!

The déjà vu made my skin crawl, but before I could even recover, the Crown Princess’s words dropped like thunder.

“Go and catch one.”

“…Pardon?”

The ladies gasped in unison.

“With no weapons, how are we supposed to do that?”

“That’s the point. There are ten deer, so whichever lady brings back even one first will be the winner.”

At her calm words, even those who had survived this far nearly collapsed from exasperation.

“Hmm? Begin.”

At her bright, innocent command, the ladies had no choice. They hiked up their skirts, kicked off their shoes, and set off on a barehanded hunt.

“Never thought I’d stoop to this in my life.”

“Huff… I’ve never even hunted before!”

Muttering and grumbling, I too set out after the deer. What else could I do?

“Here, deer? Deer!”

Even though we had clearly seen ten released, they seemed to have scattered deep into the woods.

At least the mountain wasn’t too big or steep, so moving around wasn’t too hard.

“Ah!”

At last, I spotted one—ambling near a lakeside.

The sight was stunning: a deer glowing with golden magical dust.

If I crept close enough, maybe I could grab its body in one swift motion.

‘One, two…’

I steadied myself, sharp and focused, then lunged.

‘Three!’

But the moment I moved, the deer sensed me and leapt high into the air.

Even as a paper construct, its magically enhanced body was far stronger than mine. In a flash, it was gone.

I could only stare in despair at its vanishing tail.

“How are we supposed to catch that!”

And so it went again and again. Whenever I heard a distant shriek from another lady, it meant another deer had shaken her off.

Nearly an hour passed like that. Out of breath, I collapsed on the ground. There was no way to catch one.

‘Should I just give up?’

If anyone had succeeded, the test would’ve ended by now. But since nothing was announced, clearly no one had.

Just then, the bushes rustled—and another deer appeared.

Not that I was surprised anymore. They often hovered nearby, only to dart away the moment I tried to grab them, almost as if mocking me.

Too tired to move, I simply sat and did nothing.

Then one of them began to approach.

I didn’t even reach out my hand—just watched.

The paper deer came closer and closer, until I almost felt the urge to back away.

‘Why… why is it acting like this?’

And suddenly, it was right in front of me.

I considered standing to grab it, but in that instant, a lightning-bolt realization struck me.

Moments later—

“The victor has been decided!”

A booming voice resounded across the mountain: someone had succeeded in bringing back a deer.

Disappointed, the other ladies returned to the trailhead.

“There, look!”

“Lucky her.”

They congratulated the one who succeeded. But then, from one side, a doubtful voice rang out:

“Wait—that lady didn’t hunt the deer at all!”

“What?”

“Look closely! That’s not hunting!”

The others peered carefully, and one of them shouted,

“She’s right! Is that even allowed?!”