If You Wish For A Married Couple’s Duties - Episode 104

“Leonhart?”

Surprised, Dooha blinked as she looked at the duke, who’d suddenly approached her.

She felt strange looking down at him from her position on the horse’s back.

It’s because she’d never looked downwards at the duke, who was taller than most.

“Leonhart, what’s wrong?”

“I have something to give you.”

“Did I forget something?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Leonhart took something from within his chest pocket and handed it to her.

“It’s customary for a woman to give a handkerchief, but since our positions have been switched, our roles should also change.”

“This is…”

It was a sky blue handkerchief.

A pair of eagles that were tightly holding onto each other’s feet was embroidered at the edge, like it was soaring in the wind.

It looked similar to the embroidery on the tapestry that Dooha made for the carnival.

It seems like he remembered Dooha words of regret after burning it as tribute.

“When did you have the time to prepare all of this?”

“My hands were idle because I didn’t have a reason to subjugate monsters while in the imperial castle.”

Leonhart whispered softly into the ear of Dooha, who was bowing her head in his direction.

“I’d embroidered this myself, so it’ll be troublesome if you lose it.”

The duke took a step back and grinned with his hands behind his back.

“Then take care, Madam.”

Dooha held the handkerchief tightly in her hand as she raised both of her eyebrows.

She couldn’t afford to lose, since she’d gained so much support from her husband.

After a long time, the desire to win filled a corner of her heart.

Internally, she made up her mind.

To ensure that the Esbaden ducal family wins this year’s hunting contest.

“What did the Duke just do?”

“I think he just gave the duchess a handkerchief.”

“Oh my, my goodness. The Duke of Esbaden?”

Meanwhile, the nobles that were gathered at the hunting grounds were shocked by the ducal couple’s words and actions.

As gifting a handkerchief was an act of courtship in itself, exchanging handkerchiefs between married couples was impossible without a harmonious marital relationship.

Furthermore, if the person doing the gifting was the husband, words like ‘good-for-nothing’ would be heard from the aristocratic men.

“My, how romantic.”

“No one’s husband can compare to him.”

“Even the Duke of Esbaden, who is such a stony person, is so good to his wife……”

Thanks to that, the aristocratic men that were gathered in the hunting grounds that day could only accept their wives’ glare.

Even before the hunting contest officially began, the Esbaden ducal couple garnered attention for unintended reasons.

* * *

Whoosh, Thunk!

“Bull’s eye!”

One of the people in the hunting grounds raised a white flag, signalling a successful hunt.

“The Duchess of Esbaden has caught a stag!”

“The Duchess of Esbaden again?”

“As expected from a Bashalian……”

Less than an hour after the nobles entered the hunting grounds, the Duchess of Esbaden’s record was ahead of everyone else’s.

Every arrow she let fly hit their mark without missing.

“That’s amazing, Duchess. Everything that the Duke of Esbaden has mentioned was the truth, it seems. In my entire life, I’ve never seen anyone that’s as good of an archer as you.”

“I’m flattered, Your Highness.”

As soon as the competition began, the first princess, Julia, approached Dooha and it didn’t seem like she’d leave.

She just continued to observe Dooha’s archery skills, without any intention of doing any hunting.

Whenever Dooha’s arrows hit a prey, there wasn’t anyone in the audience that wouldn’t clap enthusiastically.

“But Your Highness, aren’t you going to hunt?”

“I don’t have any talent in archery. Besides, it’ll be more helpful if I remained still, since magic can’t be used in hunting contests.”

The use of magic in imperial hunting contests was strictly prohibited.

It was due to the stereotype that a majority of the people were of the opinion that magic was the cause of the suspicious casualties that occur whenever the contest is held.

It became so severe that various devices to disperse mana were planted all over the imperial hunting grounds.

Thanks to this, wizards weren’t as strong as they were in the imperial hunting grounds.

“Also, the knights will hunt on my behalf.”

Julia pointed at the knights that were diligently shooting arrows a short distance away.

The archery skills of the escorts under the princess’s direct command were quite sightworthy.

Even though they were no match for Dooha, the amount of quarry they’d caught wasn’t small.

“I’ll just watch Madam’s archery skills. Am I a bother to you?”

“How can that be?”

Was it that interesting to watch someone shoot arrows?

‘Is this her so-called ‘eccentric side’?’

Dooha drew the bowstring back with a smile.

Although she still didn’t know what the princess was thinking, she didn’t feel any murderous or malicious intent.

“Honestly, there’s no quarry to catch because the ones that have caught my eye were taken first.”

Unlike the owner of that annoying voice.

“Please go easier, Sister.”

“There’s no such thing as going easy when you’re in a competition. If you don’t like it, you should go somewhere else, but you’re picking a fight for no reason in particular.”

“It’s a pity that all the other nobles have already secured good spots, which is why I’ve come here, Sister.”

Justin nudged his horse to the princess’s other side and smiled.

His gaze was on Dooha, who was next to the princess.

“It hasn’t been even a few hours since the competition started, but you’ve managed to catch so much. Duchess Esbaden. You’re amazing.”

Since it was the empire’s largest imperial hunting grounds, she’d hoped that she wouldn’t encounter that hellion prince while hunting.

Dooha let out a sigh secretly.

As expected, things just won’t go the way she wants it to.

“…It was just due to luck, Your Highness.”

“What are you being humble for? No matter how much luck I have, I won’t be able to keep up with the archery skills of the Duchess, who was born in Bashal.”

Justin frowned and nocked an arrow on the bow in his hands.

“My archery skills are still far from adequate, because I started learning swordsmanship at an early age.”

He pulled the bowstring with all his might.

The hand that was holding the bow trembled noticeably.

It was quite an awkward move that anyone could tell it was being done on purpose.

“Look, I can’t even pull the bowstring properly……”

Just before Justin could finish speaking.

His arrow shot out like an unseeing horse, perhaps because his fingertips lost strength.

Swoosh, Thwack.

Julia frowned at the arrow that split into two before her eyes.

If it weren’t for Dooha, who’d reflexively drew her dagger and swung at the approaching arrow from her position beside Julia, it would have hit her in the shoulder.

The princess’s escort knights, who’d been hunting, belatedly drew their swords and came in between them.

“You…”

“Oh my God! Sister, are you alright?”

Justin looked at his furious sister, and made a fuss like he didn’t know anything.

“I can’t believe this stupid brother had almost mistakenly injured Sister! Whatever shall I do to atone for this sin? I’m really sorry.”

He put his hand on his chest and bowed his head with a pitiable face.

“If you want, I’ll hand over all the quarry that I’ve hunted so far. Of course, it won’t be enough to appease your anger…”

“I’ll believe that it was just a mistake, so zip that mouth of yours and get out of my sight.”

Julia replied frigidly.

“Because I don’t have any intention of going along with your cheap provocation.”

“It really was a mistake. What do you mean, cheap provocation?”

Justin frowned like he felt aggrieved.

“Even if I get more support from others than Sister, how can you be so strict and cold-hearted to me? Are you taking it out on me because I’m the empress’s son? But it isn’t my fault that Sister is the daughter of an imperial concubine!”

“Go ahead and continue yapping.”

“Sister, you’re always like that! You’d always disparage others mercilessly for even the slightest mistake. Not everyone is lucky enough to be born as a genius like Sister! How can you act so narrow-mindedly?”

As his voice grew louder, the attention of the surrounding aristocrats were drawn to him.

They were originally rather interested in the encounter between the only children of the imperial family, so the moment a disturbance occurred, their interest only increased without decreasing.

“Hoh?”

Julia scoffed at her brother’s obvious trick.

It seems like he has gone out of his mind, to insist on talking about the circumstances of their birth before an audience.

Or perhaps he just had the wicked intention of humiliating her.

“And the reason that nobles support me isn’t because I’m the empress’s son, but because Sister is the imperial concubine’s daughter. It’s just because they think I’m better than Sister as their lord’s talented son.”

While thinking of seeing how long he’ll continue to spout nonsense, Julia sat on the sidelines and watched her brother.

“Honestly, we can’t allow a weak woman that can’t even bear descendants in the emperor’s position…”

Just as the princess’s face paled at the unexpected remarks which crossed the line.

Swoosh, Thunk!

Justin’s horse was startled by the arrow that landed near its feet and bucked wildly.

“Arghhh—!”

He fell off his horse with a scream.

“Your Highness Justin!”

“Your Highness!”

In the unprecedented situation where the prince fell off his horse, the escort knights that accompanied him paled and rushed up to him.

Fortunately, Justin was not seriously injured, but his face greeted the ground first, instantly making him look shabby.

“W, W, Wha—! What do you think you’re doing now!”

He got up with the knights’ assistance and shouted in a voice loud enough to travel out of the hunting ground.

“How dare you shoot an arrow at the prince? What on earth is wrong with your head?”

Justin’s eyes burned with shame and anger.

“Answer me, Duchess of Esbaden!”

The opposite side of him was Dooha, who stared at him coldly with a raised bow.