NOVEL NEXT Ch. 7
Actually, Alexander was the eldest son’s favorite horse in the original story.
… there was a passage that read.
“The Duchess gifted her beloved first-born son with a fine breed of horse on his birthday.”
Thinking about it made my mood sour.
‘Meldor has never even ridden Alexander by himself.’
He always needed Father’s help to barely mount the horse.
In the first place, Meldor, who was somewhat clumsy, and Alexander, who had a temper, were not a good match.
Therefore, Alexander, who should have been galloping freely across the fields with the eldest son, had been confined to the stable for years.
I felt sorry for him, so I took him out this time.
‘Even though Meldor made a fuss… Father allowed it, so what could be done.’
Perhaps Father also thought it was a waste to just leave the horse locked up.
I watched the horse chewing on hay and being groomed by the attendants.
‘It seemed like I could tame him earlier; maybe I should reclaim him too.’
While bringing Zeppelin in, I could take the horse as well, couldn’t I?
With that in mind, I approached the tent and bowed to the Emperor in the center.
“Your Majesty. Belladi Alton of the Alton family. I have safely returned from the hunt, thanks to your grace.”
“Yes, I saw earlier. Your shooting skills are quite impressive.”
“Thank you.”
The Emperor, after listening to my answer, smiled kindly and turned his gaze to the dukes.
He usually didn’t engage much with people unless it was the head of the family.
‘In fact, this is quite a lengthy response from him.’
It seemed my shooting had left a strong impression on the Emperor when we started the hunt.
With a slight smile, I approached Zion and Mostin. Zion spoke up.
“Belladi. Are you alone? Where are the knights?”
“They’re still in the forest, organizing the game.”
“They’re still in the forest?”
Next to him, Mostin grinned.
“Oh~ looks like you caught quite a bit~”
“Probably more than you.”
“Don’t say that. I placed second in last year’s hunting competition!”
“Who placed first?”
“… your father.”
Right then, my father and the knights appeared from the other side of the forest.
Father skillfully handed over the horse to the attendants and approached us.
He bowed to the Emperor.
“I have returned, Your Majesty.”
“Haha. So, Duke Alton, do you plan to win this competition as well?”
“I always do my best.”
Behind him, the knights were holding two boxes. Seeing this, the Emperor, pleased, raised his voice a bit.
“Now that the last participants are here, let’s see the results! Lay out all the game you’ve caught!”
At his command, the attendants, who had been waiting, opened the boxes they had received and placed them in the designated spots marked with names. The knights handed the boxes to the attendants and stepped back.
As the attendants swiftly laid out the game, the onlookers made comments.
“Mostin, you cheeky brat. Did you catch more than your father again?”
“Oh, Father, you know I’m good at hunting.”
“Zion, you worked hard too.”
“Thank you, Father.”
The two cheerful fathers shifted their gaze to one side simultaneously.
It was my father’s spot.
Compared to others who were already done, the attendants were still arranging the seemingly endless game in my father’s spot. Everyone gasped in admiration.
“A red fox…”
“Of course, Duke Alton must have caught it.”
The Emperor nodded as if he had expected it.
“It seems Duke Alton has won first place again.”
“You flatter me.”
Then, Zion whispered next to me.
“Belladi, why are your knights taking so long?”
Mostin chimed in.
“Seriously. The awarding might end before they get here.”
“They’ll be here soon.”
I said, glancing toward one side of the forest. Zion and Mostin couldn’t hear it, but I could hear the sound of hoofbeats approaching.
A moment later, Zeppelin emerged from the forest with two knights. He quickly dismounted and handed a box to the attendants.
Then he and the other two knights knelt before me.
“Forgive me for being late.”
“Apologies, Lady Belladi!”
“Enough. Don’t make a fuss in front of His Majesty and go back.”
I said calmly, turning my head.
Zeppelin and the other knights quickly withdrew.
‘I knew they’d be late.’
They had been helping Meldor hunt.
Thinking of his poor skills, they had only prepared one box, which turned out to be insufficient, leading to trouble.
They must have struggled to pack all the game I had caught.
‘Rather…’
The attendants hurriedly took out the game from my box.
I looked up at the Emperor, or more precisely, my father next to him.
As my eyes met my father’s red ones, I raised the corners of my mouth and smiled.
‘Being last has naturally drawn attention, so it’s not bad.’
My father frowned slightly.
Just then, Mostin nudged my arm with his fist.
“Hey, Belladi… what’s going on? This is your first hunt, isn’t it?”
He looked at the game I caught with his mouth agape.
I kindly lifted his dropped jaw and said.
“You need to do at least this much to be called a genius.”
Mostin was momentarily taken aback by my joking yet serious comment. Then he scratched his head, looking troubled.
“There should be a limit. I didn’t expect you to be this good at hunting.”
Mostin had enough reason to be surprised. The game I had caught continued to be displayed, surpassing Zion, Duke Agla, Mostin, and Duke Fredo.
Just like my father.
Soon, the cheers erupted as expected.
“Whoa, Belladi!”
Zion clapped his hands in delight.
“You caught a red fox too?”
“Whoa! The one I couldn’t find no matter how hard I looked! You caught it?!”
The two dukes next to him also looked at me in surprise.
“Belladi, your hunting skills are extraordinary.”
“Why haven’t you brought your daughter before, Theodore?”
“Well…”
The game my father and I had caught lay side by side on the ground.
Four birds, six rabbits, three deer.
Six birds, five rabbits, one deer. And each of us had one red fox.
Compared to the other father-child pairs, our results were overwhelmingly superior.
The Emperor laughed loudly at this sight.
“Hahahaha! Like father, like daughter! You’ve inherited not only the looks but also the talent!”
“I still lack compared to my father, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t be modest. It’s a very fulfilling competition with all the red foxes captured.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“Hunting with the Duke and his daughter like today would be a big deal. Hahaha.”
The Emperor laughed heartily at the jokes of the dukes and looked closely at the game my father and I had caught, nodding.
“Judging by the size and number of the game, the Duke has won. But the condition of the red fox’s pelt is better on the daughter’s side.”
The animals my father caught mostly had bullet marks in the center of their foreheads.
However, all of my games were missing one eye.
‘I wouldn’t be able to beat my father in numbers.’
So, as the Emperor said, I aimed to score points by minimizing damage to the pelts. It also served to demonstrate my shooting skills clearly.
My father glanced at me, but I brushed off his gaze.
‘Father will probably win.’
As soon as my prediction ended, the Emperor spoke up.
“As I judge, Duke Alton has the higher score. Therefore, the winner of this competition is Theodore Alton!”
The Emperor said this, patting my father on the shoulder.
“Well done, Duke. As a reward, I will open the imperial treasury. Take what you wish.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Everyone applauded.
I also clapped and smiled brightly.
‘Soon…’
As I planned, the Emperor approached me too.
“It’s your first time participating in the hunting competition, yet you placed second. I look forward to your future.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
“For the one who placed second, I have prepared a small reward. Bring it.”
At the Emperor’s words, two attendants approached me, carrying a long case. With careful hands, they opened the lid of the case.
“Whoa-”
“That’s…”
Mostin and Zion gasped. The dukes also widened their eyes, staring at the contents. Even my father seemed a bit surprised this time.
“The reward for second place is the Magala Empire’s Spirit Sword.”
The Emperor’s voice echoed with authority.
“You may draw it now.”
Hearing this, I wasn’t one to decline.
I drew the sword from the case with both hands. I felt a considerable weight in my grip.
Sreung-
With a slight draw from its scabbard, I saw that the blade was a very dark black.
Even in the sunlight, it didn’t shine, appearing dull, but I knew how sharp this sword was.
I also caressed the black stone embedded in the hilt. Befitting the name
As I stroked the sword, the Emperor spoke.
“This may be an unsuitable reward for a young lady who does not use a sword.”
“It is not, Your Majesty. This is more precious to me than anything I have received.”
“Haha, really? About 200 years ago, the 7th Duke of Alton offered this treasure to the imperial family. It’s fitting that a descendant of the Duke takes it back. It’s truly delightful.”
“It is a great honor.”
Pleased with my reaction, the Emperor laughed softly. I also smiled back, holding the sword tightly.
‘I can’t let this sword be taken by anyone else.’
As the Emperor said, my ancestor, the 7th Duke of Alton, discovered this spirit sword hidden during the war with the northern Magala Empire. And he offered it to the Emperor as it was.
‘Actually, I don’t care much about this history.’
The reason I couldn’t let this sword be taken by anyone else.
It was because, like Alexander, this sword also belonged to the eldest son.