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Chapter 98




The villain's ending is only death 98
“Squeal!”
At that moment, an exclamation burst out from one side of the canopy.
“Goodness, Lord Renald is in fifth place!”
“How could he be so cool!”
“Will he pass his prey to someone else?”
A few young ladies were causing a commotion not far from me.
Hearing the commotion, Renald waved his hand once with a very proud look on his face.
“Squeal! My lord!”
I frowned at the immediate screams.
‘What is this, a fan club?’
I didn’t want to see Renald’s arrogant face, so I lowered my parasol to avoid his gaze.
Renald seemed to have no intention of passing his prey to anyone else, as the next announcement was made without any further ado.
“Fourth place, Viscount Derek Ecart! Two wolves, two white foxes, and one Plafopiny from the Duchy of Yeta!”
“Squeal!”
The same reactions as for Renald were repeated.
I was a bit surprised.
Derek was known for his very strong pride. I thought he would compete for first or second place with the crown prince...
‘Is it because of me?’
In any case, due to the chaos I caused, he probably didn’t have the time to focus on hunting.
‘But it’s none of my business.’
I became more interested in the unfamiliar prey he had caught.
‘A rare animal from the Duchy of Yeta...?’
I raised my parasol and looked at the pile of prey.
However, with the prey laid out, I couldn’t see them well from my side.
Except for a glimpse of an unfamiliar purple color among the familiar prey.
“Next, third place! Viscount Bouter of the Berdandy family!”
I wanted to observe more, but my attention was drawn to the next name being called.
“Three deer, two adult wild boars, two hawks, and one mammoth from Mount Kaphria!”
The Berdandy area seemed full, probably due to the large number of big animals.
‘Oh, he’s pretty good, huh?’
I thought he was just a gentleman who knew only magic, but he was a rough man who was also good at hunting.
Just as I was looking at Bouter with renewed eyes,
“Please wait a moment.”
He suddenly raised his hand,
“I dedicate my prey to Lady Penelope Ecart, who showed the greatest prowess in this competition.”
He dropped a bombshell.
‘What...?’
My mouth dropped open.
“Oh my.”
“B, Berdandy Viscount to the, to the lady...”
People around me who recognized me let out incomprehensible exclamations and glanced at me.
Thanks to this, my location was quickly exposed.
“There she is.”
Bouter pointed at me as if he had a sixth sense.
Our eyes met, and he smiled with a twinkle in his eye.
The murmurs grew louder. I didn’t want this kind of attention at all.
‘Why are you doing this! Just take it yourself!’
Because of the damn affection points, I had almost been forced to accept the main quest and proceeded with tears and sobs, but I had no desire to become the queen.
In the midst of my confusion, the next name was called, and all of Bouter’s prey became mine.
“Second place! His Highness Prince Calisto Regulus! One white tiger!”
Even in the midst of the chaos caused by Bouter’s sudden declaration, I was shocked by the name and the prey.
Calisto had been unconscious since being chased by assassins on the first day of the competition, so he had no chance to hunt.
That means he must have caught this tiger in the half-day before we met...
‘Scary guy.’
Just as I was shivering with goosebumps,
“Isn’t the protagonist of this competition the lady?”
The crown prince suddenly spoke.
“I will also dedicate my prey to Lady Ecart.”
As if Ray had guided him, the crown prince’s bright red eyes were already fixed on me.
The prince smiled at my shocked expression.
‘Are you guys crazy? Why are you doing this!’
Not only the male leads, but everyone in the square was staring at me.
The whispers grew even louder.
“So, is the queen of this hunting festival Lady Ecart...?”
“Don’t say that. First place is still left, right?”
“But if His Highness isn’t first, who could be?”
The square was in chaos.
Last year, the mad dog of the Ecart family, who was even under a restraining order, was now on the verge of becoming the queen of the hunting festival.
“...And the grand first place!”
The first place, which would resolve people’s curiosity and block the lady’s victory, was immediately announced.
Until then, I had completely forgotten.
“Lady Penelope Ecart of the Ecart family! One fire bear!”
The moment my name was called, a silence fell like cold water had been poured over everyone.
‘Mad...’
I had no idea how that damn bear was recorded as my catch.
Well, it was probably the crown prince’s doing, even without seeing it.
But more importantly, my worst fears had come true.
‘I really became the mad chimpanzee of the Ecart family who single-handedly killed a bear!’
I could tell from everyone’s white-eyed stares.
It was now certain that whenever the nobles gathered, they would talk about me.
“With the prey from Viscount Berdandy and His Highness, the winner of this hunting competition is...!”
And the servant who was making the announcements drove the point home.
“Lady Penelope Ecart!”
“...”
“I hope you will come up to the stage to receive the prize and the trophy!”
I wanted to disappear into thin air.
But that was impossible.
‘Sigh...’
I sighed deeply and moved toward the distant stage.
Strange gazes followed me as I crossed the silent square.
Finally reaching the stage, I folded my bright pink parasol and held the hem of my dress.
‘Maybe I should have worn hunting clothes.’
The light pink, lacy dress didn’t fit the title of the hunting competition’s winner at all.
Even without the two male leads giving me their prey, I had won first place with the fire bear...
“Congratulations on your victory, Lady.”
The crown prince greeted me with a serious expression as I climbed the stage.
The trophy, which the servant had brought on a cushion, was immediately handed to me.
The award ceremony was nothing special.
“Your prize for this victory is 100 million gold. I will have it sent to the Ecart residence through a servant.”
Before the crown prince said this,
‘100 million!’
My ears perked up. 100 million was the amount I had used to buy Eclis with a blank check!
Even if I didn’t need game money, there was no reason to refuse free money.
The crown prince smiled, finding my changed expression amusing.
Then another servant walked up with something on a cushion.
“Here, take it.”
The crown prince suddenly held out what was on the cushion.
“That, that’s...!”
A ripple of shock ran through the crowd as they recognized it.
What the crown prince handed me was the crossbow that had been confiscated as evidence.
“I specially arranged to return the crossbow to the lady who made a significant contribution to catching the bear.”
Calisto twisted his lips and handed me the crossbow.
Through this, he completely announced that the false accusation of ‘noble assassin’ had been cleared.
The nobles, who had been doubtful about the lady’s past misdeeds, were now in shock.
“...Thank you, Your Highness.”
I took back my crossbow with a grim expression.
“Why don’t you say a few words?”
The crown prince stepped aside and pressured me.
The words ‘Do I have to?’ were on the tip of my tongue.
Reluctantly, I stood in the center and looked around.
Standing high up, I could clearly see the male leads among the many people.
[44% Affection]
Bouter, with a strange expression, calmly watched me.
[40% Affection]
Renald, frowning as if something displeased him.
Finally.
[32% Affection]
I met Derek’s blue eyes head-on.
Though his face was expressionless, his blue eyes flared with an unknown passion when they met mine.
‘I don’t need your trust or anything like that in the future.’
Seeing him, my resentment flared.
I lifted my chin high.
And with a haughty and proud attitude, I looked down.
To prevent anyone from ever looking down on me again, after all the contempt and disdain I had faced as Penelope.
“...First, I dedicate all the glory to the Empire’s little sun, His Highness the Crown Prince. And...”
“...”
“Hunting a fire bear, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
I shrugged and smiled.
The square fell into a suffocating silence at my words.
I scanned the crowd below once more.
Among the people gathered under the distant canopy, I saw a blue-haired woman with a red face glaring at me.
I had heard that she was released quickly because she didn’t have any obvious charges, unlike her father.
I didn’t know she was this shameless to attend the closing ceremony.
I looked at her squarely and murmured,
“Next time, I’ll bring back Elk’s head.”
‘Eek!’
A sharp intake of breath was heard from somewhere.
Elk was the symbol of the Kelin family.
I was glad I had read the noble genealogies in the palace archives beforehand.
“Thank you.”
Bowing exaggeratedly like a stage actor, I was just about to lift my head when...
Suddenly, my vision turned white.
〈SYSTEM〉 [Queen of the Hunting Festival] title acquired!
〈SYSTEM〉 As a reward, you have received [100 million gold] and [Reputation +200].
(Reputation total: 400)