However, it must have been a misunderstanding.

The hair color of the knight I had mistaken for Zachary was a bright, golden blonde. It was completely different from Zachary’s jet-black hair, dark as ebony. I was so puzzled as to why I had made such a mistake.

‘Now that I think about it, his gait was different too. A bit hunched, perhaps.’

Blonde hair was quite common here. Even among the servants, there were several with blonde hair.

Moreover, unlike Zachary, this knight walked with his body stooped and hunched. Zachary always walked with his back straight and upright, so it was strange that I had momentarily mistaken him for someone else.

‘It would be nice to see his magic circle, but they’re all covered up.’

I wanted to check his neck or wrist, but the attire of the servants this time concealed their entire bodies. As I tilted my head, looking at the cloth covering their necks and the black gloves hiding their hands, I checked the time and started walking.

“We’ll be late. Let’s hurry.”

However, it was difficult to completely dispel my suspicions. Even as I busied myself boarding the carriage, denying the absurd assumption, my gaze never left the two large figures.

‘How could Zachary possibly follow me here? Not unless he’s lost his mind…’

Furthermore, when they approached, I smelled the scent typically associated with servants, not Zachary’s unique body fragrance. It was a musty odor, like mold. In the end, I shook my head and boarded the carriage.

***

There were truly a lot of people. As one of the few events hosted by the royal family, just as I had expected, invitations had likely been sent to every notable household.

‘Wow…’

It was a bit fascinating. Not only was the enormous crowd impressive, but the sight of tents adorned with each family’s coat of arms was quite spectacular. I was once again struck by the realization that I had been born into a different world.

‘Where is the Serpentine tent?’

As I glanced around searching for the Serpentine tent, I was slightly taken aback. While other families had erected tents in gaudy, eye-catching colors that seemed excessively flashy…

‘…It looks haunted.’

Our family’s tent stood alone, pitch-black. On the dark cloth that seemed to absorb all light, a violet family emblem was embroidered, giving off an eerie atmosphere.

Even if the tent looked like that, what could I do? I should go rest and examine the map.

“Let’s go.”

The luggage unloaded from the carriage alone formed a mountain. Clothes to wear at the hunting grounds, attire to change into for enjoying the brief banquet afterward, and various hunting equipment poured out of the carriage. It seemed like it would take ages just to unpack the belongings we had brought.

My luggage was carried by the two servants acting as knights. Their builds were larger than the knights of other families. As they stood beside me, holding the luggage with their enormous frames, several nobles glanced in our direction.

‘They’re looking more than I expected.’

Well, we did stand out. The cloth with ghostly eyes painted on it would be utterly unfamiliar to outsiders. Moreover, the size difference between the knights standing on either side of me and myself was so significant that it was embarrassing. As I discreetly tried to widen the distance, conscious of their presence, the blonde servant, in particular, wouldn’t leave me alone. He stepped closer, closing the gap I had created.

‘…Well, the duke must have ordered them to do so.’

However, I kept experiencing a sense of déjà vu. Wasn’t there someone at the Serpentine mansion who behaved exactly like this towards me?

“Lord Oscar!”

At that moment, I heard a familiar voice. It was Isaac Cadenta. I greeted him with a delighted expression.

“Lord Isaac. It’s been a while.”

“My goodness, it’s been so long. Are you in good health?”

Isaac approached with a broad smile. Behind him were two knights and a servant struggling to carry luggage as large as his own body.

“Yes. I’m fine.”

“Despite saying that, you seem a bit thinner than before… Have you grown taller?”

Isaac nodded his head.

“Yes. And your face as well…”

He then stared at me intently for a while. It was a persistent gaze, as if something was stuck on my face, but he soon trailed off and merely offered an awkward smile.

“Lord Isaac. As much as I’d like to catch up more, I haven’t even unpacked my belongings yet.”

“Ah, oh! Right.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Seeing Isaac after such a long time made me quite happy.

I felt the urge to converse with him a bit more about various topics. During my period of seclusion, Isaac had consistently kept in touch with me.

‘I wonder if we’ll have time to talk later.’

Isaac seemed thoroughly prepared, evident at a glance. Even from a quick look, his athletic abilities appeared to be excellent, so he would likely participate enthusiastically in the hunt. In contrast, I was more interested in the border region and planned to venture outside.

“Ah, wait!”

As I walked towards my tent, Isaac grabbed the hem of my clothing. Thinking he had something urgent to say, I turned around, but there were others who reacted faster than me.

“…Ugh!”

Seeing Isaac’s startled reaction, I also struggled to suppress my surprised gasp.

My servants had instantly intercepted Isaac. The blonde servant even roughly pushed Isaac’s arm away. Although a beat late, upon witnessing this, Isaac’s knights also drew their swords to protect their master.

‘This is a disaster.’

The nobles were all observing this situation. Their faces had turned pale, as if they had seen a ghost.

‘This is why no one even approaches our tent.’

The dreary-named Serpentine family, known for their involvement in sorcery. Even if we were to walk around with beaming smiles, it wouldn’t be enough to overcome our image. And now, look at the servants by my side. Who could withstand the fear and stand their ground? Above all else, the tension between the knights seemed precariously on the brink of erupting.

“Step back.”

Since they were publicly referred to as knights, I couldn’t speak to them casually or condescendingly. Fortunately, following my words, the two servants slowly retreated.

“Sorry. They’re a bit… sensitive.”

“Ah, no, it’s alright. The fault lies with me for suddenly grabbing you.”

In this place where everyone carried weapons, the knights had no choice but to react with heightened sensitivity.

Moreover, perhaps due to his previous experience, Isaac seemed fine…

“You’re really okay, right?”

“Oh, of course. This happened because I abruptly grabbed you, it’s nothing.”

Isaac was smiling brightly, but his legs were trembling uncontrollably. I parted my lips, wondering how to console him, but then pressed them together tightly. It felt like anything I said would be inappropriate. I quickly attempted to change the subject.

“Did you have something to tell me?”

“Ah, it’s nothing major… I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming an adult.”

Isaac’s words were unexpected. Although it had been some time since I had come of age, aside from letters, he was the first person to convey congratulations to me in person, apart from Mother and the duke.

It didn’t feel unpleasant. I blinked my eyes and smiled, narrowing them.

“Thank you. I’ll make sure to do the same for you next year.”

I was genuinely grateful for the congratulations. Hearing that Isaac would become an adult next year, I felt the strong desire to celebrate him. After a brief conversation, we parted ways to unpack our belongings.

As I walked slowly, observing my surroundings, other nobles were gathered in small groups, chatting away. I felt a twinge of envy. Perhaps my longing was evident in my gaze. As the frequency of eye contact increased, I felt embarrassed and, at some point, started walking with my eyes fixed straight ahead.

“Mm, put that down there.”

The tent where Mother and the duke’s seats were prepared was empty. From a quick glance earlier, it seemed there was a separate area where the nobles had gathered, and they were likely there now. It was an elevated, spacious platform…

‘I wonder if Erhan isn’t coming.’

Given his personality, he would probably refuse to attend, asking why we were engaging in such child’s play. Still, I had hoped to see him after a long time, but seeing only three chairs placed in the tent, it seemed unlikely that he would come.

For now, I should change my clothes. The king’s speech would begin soon, so it would be best to hurry.

“Hmm.”

As I was about to take off the clothes I was wearing, I noticed the two standing motionless like statues, staring intently in my direction. Feeling a bit embarrassed, I spoke.

“Could you turn around?”

After watching the two servants turn their backs, I changed my clothes. The attire was slightly different from what I usually wore, making it uncomfortable. While putting on my shoes, I even felt irritated. How many times did I have to insert and remove the laces? I was already dreading the moment I would have to take off my shoes later.

Once I finished changing and checked, the servants were still facing away from me. I was about to tell the two large figures, who were looking outside from the entrance of the tent, that it was alright now.

“Excuse me… Is anyone there?”

A woman’s voice was heard. The black cloth prevented any visibility from the outside, but the voice clearly came from the direction of the entrance. I slowly rose from my seat and approached the entrance of the tent, asking.

“Who is it?”

“Ah, so you are here!”

Hearing the delighted tone in her voice, it seemed she had indeed come looking for the Serpentine family. Although I didn’t know who she was, being here meant she was likely a lady from another noble family.

“Just a moment.”

I wondered what her business was. Curious, I approached to open the entrance. But…

“…?”

The blonde servant was still standing by the entrance. Even as I approached, his large body remained firmly in place, showing no sign of moving, which was puzzling.

“Could you move aside?”

What was going on? Why wasn’t he moving?

Feeling a bit dumbfounded and exasperated, I looked up at him. The servant glanced down at me for a moment, then took a step to the side. His strangely dull and slow movements seemed quite peculiar.

‘What’s with him, acting so dimwitted?’

Since the duke had personally assigned him as a knight, that couldn’t be the case.

Leaving the suspicious servant behind, I exited the tent and saw the woman who had come looking for me. The first thing that caught my eye was her attire. The petite woman also seemed to be participating in the hunting competition, as she was wearing hunting attire.

Hair as dark as ebony, and jet-black eyes. As our gazes met, the corners of her lips curved into an arc.

“I wanted to come and introduce myself. This is our first time meeting like this.”

A soft and gentle voice, in contrast to her confidently extended hand.

“I’m Genevieve Raven.”