The Cold-Hearted Grand Duke Obsesses Over Me After My Death - Chapter 115

Chapter 115. The Truth Is (2)

No way… Helen?

Goosebumps spread over her entire body.

So that’s how Emilia was able to buy dozens of handkerchiefs from Roe.

The thought that Roe was Helen had never even crossed her mind.

‘Why is she a lady-in-waiting when she has so much money?’

Does she like Emilia that much?

She couldn’t understand how someone could like their superior enough to leave their hometown where they were born and raised and devote themselves so loyally. She stared intently at Jack.

Startled, Jack stammered, “W-What is it, my lady?”

“No, it’s nothing. Good work. You can leave now.”

“Yes.”

After Jack left, she fell into deep thought with a serious expression. If Jack had as much money as Roe, would he still be loyal to her? Probably not.

‘This won’t do. If I try to persuade Helen, I might end up being the one who gets caught instead.’

Having concluded that Helen’s loyalty was absolute, Lina completely gave up on the idea of bringing Roe over to her side. It was rare for her to abandon a plan to torment someone, but Helen was not someone who would ever betray Emilia.

After the match ended, Emilia ran to the waiting room.

“Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Louid looked down at her with a relaxed expression and spoke. She had clearly seen his injured shoulder being struck, yet he showed no sign of pain at all.

“I’m fine. It just grazed me. Bring me some water.”

After sending Emilia to fetch water, Louid untied the handkerchief she had tied and put it into his pocket. The handkerchief was soaked with blood.

“But your lance broke….”

Emilia muttered quietly as she returned with the glass of water.

“Haha.”

Instead of answering, Louid simply laughed. At that moment, Ian entered the waiting room.

‘I was going to let him live, but I guess that won’t do.’

In truth, giving up the match in front of Emilia was an extremely humiliating thing for him. On top of that, seeing her not even glance his way and only check Louid’s condition made the hostility in his eyes burn fiercely.

Without saying a word, he gathered his belongings and left again.

The next day, the final event of the founding festival, the hunting competition, began.

The imperial hunting grounds were so vast that the end couldn’t be seen, and there were high mountains and valleys surrounding them.

The men participated in the hunt, while the women waited in their respective tents and cheered them on.

Emilia wore the dagger Louid had given her at her leg, dressed in a simple day dress and a wide-brimmed hat.

“Don’t push yourself.”

Emilia, who was in the tent with Louid, spoke to him with a worried expression. At that, a faint smile appeared on his face.

In the past, he would have simply ignored it or responded halfheartedly, but thinking that she was worried about him made him feel strangely good.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Of course.”

“Why?”

At his continued question, Emilia fell silent for a moment in surprise.

“Well… for now, I’m still your wife.”

“For now?”

A shadow fell across Louid’s face.

“Until the divorce.”

Emilia quickly added, thinking he was offended because she said she was his wife.

“…Alright.”

With his face hardened, he strode out of the tent.

Louid also took first place in the hunting competition every year.

‘Now that there are no more assassins, I can hunt freely.’

Until now, he had to remain wary of assassination even during the hunting competition, but now that the assassins had disappeared, it seemed he could hunt freely.

“Make sure to guard the Crown Princess thoroughly.”

“Yes!”

With a bitter expression, Louid left the tent, gave orders to the escort knights, then mounted Blian. By the time Emilia stepped outside, he had already departed.

The founding festival hunting competition was also an event meant to display the authority of the imperial family. Hundreds of noblemen followed Louid and set out to hunt at once. The sight of hundreds of horses and hunting dogs racing across the fields was magnificent.

Among the ladies-in-waiting, only Lina came along. Other ladies-in-waiting could have come as well, but since Lina insisted, Emilia gave the others free time to enjoy the festival.

“What do the women do?” Emilia asked Lina with a bored expression.

It would take several hours for the hunt to end, and there was nothing to do in the tent except have tea with the noblewomen. She had just returned from attending a tea gathering held in another tent.

“They either wait in the tent for the hunt to end, or they search for lucky gifts and give them to the men when they return from the hunt.”

“Lucky gifts?” Emilia asked curiously.

Was she locked away somewhere? I have to explain everything one by one.

Lina looked at Emilia, who asked with an innocent expression as if she knew nothing, with disdain. It was annoying, but since she had a deal with Prince Ian, she put on a polite smile and began to explain.

“Every year during the hunting competition, lucky gifts are hidden in the fields or at the foot of the mountains. They’re placed in visible spots, so they’re easy to find. However, no one is allowed to help, so Your Highness won’t be able to participate.”

Lina glanced toward the tent entrance where the escort knights were standing and made a regretful expression.

“Would it be alright if they followed from a distance?” Emilia asked.

She had heard that the imperial hunting grounds were surrounded by fences and heavily guarded. Wouldn’t it be fine as long as the escorts followed from afar and didn’t help find the gifts?

“I think it would be fine if one or two follow at a distance. But you must find it on your own for the person receiving the gift to gain good fortune.”

“Alright.”

Emilia stood up as if she had made up her mind. A strong desire to find a gift and give it to Louid rose within her.

“Your Highness, I heard from a noblewoman who found a gift last year that she found it near a waterfall. If you go that way, you’ll reach the waterfall.”

Lina, who stepped out of the tent with her, pointed in the opposite direction from where the hunters had gone.

Looking around, Emilia saw women riding toward the fields.

“Alright. I’ll take a quick look and come back soon if I don’t find anything.”

“Yes.”

Emilia mounted Zelda, who was tied near the tent. Then Jamie approached her.

“Where are you going, Your Highness?”

“The women search for lucky gifts. I’ll look for one and return if I don’t find it, so don’t worry. They said it’s fine if one or two escorts follow at a distance.”

Jamie had come from the north, so he likely didn’t know about the lucky gifts. So she explained what she heard from Lina.

“Yes, understood.”

Emilia guided her horse in the direction Lina indicated. From a distance, Jamie and Deo followed behind her.

At the far end of the wide, vast field, there were high mountains and a valley.

‘If there’s a valley, there should be a waterfall nearby.’

As she reached the end of the field and slowed her horse, she searched for the waterfall.

‘Where is the waterfall?’

At a glance, she couldn’t see anywhere a waterfall might be. It seemed she would have to go deeper into the forest.

What should I do….

Having experienced many life-threatening incidents, she hesitated to go too deep into an unfamiliar place.

‘Still, I want to give Louid a lucky gift….’

After pausing at the entrance of the forest to think, Emilia urged her horse toward the direction where the sound of water was coming from. There was no path there, only densely packed tall trees.

I’ll find it quickly and come right back!

After taking a deep breath, she went deeper into the forest. But the further she went in, the more the sound of water seemed to grow distant.

Although it wasn’t yet time for the sun to set, the forest was as dark as night.

“Ah.”

At that moment, her body began to tremble. She couldn’t breathe.

‘There might be kidnappers hiding here.’

The memory of being kidnapped in the grand ducal territory a few months ago resurfaced in her mind. It was something she had tried to forget, but the forest brought it back. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Her face turned pale with fear.

“Louid.”

Something wet ran down her face. When she raised her hand to wipe it, she realized it was tears. Emilia called out the name of the person she thought of most. She gathered her strength to shout, but in reality, her voice came out as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

Clack clack

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves came from nearby. The sound made her body stiffen even more, and sweat poured down her entire body like rain. It sounded like the footsteps of death approaching her.

“Ah.”

In that instant, a hand suddenly grabbed her waist. It happened in the blink of an eye.

“Your Highness, there is something I must report.”

Just moments earlier, while Louid was focused on the hunt, Deo appeared on horseback.

“What is it?”

“Her Highness the Crown Princess said she was going to look for a lucky gift and headed toward the valley at the back.”

“I understand.”

“I understand.”

Louid had not forgotten that the assassins’ target might have shifted from himself to Emilia. So he had already instructed the escorts to report to him frequently, even if it wasn’t a dangerous situation.

Pretending to search for prey, he naturally slipped away from the hunting group and spurred his horse toward the back.