Chapter 9: The Gray Fox

* * *

“Oh, I truly thought my heart would stop. If anything had happened to you, Lady, I would have been a dead man before the Duke.”

Michael, who had draped his jacket over Lyra’s shoulders, chattered incessantly as they walked out of the forest.

“It’s fortunate nothing serious happened, phew. If that fellow hadn’t run away… ugh. The very thought is horrifying.”

“…”

“Anyway, are you really alright?”

When Michael paused his steps and asked again, Lyra smiled faintly and nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine. Nothing happened.”

“That’s a relief, but why were you with that Cody Ferret fellow?”

A trace of puzzlement flashed in his eyes as he confirmed she was safe. Come to think of it, wasn’t it strange? If the man had followed Lyra into the forest with impure intentions, something should have happened.

It wasn’t that he doubted Lyra, but double-checking seemed prudent. Taking his eyes off the young lady for even a moment was a death sentence, and if she had suffered any harm from that man, he would be doubly dead.

As he quietly furrowed his brows while examining the area around Lyra’s chin, she finally answered.

“…I’m not sure. I was looking for the ball when suddenly a coyote appeared…”

“So you’re saying you didn’t encounter Cody Ferret?”

“…Yes.”

“I see.”

Given her hesitation before answering his leading question, something must have happened to her. Yet if she was lying, the reason was obvious.

Michael decided not to pursue the matter further. The person he needed to report to was the Duke, and he would handle it accordingly.

“Ah, the game has ended. Unfortunately, the final outcome will remain forever unknown.”

“What?”

“Marchioness Fontpagneu raised concerns about the fairness of the game. Honestly, wasn’t it painfully obvious that they were all in cahoots, rigging the match? What an affront to the sacred sport.”

“…”

“Still, isn’t it fortunate?”

Michael grinned as he lightened the heavy atmosphere. Lyra, who had been quietly relieved, could finally look him in the face.

“Yes.”

“Haha. Now you’re smiling a bit. Indeed, you’re more charming when you smile, Miss.”

Michael truly believed that.

“Thank you.”

He hadn’t expected an immediate expression of gratitude.

“Oh! Please don’t look at me like that!”

Michael’s heart raced wildly under her steady gaze. He had always thought she was strikingly beautiful, but her melancholic smile was enough to awaken dormant romantic feelings.

“Why not?”

Now she was even blinking as if genuinely puzzled.

Ugh, feeling his heart strain, he exaggerated to suppress his pounding chest.

“Don’t you know it’s an unwritten rule in this world not to touch your superior’s woman? Are you truly intent on turning me into a villain?”

“Mr. Rogedale, you’re quite amusing.”

As Michael looked down at her gentle smile, a soft smile eventually graced his own lips as well.

“Call me Michael.”

“Yes. I will.”

The two resumed their previously halted steps. As they completely emerged from the somewhat dim forest, they saw people gathered, murmuring among themselves.

Lyra straightened her once-hunched shoulders and walked out into the bright rays of light.

* * *

As the sun began to set, the men who had gone hunting returned. In the hands of a servant who had followed them inside to collect the quarry was a metal cage containing a gray fox, seemingly dead asleep—someone’s trophy from the hunt.

The nobles, who had been sitting around bored after the cricket match fell through, rose one by one from their seats and approached the men emerging from the forest.

A strange excitement lingered on the men’s faces, as if the thrill of the hunt hadn’t yet faded. More precisely, it was limited to the red team led by Kaylon.

“Whew! My heart’s still pounding just thinking about it.”

As someone spoke first, as if dying to share, stories of encountering the jaguar erupted like mushrooms after rain. They spewed out words competitively, eyeing the nobles gathered nearby.

“Duke Lianton was like a wild beast himself then. It’s no easy feat to lure an excited predator without getting a single scratch.”

“Or did he just miss?”

“You can say that because you didn’t see it yourself. In that situation, I would’ve had an arm torn off long ago. And I clearly saw him slightly angle the muzzle just before firing.”

“Is that even possible?”

“That’s why it’s remarkable, isn’t it?”

The man who had been speaking shuddered, as if the memory was still terrifying. He stroked his perfectly intact arm before speaking again.

“Anyway, Duke Lianton went through a lot. How desperate he was to protect all those people by himself. All that talk about him not caring about others is complete nonsense. It really made me think, the blood of Lianton is true to its legacy, isn’t it?”

“Indeed, if it weren’t for his father’s incident, he wouldn’t have changed like this. What a shame.”

At someone’s remark, the nobles’ gazes collectively turned toward Kaylon. Though he could likely hear them talking about him, he appeared completely disinterested. They quietly observed the young Duke conversing with Duke O’Neill before turning their heads away again.

“But why did you return empty-handed? I heard it was enormous.”

When someone asked with palpable disappointment in their eyes, another man who had participated in the hunt shrugged and said:

“Was there any need to kill it? From what I could see, the female was pregnant.”

“Female? Are you saying there were two? Must have been quite a scene.”

“More than just a scene. Anyway, that’s a long story. First, with the tranquilizer gun…”

Another round of stories flowed. The nobles had already forgotten about the gray fox. They immersed themselves in the hunters’ tales, lamenting that they couldn’t witness it with their own eyes.

Meanwhile, Kaylon, having finished his conversation with Duke O’Neill, walked toward Lyra, who stood quietly watching him. Seeing the concern brimming in her eyes made his chest feel tight, yet simultaneously brought an inexplicable sense of relief.

He kissed her forehead briefly, as if it were a familiar and natural act.

“Did you wait long?”

Lyra gently rubbed her ticklish forehead before casually answering.

“No.”

Her face flushed slightly, and a forced smile appeared.

“I see.”

A sudden puzzlement struck him, but his thoughts were interrupted when someone put an arm around his shoulder from behind.

“I knew this would happen. Do you always have to handle everything yourself to be satisfied? Now even jaguars? Honestly. How far are you planning to go to surprise people?”

Clinging to him with a snicker was Max Heister, unchanged as ever. Kaylon, ignoring the grinning Max, removed his jacket, which had gotten dirty from rolling on the ground.

While he changed into the clothes Michael offered, Max turned his attention to Lyra. With a woman he’d been wanting to talk to right in front of him, why would he refuse the opportunity?

“By the way, it was quite an interesting game, Miss Norris. Although I’m disappointed I couldn’t see this fellow getting beaten, I was very impressed by how you gave it your all. I was secretly cheering for you, you know? Haha.”

Kaylon’s eyebrow rose crookedly. Keeping his ears open to Max’s chatter, he turned his gaze to Michael. The way Michael avoided making proper eye contact, looking rather guilty, was highly suspicious.

“Ah, I’m Max Heister. I’ve been close friends with Duke Lianton since he was tiny… Since he won’t introduce me, I had to do it myself…”

Despite the displeasure evident in Kaylon’s narrowed eyes, Michael consistently feigned ignorance.

“You’re beautiful.”

“…Thank you.”

Kaylon firmly gripped the shoulder of Max, who was not only making a fool of himself but also clearly trying to leave an impression. Since it seemed difficult to hear the full story of what had happened right now, it seemed better to chase away this noisy fellow first.

“Hmm? What’s wrong? I’m in the middle of an important conversation…”

“Someone seems to be looking for you.”

When Kaylon gestured with his chin toward somewhere, Max’s face instantly turned ashen. He hurriedly bid farewell to Lyra and stealthily moved toward the opposite side of Baron Heister. Before long, his figure disappeared, blending into the crowd.

Kaylon approached Lyra, who looked perplexed.

“How about heading back first?”

“It’s fine. The schedule still isn’t over.”

Kaylon felt his chest tighten again as he raised his hand to the cravat constricting his neck. However, he had to stop the motion to loosen it. Lyra was right—the fact that there were still events remaining prevented his action.

He frowned irritably as he turned toward Duke O’Neill, who was announcing the end of the hunting festival.

* * *

“I thank the honored guests who have stayed with us until the end.”

After a brief rest period, Duke O’Neill’s resonant voice echoed across the open field. He offered a short greeting before bestowing the highest honor of the hunting festival—the highlight of the event—upon Kaylon.

“The button’s owner turns out to be Duke Lianton. Congratulations on becoming the finest hunter.”

“Thank you.”

Despite having participated in just one day of hunting, no one objected to the honor going to him. Not only had he caught the gray fox, but he had also demonstrated the qualities of a true hunter.

Kaylon received a special invitation to the O’Neill duchy amid cheers.

“You are welcome anytime, so I look forward to the day you use it without hesitation.”

“Indeed.”

“Now then, to whom will you present this gray fox?”

All eyes turned to Kaylon and the metal cage held by the servant. They were curious whether he would offer it to his lover or to Davira Claudia, as Duke O’Neill had clearly intended.

Without seeming to need any deliberation, Kaylon promptly gave the gray fox to Davira Claudia.

“It suits the Lady well. I hope it becomes a good companion.”

“Thank you, Duke.”

Davira, her face flushed pink, gazed at the gray fox—which was now awake and squealing—as if it were utterly adorable.

Although she knew this was a scenario arranged by Duke O’Neill, she appeared deeply moved to receive something from Kaylon for the first time in her life.

Those who had been glancing at Lyra soon offered sincere congratulations to Davira Claudia, thinking about how long it had been since they’d seen her smile so brightly.

Or perhaps while hoping that the villainess Lyra Norris would soon fall from Duke Lianton’s side.

They boarded their carriages to return home, fervently wishing for that day to arrive quickly.

* * *

“Speak.”

The deep brown liquid made a soft gurgling sound as it poured into the transparent glass. Picking up the glass, Kaylon turned toward Michael. Now that there were no other ears to hear, it was time for that talkative mouth to open.

“Well, you see…”

But Michael, rolling his eyes from side to side, was still looking for the right moment to escape. Kaylon let out an incredulous laugh before asking again.

“What happened?”

Even as he swallowed the whiskey, his gaze never left Michael. What mortal sin had he committed to be acting like a puppy that needed to relieve itself? Didn’t he know that the more he behaved like this, the more curious Kaylon became?

“Lady Lyra participated in a cricket match, you see?”

“Cricket? Lyra?”

“Yes. What happened was…”

Michael fumbled with his words, briefly glancing up before meeting those dry golden eyes and quickly lowering his gaze again.

“Michael Rogedale.”

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

“Tell me everything.”

“…”

“Leave nothing out.”

Under that persistent stare, Michael finally had no choice but to report what had happened that day. Even as he spoke, he didn’t stop making the sign of the cross inwardly.

Whose head would roll first? Looking at those cold golden eyes growing increasingly icy, he struggled to shake off his curiosity.