39 “His Grace the Grand Duke is Quite the Avid Collector!”
“……Pardon? A collector?”
At that moment, Anette asked Samuel with a puzzled tone.
“Gah! Did I just say that out loud?”
In an instant, Samuel froze as if turned to ice.
“Well, you must have misheard……”
“No. I clearly heard the word ‘collector.’”
Samuel’s face turned pale as he tried, in vain, to scoop back the words that had spilled out.
“Haha……”
Should I just jump into the lake and end it all right now?
Wouldn’t that be better than dying at my lord’s hands?
Half-lost in thoughts of life and death, Samuel forced a laugh.
“D-Does His Grace the Grand Duke have some sort of collecting hobby?”
“……!”
Like a single ray of salvation, Anette’s cautious voice reached him.
It seemed the innocent princess, his lord’s fiancée, could not connect the missing handkerchief with the word “collection.”
Samuel, who had narrowly escaped disaster, looked at Anette with eyes full of gratitude and nodded vigorously.
“Yes! His Grace the Grand Duke is indeed a very enthusiastic collector! A collector!”
“Ah… What does he mostly collect?”
“Huh?”
Samuel felt a sudden wave of panic and swallowed hard.
If he mentioned “handkerchief” here, it would be over.
“His Grace collects various items, without discrimination. Haha.”
He answered with a laugh, expecting Anette to ask more, wondering if there was a particular type of item he focused on.
Samuel desperately tried to think of what kind of item would best fit the Grand Duke’s image……
“I see.”
Anette nodded lightly and resumed searching for her handkerchief.
“…….”
Watching Anette’s apparent indifference to Kardin, Samuel felt, for the first time, a pang of sympathy for his lord.
Yet, he did not realize that Anette’s attention had already shifted from the handkerchief to something else.
‘A collection…… He has a hobby of collecting things.’
Jewelry, expensive treasures, or perhaps weapons?
No, maybe refined items like fountain pens or rare books.
Compared to Kardin, who seemed to know her well, Anette worried that she knew nothing about him beyond the obvious—his rank and family ties.
Of course, she knew his tremendous birth secret, but learning these small details brought her more joy.
Still, she refrained from asking Samuel for more, because she wanted to hear it directly from Kardin later.
Of course, at this point, Anette could not imagine how arduous it would be to uncover this obsession.
The preparations for camping were completed in no time.
Even Anette, who prided herself on her own experience in camping as the former commander of the Hayworth Royal Knights, specializing in hunting monsters, could not help but be impressed by the proficiency of the Grand Duke’s knights.
Sitting in front of the campfire prepared by Kardin, Anette felt a strange excitement as she observed the orderly barracks and the knights diligently performing their duties.
Some of this familiarity stemmed from her own experience, and some from the psychological comfort of being near the regions where she had hunted monsters.
Her short legs wiggled restlessly on the ground, but she did not notice it, lost in thought.
Inevitably, memories of her hunts came to mind.
Though she had long engaged in monster hunting, the harsh conditions made every day feel extreme.
Many monster species were nocturnal or highly sensitive to sound, so there was no room to rest during the day or night. They could not even hunt normal animals near the monster swamps, relying on rationed preserved meat for meals.
Yet, Anette did not find these times entirely difficult. In truth, there were moments of enjoyment.
The Hayworth Royal Knights were not like the palace guard, who strictly verified noble status. If a person was skilled, they could be appointed a knight regardless of their social standing.
Furthermore, repeatedly risking their lives against monsters created a bond among the knights that transcended social differences.
The Grand Duke’s knights were more disciplined, but Anette cherished the freer atmosphere and camaraderie of the Hayworth Royal Knights.
Of course, she was always excluded from that camaraderie……
She remembered lying in her sleeping bag with a small brazier in her personal barracks, secretly listening to her subordinates’ conversations, feeling a sense of peace she never felt in the palace.
It was a feeling of truly being alive.
“Hey, did you hear that our budget increase for the knights got canceled again?”
“What? Really?”
“The palace guard was making such a fuss. Our proposal was finally rejected.”
“This is insane. Those guys do nothing and yet get higher pay than us……”
“Even with the commander running to the treasury repeatedly, it didn’t work.”
“Hey, who’s causing this to get blocked… can we even manage it?”
Until she overheard her subordinates’ secret conversation, she thought she was alone in struggling with the budget issue.
It was like a splash of cold water in the middle of her peaceful sleep.
She was shocked that they knew the king would not increase the budget because of her.
“My, I need to repay this month.”
“Sorry, I can’t lend it. It’s my daughter’s birthday.”
“I need to pay my parents’ medical bills too.”
“I didn’t ask to borrow…… I just thought maybe we could divert a little of the materials we obtained to repay debts.”
“This crazy person?”
“Who are you trying to sully?”
The Hayworth Royal Knights were supposed to hand over all monster parts to the palace. Keeping and selling them privately was a serious crime, punishable by expulsion and heavy fines.
Yet hearing her subordinates lament, Anette was momentarily at a loss, unable to scold them despite her position.
She just felt all her past efforts had been in vain……
“Princess.”
At that moment, Kardin, who had left to fetch food, returned and sat beside her.
Lost in thought, Anette startled at his voice.
Kardin looked at her kindly but was slightly anxious.
Just minutes ago, he had secretly watched her bouncing legs and quietly laughed.
The momentary lightness faded, replaced by the shadows of the flickering fire across her face, and his heart sank.
Anette’s youthful face briefly looked like her true self.
Seeing the intense loneliness and sorrow in her eyes, he could not leave her alone and hurried forward.
Fortunately, the somber atmosphere quickly lifted as he spoke, but Kardin felt his mouth go dry.
“What were you thinking about?”
“Huh? Nothing in particular……”
About to answer casually, Anette hesitated under his penetrating gaze, then asked,
“Are monster parts usually sold for a high price?”
“……Huh?”
“I heard that in the Alkan Empire, mercenaries or monster hunters can trade parts individually……”
Unlike Hayworth, which banned private trade and controlled all monster parts through the royal office, in Alkan, civilians could legally sell them if not affiliated with a knightly order.
Since the Grand Duke commanded the Hargent knights that hunted monsters, she assumed he would know about pricing.
“Hmm… considering the weapons made from monsters, the prices are reasonable.”
“……?”
Anette tilted her head at Kardin’s vague answer.
She had only hunted monsters herself and did not know their market value.
She certainly had no idea how expensive weapons made from monster parts might be, so his answer left her unsure.
Yet Kardin avoided her curious gaze, refusing to give a proper explanation.
He was uncomfortable because he hadn’t expected her to ask about the prices and because the mention of mercenaries hit a nerve.
