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Chapter 76

The evening dinner table overflowed with lavish delicacies.
Even during my time in Grunvalt, Dale ‌‌had provided meals no less generous, but the Lockhart Family Estate's table surpassed them in sheer scale.
Yet strangely, all this opulence felt awkward and unwelcome. The food was delicious, but something was missing.
‌‌
"Does the meal suit your palate, Miss Enya?"

What was absent became clear—it was him, smiling as he watched me eat.
After hiring servants, Dale ‌‌no longer needed to cook himself, and we would arrive at the dining hall early, waiting for the dishes to arrive ‌‌‌while sharing all manner of conversation.
I cherished those moments with Dale.
Dale was someone who listened with genuine warmth, a considerate roommate with a gentle expression and voice.
There were times ‌‌‌I felt genuinely grateful to be living with him—Dale was truly a wonderful person.
If I were ever to marry, I always thought it should be to someone like him.
Leaving him behind at a distance weighed on my heart like a stone. ‌‌‌‌
"Sigh..."
"Why the sigh? Still thinking about that boy your age?"
My brother's lips curved into a knowing smirk.
"Since Enya isn't feeling well, take away the wine and bring her some warm soup instead."
My brother feigned concern and replaced my dishes.
Dale would have been just as attentive, even without any teasing intent...
Seeing my brother instead of Dale before ‌‌me only irritated me further.
"Can you manage meat? You can't eat anything when you're unwell."
"I can eat it, so put it ‌‌‌‌away."
Dale would have shown ‌‌‌‌genuine concern like this.
Was Dale eating well?
I ‌wished I could give him delicious food too.
Would he be frightened, sleeping alone in the newly moved house? What was Dale doing right now?
The longer my stay ‌‌at the Lockhart Family Estate extended without my return, the more my worry for Dale grew.
What if someone tried to harm him? What if someone with weak-willed Dale came asking to borrow money?
"..."
"Mother, Enya seems strange."
"Enya, is something wrong?"
"..."
"Enya."
"...!"
Looking around, everyone was staring at me with expressions of concern.
Lost in thoughts of Dale, I didn't even notice I was being called.
"You have that look again—like ‌‌you're about to run away from home."
"Father."
Just then, Father entered the dining room. He had clearly just returned from the Imperial Palace.
"Now that I think about it, you said you had something to tell me. The report mentioned ‌‌‌you came back because of that."
"Will you listen now?"
"Yes. What is it you wanted to say?"
Father sat down and began his meal with an unusually gentle demeanor.
'He must be in a good mood because I accompanied him to the Imperial ‌Palace today.'
Today felt like the right moment ‌to speak.
Until now, my words had fallen on deaf ears, ‌‌‌‌but the fact that Father was asking first was a good sign.
I'd finish this quickly and get back to him.
'Wait for ‌me, Dale! I'll return soon.'

* * *

"A method to improve hygiene in ‌‌first aid kits, you say..."
Father—or rather, Duke Lockhart—examined the documents slowly.
They contained detailed budgets, methods, and expected effects.
To persuade Father, I had compiled every argument ‌‌I could muster.
"The budget isn't insignificant."
"It requires special techniques created by the Alchemist. But that can be supplemented."
"Still, it's a proposal worth considering positively."
Father narrowed his eyes with a sharp gaze.
"Particularly, the idea of creating an instrument to ‌‌measure body temperature is intriguing."
"Isn't it?!"
In that moment, I thought to add a thermometer to the design.
"By measuring the heat radiating from the body, we can determine how severe symptoms are and respond early."
Father ‌‌began to consider it seriously.
"Those suffering from high fever would likely need a physician's ‌‌help rather than simple medicine, so ‌we could prioritize urgent cases. Conversely, mild cases could be treated with basic remedies, lightening the physician's workload."
Father gazed ‌at the calendar in thought.
"Yes. This would be suitable for military use as well."
"...So you'll sponsor it?"
Father studied me intently, narrowing his eyes as if trying to discern my true intentions, before finally closing them.
"Yes."
"...!"
I'd finally succeeded. Now I could return home.
'Wait, did ‌‌‌‌I just say home?'
Strictly speaking, this was my home.
I was a member of the Lockhart Family, after all.
At some ‌‌‌point, I found myself wanting to ‌‌go home—not this house, but our home where Dale was waiting for me.
"Then I...!"
"However."
"Why, ‌‌‌‌‌‌why not?"
The longer Father's silence stretched, the more anxious I became.
"When implementing something important, ‌‌‌verification is necessary."
"Verification? What kind of verification? Surely...."
I glanced at Father's calendar. The training ‌‌schedule was over. So among the upcoming schedules, what remained was.
"The ‌‌‌hunting festival?"
"Yes. There's hardly a better place than the hunting grounds to test the performance of emergency supplies."
"That may be true, but."
"I ‌‌have no objection to what you ‌‌‌said about ‌‌‌that tool achieving great results in the future. However, I cannot skip verification."
"...."
No, that can't be ‌‌‌the only reason.
I agreed one hundred percent with Father's words, ‌but it felt like I was missing something. Something ‌‌‌felt off.
Could it be that.
"You're planning to have me attend the hunting festival!"
Father didn't deny it. He simply pretended not to hear and scribbled with his pen.
"Father!"
"Just as you guessed."
"You're going to have me meet The Emperor there, or rather, His Majesty The Emperor?"
"Yes."
"Father!"
"A state marriage cannot be delayed. This is not something you alone can decide."
"I told you ‌‌‌I don't want to marry ‌The Emperor!"
Just as I let Father's words go in one ear and out the other, he dismissed my pleas ‌the same way.
"I'm not saying you should marry immediately. You and His Majesty The Emperor never had time to get to know each other."
"I won't get to know him in the future either. I'm not ‌just saying this."
"He's not as ‌‌merciless as you think. Enya. Thoughts can change anytime."
"But you're not changing your ‌‌‌‌‌mind, Father."
"...." ‌‌‌
Our tense conversation didn't break. This Emperor-obsessed fool!
Father narrowed his eyes and tapped the documents with his finger.
"It seems you're not in a hurry yet."
"...!"
"When you stopped running away and came back, I thought ‌‌‌you ‌‌‌‌‌must have had good reason and ambition. So this is all you had. Enya Lockhart."
"Ugh!"
So he was going to use that method?
But I inherited Father's stubborn blood too.
"There's a condition for attending the hunting festival."
I refused to back down, crossing my arms and puffing out my chest.
"You're saying I need to be ‌‌‌invited as a partner by a man participating in the hunt festival. Who would invite me there?"
"...."
"My brother injured his leg during training and is resting now. So he can't attend!" ‌‌‌
Father's expression began to grow troubled. Negotiations were indeed won through sheer momentum.
"And Father won't be able to attend the hunt festival either. Because! You're outside the recommended age range!"
"So ‌‌you're weaponizing my ‌‌‌aging...."
Father looked at me with eyes full of shock.
"So there's no one to invite me! Do you understand?!"

* * *

There was someone.
The Emperor was there.

[Lady Enya Lockhart, I eagerly await your attendance as my ‌‌‌‌partner at my hunt festival, gracing ‌‌‌‌the occasion with your presence.]

The Emperor sent an invitation specifying me as his partner.
"So this day has finally come...."
I couldn't understand why The Emperor was going to such lengths for me.
"Miss, please don't worry too much."
Emma ‌‌‌squeezed my hand and smiled warmly.
"Emma...."
I held Emma's hand and gazed quietly at her affectionate smile.
"...Are you enjoying this situation right now?"
"Hehe."
"Go. Get out of here."
I brushed my arm away and sat with my legs crossed. The hunt festival was held in the Imperial Forest, which was three times the size of the Imperial Palace.
It wasn't directly adjacent to the Imperial Palace, but rather a vast forest on the ‌‌outskirts of the Capital, which was referred to ‌‌‌as the Imperial Forest.

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy ‌the latest releases, please ‌‌‌read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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