/
Demimore smelled of something sweet that I couldn’t identify.
Unknowingly drawn in by the aroma that made me think of honey, I lifted my heels and put my nose close to Demimore’s neck.
The fragrance was so intoxicating that it made me forget the situation at hand.
Demimore’s spotless white neck and the sweet aroma coming from him went together beautifully.
“What is this
.”
I was about to inquire as to what the heck was that wonderful smell.
Demimore, who was holding my shoulder, yanked me away with great force as I breathed and sniffed next to his neck.
I eventually came to my senses after being partially hypnotized by the smell emanating from Demimore.
Demimore had a perplexed expression on his face, and his normally white, clean nape was now suddenly flushed red.
His sudden behavior caused my face to heat up unnecessarily, as though he were rejecting me. I gave him an awkward smile and moved away from him.
“Ah
”
“

.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Demimore shook his head silently at my apology. He took his hand off my shoulder, covering his face with his hands.
There was a strange awkwardness between us, and seeing him so embarrassed made me feel more self-conscious. I wondered if this atmosphere between us made sense.
To break the awkward silence, I exaggeratedly asked, “Oh, the scent is so nice! Did you spray something on yourself?”
Despite my efforts to appear nonchalant, Demimore continued to hold his face with his hands, nodding only his head in response.
The circumstances changed. I was the one nodding earlier when he questioned me. I chuckled awkwardly once more. Words spilled out of my mouth uncontrollably.
“Tell me later what scent it is; it smells really good.”
He nodded again.
“But can you really spray such a sweet scent in a place like this? Won’t the beast pay more attention to you?”
In response to my query, Demimore peered at me through the space between his middle and index fingers.
Demimore eventually lowered his hands, which had been covering his face, and exhaled as I smiled as brightly as I could.
“It’ll be alright.”
“Are you sure?”
“I need to catch it, so it’s good if it comes to me.”
“Did you spray it for that purpose?”
“No, I smeared myself with honey during breakfast.”
“Oh, that’s why there was a sweet scent
.”
There was a strange awkwardness between me and Demimore again. I hadn’t felt this awkward since we first met, so I blurted out whatever came to mind.
Demimore seemed to do the same. I cleared my throat and decided to get to the point.
I wanted to ask him what made him participate in this bet?
“Um
”
“Oh, I heard roughly why this bet happened.”
“From Cameron?”
“Yeah.”
Demimore beat me to the punch before I could finish my sentence. When I asked him if he’d heard it from Cameron, he nodded.
I wondered what Cameron had said to Demimore. Demimore smiled affectionately.
The way his eyes curved when he smiled reminded me of the man who had tried to imitate this adorable smile.
I guess you can’t top the original, no matter how much you try to copy it.
Honestly, that smile is

. More delightful than that sweet scent coming from Demimore

.
“To be honest, when I first heard it, I was speechless.”
“What?”
I was lost in meaningless emotion as I observed Demimore’s eye smile and was surprised by his sudden confession.
When I asked why, Demimore let out a helpless smile.
“Who would have thought that I would end up in a hunting bet with my fiancĂ©e?”
Demimore said it like a joke, but I had nothing to say.
“I think Brother Cameron has been bothering people in all directions, and I don’t like how you keep being swayed by him.”
When he said that, Demimore shrugged off his shoulders.
Looking at Demimore talking casually, I felt some kind of bitterness. How did he get caught up in this bet?
He could simply leave with Astina, let go of all these constraints, and go in search of happiness.
Instead, he was drawn into this bet with Cameron, who has a particular dislike for me.
“I’m sorry, Demimore.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Just
 because of me
 it feels like you got roped into this for no reason.”
“Why do you suppose it’s your fault? Cameron is the one who dragged me into this. I honestly don’t know why he keeps urging me to go with him.”
“Still
”
As I hesitated to finish my sentence, Demimore grabbed me by the shoulder with a serious look.
“But I really don’t mind if it’s because of you. If this helps you in any way.”
“Demimore
”
“Protecting the people you care about is what’s important to you, so don’t hesitate to use me. If I can help you in any way, I’ll be happy to.”
“You’re not going to lose on purpose, right?”
I quickly grabbed Demimore and asked with a foreboding hunch.
“Well, I’d like to lose to you, but I have my own circumstances that prevent me from doing so right now.”
“What kind of circumstances?”
“Um, that’s a secret.”
“Did Cameron threaten you?”
Demimore didn’t even reply to my query, just smiled.
“Don’t just smile, give me an answer
!”
“There are some things I can’t share with you, but I promise to do my best and keep trying. That is all I have to say to you right now, Mary.”
I had never heard Demimore’s voice so firm. I wanted to probe further, but Demimore showed no sign of backing down.
“I’ll do my best in my own way; just as it’s important for you to protect the people you care about, it’s important for me to protect the people I care about.”
“Promise me.”
So instead of asking more, I extended my pinky finger to Demimore.
“What promise?”
“That you won’t try to push yourself to lose this bet.”
Demimore smiled and turned to look at my pinky.
What? Why are you laughing? Demimore said with a sentimental expression when I gave him a twisted look.
“I’m glad that you’re wearing your ring.”
“Hey! Don’t say anything else!”
“All right, all right.”
Demimore then entangled his pinky with mine.
My heart was still uneasy despite the fact that I had to force him to make a promise. Just as I was about to confirm once more, Gilbert suddenly appeared from behind a tree.
“Mary, it’s about to begin.”
Gilbert appeared from behind a tree as if on cue.
Even though there was still more to discuss, Demimore appeared relieved.
When I asked for just a little more time, Gilbert said no and grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and dragged me away. When I struggled, he made a grunting sound.
“Why are you talking so long?”
“You told me to come and talk to him.”
“I told you to talk for a minute.”
“It hasn’t started yet, has it?”
Gilbert nodded his head unpleasantly at my comment.
“Talking to the enemy for an extended period of time is bad.”
“Why is Demimore the enemy?”
“Right now, the only one on your side is Theodore, right?”
I argued back and forth with Gilbert and returned to the Grand Duke’s camp. My bow and arrows, which Hestia had meticulously polished, were given to me.
I carefully swept Helena’s name on the bow.
For this ridiculous bet, the emperor even sent a referee from another empire. He seemed to be paying attention to fairness in his own way. Does he not trust his own son?
Well, of course, this was Conler’s territory, and it was unlikely that Cameron would do anything unnecessary, but we couldn’t let our guard down
When we were told to gather because the bet was about to start, Theodore and I walked toward the entrance to the hunting ground.
Cameron and Demimore gathered next to us. Demimore stood firm.
The hunting rules were similar to back then.
Just in case, don’t shoot too high into the sky.
Never trespass or fire arrows into the other player’s territory.
Well, hearing this rule makes me think of Count Stein. I looked towards their camp, wondering if I would see his unpleasant face.
Count Stein’s face was nowhere to be seen.
“What?”
However, I recognized a face that I hadn’t seen in a while. Cameron’s aide was there.
What was his name? Even though we didn’t talk much, it was still good to see him after all this time. Hmm, I can’t remember his name.
Now that I think about it, I assumed he had resigned.
By the way, why hasn’t that guy named X come yet? Wasn’t he supposed to replace him?
“Mary, come on, let’s go.”
Theodore gave me a pat on the back as I was preoccupied with thoughts. It wasn’t a painful touch, but I still flinched. Theodore smiled down at me.
We gave each other high-fives.
Then we proceeded to our designated area.