Chapter 23: The Hunting Festival (5)

“It’s been a while, Adele.”

I froze for a moment as Estelle approached me with a bright smile. Since possessing Adele’s body, this was the first time someone had come so close without hesitation, to the point where it put me on guard.

Suppressing those feelings, I responded awkwardly.

“It’s been a month, Estelle.”

“You seem to be getting along well with the Duke.”

“...Pardon?”

What was she suddenly talking about?

As I looked at her with that thought in mind, Estelle smiled enigmatically and continued.

“He’s famous for being cold, you know. Duke Hardenberg.”

‘Is that so?’

The way Abel had acted after our contract marriage didn’t quite align with that reputation. His playful demeanor seemed genuine, far from cold or harsh. Of course, one could dismiss it as my imagination.

“But the fact that he’s warm only to his fiancée has surprised many people.”

“Abel does have that side to him.”

Warmth, huh.

Well, from an outsider’s perspective, it might seem that way. The Duke, who never used formal speech with anyone else, spoke politely only to his fiancée. He even stepped back into the social circles he so despised, just for her.

To those unaware of our contract marriage, Abel probably seemed like a devoted man madly in love with his fiancée.

“You call the Duke by his name, don’t you?”

Estelle looked at me with curious eyes.

‘Ah, has it become a habit?’

At this point, it had become second nature. Every time I addressed him as “Your Grace,” he would correct me, saying, “Call me Abel.” Over time, I had simply grown used to it.

But calling him by his name? Wasn’t it normal for an engaged couple to address each other by name? Abel himself had insisted I call him that, so her question only puzzled me further.

“What do you mean…?”

Estelle tilted her head slightly at my confused tone before realizing something and opening her mouth.

“Oh, you don’t know?”

She added matter-of-factly, “The Duke doesn’t like being called by his name.”

Her words made me pause. If he disliked it, why had he insisted I call him Abel? Why didn’t he correct me like he did everyone else?

Sensing my curiosity, Estelle elaborated.

“I don’t know the reason, but it’s well-known in the social circles.”

‘Never address the Iron-blooded Duke by his name.’

“But why…”

She chuckled softly at my question and replied,

“Isn’t that something Adele would know best? His eyes practically drip honey when he looks at you.”

If only that were the case, it would’ve been easier to figure out. I might be dense, but I wasn’t so oblivious that I couldn’t see through the façade of a contract fiancée.

No matter how stunning Adele’s appearance was, it wasn’t enough to captivate Abel like that.

“By the way, since we’ve run into each other like this, why don’t we be friends?”

Estelle smiled brightly and extended her hand. It was an offer so warm it felt almost burdensome, but rejecting it felt equally uncomfortable under the gaze of those around us. Reluctantly, I extended my hand, and she immediately clasped it.

After a brief handshake, an awkward silence lingered.

“Sure… Let’s do that.”

“Haha! You don’t need to feel so pressured. After all, we’re the same age.”

We even debuted in the same social season.

As she added that, I couldn’t bring myself to admit I had no recollection of that time. Perhaps Estelle had received some help from Adele back then, I speculated.

‘That seems plausible.’

If true, it would explain her seemingly unconditional goodwill toward me.

“What are your hobbies, Adele?”

“Um… Sewing, I suppose.”

Without the internet or smartphones in this world, there wasn’t much else to do. After possessing Adele, I was essentially forced into a dopamine detox, and sewing was the only pastime that remained.

It was one of the few hobbies my late mother had taught me, and as I worked on it, it helped wash away the usual stress and anxiety.

“That’s amazing! I find it so difficult.”

As she spoke, Estelle pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. Judging by the crude embroidery, her words weren’t a lie. Was it supposed to be a green worm? Or a snake?

“It’s a dragon.”

“...You’ve done a wonderful job.”

“Haha… It’s not very good, is it?”

Estelle scratched her head and laughed awkwardly.

Her demeanor was surprisingly different from the flawless image she had in the original story. Now that I thought about it, wasn’t it mentioned in the original novel’s hunting festival episode that Estelle was the only woman who didn’t hand out her handkerchief to the men?

My friend, who had told me about the original story, was particularly annoyed about that episode. At the time, I had assumed the author intentionally left Estelle out to avoid creating unnecessary romantic tension in the reverse harem. Who would’ve thought there was more to it?

“Sewing is a bit tricky, isn’t it?”

“Yes... Threading the needle is the hardest part.”

“There’s a simple trick for that—just moisten the thread with your lips.”

As we continued chatting about sewing, I felt someone approaching. Turning my head, I saw a man in armor walking toward us. He had black hair and eyes, with a lion emblem on his shoulder plate and the imperial crest on his chest.

It was Karl, the only male lead in the original story who was a knight. He served as the commander of the Blue Lion Knights, the imperial knight order.

“Lady Estelle, do you have a moment?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Ah, just a moment.”

She stood up slowly and gave me a light wave.

“See you next time, Adele.”

“Yes, see you next time, Estelle.”

I waved back awkwardly as she smiled and followed Karl.

I still couldn’t understand why Estelle was so kind to me. Perhaps Adele, the original owner of this body, had done her a favor in the past. But whatever it was, I had no way of knowing now.

“Phew...”

‘This isn’t easy.’

As I was lost in thought, I felt the ground tremble beneath me. Thinking it was just my imagination, I glanced around, only to notice others murmuring uneasily.

Although this was the hunting festival grounds, the place was essentially a monster’s lair. Hearing the footsteps of passing monsters wasn’t unusual, considering the barrier here didn’t kill monsters but merely disguised the area from their view.

Boom!

The tremor intensified, shaking the earth with a force far greater than before. Anxiety and fear painted people’s faces as the knights drew their weapons.

“My lady, stay close.”

Evan, my escort knight, drew his sword as he shielded me. Though his chatter was often his weakness, his skills were impeccable. Even so, an ominous feeling lingered.

Crash!

Emerging beyond the mountain ridge was a massive monster. Its horns were as large as two grown men, and its body rivaled the size of a fortress wall. The sheer sight of it left everyone frozen in fear.

Roooarrr!

‘It pierced through the barrier?’

The monster’s roar sent people into a panic, while the knights stood firm, their auras flaring as they faced the beast.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a few hidden scrolls. I was glad I’d brought some just in case.

The monster glared at the imperial knights but quickly lost interest, turning its attention toward me. Its gaze locked onto mine, and then—

‘Wait… what?’

Rumble…

Before I could fully grasp what was happening, the monster charged at me. Evan exhaled calmly and blocked its advance with a gauntlet coated in blue aura.

“Ugh!”

Using one arm, Evan held off the monster’s enormous strength and swung his sword with the other. The blue aura imbued in his blade cut into the monster’s tough hide, spilling its blood.

However, the beast didn’t falter.

“Huff!”

Evan took a deep breath and began pushing the monster back with sheer force. Watching him fend off the massive creature with his aura-coated gauntlets was awe-inspiring, but the strain on his face was evident. Without hesitation, I activated a scroll.

Shhhk.

A blue magic circle appeared mid-air and dissolved into Evan, granting him a buff.

“Thank you, my lady!”

Empowered, Evan roared as he struck the monster’s leg.

Thud!

The monster collapsed onto one knee but quickly began rising again.

“This thing just won’t go down, will it?!”

Evan gritted his teeth as he summoned his aura once more. However, the monster’s eyes weren’t focused on him—they were locked on me.

‘Why is it targeting me so relentlessly?’

Roooarrr!

I hastily grabbed several scrolls and activated them. The monster charged straight at me, ignoring Evan’s strikes.

Clang!

Even with three layers of shield magic, the monster’s horns pierced through two of them effortlessly. The final shield barely held, and I stumbled backward, only to realize—

‘Wait… what?’

In that horrifying moment, I finally understood—I was standing at the edge of a cliff.

The ground beneath my feet vanished as my vision flipped.

‘Ah, falling to my death is going to hurt, isn’t it?’

The thought of my bones shattering and my organs being pierced by rocks made me grimace. I shut my eyes tightly, bracing for the inevitable pain.

But it never came.

Opening my eyes cautiously, I saw Abel’s face, calm yet cold.

“Adele, are you alright?”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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