LRAB Chapter 50
Chapter 50
Doris waved her hands dismissively.
“I can walk back on my own! Besides, if my sister sees me coming back with someone who isn’t even one of our family’s servants, she’ll definitely get the wrong idea.”
“I figured Natalie wouldn’t mind since we’ve met before. But if that’s a concern, I won’t insist. May I at least accompany you to the camp entrance?”
“Well... okay, just to the entrance.”
Without much hesitation, Doris nodded.
Rick beamed, saying, “An excellent choice!” as he took his place beside her. With that, Doris’s silhouette was completely hidden behind his tall frame.
Tristan ground his teeth.
‘What is Rick Ray doing here?’
The workers’ camp was on the opposite side. There was no logical reason for him to “coincidentally” end up here unless he had a specific purpose.
‘Don’t tell me... he knew Doris would be here and came intentionally?’
It sounded absurd, but Tristan couldn’t think of any other explanation. His thoughts felt sluggish, like his mind had turned to mush.
Meanwhile, the two of them grew further and further away until they were completely out of sight.
Whether Rick truly left Doris at the entrance or walked her all the way to her tent was unknown.
The only thing Tristan wanted to know now was one thing.
Doris Redfield.
Was she laughing happily as she talked to Rick?
‘Doris. I...’
And finally, an answer to her earlier question came to mind...@@@@
***
I thought I’d be able to fall asleep the moment I got back to my tent.
‘I’m so tired I could die...’
But thanks to my irritation with Tristan, sleep wouldn’t come easily.
I tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning before finally drifting off—only to have another ridiculous dream.
In it, Tristan threw a net at his feet and said, “Hurry up and get caught. I’m too lazy to approach you.”
Show some effort, you jerk!
Dream-me seemed determined to grab the net and throw it back at him.
As a result, I woke up drenched in sweat, feeling utterly frustrated.
As I panted angrily, my maid approached the bed.
“Good morning, Lady Doris. Shall I prepare your washing basin... or would you like to sleep a little longer?”
“Do I look that tired?”
“It seems like you’ve spent the night participating in the hunting tournament yourself.”
Sharp observation.
But sleeping more wouldn’t guarantee good dreams, so I shook my head and got up.
Father was still too hungover to get out of bed. A relief, honestly—I was worried he might break an ankle running around pretending to hunt foxes today.
Meanwhile, Natalie was busy checking the gifts that had arrived early in the morning. She sure is popular.
Most of the gifts were registered game from the tournament, but the small bouquets here and there caught my attention. I didn’t recognize a single one of the flowers, most of which were tiny wildflowers no larger than a fingernail.
“Sis, what’s with these little bouquets?”
“They’re from men who didn’t bother preparing a proper bouquet ahead of time. They’re going for the ‘I’m a pure-hearted guy who picks wildflowers’ vibe.”
“Ah...”
“Truly pure-hearted guys wouldn’t even think of doing this. Unprepared men are always the ones trying to act clever.”
“...”
I felt a guilty pang in my conscience.
Because, yeah, I’m the person who thought a letter would make up for not having a decent gift for my fiancé.
Ugh, how should I rewrite that letter?
‘If I write it in this mood, it won’t turn out well.’
Maybe I should just forget the whole thing. We practically fought last night, so Tristan probably wouldn’t expect a letter from me anyway!
“Doris, what are you brooding over?”
Most people compare a beauty’s smile to a flower, but Maria’s looked more like a sturdy elm tree, deeply rooted and unshakable.
“Of course, that was all for last night. We haven’t progressed to anything official... but I feel less uncertain than before. Thank you, Doris.”
“Thank me?”
“You encouraged me yesterday, remember? You gave me the courage to offer him the handkerchief.”
“Ah.”
“Thanks to you, I was able to take a step forward. I’ll be counting on you in the future, Doris!”
We exchanged smiles.
Well, this is great. Important events are still unfolding similarly to the original plot.
The conversation naturally shifted to the hunting tournament.
In the original story, Maria hadn’t received any significant game. But this time, our male lead, Arthur Albion, had gone all out to offer her his spoils.
Maria asked hesitantly, “Doris, what do you do with the game you receive?”
“We take it home, have the servants prepare it, and use the leather and meat separately.”
Even after hearing my answer, Maria still looked troubled. I guessed the reason and asked her directly.
“Are you worried your uncle will be upset?”
“Yes... He told me to find a suitable man.”
“What’s done is done. Why not suggest donating the leather in your uncle’s name when the game is prepared? It’ll raise his reputation, and he might be pleased.”
“Oh...! That’s a great idea, Doris!”
I was briefly pleased to have helped Maria, but then she asked an innocent question that hit me like a hammer.
“What kind of animal did you get?”
“....”
Her assumption that I must have received something was so pure it hurt.
“Um... nothing.”
“Really? I’m sorry!”
“Wait, seriously?”
A familiar voice interrupted us.
It was Rick Ray.
Dressed like a hunter from a painting, his casual attire complemented his brown hair perfectly.
He spoke with a mischievous grin.
“I was under the impression you had a wonderful fiancé. Did I get that wrong?”
“You know how busy he’s been. He didn’t have time.”
“True, but even I managed to catch something despite being busy.”
Rick held up a rabbit. It was large and plump, almost as big as a Welsh corgi.
It looked a bit pitiful, but hold on! There’s a bigger issue here!
“Rick! Are you crazy? This is the royal hunting ground!”
You’re not even a participant, and poaching in a noble-owned forest is a serious crime!
Rick shrugged casually.
“I was helping as a beater for the nobles and got this as payment. The guards turned a blind eye to something this small.”
“Oh...”
“Would you like it? It’s just a bonus catch, so it can’t be formally registered as tournament spoils, but it might stop your family from scolding you for coming back empty-handed.”
“Rick! That’s so rude!” Maria protested in horror.
But the truth stung, and I couldn’t muster a scolding. Instead, I let out a faint laugh.
Should I take it or not?
As I hesitated, a voice called out from behind me.
“Doris Redfield.”
My instincts wanted to be glad, but my logic screamed, You shouldn’t be.
The owner of the voice was...
“Prince Tristan.”