Chapter 7: The Fox Hunt
Kaylon quietly called out to the woman who seemed to be deliberately avoiding his gaze. Despite enough time passing for her to lift her head, Lyra remained motionless.
Could she really have been looking forward to it? The corner of his lips twisted upward. Whatever she was thinking, he couldn’t deny his own dissatisfaction.
Watching Lyra nibble on her lip, he spoke matter-of-factly:
“The stage for your debut shouldn’t be such an unremarkable one.”
Lyra slowly raised her head.
“Something more talkative, more luxurious.”
“…”
“The evening ball should be hunting ground enough for you.”
“…”
“That’s where the real foxes are.”
“The real foxes…”
Lyra quietly echoed Kaylon’s words. Finally seeming to understand his intention clearly, she narrowed her eyes.
“So curb your curiosity, even if you’re interested. There will be plenty of opportunities to satisfy it in the future.”
“Yes.”
Her response was noticeably lighter now. Kaylon studied Lyra’s expression, which seemed to have hardened somewhat, then quietly rose to his feet.
“You must be tired from the journey. Get some rest now. The real hunt begins tomorrow.”
* * *
Men in red jackets mounted their horses in unison. They were young nobles participating in the hunt.
Numerous hunting dogs were positioned around them, while at the front, a horseman with a white whip was explaining something to the servants.
Kaylon, leaning against a distant tree waiting for the event to begin, turned his gaze to the opposite side. Groups of spectators had gathered under a temporarily installed gazebo.
He casually asked Michael, who was quietly approaching from behind.
“The Count?”
“He’ll arrive shortly. Shall we head over now?”
“Let’s do that.”
As Kaylon began walking ahead, Michael followed.
“There’s quite a crowd—will you be alright? Perhaps we should bring more attendants…”
Michael’s expression changed as they drew closer to the bustling noise. It had been so long since he’d been dragged to such an event that his usually relaxed vigilance was gradually sharpening. Understandably so—one moment of carelessness could end the ducal line.
In contrast, Kaylon’s stride remained steady and composed.
“Have I made any public enemies worth mentioning?”
He casually dismissed Michael’s worried words with a smile, as if it were nothing.
“That’s hard to say. Considering some of your past exploits…”
“…”
“Oh, I see Lady Rebecca over there. And Lady Angela beside her. Shall we go greet them?”
Michael quickly scanned the crowd, searching diligently for more familiar faces. His eyes darted about busily, as if determined to expose all of the Duke’s past at once.
“Why not just call a journalist while you’re at it?”
“That’s not a bad idea… Ah! I see Lady Davira over there. Um… I think she’s spotted us?”
For a moment, Kaylon’s brow furrowed slightly. He quietly reprimanded Michael, ignoring his suddenly excited voice.
“Pretend you didn’t see her.”
“That might be difficult? She seems to be excusing herself from the ladies. Hm?”
“What now?”
Kaylon’s gaze had been fixed on Duke O’Neill from the start. Because of this, he kept his ears open to Michael’s running commentary on their surroundings, despite feeling somewhat tired by it.
“It seems Baron Norris is heading our way too. He looks quite refreshed, doesn’t he?”
“…”
“What should we do? Stop him?”
“Leave him be.”
Just then, an urgent voice reached Kaylon’s ears as he was slowly walking.
“Duke Lianton!”
The shouting instantly drew the attention of everyone gathered at the event.
Kaylon exchanged brief nods with those whose gazes he met, then turned toward the man who had hurried over.
He caught a glimpse of a silver-haired woman walking behind Baron Norris, but pretended not to notice as he greeted the middle-aged man with a protruding belly.
“It’s been a while, Baron Norris.”
“Oh, I’m honored that you remember me.”
“How could I forget?”
“Haha, I suppose not. I was terribly embarrassed back then. I have a bit of a hot temper and committed a breach of etiquette. I didn’t realize what a gentleman you are.”
Baron Norris laughed awkwardly.
“It’s fine.”
“I’m relieved you understand. Please don’t worry about the lawsuit—it’s been settled properly. You must have gone through a lot of trouble, and I don’t know what to say…”
He trailed off, glancing at Kaylon’s face. He seemed concerned that the young, vigorous Duke might feel uncomfortable due to their previous unpleasant encounter.
Fortunately, upon confirming that Kaylon’s expression remained unchanged, Baron Norris visibly relaxed. It didn’t appear that Kaylon would question or raise issues about the past incident.
For this reason, he didn’t hesitate to voice words that didn’t need to be said.
“By the way, I’m worried about my daughter. As a father, I should have properly educated her before marrying her off, but my failure to do so has been bothering me. I hope she isn’t causing you any trouble? It would be good if she learns her place and how to faithfully serve her betters.”
“…”
“The honor of remaining by such an excellent person’s side isn’t easily given. So if she makes mistakes, please scold her harshly so she knows she’s overstepping. Otherwise, that child won’t understand what she’s done wrong.”
Words that one would hardly expect from a parent flowed easily from the man’s mouth. Baron Norris detailed how to discipline Lyra as if he were some exemplary parent.
As his speech lengthened, Kaylon’s lower eyelid began to twitch. The painted-on smile gradually faded.
Finally, as his elegantly curved lips hardened into a straight line, Baron Norris noticed the atmosphere and cleared his throat softly, changing the subject.
“Oh my, I just realized I forgot to thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to rest easy. It couldn’t have been easy to offer such a large chain so readily.”
“Not at all. We were looking for suitable talent as well.”
“Talent?”
Despite Kaylon’s somewhat stiff tone, Baron Norris’s eyes widened as if he’d only heard what he wanted to hear.
How could he have imagined that praise would come from the Duke’s lips? His smile spread so wide that all his teeth were visible.
“Then you’ve seen correctly. There was a time when I was known as a big player in Mares. If not for my trusted partner’s betrayal, I would have far surpassed that reputation by now.”
“I see.”
Deep regret flashed across the man’s face as he recalled some memory, but quickly disappeared. However, Kaylon had no interest in this. He smirked slightly at the Baron who was thoroughly immersed in his dreamlike present.
“I must do my best not to disappoint you. I’ll ensure the hotel you’ve entrusted me with doubles its revenue within a year.”
“Please do.”
The more eagerly the Baron stepped forward, the better it was for Kaylon. He was quite curious to see the expression the man would make when he discovered that the gold before his eyes was actually an empty rice cake.
Well, it wasn’t a face he particularly wanted to go out of his way to see, but it would certainly be a small gift for someone.
He nodded lightly at the plump man who couldn’t even detect the quagmire beneath his feet. By now, he’d listened to everything there was to hear, so it seemed appropriate to move on.
But his steps were soon halted. The surrounding noise grew louder, and someone loudly announced that Count Almar had arrived.
Kaylon turned his gaze in the direction everyone was looking. At that moment, his eyes met those of a shrewd-looking man who had stylishly broken the event’s dress code with a white coat. Kaylon smiled at the cold gray eyes.
Booooom.
The traditional horn sounded like a ship’s foghorn, long and resonant. It was the signal for the official start of the fox hunt.
The mounted horseman curled his finger and signaled with his mouth, causing about a dozen hunting dogs that had been sniffing the ground to dart forward.
As the horseman’s white whip came down, the men in red jackets followed the racing hunting dogs into the forest.
In this fox hunt, anyone who rendered great service or directly took the life of a red fox would receive a hunter’s button as a mark of honor.
Moreover, whoever captured the gray fox that had been released as a surprise event would receive an even more special prize.
That’s why Duke O’Neill, who was overseeing the event, expressed slight disappointment.
“How wonderful it would have been if you had participated in the hunt too. What a shame.”
“There will be other opportunities, won’t there?”
“You know that’s not what I mean. Do you really not know that Davira has been eagerly waiting for today?”
Duke O’Neill, with faint wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes, chided Kaylon.
How could he not feel resentful? In truth, he was somewhat displeased with the young Duke who, unlike his daughter, rarely opened his heart.
Since childhood, Davira had been throwing tantrums, saying she wouldn’t marry anyone but Kaylon—how frustrating it was.
His daughter was getting older, yet Kaylon showed no interest in marriage, making the situation all the more exasperating to watch.
“Was she?”
“You really are something else.”
