Chapter 99: The Villain's Ending is Only Death
"Miss! Where are you going? Did you know that everyone is only talking about how you became the Queen of the Hunting Festival? It's so exciting!"
In the carriage on the way back to the mansion, Emily was making a fuss.
"Of course! We'll really flatten the noses of the Kelin family's kids."
It seemed she had a lot of pent-up feelings, as Emily clenched her fists and shouted.
"I'll make sure to ruin them! Our young lady didn't beg for hunting opportunities like some pitiful person; she hunted a bear herself and proudly took first place!"
"Don't go alone; take all the maids in the mansion with you."
Emily nodded, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Seeing her more excited and fired up than I was, a smile slipped out.
Actually, I was disappointed because the reward for becoming the 'Queen of the Hunting Festival' wasn't as great as I thought.
I didn't want it, but the ultimate reward for all that hard work was just money and fame.
'They should at least give a 10% boost to affection, right?'
But seeing Emily's joy improved my mood a bit.
Except for one, I had raised the affection of all the male leads to over 40%.
The time spent was worth the decent results.
Especially the Crown Prince. He went from just 2% to 45%. Moreover, I was just 1% ahead of Bauter.
Now I was even considering who to use as a backup.
But I shook my head immediately.
'No. No matter what, not the Crown Prince.'
I had barely managed to escape before he found me.
If he heard the harsh words I spouted in the courtroom, his affection might drop.
While I was thinking this, the carriage gradually came to a stop.
When it finally stopped, Emily got up first, opened the door, and stepped out.
"The luggage carriage must have already arrived!"
As Emily said, it seemed they had arrived just in time, as the workers sent from the palace were unloading numerous game animals in the mansion's front yard.
"What... What is this...!"
The butler and the staff, who seemed to have come to greet us, all stood with their mouths agape, stunned.
Fortunately, the Duke and my two older brothers had arrived earlier and gone inside, so they weren't visible.
Unlike them, who left straight from the hunting grounds, I had a late lunch at the palace before departing, so I was a bit late.
I said quietly as Emily helped me out of the carriage.
The butler, looking flustered, tried to approach me.
Bang! However, the workers placed a large golden chest in front of him, preventing him from coming closer.
The shock caused the lid of the chest to open and close.
A few gold coins, which were piled up inside, fell out with a clatter.
"Oh my! Miss, gold coins!"
Emily ran over to pick up the fallen gold coins, instead of me.
"Miss Penelope. What... What is all this money?"
The butler, who had just recovered, approached with a bewildered look.
"And what are these animals? The Duke and the young masters' game arrived a little while ago..."
"These are my game, butler."
"Excuse me? What do you mean...?"
I looked at the butler, who was unusually slow to grasp the situation, and the entire staff of the mansion, and kindly informed them.
"I'm the Queen of this year's Hunting Festival."
I instructed to tan all the skins of the game.
I planned to make a lot of winter clothes for the male lead I was focusing on.
'I thought I'd only be able to make a scarf...'
Although it was on a larger scale than I expected, I decided to think positively.
Because bigger is always better.
I told them to prepare the meat that could be eaten and send it to the kitchen.
The butler, who was initially flustered, soon became enthusiastic and moved quickly.
I especially had to work hard to convince him not to use the bear's gallbladder to make my medicine.
After giving the instructions, I went up to my room and sprawled out on the bed.
'Sigh... Home is indeed the best.'
The creaking sound followed my movements.
This clear and pleasant sound was, indeed, because...
I pretended not to, but I was secretly thrilled with the 100 million gold reward.
Enough to instruct Emily to cover the bed with gold coins to savor my wealth.
'Hehe! I'm rich now! I can sleep on this much gold!'
I grinned and gathered a handful of gold coins, then scattered them in the air.
The golden color, reflecting the light, was truly beautiful and splendid.
It was something I never dreamed of when I slept under a thin blanket in a moldy basement room.
Feeling elated, I gathered another handful of gold coins and scattered them on the bed.
"Really. Is it that good?"
A grating voice intruded amidst the pleasant sounds.
I glanced to see where the voice came from.
Leonard, with his arms crossed, was leaning against the open door.
It seemed Emily hadn't properly closed the door while busy with the luggage.
I frowned and asked, "What is it? Why are you here?"
"You're really up to all sorts of things. Why not ask for them to fill your bathtub with gold?"
The guy sneered, looking exasperated.
'Oh, that's a good idea. A gold coin shower sounds great!'
Feeling extremely happy, I easily ignored his sarcasm.
"I'm busy, so if you have nothing to say, talk to me later."
Without responding, he turned his attention to the gold coins and walked into the room.
He sat at the edge of my bed.
"Playing with gold coins is your busy work?"
"Tsk, you brat. When will you grow up?"
I was shocked by his reprimand.
'How dare he say that to me!'
After being frozen for a moment, I finally snapped and glared at him.
He raised his chin arrogantly.
Leonard hesitated to answer immediately.
Just as I narrowed my eyes and stared at him, he reluctantly spoke.
"...Father wants us all to have dinner together."
I was so surprised that I sat up abruptly.
"The hunting festival is over, and he probably has something to say. How should I know?"
Leonard shrugged and answered calmly.
The campsite at the hunting grounds, no matter how luxurious, couldn't compare to the mansion.
To save time, we had breakfast together in the Duke's cabin, and I had to frequently meet the Duke's family.
It was manageable before the assassination attempt, but it became increasingly uncomfortable after the trial.
So, I sought refuge in the palace.
Now that I was back at the mansion, I thought I could stay secluded like before...
'Why is he tormenting me again? Just leave me alone!'
I shuddered at the harsh reality I faced upon my return.
"I don't feel well. The food from this morning is making me sick."
"It's almost evening. Are you saying you're feeling sick now?"
Leonard chuckled, and I bit my tongue.
'I should have said lunch.'
"Just say it's been bothering you since four days ago."
"Then I'll tell him that."
"Hey, stop joking around..."
Leonard's frown deepened as he turned to look at me.
His open mouth closed again when he saw my expressionless face.
He seemed to realize it wasn't a joke.
He ran his hand through his pink hair and shouted.
"...Fine! I've told you, so it's up to you whether you come or not."
I didn't respond, as I had no intention of going.
A cold silence filled the room.
"...Hey. I'm telling you this because I'm worried you might misunderstand."
Leonard broke the awkward silence first.
"We couldn't give you our game, even if we wanted to. You know that, right?"
"To prevent ranking manipulation, family members can't give game to each other. It's a rule."
I was taken aback by his sudden explanation.
Why was he explaining the rules of a finished hunting festival?
'And what does he mean by "we wanted to give but couldn't"?'
As I pondered, I suddenly realized.
Now I understood why Leonard was telling me this.
He thought I was angry because they didn't give me their game.
I was speechless for a moment, then blurted out.
Leonard immediately asked.
"If you know, why do you look like that?"
"You look like you're about to throw a tantrum."
"It's not that, so don't worry."
"Hey, I didn't give it to anyone else, so don't misunderstand!"
He got excited, thinking I was misinterpreting.
"Do you know how hard it is to catch small animals alive? Because of someone, I had to give up hunting predators and go to the small animal area to chase them around..."
He suddenly shut up and started coughing, his face turning red.
"Cough, cough! Don't be upset. If you want something, just say it. I'll give it to you."
I couldn't keep up with his emotional swings.
'It's fine, so why is he making such a fuss?'
I was already content with the gold coins under me