After handing out the invitations, Sig turned and escorted the guests to the front of the mansion before returning to his room. Just as Britannia was about to return to her room, the butler called out to her.
“The master is looking for you.”
Britannia recalled that she had briefly interrupted her game with the Viscount to greet the guest.
“I wonder how much he’ll complain about making him wait for so long.”
As Britia let out a small sigh, the butler smiled softly.
“I wondered if I would just starve to death while waiting!”
Sure enough, the Earl, who was coming towards her, shouted loudly. He stood by the target, seemingly tired of waiting, and had brought a chair to sit on.
“I shot first, so all you have to do is shoot.”
He pointed to the target with his chin and lifted his heavy buttocks.
“Lies!”
Counting the number of arrows stuck in the target, Britia exclaimed, “You barely hit one out of four shots, and then you accurately hit six consecutive shots?”
“There’s no way that’s true!” objected Britia as the Earl of Lockhart chuckled with a smug face.
“Can’t you believe it? I was amazed by my skills too.”
“You think I’m going to fall for your trickery just because I wasn’t watching?”
“Who made me wait?”
“I can’t accept such a sloppy bet.”
Britia crossed her arms and pursed her lips. In response, the Earl crossed his arms over his chest just like her.
“Are you not confident in winning?”
He raised his chin and looked down at Britia, smirking.
“I guess you don’t want to play because losing is obvious. But it’s okay. I’ll look at it with a broad mind.”
“Look at it?”
Britia couldn’t tolerate his shameless and evasive attitude.
“You’ll regret provoking me.”
Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, Britia grabbed her bow. Then he waved three fingers at her.
“I have three things in mind to ask of you.”
“I’ll give you exactly what you ask for.”
Britia, filled with anger, took a deep breath and released the arrow.
“Ahahaha!”
Seeing the first arrow miss beautifully, Crave laughed loudly.
“I’m having trouble deciding what to ask of you.”
“Keep quiet since you’re losing your mind.”
Ignoring him, Britia drew another arrow and shot it.
“Hahaha!”
Crave laughed loudly as he watched the arrow hit wide of the mark.
“I’m still contemplating what to ask of you.”
“Be quiet and stay still.”
Ignoring his taunts, Britia narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath.
‘I shouldn’t give in to such a cheap provocation. He’s deliberately trying to get under my skin.’
She managed to calm her mind and aimed. This time, the arrow narrowly missed the target’s bullseye.
“If I had known this would happen, I should have asked for ten things instead of three. I never expected to win so easily!”
He kept making noise from the side, disrupting her concentration. At this rate, she might have to grant his three wishes. She wasn’t sure what to ask for, but it was clear that each one would be more annoying than the last.
“I haven’t lost yet!”
Feeling the urgency, Britia finally regained her focus.
“Are you stubbornly trying to make it a draw?”
Nonchalantly, Crave placed his hand on the back of his head, as she held the final arrow. Britia ignored him and stared at the tip of the arrow.
If she missed this shot, she would truly have to grant his request. Not just one, but a whopping three!
Britia held her breath, ready to release the arrow.
“Eek!”
Suddenly, Crave screamed. Startled, Britia took a sharp breath and lost her grip on the arrow, causing it to fly completely off course.
“A bug flew by. Huh? What? Did you shoot?”
Turning to look at Crave, who had widened his eyes and let out a sudden shout, he chuckled with a casual expression.
“You did it on purpose!”
“What did I do?”
“You distracted me!”
“What kind of distraction?”
“Crave!”
Crave turned to the butler, exasperated, and shrugged his shoulders.
“Do you understand what Tia is talking about?”
The butler responded with a sheepish smile on his troubled face.
“If it was going to miss, I should have just shot you instead.”
“Did you hear that? Tia has been hanging out with a lunatic for a few days, and she’s become so brutal!”
He exclaimed in disbelief and lightly tapped the butler’s arm with his elbow. Britia glared at him, biting her lip. No matter how she thought about it, this was too unfair.
“Don’t make such a mean face, Tia.”
Crave lightly patted her shoulder, laughing playfully.
“You look ugly.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing.”
He raised his head with a puzzled expression, wondering what sound he heard.
“There’s not a single person I can trust in this world.”
Britia felt her growing distrust of humanity resurfaces. Would her younger brother reveal her secret? Would the twins betray her?
“You’re just like Lenny.”
“You should trust your family. How can you say such things?”
Crave smirked, teasing her.
“There hasn’t been a moment when I didn’t dislike you.”
In response to Britia’s resentful gaze, the Earl jabbed her side with his elbow.
“Oh, Tia, pretending not to like me all this time, but you liked me, didn’t you?”
‘Who said such a thing?’
Britia got angry and subtly smiled as she pushed him away.
“I really dislike you.”
“You, this brat. Well, Tia, here’s your first command. Call me ‘Oppa’ for a month.”
“After winning in such a cowardly way, you say something like that?”
“Yeah.”
Crave nodded, his expression asking why she couldn’t do it.
“Come on, try calling me ‘Oppa’.”
Crave opened his arms towards her, smiling affectionately.
“I absolutely won’t!”
Britia shouted, putting strength into her belly. If only his eardrums could burst from this, she thought, with a hint of satisfaction.
—
Two days later, the Earl of Lockhart donned his finest hat and left the house in a cheerful mood. Today was the day he had planned to meet Sig at the club. The club was a place frequented by nobles who had once been the elite but had now turned into a gathering of wretched individuals. It was a place he usually avoided.
“Sig-nim, my friend.”
However, today was different because he was with Sig Turas. It was a great opportunity to show off to those who were burning with envy, desperately wanting to establish a connection with the royal family.
“Crave.”
Sig, who was waiting for the Earl at the doorstep instead of going in first, embraced him warmly. As he did so, a groaning sound escaped the Earl’s mouth.
“You didn’t exert much strength. You’re quite weak.”
Sig was amazed, remarking that he was different from Leon.
“Don’t compare me to our little pig at home.”
The Earl, who claimed to be neither intellectual nor physically inclined, straightened his dishevelled attire and took the lead.
As the Earl entered the club, he felt everyone’s gaze converging on him. How come these judgmental glances still exist, he thought to himself as he looked at the men in the club.
As Sig, towering behind the Earl, appeared, the gazes of those who had belittled the Earl shifted suddenly.
“They’re all looking at me.”
Sig found this situation fascinating. When the idea of going to the club was proposed, the Earl had confidently predicted that all eyes would be on him, and it had indeed turned out that way.
“Indeed, the attention is focused on you. It seems everyone likes you because you speak well.”
Sig marvelled, remarking that if he had come here alone, the attention would have initially been on him but then quickly averted.
“Are you being sincere?”
Wondering if it was really the case, Crave asked, and as Sig blinked, he let out a burst of laughter.
“Are they looking at me because they like me?”
“Is that not the case?”
“No, absolutely not.”
As Crave ascended to the VIP section and took a seat in a suitable spot, he flicked his index finger.
“They’re envious of me, that’s why they’re looking like that.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m flaunting our friendship.”
Even though he honestly gave him the answer, Sig looked at Crave with a face that showed he couldn’t quite understand.
“Is that something to be jealous of?”
“You seem to occasionally forget how famous you are.”
“If I’m not famous, who do you think is famous?”
Sig pondered for a moment and then nodded his head.
“If you’re not famous, then who do you think is famous?”
At Crave’s question, Sig thought again for a moment.
“My uncle and his wife are famous individuals, after all.”
They are the Emperor and Empress. They belong to a category of people beyond what can be considered famous.
Without realizing Crave’s bewilderment, Sig continued to think about who else might be famous.
“My brother is famous too.”
“You have a brother? I haven’t heard anything about siblings.”
“He’s their son. Not my biological brother, but it’s practically the same.”
That’s the Crown Prince.
The Earl wanted to say something, but he let it pass. It might be common sense for them, considering they were not ordinary people but nobles.
“Anyway, they are jealous because the person next to you is not them but me. They want to befriend you, but they couldn’t, so they looked at you in such an intimidating way.”
“I don’t understand.”
“This is just my personal opinion, but I find men’s jealousy much scarier than women’s jealousy.”
“That’s not it. No one wants to befriend me.”
Sig raised her head, recalling the past few years.
“The only person who greets me without hesitation in this place is you.”
“That’s one of Lockhart’s strengths, being good with words. Look at Leon. She not only excels at witty remarks but also fights well.”
Crave trembled suddenly, remembering the day he first met Sig. The intense tension and the feeling that he and Leon were about to engage in a bloody battle came rushing back. It was fortunate that things were resolved smoothly. If not, by now…
“Since it’s in the past, tell me now. Why did you come to our party?”
Crave brought up the topic that had been on his mind but that he couldn’t bring himself to ask until now.
“It was your side that sent the invitation.”
“That’s true. But you didn’t respond. And what about the invitation I sent?”
“At that time, we didn’t know each other.”
“What about my wife? Did you know her?”
Sig sealed his lips as if it was an awkward question.
“What? Did you really know my wife? How and where?”
“We didn’t know each other.”
Unable to contain himself, Sig opened his mouth again in a confrontational tone.
“Your mother-in-law warned me. She told me to send a reply stating that I would attend without asking or probing anything, after reading the letter I’m currently reading, and to report to you.”
He added with a sad expression, mentioning that otherwise she would personally come and give him a piece of her mind.
“Then the invitation right after that…?”
“It was sent by your wife. So I had no choice but to do as your mother-in-law wished. She is someone who truly means what she says.”
Crave, who had been pestering his wife all this time, asking what language she used to persuade Sig Turas, was taken aback.
Crave, who had never imagined that it would be for that reason, was surprised.
