I Like Another Man, Not the Male Lead - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 47

The pavilion froze at Selena’s cynical words.

Her eyes glinted coldly, and a chilling smile hung at the corners of her mouth. This was the Selena Hailboard everyone knew. The warmth she had shown only in front of Grace and me was nowhere to be found.

“H-Hailboard Princess… aren’t you being too harsh? We just wanted to become friends… that’s why we came here!”

“You wanted to become friends? That’s not what you were talking about just now. You said Matthias was your purpose, didn’t you?”

At her pointed words, the Young Ladies’ faces alternated between flushing red and turning pale.

“Moreover.”

Selena slowly stood up. The hem of her dress swayed gracefully as if fluttering in the wind.

“How dare you ask Reina such rude questions. Is that the kind of question Young Ladies are qualified to ask? Even between close friends, it’s a private matter that should be approached carefully.”

The Young Ladies who had been raising their voices until now shrank back and avoided eye contact. Their faces showed belated realization of who Selena really was.

Tsk tsk. No matter how affectionate Selena had become, they should have known their boundaries. I shook my head. Selena seemed to regret creating this situation in the first place.

“From now on, let’s ask questions directly to the person involved. Honestly, talking behind someone’s back like this is unpleasant. If you want to know about Matthias, ask him directly. Don’t scheme behind his back.”

“Scheming!”

The Young Ladies’ cheeks flushed bright red with wounded pride. The trembling woman’s shoulders shook finely.

“Did you ask directly then, Princess? Rochester Regfield, I mean! There’s no way you did. You must have asked Regfield Princess all the details…”

“Making assumptions about conversations between people is also rude. You should retake your etiquette lessons, Young Lady.”

Selena snorted derisively.

“If you’re truly that curious, I’ll answer you. Yes. I asked him directly. What food he likes. What his preferences are. And what his greatest interest is right now. Isn’t that obvious? You should handle your own affairs yourself.”

Our Selena is the best.

“Our family isn’t as easy-going as you Young Ladies think. We don’t care about being a family that won’t be embarrassing anywhere. I am, Matthias is a Hailboard. The only families that wouldn’t pale in comparison to ours would be Reina’s Regfield Family beside me, or the Imperial Family. If we only looked at family status when choosing the mistress of our house, Reina would have already been engaged to Matthias. But that didn’t happen. Hailboard values the qualities of the person who will become mistress. However, it seems pointless to even discuss what we focus on here. When only people who lack the courage to ask directly are gathered.”

The Young Ladies were left speechless. Selena swept them with a cold gaze.

“What effort have you made besides buying those Five-Colored Ribbons?”

Silence flowed.

The Young Ladies stood up. They gave awkward greetings and left the pavilion. They seemed to have nothing more to say in the face of such sharp criticism.

After they left, Selena let out a long sigh.

“Why are there so many kids who think family status is everything?”

“Selena, you were totally cool.”

I gave her two thumbs up. How could those girls compare to Selena? Selena shrugged her shoulders.

“Anyway, none of those Young Ladies are Matthias’s type. Matthias hates it when people wear such strong perfume.”

For some reason, that made me laugh. The gap I felt from Selena’s gentle tone was quite large. In some ways, it even seemed cute.

＊ ＊ ＊

The Imperial Hunting Grounds boasted a 300-year history. If not for the fire 300 years ago, it would have boasted an even deeper history.

Among them, the Deep Hunting Grounds.

Thanks to the dense trees, even sunlight couldn’t properly penetrate this place, which was filled with a mixture of the deep woody scent of the forest, the smell of moss, and the fragrance of countless plants. You could also see creatures that weren’t easily found elsewhere.

Caesar dismounted his horse and surveyed the surroundings. The cart his servant was pulling was already full of game from the hunt that had started in the morning. Caesar was mechanically continuing to hunt. As if trying to erase the thoughts that kept surfacing.

‘Reina…’

Whenever he realized that her gaze toward him was indifferent, it felt like the ground was collapsing beneath him.

Caesar blinked his dry eyes. Every time she looked at him, Reina’s smile would fade, and Caesar felt a darkness-like despair from that sight. Caesar smiled bitterly.

‘Stupid bastard.’

At that moment, rustle. At the sound of leaves being stepped on, Caesar turned his head and raised his sword. But what appeared was not prey, but Rochester.

A moment of silence settled.

The two men stared at each other. Only the sound of mountain birds could be heard in the quiet that flowed between them.

Rochester narrowed his eyes and swept over Caesar, his cart, and the sword Caesar was holding.

“There doesn’t seem to be much game, Your Highness.”

Caesar glanced at Rochester. Rochester and Caesar’s catches were roughly similar.

“…It seems so.”

It was a subtle atmosphere where they seemed to have something to say to each other, yet also seemed to have nothing. Rochester looked at Caesar with complicated feelings.

A deep river had already been carved between the two. Here and now they faced each other as Prince and Minor Duke, but in the Knight Order, that hierarchical relationship was reversed. This often created bewildering situations among the knights.

Both men thought they should part ways at this point. They would have done so if not for the beast that emerged between them. At the sudden roar of the beast, both men turned around simultaneously.

“Hiiik!”

The breathless sounds of the retainers echoed.

A massive brown bear revealed itself from between the trees. Thump, thump. Every time it swung its huge paws, thick branches broke helplessly. Its body was enormous as it was preparing for winter hibernation. It looked easily over 3 meters tall.

“…There seems to have been a reason why there wasn’t much game.”

Rochester drew his sword. Caesar also raised his sword. The two men exchanged glances.

Whatever their private relationship, the two had been comrades who had coordinated for a long time. Coincidentally, Caesar belonged to the Knight Order that Rochester led. Thanks to the two men who boasted excellent skills, the Third Knight Order had particularly good performance. It was also the knights under their command who had caught the criminals who left wounds on Reina’s neck.

The bear stood on its hind legs and roared.

Graaaaar!

Thump!

The bear glared at them while standing on all fours. It was the look of seeing appetizing prey.

“I’ll take the left side.”

Caesar said.

“Then I’ll take the right.”

As soon as the words ended, the bear charged. The two men naturally scattered left and right.

Caesar aimed for the bear’s left flank. His sword flashed and made a wound, but it wasn’t deep. The bear’s thick hide and fat layer blocked the sword. It was because he deliberately didn’t wrap it in aura.

While the bear turned toward Caesar, Rochester sent his sword toward the exposed vital point. Thunk. The sword embedded deeply. The aura-wrapped sword deeply cut the bear’s vulnerable side belly. Hot, fishy blood burst out as intestines spilled forth. Even a giant bear couldn’t overcome two Sword Masters.

“Kheup.”

The retainers covered their mouths and dry heaved.

Caesar climbed onto the body of the bear that had fallen to its side and slit its throat. It all happened in an instant.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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