Chapter 06
“You’re going to give a handkerchief to whom at this year’s hunting competition?”
“Of course, to Duke Cretaine! If I can even catch his attention that way, I’ll die with no regrets!”
While Jessica was picking out her outfit, Lucy sat on the sofa, glancing around the room. At that moment, a group of women burst into the dressing room, laughing loudly.
“Talking about death just to get a man’s attention… what privileged nonsense.”
In her short previous life, she had only dreamed of a normal, everyday life like anyone else. She couldn’t sympathize at all with a woman who casually spoke of death for a man’s gaze. Lucy swallowed a bitter smile.
“By the way, what about your hand? You’re supposed to give a handkerchief to the Duke, you know.”
“A handkerchief? What are you talking about? And why should I give it to him?”
Jessica looked at Lucy as if she had just remembered something, and Lucy tilted her head in confusion.
“Well, of course, you’re the Duke’s fiancée! And you’re going to be his partner in the hunting competition—doesn’t that make it obvious?”
Only then did a familiar scene flash in her mind. In the novels she had read, a hunting competition would inevitably feature the heroine giving a handkerchief to the male lead to express her feelings.
“But that’s the male and female lead in the story. I’m going to that competition with that old Duke, and now I’m supposed to give him a handkerchief?!”
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn’t phrase it politely.
“I’m not giving it. If anyone wants to give it, you can do it.”
“Miss, really, what will we do with your hand… This was supposed to be your chance to show off your embroidery skills…”
Anna, who came to Lucy’s room that evening, looked upset.
“Embroidery? What are you talking about?”
“There’s a tradition at the hunting competition where young ladies give handkerchiefs with embroidered designs to the participants, wishing them victory. Shouldn’t you give one to the Duke…?”
Seeing Lucy’s increasingly crumpled expression, Anna’s voice faded.
“I don’t know how to embroider, and I’m certainly not giving a handkerchief.”
“But Miss… actually, the Baron…”
Anna trailed off, handing her a handkerchief made of pale silk.
“The Baron specifically ordered that it be embroidered.”
Lucy looked at her bandaged hand. Even if she knew how to embroider, her injured right hand made it impossible.
“Shall I try embroidering it for you?”
A little later, Lucy watched Anna carefully embroidering.
“Anna, what exactly are you stitching here?”
Lucy tilted her head at the embroidery, unable to tell what it was supposed to be.
“The symbol of the House of Baron Vallon is a black hawk. This part is the legs, and here, I’m going to embroider the wings like this!”
Anna pointed eagerly with her fingers, explaining the hawk’s shape.
“…”
But no matter how hard Lucy squinted, she only saw a creature resembling a crow.
Late into the night, Anna labored over Lucy’s handkerchief, finally completing the black hawk in one corner.
On the day of the hunting competition, two maids rushed into Lucy’s room at sunrise, washing and dressing her.
“Oh, Miss, you’re so lucky! Not just anyone can attend the Imperial Hunting Competition. You’ll be the most beautiful today.”
As they brushed her hair, the maids giggled, either envious or sarcastic—it was hard to tell.
“You’ll even meet Duke Cretaine, the most handsome man in the Fujis Empire. Lucky you!”
Lucy was confused, unsure if they were mocking her or truly envious.
“Who exactly is this Cretaine to be causing all this fuss?”
Duke Cretaine—the name sounded familiar, one she had heard in the dressing room. For some reason, it felt like he might be a character from the novels she had read.
“Ah! You don’t remember, Miss… of course.”
Even her fragmented memories contained no information about him.
“He’s famous as the most handsome man in our Empire. Even in the market, his portraits are everywhere, and minstrels sing poems praising his deeds.”
The maid tying Lucy’s hair paused, staring dreamily into space—clearly infatuated.
“If this is really like the novels, the male lead should be the most handsome. Could he be the male lead?”
Lucy recalled Victory Becky.
“The male lead there was the Crown Prince… and there were so many men around the heroine that I don’t even remember them all.”
She also thought of her fiancé, Edwin. Objectively, he was quite handsome too. Could he really be the male lead in the novel? Her doubts only grew.
“Oh! Milady, today you are so dazzling my eyes might go blind! Hahaha!”
The Baron of Vallon could not stop praising Lucy’s radiant appearance. Lucy couldn’t help frowning.
Next to the Baron stood Jessica, wearing an even more extravagant dress and heavy makeup.
“Like a peacock.”
Not that it was beautiful—Lucy just found the excess garish and tacky.
“Miss!”
As Lucy watched Jessica, Anna ran over and discreetly handed her the handkerchief.
“Thanks…”
Lucy glanced at the unknown bird embroidered on it, trailing off in speech, unaware that Duke Vallon had come right up beside her. She quickly hid the handkerchief behind her back.
“Lucy, today I shall hunt a mighty wild wolf for you! Hahaha.”
He draped her left hand over his arm, slowly stroking the back of it. Lucy shivered but held back, biting her lip.
“Hahaha, today’s hunting competition, I’m sure Your Excellency will win. Our two daughters will be cheering for you!”
Baron Diallo flattered them again as he saw them off. Lucy frowned deeply and climbed into the carriage with the Duke.
At the hunting grounds, Lucy felt as if it were a beauty contest for noblewomen, with women in dazzling dresses and jewelry showing off their looks.
Lucy observed them as she headed toward the Duke’s private pavilion.
“So the rumors were true. Those are Baron Diallo’s daughters. Lucy Diallo is really going to become the Duke’s mistress.”
“Could that greedy Baron really be trying to marry off both daughters to Duke Vallon?”
She heard giggles from the nobles nearby.
“But today’s competition is practically the debut stage for the Fourth Prince, isn’t it?”
“Debut? He’s just a prince in name only.”
Soon, the conversation shifted to the Emperor’s rumored illegitimate son, the Fourth Prince.
Among the tents near the wide clearing in the forest, one tent had gathered an unusually large number of women.
Lucy was about to enter the Duke’s tent but turned out of curiosity.
“When did Jessica get all the way over there?”
Jessica was now peeking at that tent with a handkerchief in hand.
“She must be excited because some high-ranking nobleman has arrived.”
Lucy snorted and turned her head—only to freeze when she saw a very familiar man.
“Edwin?”
It was her fiancé, Edwin, walking by, conversing with people. Entranced, Lucy found herself moving toward him.
“Lucy? Where are you going all of a sudden, Lucy!”
The Duke’s voice called from behind, but Lucy kept walking toward Edwin, now close enough she could almost touch his back.
“Your Highness! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
At that moment, a woman approached from across the way, smiling brightly and taking Edwin’s hand. Lucy stopped dead in her tracks.
“Edwin… Highness? What is going on here?”
Confused, she decided to turn away. Meeting him now felt wrong.
“And if I do meet him, what then? Get a grip. I’m not Lucy!”
“Lucy, why are you like this? You look unwell!”
The Duke examined her worriedly.
“I… I need to find the restroom, but I can’t locate it.”
“Oh! How thoughtless of me to impose on a lady. Hahaha!”
Duke Vallon laughed heartily, calling a servant to guide Lucy to the restroom. She followed, but halfway, she suddenly turned toward the direction where Edwin had disappeared.
