Upon hearing the end of the story, I was taken aback.
‘How could someone cut off the head of a dead bear right there?’
The story, which had been flowing smoothly, suddenly encountered a fierce storm and changed direction.
Perhaps thinking that my silence was due to shock, the Crown Prince let out a sly laugh.
“Still, don’t you think the princess showed remarkable courage? Unlike me, a opportunist, she faced the bear directly.”
He had already returned to his usual self.
Looking at the Crown Prince’s face, filled with an unpleasant smile...
I wondered if he was mocking not me, but himself from that time.
“The crossbow skills were quite impressive.”
“...”
“Even quite experienced hunters wouldn’t have remained as calm as you did when suddenly encountering a bear. If you had turned and run, you would have been caught by the bear in no time and torn to pieces.”
“...”
“So put aside those useless thoughts and be proud of your instincts and ability to handle the situation.”
It was an unexpected comfort. I opened my eyes wide and looked at Calisto.
Indeed, perhaps because he had gone through a similar situation, my heart calmed even though his words were gruff and lacked sincerity.
At the same time, it felt ironic that the one giving such words was the Crown Prince.
“...Thank you for the compliment.”
After quite some time, I finally managed to respond awkwardly.
“You were quite brave when you were young, Your Highness.”
And I returned the compliment as best I could.
There wasn’t much else to say about the story the Crown Prince had told.
I felt a pang of sympathy for his childhood, but it was fleeting.
My thoughts changed when I heard about cutting off the head of a dead bear and winning the prize.
‘This guy was already messed up back then.’
But then, despite giving me a compliment, his face suddenly twisted in displeasure.
“Is that it?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
I was bewildered and asked in return.
The frown on the Crown Prince’s forehead deepened.
“Your reaction to my story. Don’t you feel any emotion?”
“...What?”
Caught off guard by this criticism, I was taken aback.
Then the Crown Prince glared at me with bloodshot eyes and blurted out,
“Why are you such a heartless and cold-blooded villain?”
“What... what are you talking about?”
I couldn’t stand his slander, even if I had tolerated it from other male leads.
The anger that was about to burst forth was immediately lost in his red eyes, which gleamed with interest as if daring me to do more.
I took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.
‘Damn it.’
I clenched my jaw and glared at him, silently cursing him.
“Ha...”
Suddenly, the Crown Prince’s fierce expression softened, and he let out a sigh.
“Being with you, there’s really no time to be bored.”
And then.
[Goodwill 34%]
His goodwill increased, accompanied by a faint smile on his face.
My eyes gradually widened.
5%. It was a significant rise.
I stared blankly at his head, where golden light was breaking apart.
I had surpassed the base goodwill of 30% given in Normal Mode.
Now, the Crown Prince’s goodwill had reached a level where he was quite far from death.
It didn’t quite feel real.
Perhaps it was due to relief.
Seeing his face smiling at me, I felt strange.
“The trembling has stopped.”
At that moment, the chains that had been pressing against my back suddenly loosened.
Unlike when he had hugged me tightly, Calisto gently released me this time.
“Now, really go to sleep.”
He stood up and walked away without a backward glance, heading back to the other side of the campfire.
The warmth that had enveloped me quickly faded.
It was only after the trembling that had taken over my body had truly subsided.
* * *
“Father.”
“Have you returned?”
Duke Ecart, who had been anxiously tapping the table, brightened up at the sight of his eldest son entering the carriage.
However, his brows furrowed deeply at Derek’s shaking head.
“...You haven’t found her yet?”
“Renald has taken the hunting dogs and gone back into the forest. We should hear news soon.”
“The last person who saw her.”
“We found a knight who had given her directions to the small game hunting area.”
“So, did she go that way?”
Derek nodded quietly this time.
Bang!
Frustrated, the Duke slammed his fist on the table.
“It’s almost sunset, and a girl who hasn’t even reached adulthood is wandering alone in the forest...!”
She had said she wanted to see the hunting grounds, but he hadn’t really believed she would.
Penelope was originally quite capricious.
Even so, the small game hunting area wasn’t far from the clearing where the tents for the hunting festival were set up.
If anything happened, the guards stationed there could find her quickly.
The problem was if she had gone into the deep forest where the fierce beasts were released.
The Duke pressed his temples, which were throbbing, and asked,
“What about the Crown Prince’s side?”
At that moment, Derek’s brow twitched slightly.
The Duke, busy rubbing his temples, didn’t notice his son’s stiffened lips.
“...The palace has just dispatched a search party.”
It wasn’t just Penelope who had disappeared at such a critical time.
A long time had passed since the horn signaling the gathering time had sounded, and the Crown Prince had not returned either.
“I’ve already asked them to inform us if they find her, so we just have to wait.”
“Could it be that the rogue prince has taken her somewhere to kill her again...”
“Father.”
Derek stopped the Duke.
“There are many ears around.”
He, too, had had such thoughts.
However, this was not just Ecart’s territory but the center of the hunting festival, where all kinds of nobles had gathered.
Who knew where someone might have planted their ears.
“Renald, who went out to search first, says he saw something strange.”
Derek’s voice dropped even lower.
“There was a dead brown bear with its head cut off in the golden-marked area where the fierce beasts were released.”
“...A dead bear?”
The Duke’s voice also dropped, given the seriousness of the matter.
“Yes. However, strangely, the severed head was found far from the body.”
“Hmm.”
“Also, parts of the body were burned, exposing the flesh in circular patterns.”
“What, what did you say!”
Circular patterns. It was undoubtedly the bolt from the crossbow given to Penelope.
The Duke’s mouth dropped open as he realized what Derek was saying.
“Did the bear attack anyone...?”
“There were no signs of it attacking anyone,” Derek firmly denied.
The Duke heaved a sigh of relief. At least that was fortunate.
“So, what happened to the bear’s body?”
“The servants of the Earl of Ellen had already arrived and were handling it, so we could only confirm the body and retreat.”
“The Earl of Ellen?”
The unexpected name made the Duke’s thick eyebrows twitch.
“So... did the Earl of Ellen kill the bear?”
“There’s no way. It was clearly a modified creature due to the Crown Prince’s cruel hobby.”
“Well, an old man who can’t even shoot a bow properly couldn’t have killed a bear...”
“Moreover, if he had killed it, he would have brought the head back when he returned.”
But the Earl of Ellen’s prey was only two deer, and there was no sign of a large beast’s head anywhere.
“Ha... I can’t make head or tail of what’s happening.”
The Duke sighed deeply, as if his head was aching, and muttered.
“Penelope, why did she go to the area where the fierce beasts were released! I didn’t give her that crossbow again...”
“Father.”
Derek, who had been listening silently, suddenly asked.
“What kind of magic did you engrave on the crossbow you gave Penelope?”
“...”
“What kind of magic did you engrave that made her shoot a bear without knowing what she was doing?”
“...Ahem!”
The Duke, uncomfortable with the change in topic, cleared his throat and turned his head.
Derek’s eyes narrowed as he looked at his father.
“Did you tamper with the magic power of a lethal weapon?”
“Lethal? No, it’s not like that.”
The Duke turned his head sharply and added gruffly.
“...If hit, it would only cause a temporary faint. It’s suitable for hunting, so it passed the inspection.”
“Is that all?”
What a sharp one.
The Duke grunted, annoyed by his eldest son’s persistent questioning.
“...I also added a spell that makes the person forget their memory before being hit.”
“...”
Derek’s expressionless face suddenly contorted.
Silence filled the tent for a while. Derek finally spoke after a long pause.
“...Why did you give her such a thing?”
The Duke glanced at his son and answered calmly.
“If she really wanted to shoot someone, I told her to take them somewhere and shoot them secretly.”
“Knowing her personality, how could you give her such a dangerous weapon?”
Derek’s voice dropped even lower, as if suppressing his anger.
“What if she went on a rampage like last year and shot people randomly?”
“...”
“What would you do if many people lost their memory after being hit by the crossbow?”
“Tsk, don’t jump to conclusions.”
The Duke clicked his tongue and defended himself.
“It was just a precaution. She has already shown enough remorse, so I’m sure she will be more careful.”
“Not only did you give away a diamond mine to Earl Kellin, but now you’re thinking of giving away the remaining mines to several nobles?”
“Derek Ecart.”
The Duke firmly cut off Derek’s words.
Giving away an entire diamond mine to Earl Kellin, who had been making a fuss over Penelope’s mischief, was a significant loss for the Ecart family.
However, Penelope was a legitimate princess in the family line.
How could he just stand by and watch a child be imprisoned for her reckless actions?
“...Stop it. I gave it because it was the right thing to do. The family has been in a bad state lately due to various incidents.”