Seeing me suddenly stop talking, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes.
"You have a knack for sensing things, don't you?"
I, who had thrown a bomb into the courtroom, had planned to stay in the duke's mansion and not leave after the hunting competition ended.
However, the fact that the bastard woke up earlier than expected made things very awkward.
Cold sweat trickled down my neck.
I managed to answer without my voice trembling.
"…I ended up testifying."
"You must have gone through a lot."
Fortunately, the Crown Prince didn't notice my tense mood.
"Thinking about it, you did a great job during this hunting competition. You even saved the Crown Prince, so I should reward you properly."
"That… that's not necessary…"
"Do you want something?"
"No, nothing in particular."
I hastily refused.
Everything was done at the system's command.
Besides, what good would it do to have a lot of in-game money that I couldn't use when I returned?
"It's fine…"
I reluctantly declined.
"Tell me when you want it. Before I change my mind."
The Crown Prince grumbled, his voice turning cold, perhaps because he was annoyed by my repeated refusals.
"Then… I have one request to make of Your Highness."
After some thought, I brought up what I had been worrying about.
Calisto tilted his head.
"What is it?"
"Promise me you'll definitely listen. Definitely."
"How big of a request could you possibly have? It's a bit scary."
"It's not that big of a request."
"Then, go ahead and tell me."
He arrogantly gestured with his chin while lying down.
"Unless you're asking me to cut off the Empress's head, I'll grant it. It might take some time, but I might even be able to get the Duke of Ellen's head."
"I don't want the Duke's head."
I immediately rejected the idea, then got straight to the point.
"Whatever news you might hear later, don't try to kill me."
"What?"
"I'm asking you not to kill me no matter what happens. If you're going to give me a reward, let this be it."
"Hah."
Despite my serious request, all I got was a hollow laugh.
The Crown Prince asked, looking exasperated.
"Do you think I'm some bloodthirsty murderer?"
'Well, aren't you?'
I wanted to say it out loud, but I couldn't with his bloodshot eyes glaring at me.
'…Why ask if you don't intend to listen to the answer?'
While muttering complaints in my head, the bastard raised an eyebrow and countered.
"Don't noble ladies usually ask to be invited to the palace again or for some jewels from the royal family? Why do you choose to do such pointless things that other noble ladies wouldn't even consider?"
"You have a history of it, don't you?"
"…."
My sharp retort shut the Crown Prince up.
After a moment of deep thought, he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Did you… do something at the courtroom while I was asleep?"
"…!"
This time, my mouth snapped shut.
'What a sharp guy.'
I barely managed to suppress a gasp.
His animal-like intuition, sensing something, made me shiver.
"No, no? What did you do?"
"Why are you making such a request?"
"Just to prevent any incidents that might happen if I accidentally meet Your Highness at a banquet later. I really was sick then."
I pouted, muttering.
"You said you'd give me a reward first, right?"
I told you because you said you'd give it, so why are you dragging your feet?
"Tsk."
The Crown Prince clicked his tongue, looking displeased.
After a long moment of contemplation, he finally answered.
"…Alright."
"Really?"
I was delighted.
"You're promising this in the name of the Crown Prince! Got it?"
"Got it."
Getting his clear answer, my lips curled up involuntarily.
'Yes! With this, I can probably get through a few more crises!'
It was the best news I had heard since coming here.
Through this hunting competition, I realized that no matter how hard I tried to avoid the villains, I couldn't completely avoid them during the main storyline.
Unlike me, who was overjoyed, the Crown Prince looked distinctly unhappy, his face twisted.
"Is that really that good?"
"Of course! How good it is."
Receiving a promise not to be killed from the most dangerous of the four was indeed a reason to be happy.
I couldn't help but smile broadly.
Calisto, who seemed upset at being treated like a 'bloodthirsty murderer,' eventually burst out laughing.
Your overly cheerful appearance seemed absurd to him.
"You… are really strange."
He muttered to himself, looking at me with unfamiliar eyes.
"Really strange."
[Goodwill: 45%]
I swallowed my retort that he was the strange one.
After all, my goodwill had increased.
Surprisingly, Calisto became the second male lead with the highest goodwill after Eclis.
And I realized that this game was really going crazy.
* * *
The final day of the hunting competition dawned.
All the participating nobles gathered in the open field for the selection of the winner and the closing ceremony.
The Duke and his two sons, including Bauter, were also present.
In the tent where the competition was managed, the game animals caught by each family were piled up in designated areas.
I arrived at the scene a bit late.
Originally, I had no intention of coming.
However, the Crown Prince sent a servant to insist on my participation, leaving me no choice.
The midday sun was scorching.
I brought a parasol to use as a shield, but as expected,
"Look over there! It's the Countess of Ecart!"
"Did you hear? The Countess used a crossbow on the nobles…."
"Is it true that she had a secret meeting with the Crown Prince?"
As soon as I appeared, whispers and murmurs erupted from all around.
'Go ahead, talk, talk.'
I stood at the edge of the shade tent, ignoring the commotion.
My mind was filled with the thought of escaping before the Crown Prince, who had heard the news, came running over.
I didn't care about the extra chatter from the extras.
"The Crown Prince is here!"
Before long, the Crown Prince walked up to the podium with a grand announcement.
I subtly covered my face with the parasol so he wouldn't recognize me right away.
"Did everyone catch a lot of game?"
Standing tall above everyone, the Crown Prince looked down with a haughty expression, opening the closing ceremony.
Peeking at him from under the parasol, I was surprised.
'He was clearly ill just yesterday…'
There was no sign of illness in the Crown Prince standing on the podium.
"The hunting competition has concluded without any major issues."
His calm and composed words, as if nothing had happened, left me speechless.
- The one who will become the emperor must be flawless.
Calisto was faithfully following his own words, truly embodying the 'Iron-Blooded Crown Prince.'
"Everyone has worked hard. I'm curious to see who showed the most passion in courting."
His words made the nobles burst into laughter.
"Let's start with the announcement of the game animal counts."
The Crown Prince nodded to the crowd below.
A servant who had completed the tally brought a large scroll with the results of the four days.
Soon, the names of the participants and their final game animal counts were announced loudly.
"My game animals are dedicated to Lady Julie!"
"My game animals are dedicated to Lady Natalie…!"
Occasionally, young and spirited nobles would declare their dedication of game animals to their lovers.
The servants were busy recalculating the scores.
'Oh, this is more interesting than I thought.'
The atmosphere quickly heated up with the blushing faces of the ladies whose names were called and the cheers of those around them.
I could understand why the Crown Prince made a joke.
Unlike when I first arrived, I watched the selection of the winner with great interest.
Naturally, the scores increased as the announcements went on.
Perhaps because of the prize money, many people didn't hand over their game animals. Among them was the Duke.
The male leads' names weren't called for a long time.
As expected in a dating simulation game, it seemed the top spots were reserved for the male leads.
After a considerable amount of time, finally,
"The second son of the Ecart family, Lord Leonard Ecart!"
At the familiar name, my ears perked up.
"Two weasels, three pheasants, one marten, three deer, and eight rabbits! Fifth place!"