Now This Family Belongs to My Mother

Author: alyalia

* * *

[You may already know this, but the rumors are no ordinary matter. The timing of the hunting festival is suspicious as well. Please stay vigilant and take care of yourself. I’ll see you at the hunting festival.

-Epirosa Blanche.]

Ludwig smiled as he pulled out the letter he had already read multiple times. It was the letter that Ppinix had urgently delivered by tapping on his window at dawn. Even though the letter warned of danger, the delicate handwriting and the thoughtful concern within it brought a smile to his face.

“Your Highness, are you smiling?” The voice that brought Ludwig back to his senses belonged to Count Dominic Argent. “Your Highness seems to be enjoying even this situation.” Fortunately, he attributed the smile to something else.

Ludwig tucked the letter into his chest and made a lighthearted remark. “Isn’t it amusing? Father and Duke Clementi are joining hands to set the stage for me.”

“You shouldn’t take it lightly. Even among the young nobles’ gatherings, they’re scheming for Duke Clementi.”

Count Dominic Argent was Ludwig’s closest confidant. But this was a secret known only to the two of them. On the surface, he pretended to be one of Claude’s close aides, acting as a member of the young noble faction that served as Claude’s private circle. He would relay the information from that group back to Ludwig.

“Stealing the hunting festival victory isn’t enough to satisfy them, right?” Ludwig asked with a mocking tone.

“It won’t just end with humiliation.”

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be fun if it ended there.” Ludwig stood up from his seat.

Watching the confident Ludwig, Count Argent’s expression changed as though he had just realized something. “Your Highness, don’t tell me you’ve already prepared for everything.”

“I’d like this hunting festival to be safe.”

Because someone who must not get hurt by being dragged into his affairs will be attending.

“And while I used to think it didn’t matter if I didn’t win something like a hunting festival…” Ludwig looked at the astonished Count Argent. “For some reason, I feel like I want to win this time.” His eyes gleamed as if recalling something. “Because there’s someone I want to dedicate the winner’s trophy to.”

* * *

Whoosh! Thud! The arrow fell to the ground before it even reached the target. I slumped my shoulders with a disappointed look on my face.

“You need to put proper strength into your arms,” said Mom while smiling at me. “With the way you’re pulling the bowstring, you couldn’t even catch a mouse.” She seemed to be enjoying herself, which made her all the more annoying.

I’ve been learning archery from her for days now, but my progress has been slow, and all she does is laugh.

“I’m being serious right now, Mom.”

“I’m serious too. It’s strange, isn’t it? When I first picked up a bow, I hit the target right away, but why is my daughter…”

“Mom!” I glared at her. Without realizing it, my lips pouted like a child.

Mom burst into laughter at the sight of me.

“Stop teasing me. I’m really upset.”

“Is my daughter upset?” Mom patted my shoulder as she spoke.

“You know that makes it sound like you’re teasing me even more, right?”

I was being serious, but Mom’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

“When I see you, I just can’t help but want to tease you.”

“Mom, seriously…”

“Even when you’re clumsy, you’re so cute and lovable that I don’t know what to do with myself. How can every part of you be so beautiful?” Mom said as she stroked my hair. Her eyes were brimming with love, shining so brightly that I momentarily lost my words. “It’s okay if you can’t shoot a bow. I’ll catch all the prey for you.”

Mom’s voice was endlessly gentle, as if she were speaking to a child. And then, it hit me. For the first time in my life, I was acting like a girl my age.

While I stood there dazed, Mom came up behind me, wrapping herself around me protectively. She placed her hands over mine, guiding me as we pulled the bowstring together. “Remember this feeling.”

The moment we released the bowstring together— Whoosh! The arrow struck the target dead center.

From the side, I heard the ‘clap, clap, clap’ sound. It wasn’t the usual ‘clap, clap, clap’ because the person clapping was a knight clad in silver armor.

The one who always quietly guarded Mom’s side as if he were invisible, clapping now? Is it because Mom had shot the arrow? Even as I thought that, I was a little surprised and turned to look.

Ibe gave me a thumbs-up.

* * *

Hubert stood by the window in the study, looking down below. Epirosa, Leonoe, and Ibe were gathered together, chatting warmly. Leonoe’s archery skills were as sharp as ever, and Epirosa’s attempts with the bow were endearing. And that knight in the silver armor… strangely, he fit in so well with the two. Because of that, he couldn’t take his eyes off them.

As Hubert was lost in his peculiar thoughts, someone approached him.

“Grandfather must find it ridiculous too, right?”

It was Nicholas. The fact that Nicholas, who never set foot in the study, had suddenly appeared was even more absurd. But Hubert kept silent, curious about what he had to say.

“A woman going hunting, of all things. Honestly, I can’t even understand Aunt in the first place. Is it because she thinks no one will take her handkerchief if she just stays still? Hahaha!”

“Leonoe is good at hunting.”

Nicholas flinched at the unexpected response.

As Hubert walked past him, he added one more thing. “When she was young, she often went hunting with me.”

Nicholas’s face then turned red.

Someone had been secretly watching the scene from behind the bookshelves in the study. It was Stella. Stupid Nicholas.

Lately, Stella had been leaving Leonoe and Epirosa alone. It was all too clear where Hubert’s favor lay. That being said, she had already come too far to try attaching herself to them now.

Stella had decided to carve out her own path. She quickly sat down on the lounge chair in the study and pulled out a handkerchief. Then she began embroidering on it. As expected, Hubert passed by in front of her. He looked at Stella, who was embroidering in the study, with a puzzled expression.

“Stella, what are you doing?”

“Ah, Grandfather!” Stella lifted her head as if she hadn’t noticed him and put on an embarrassed expression. “I was embroidering a handkerchief to give to a gentleman during the hunting festival.”

Hubert stared at the beautifully embroidered handkerchief for a moment before speaking. “The one who receives your handkerchief will surely be delighted.” And with that, he walked away.

Stella smiled inwardly. Grandfather doesn’t think my worth has completely hit rock bottom. The thought that the recipient of her handkerchief would be truly delighted. It was just a short remark, but it wasn’t unpleasant to hear. And it had to be true, just as he said.

Stella was planning to use the hunting festival as an opportunity to make a comeback. She had already devised a plan to capture Ludwig’s attention. I’ll use Claude. She was under the delusion that Claude was interested in her. So, if she used Claude to provoke Ludwig, she thought Ludwig might get jealous in some way and accept her handkerchief.

Sorry Claude, but I’m going to use your feelings a little. Smiling, Stella tightly gripped the handkerchief in her hand.

* * *

“Leonoe, stop by my room for a moment,” Hubert spoke as the dinner was coming to an end.

Leonoe was puzzled. Not his office, but his room? What could he want to talk about?

Hubert’s room, which she hadn’t visited in a long time, hadn’t changed at all. The spacious, antique interior, the endlessly quiet, oppressive atmosphere. It was a place not just anyone could enter, but once inside, it was hard not to feel intimidated. Still, just as she had in her childhood, Leonoe walked confidently now.

Hubert stood by the window, polishing a massive red bow. Its name was Grande. The bow, which passed down through generations, is said to be made from the only wood that survived the flames of the phoenix.

“Father, why did you call for me?”

“You said you plan to win the hunting festival and give the trophy to Epirosa, right?”

“You heard about that?”

“Do you think you can win with that ordinary bow of yours?” Hubert turned around and asked, his question bordering on provocation.

Leonoe answered calmly. “The important thing is the person who draws the bowstring.”

“You can’t ignore the importance of the tool either.” Hubert walked steadily toward Leonoe. Then, he held out the polished and gleaming Grand. “Take it.”

Leonoe’s eyes widened. After all, Grand was the bow of the head of the family. “Are you lending it to me?”

“No, I’m giving it to you as a gift.”

Leonoe took a step back. “Father, I can’t even communicate with the divine beast.”

Hubert frowned. “What nonsense are you talking about? This is just a gift from a father to his daughter.”

“…”

“I want to give it to you.”