Chapter 67: My Sentinels Are Pampering Me!

"This time, you will be the Queen of the Hunting Competition, my lady!"

Lydia stared at the chubby maid through the mirror who had been helping Erin to prepare her for the Hunting Competition.

"Why do I have to do this? I’m just going to tie my hair up in a ponytail and wear pants when I hunt today anyway."

"But you should dress more beautifully than anyone else today and win the most prey from the men!" A freckled maid with blue eyes nodded enthusiastically, as if she had just presented the most brilliant idea in the world.

The chubby maid agreed, "That’s right! Last year, Lady Lagart won first prize in the competition, and her people were so proud of her..."

The chubby maid suddenly stopped talking. Lydia noticed the change in the mirror’s reflection and followed her gaze. Erin was glaring at her with a warning look.

At last, the maid shut her mouth.

Why did she have to mention Lady Agnes Lagart? Just thinking about Lydia would have to see her in the hunt today was enough to dampen her mood already.

Well, but her maids do have a point. The Hunting Competition has a romantic side to it, after all.

That was one of the reasons it was such a popular event every year!

Participants didn’t have to hunt Rift monsters alone. They could work together in groups, and high-ranking monsters that were difficult to capture earned separate scores.

However, there was another tradition that made the competition especially popular among the young nobles.

Many Sentinels would hunt and offer their prey to the people they admired, allowing them to win the honor of becoming the Queen or King of the Imperial Hunting Competition.

It was practically a form of courtship, with powerful Sentinels competing to impress the people they liked.

Even a Guide could win the hunt this way.

"Worry not, Lady Lydia!" The chubby maid had apparently recovered her courage. "You have a huge chance of winning this year’s competition! After all, you have the Commander of the Imperial Elite Sentinels and the heir of House Ludenberg as your Sentinels!"

Lydia’s eyes practically turned green.

She’s right! Will it be wonderful to let others work hard for me so I can enjoy the results? It isn’t like I am doing something illegal either. Work smarter, not harder!

Why had she not thought of this earlier?

Lydis had two powerful Sentinels at her disposal.

What was the point of having such impressive assets if she couldn’t put them to good use?

She didn’t need to exhaust herself hunting monsters when she could simply let her Sentinels do the hard work for her.

Without wasting another second, she reached for her bracelet and opened her messaging interface with a huge grin.

[Lydia: I want something, Zachary. This year’s Hunting Crown!]

She waited, tapping her fingers against the armrest. A few minutes later, her bracelet chimed with a reply.

[Zachary: Consider it done, my deerling.]

Lydia nearly squealed with delight.

Ahhh, isn’t this wonderful? I can sit still and look pretty while my Sentinels gather monsters for me! I’m such a sinful woman.

She could already picture herself relaxing with a cold pressed juice in her hands while Ephraim and Zachary competed to bring her the best rift.

Perhaps this was some kind of divine blessing for all the hardships Lydia had endured in her previous life.

Good karma really does exist!

Lydia couldn’t wipe the grin off her face even when Ephraim arrived to pick her up.

Her bright expression made Ephraim suspicious. Annoyed, even. But before he could ask what had made Lydia so happy, Sir Owen decided to save the day.

As Ephraim’s personal retainer, Sir Owen had long learned to recognize his master’s moods.

Unfortunately, he also knew better than to comment on the Crown Prince’s growing annoyance whenever Zachary’s name came up.

"We have a plentiful supply of monsters this year, Your Highness. However, I’ve heard that the northern mountain was highly polluted with miasma and Dimensional Rifts. Please stay vigilant around that area."

"I see." Lydia considered his warning. "Things will get awful really fast if those monsters mutated and evolved into stronger ones. Let’s be wary about this."

"I will." Ephraim nodded before continuing in his usual polite tone. "And I would appreciate it if you could avoid another conflict with House Lagart, Lydia. As a member of House Valendorf and my fiancée, I trust you understand the importance of maintaining cordial relations between our houses."

Lydia frowned.

There it is again. That fake prince charming persona.

Lydia wanted to argue that she wasn’t the troublemaker last year but since Sir Owen was present, she knew better than to challenge Ephraim.

Ephraim watched Lydia for a moment before speaking again.

"I’ll present my hunt to you this year."

"!!!!"

Sir Owen was so shocked that he almost crashed their bullet glider into a tree. He quickly turned to avoid it, making the vehicle shake.

Before Lydia lost her balance, Ephraim pulled her in his arms and held her securely.

"Sir Owen!" Ephraim reprimanded. "Please pay attention to the road!"

"My apologies, Your Highness!"

Lydia clung to Ephraim’s chest for a moment as she regained her composure then glared at him.

"This is your fault, Ephraim. Sir Owen might have been more careful if you hadn’t said something so shocking."

The Crown Prince looked down at her, seemingly unbothered by her words. Well, unless the part where he tightened his embrace around Lydia until the bullet glider had steadied.

"Was my offer really that surprising?"

"Of course it was! You’ve never done anything like this. Not even once in our whole ten years of history."

Ephraim fell silent for a moment. Then he looked straight into her eyes with a calm expression.

"This is a good start then. Get used to it."

Lydia stared at him, unsure what to make of his sudden change.

Ephraim continued, "And you don’t need to accept Senior Zachary’s offering."

Oh.

So that was what this was about.

Lydia laughed at her fiancé. The Crown Prince might have dressed his words in courtesy, but she could recognize jealousy when she saw it.

And he wasn’t that good at hiding it, either.

It seemed that this year’s Hunting Competition would be far more interesting than she had expected.