Chapter 5

Blood rushed to his head, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

His face was abnormally hot. His heart pounded loudly and he felt restless.

He had never experienced such a disturbance in his heart and emotions before.

The trigger was the woman in front of him declaring, "I'll make this rabbit into a meat pie!"

She was dressed in a well-tailored dress, looked neat and tidy, and spoke without any accent, all of which indicated that she was a noble lady.

Yet, she had chased the rabbit with all her might, not minding that her hat had flown off and mud had stuck to her dress, and had caught the rabbit with her bare hands, even using a hunting dog.

In the end, she had declared that she would make the rabbit into a meat pie.

It was far too bold.

The image of the noble lady he had always thought of crumbled with a loud noise.

Here, Constantin realized that he had been greatly disturbed by her actions, which were so unlike those of a noble lady.

The sweat on his forehead, the palpitations in his chest, and the turmoil in his emotions were all due to witnessing an unexpected situation.

He somehow composed himself and walked over to the woman who was holding the rabbit affectionately.

"Excuse me, who are you exactly—?"

"Oh, good morning."

She greeted him with a full smile.

She had a very beautiful smile, and Constantin was taken aback.

"Good morning."

"It's a fine morning, isn't it?"

"Fine morning?"

Thanks to the mist rising from the lake, it was not a pleasant morning.

The weather was good, but the sky, the land, and the forest were all hazy.

When he turned around, the Arambour mansion looked very eerie, with the entire building shrouded in mist.

"Look, the mansion behind us. The mist makes it look very dreamy."

"..."

To her, the eerie appearance seemed dreamy. Indeed, it did look like something out of a fairy tale, but more like a castle of a demon or a devil's mansion.

The woman was gazing at the Arambour mansion with a sigh of admiration.

"Excuse me, may I ask your name?"

Her dress was very formal, and she did not look like someone who had come for hunting.

Despite holding a rabbit, she looked like a proper noble lady. She did not seem suspicious, but there was a great deal of doubt about why she was here.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I—"

"I am Constantin von Arambour, the captain of the 17th Knight Squad, who guards the King's garden here."

"You are the captain of the King's garden! How wonderful!"

The woman looked at him with a hint of admiration.

It was similar to the looks he had received from many knights when he was in the Royal Guard.

"I apologize for not introducing myself earlier."

While still holding the rabbit, she bent her knee slightly and introduced herself with a ladylike bow.

"I am Lucian of the Fortrie Viscount's family."

"Lucian of the Fortrie Viscount's family... Miss?"

"Yes! It's an honor to be invited to the King's garden."

She answered clearly and energetically.

Lucian is generally a male name, not a female name.

"Miss Lucian—"

"Can you call me Anne?"

"Excuse me?"

"Anne. Lucian is a male name."

"Oh, right. Miss Lucian—"

"Anne."

"Miss Anne, you are here as a representative of the Fortrie Viscount's family, right?"

"Yes, of course."

—Why?

Numerous questions surged like waves in a rough sea.

Lucian looked to be around eighteen to twenty years old, a beautiful noble lady.

Holding a rabbit that seemed to be for food was somewhat mysterious.

"Do you like meat pies, Lord Arambour?"

"Meat pies?"

"Yes. This rabbit is so plump. It must have eaten a lot of vegetables from the field."

After saying this, Lucian's eyes gleamed sharply.

"Such a naughty rabbit."

After hearing Lucian's words, Constantin was once again unable to move.

His head was fuzzy, and he could only see Lucian.

"So, do you like meat pies?"

"Excuse me?"

"Or do you prefer it roasted?"

"No, I like meat pies."

"Good. I love them too!"

Lucian's face lit up with a delicate, flower-like smile.

The misty surroundings disappeared, and only Lucian existed in Constantin's field of vision.

What was this phenomenon? He couldn't understand it.

"Then, I'll make a meat pie for dinner!"

"Yes, I look forward to it."

"By the way, I have a request. Will you listen?"

"Of course."

"Can you wring the rabbit's neck?"

"Of course."

Following the order, he took the rabbit. Lucian quickly tied the rabbit's legs with a rope while it was in Constantin's chest.

Handing him a knife, Constantin squatted down and slit the rabbit's carotid artery.

All that was left was to hang it from a tree and drain the blood.

In autumn, nobles go hunting. He was used to dispatching the prey.

However, it was the first time he had been ordered to do so by a woman.

—His heart had been pounding loudly ever since. Why was that?

It was a clear case of love, but the insensitive Constantin had not noticed it at all.