Gillian stepped in front of Caden and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
“Gil, there you are.”
From the looks of it, they look like they’re still good friends.
“I hope you have a good game this year.”
“I won’t let you down.”
Gillian’s voice was full of confidence, as if to make sure he didn’t think he’d miss out on the title.
“After all, a guy who’s won back-to-back titles has a different kind of confidence. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“I’ll try to live up to your expectations. More than that…”
He stopped speaking and turned his head toward Ellen.
Then he spoke in a very firm tone.
“Ellen Krembel. Go back to where you came from.”
Gillian took a step toward Ellen.
Any further deviation would not be tolerated.
“It’s time to stop bothering His Highness. Let’s go home.”
“Haha, why do you call her a bother for doing such a thing?”
Sensing his displeasure, Caden stepped in front of him.
“I’ve caused trouble for Your Highness, so it’s done now. My wife’s outings are enough.”
“Is there anything between us? I’m just trying to care about her. It’s between her and me.”
You should have done well when you weren’t doing anything suspicious like that.
Caden swallowed the words back down.
“No, I’ll take whoever I know back with me.”
“You don’t have to accept.”
“No. Your Highness has been considerate enough–”
“Do I look like someone who can’t do this much?”
Gillian cut him off, and Caden let the precipitation fall over him.
“She is my person now, not yours. Gillian.”
Caden’s brow furrowed slightly in displeasure, feeling some sort of superiority complex.
As they stood there, the stares of those around them began to gather.
‘There are too many eyes. It’s not good for others to keep saying no…’
Gillian swallowed his irritation and said.
“I’ll try to live up to your expectations… I understand, Your Highness.”
“Okay, well thought out, and I hope my proud relative gets the honor of winning again this year.”
Caden spontaneously patted him on the shoulder.
Gillian’s brow furrowed slightly at the touch.
Ellen saw it and scoffed.
He must be feeling too bad that he can’t hide it.
Pfft. A small laugh escaped her lips. Their eyes met.
Gillian turned and glared at her.
“… Make sure you enjoy your day.”
His tone was casual, and at first glance, it sounded like he meant to have fun.
But his searing eyes were fixed on Ellen, and it wasn’t hard for anyone in the room to tell.
That was his warning to his wife.
That this will be her last outing.
* * *
The hour has arrived.
Horns sounded to announce the emperor’s entrance.
Ellen followed the emcee’s lead and moved to the center of the room.
Gillian was not one to tolerate anyone being above him.
‘… I didn’t expect the royal family to be included in the subject.’
She sighed, not sure where that desire came from.
In any case, it was why he would occasionally spare a small kindness for Ellen on days when she had faithfully fulfilled the role he had asked of her.
A large hand resting on her shoulder with the words ‘well done’.
It was a small gesture that made her heart flutter.
She remembered thinking to herself, “What if my heart explodes?” and worrying about it.
This was the place for such memories.
Ellen recalled Krembel’s first overall victory.
The host began to call the women’s first round.
The competition was divided into two categories, show jumping and dressage, with four divisions for women and two for men.
The women’s show jumping competition was to be held first.
A few women’s names passed by and then her name was called.
“Ellen Krembel!”
At the sound of the call, Ellen clenched her fists.
She could feel Gillian’s gaze in the distance.
The women, each with her own horse, began to greet him, wishing him well.
“Hello, Lady Kryant.”
One of the women had the audacity to use Ellen’s maiden name to call her.
It was the young lady of the Countess of Myers, a prominent member of the neutral faction.
“Yes. It’s been a long time, Lady Myers.”
Ellen greeted him warmly and surveyed the arena.
“Well. I’ve heard the rumors. Lord Krembel certainly wasn’t a good husband.”
Lady Myers brought up the subject of Krembel.
Before she knew it, the other young people around her began to chime in.
“Yeah, I’ve heard that story, too.”
“You mean the rumors about Duke Krembel? I’ve heard them, too. I can see how it must be troubling you.”
“Thank you for your concern…”
What’s going on here?
Ellen pondered.
“To treat a talent like the Lady like that, Lord Krembel must not have a good eye for people, as is evident by Thalia’s performance right now.”
“That’s right, I was really surprised by the Lady’s vision, too. I’ve been buying only from Thalia ever since.”
“Come to think of it, I was having tea at Salon Caramillo when I saw Duke Krembel come in, and he was wildly searching for the Lady.”
“Well, that’s just what I’ve been hearing rumors about.”
“Oh, my God, scary!”
The young ladies began to chirp like little birds.
It was a different atmosphere than at the palace banquet.
Ellen surmised that something must have gotten through to them while they were attending to the business of the Council.
The chattering ladies soon moved to their seats at the sound of the host’s voice.
“Let’s all do our best, then.”
With those words, they all dispersed to the staging area, leaving only the first runner.
The large arena was dotted with obstacles.
A large wooden fence, a good-sized pond, and other obstacles that were quite large by human standards.
The first runner took off and started running.
She didn’t go very fast because she was feeling overwhelmed.
However, it was commendable that she didn’t try to run too fast, because if she failed to control her speed and timed his jumps incorrectly, she would have fallen hard.
Then a second, then a third…
After a few rounds, it wasEllen’s turn.
She began to run, soothing her horse as all riders do.
With a well-timed flick of the reins, she signaled, and the horse recognized her cue and jumped steadily.
She crouches down at the top of the jump, and as she descends, she relaxes her crouched back.
Then she jumps again, keeping the rhythm going.
After a few repetitions, the needle on the clock was noticeably wider.
The woman with the fastest time was a beautiful blonde in a tight bun.
It was Ellen.
Those who knew of her skills were saying the same thing this year, and the families who had been disgraced by her stared at her in disbelief.
And so it was that everyone was watching her compete, thinking that she would win first place again this year.
Something happened that made everyone suspicious.
If she kept running as she was, there was no way the first place would change.
But before the last hurdle, Ellen suddenly slowed down and stopped.
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, wondering what was going on.
There was a chorus of voices.
“What the hell is…?”
Even Gillian looked at her in surprise.
Was something wrong?
The waiting staff rushed to her side.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Her face was calm as she answered.
“Good, then why…?”
But the words that came out of that peaceful face were anything but peaceful.
“I’m going to abstain.”
“…?”
The moderator repeated, as if to make sure he’d heard her correctly.
Then, as if she needed to say it again and again and again, Ellen said it loud enough to be heard by those nearby.
“Ellen Krembel is abstaining!”
Gillian’s eyes widened in shock, and Ellen chuckled, as if she found the situation hilarious.
“Ma’am… By abstaining, it means that your grade will not be recorded as a point, and you will not be able to contribute to the overall point total. You know that, right?”
The moderator asked with a bemused look on his face, like he didn’t know what the heck this was all about.
Ellen didn’t bother to hide the amusement in her voice.
“Yes, I do. I know.”
She could go for number one, but she won’t.
The intent was too obvious.
A declaration that there would be no points for Krembel.
In the distance, she could see Gillian scrambling to his feet.
She could see the frustration in his eyes as he wanted to yell at him, but couldn’t in front of the crowd.
The reaction pushed Ellen into even greater pleasure.
She burst into a full, clear laugh and drove a wedge into her words.
“In the name of Krembel, I can’t have my score raised. Oh, and I didn’t even make it past the last hurdle in the first place, so no points.”
Unable to contain himself, Gillian stomped out of his seat and began to stalk toward the arena.
“Ellen Krembel, please count this as a forfeit.”
“… Ellen Krembel, you are hereby declared a disqualification in the Women’s Hurdle Jumping Category, and will not be allowed to compete in the overall judging due to ineligibility!”
The moderator’s voice echoed through the hall.
The nobles watching the scene were talking so loudly that it resembled a marketplace.
Abstaining?
Wouldn’t it have been better to just not participate?
So it was deliberate.
Yeah. That’s a clear case of bullying.
She’s trying to humiliate him in public.
She said they were getting divorced, so it must be true.
Gillian’s face burned bright red at the recounting.
Who does she think she is to do such a thing?
‘No, why does the host take care of things without asking anything from me, the head of the house?’
He was really angry.
But according to her, he hadn’t even finished the obstacle, so there was no point in counting the points.
Besides, throwing up on the moderators now is the same as throwing up on the imperial proceedings.
It wasn’t something that could be done in a vacuum.
Eventually, Gillian pushed his anger aside and changed course.
He stomped toward Kryant’s tent, muttering to himself as he went.
“Damn it, Ellen Krembel…!”
His fisted fingers dug into his palm.
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