/
Lyna blinked, refusing to dismiss it as a mere misconception.
There was no way she couldn’t see Jane properly. However, the presence of Jane perplexed her.
Prior to the regression, Jane had never been spotted at the hunting competition. There was no need to delve into her memory.
“It’s your shadow,” Lyna muttered, recalling the first encounter with Jane when she couldn’t bear to take her eyes off her.
Back then, Jane wasn’t the issue. Lyna was merely plagued by the confirmation that she was an inadequate successor to her father, symbolized by the “shadow” attached to her.
Nevertheless, if Jane had been present here before the regression, there was no way she could have forgotten.
Lyna had been introduced to Jane after that time, but she had been briefed on all her past actions and still remembered them vividly.
“It’s quite remarkable,” Lyna sighed, feeling desolation and foolishness wash over her.
However, she quickly shook her head, regaining her focus.
“Becky,” she called.
“Yes?” Becky responded.
“Did the man who threatened you have a companion?”
After a brief moment of recollection, Becky firmly denied it, rolling her eyes.
“No.”
“I see. So, there was no companion,” Lyna murmured as she sank into the back of her chair.
Soon, she began tapping her fingertips on the armrest.
TAP TAP TAP.
If Jane hadn’t accompanied the blackmailer, there were three possible explanations for how Jane could possess Bolsheik’s permit.
“Becky,” Lyna called again.
“Yes?” Becky replied eagerly, her eyes sparkling.
“Choose the most plausible one.”
It may have seemed like an out-of-context request, but Becky nodded her head, understanding the gravity of the situation.
Lyna extended her index finger, pointing it upward.
“The permit that the blackmailer took from you was intended for someone else, not for himself.”
Then, she raised her middle finger and continued.
“Someone other than you stole the permit.”
Finally, Lyna raised her ring finger, emphasizing her point.
“An unfamiliar person has infiltrated our family.”
“No, absolutely not.”
As Lyna concluded her words, Becky’s head shook vigorously, a clear gesture that conveyed her disbelief.
Even under Lyna’s keen and watchful gaze, Becky seemed to imply that it was impossible for anyone to have stealthily infiltrated Bolsheik Manor without detection.
Taken aback by Becky’s swift response, Lyna hesitated for a moment and let out a sigh.
“Why are you so certain?”
“Because it’s impossible!”
Becky’s answer seemed out of place, lacking a solid reason. But the conviction shining in Becky’s eyes deterred Lyna from pressing further.
As Lyna fell silent, Becky spoke up.
“In that case, it’s not the second option either. I could have acquired the permit implicitly with your permission.”
“What?”
“On the day I obtained the permit, the butler personally delivered it to me.”
“Sebastian?”
“Yes. He encouraged me to do my best since I ended up serving you in the closest capacity.”
Becky blushed slightly and chuckled before asking a question.
“Does the first possibility you mentioned have any connection to the assassination I mentioned earlier?”
If that massive figure isn’t visible and if he passed it to someone else, it could be related to an assassination

Lyna shook her head in response.
“It’s not that.”
Becky blinked rapidly, her eyes searching for any trace of uncertainty in Lyna’s resolute answer.
It wasn’t a response like “there’s no way” or “it could be.” Instead, Lyna’s answer carried a definitive “no.”
Nevertheless, Becky nodded her head.
If her lady said so, it must be true.
“If it’s not the second or third option, then it must be the first. It could be something other than an assassination.”
It was the most plausible scenario she had considered before arriving here.
The task that needed to be accomplished in this forest, at this very moment.
Lyna narrowed her eyes, gazing in the direction where Jane had disappeared.
No matter how thoroughly she searched her memories before the regression, there were no significant accidents or miracles that occurred on this day.
Just like any other day, she had experienced misfortune because luck wasn’t on her side.
Considering the changes that occurred after the regression, it was natural to expect that not everything would unfold as it had before.
“It would be troublesome if it didn’t.”
As Lyna spoke casually, a mix of self-mockery and bittersweetness laced her words.
The taste in her mouth was akin to having bitten into a blade of grass.
Indeed, since her actions had deviated from the norm, she had to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances.
“To go and investigate
”
As Lyna began to speak and rose from her seat, she hesitated.
She couldn’t act on impulse anymore.
Had anything ever gone right when she acted hastily?
But she couldn’t send Becky, who wasn’t even familiar with Jane’s face, into the forest either.
No, even if she knew Jane’s face, she couldn’t expect her to venture into the unknown and search for someone alone.
Finding a person she barely knew in an unfamiliar forest was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
And it wasn’t just any forest; it was a perilous place entangled with hunting competitions and hunters.
Lyna took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly.
If she went alone, she would have to confront the dangers alone.
Moreover, Ainar was somewhere in that forest today.
Recalling his departure with a smile as radiant as the sun brought her a hint of relief.
After all, weren’t they testing whether their fortunes influenced each other regardless of distance?
“Becky.”
“Yes.”
“I’m heading to the forest. Inform the guards in advance.”
As Jane stepped into the forest, moving swiftly, a loud noise reverberated.
-Thud!
“Missed it!”
“Hey, chase after it!”
The shouts of those pursuing their prey and the pounding of hooves echoed through the air.
The participants of the hunting competition were divided into different groups.
“That’s not it. It’s too small.”
“Should we track more footprints and signs?”
“Yes. We need a larger target.”
Those who were earnestly hunting, vying for the second position after Ainar.
“Pay close attention. See how quickly that small creature moves.”
“Fast?”
As soon as the words left the mouth of a young and inexperienced hunter, an arrow was released.
-Swish.
The arrow sliced through the air but landed empty, and the prey swiftly escaped, disappearing from sight.
“Did you see that?”
“Fa
 Fast.”
“But once it’s injured
”
Those who were participating in the hunting competition for the first time, learning the ropes along the way.
And then, there were those who were more passionate about other pursuits than the competition itself.
-Rumble.
“Oh, what a fine day.”
The first prince leisurely patted his horse’s neck and surveyed the serene surroundings.
The neatly carved path that cut through the heart of the forest, where the competition took place, was a safe zone where prey seldom ventured.
It was a pathway created for those uninterested in hunting but seeking to savor the ambiance.
“The weather is delightful today.”
“And the refreshing breeze is so pleasant.”
As the companions of the first prince engaged in conversation, the sound of leaves rustling against a towering tree filled the air with a cool serenity.
After a while, the first prince, who ventured deeper into the forest, squinted and fixed his gaze on a particular spot.
“Hm? What’s that?”
Furrowing his brow, the first prince redirected his horse and headed towards the mysterious sight, followed hastily by the rest of the group.
Soon, the first prince halted his horse and spoke, looking down.
“Hey, Smith.”
However, Smith didn’t turn to face him and instead reached out towards the captured prey.
Observing this, the first prince realized that the arrow lodged in the prey belonged to Smith. Displeasure marred his expression, evident in the slight frown that formed on his lips.
Despite Ainar expressing his intention to participate, the first prince had expected Smith to simply be present after the chaos preceding the start of the competition.
Among the three princes of the same age, the first prince, with a noticeable difference, ranked lower in terms of physical strength, falling behind the second prince and the third prince.
‘The greatest virtue of an emperor does not lie in having the highest physical strength, Your Highness.’
While many of his supporters offered such words of consolation, they couldn’t assuage the first prince’s wounded pride. Even if it wasn’t a necessity, the fact that he fell short compared to his brothers was an unbearable thought for him.
-Crack.
As the sound of the arrow shaft deeply embedded in the prey shattered, the first prince’s frown deepened.
From his perspective, it would have been far better if Ainar had participated in the competition.
For one, if Ainar had participated, the third prince would have found himself in a similar situation. Naturally, the first prince assumed the third prince would be aimlessly wandering around, just like himself.
Muttering under his breath, the first prince addressed Smith, who was extracting and repairing the arrow on his own.
“Don’t exert yourself too much. After all, if Ainar
”
However, before the first prince could finish his sentence, Smith kicked the first prince’s horse’s hindquarters.
-Neigh!
“Uh-huh!”
“Your, Your Highness!”
“His Highness! Quickly, follow him!”
With great haste, the first prince was abruptly whisked away to an unknown depth of the forest, leaving the others behind.
Chuckling to himself, Smith remarked,
“Loudmouth.”
He was well aware of the first prince’s shallow intentions when speaking to him in such a manner. The first prince must dislike witnessing him accomplish what he himself cannot. It was a blatant display of his inferiority complex.
“How pitiful.”
Smith perked up his ears and swiftly turned his head in the opposite direction from where the first prince had vanished.
(TO BE CONTINUED)