* * *

Though he himself wasn’t aware of just how popular he was, Aldin was quite well-liked.

Despite the stigma of being a bastard.

Regardless of his illegitimacy, he had been entered into the registry of a ducal household. And he even graduated top of his class from the academy, overcoming all odds.

With the level of his swordsmanship skills, he was called a naturally gifted genius. His unique aura created a mysterious atmosphere around him.

A man reminiscent of the night.

Despite training under the sun every day, he had starkly pale skin contrasted by jet-black hair. His deep purple eyes were filled with melancholy.

Aldin’s inherently somber aura made him all the more enigmatic.

A handsome man with a melancholy impression. He didn’t easily open up to anyone except his friends.

An unbreakable fortress.

Aldin’s followers couldn’t easily approach him, but they supported him nonetheless.

They tried to encounter him by chance, and on the days of big events like the hunting competition, they stayed up all night embroidering handkerchiefs for him.

“…? Thank you.”

However, the reaction they received—even after handing him a handkerchief—was nothing but dry. Still though, his followers liked even that dry response.

Aldin was aware of the many people following him but didn’t care.

After all, they weren’t important to him.

But this time was different.

This year, he received a handkerchief from Violet.

Therefore, he felt compelled to produce results he wouldn’t be ashamed of.

It was a simple conclusion.

Especially since Violet seemed uneasy after Aileen’s appearance, he wanted to create a pleasant memory to make up for it.

After Violet left, Aileen approached him, but Aldin immediately dismissed her.

It was amusing to see her gossiping with other young ladies, saying, “Ah, you’re Aesir’s…”

She said such a thing, leaving the latter half of the sentence to one’s imagination—a sweet smile adorned upon her lips the entire time.

How ironic, especially when she herself couldn’t really speak on the matter of lineage.

He kept other girls’ handkerchiefs out of courtesy, but tied only Violet’s handkerchief carefully around the hilt of his sword.

Then, as usual, he drew out his senses and started his hunt for monsters.

Aldin generally lacked interest in other people—except for matters related to Violet. As long as it didn’t cause him harm, he typically ignored what was happening around him. So, he disregarded his competition in this hunt.

As he was intensely focused on hunting, a commotion erupted from somewhere. Curious, he moved towards the noise and spotted something rushing away in the distance.

They were clearly suspicious.

Black masks, attire unlike that of the nobles participating in the hunting competition.

Infiltrating and causing chaos in an imperially hosted hunting event…

Those responsible would face execution for treason if caught.

‘I should report this.’

While observing the suspicious figures, Aldin’s pupils suddenly dilated.

Had he only seen the suspicious ones, he would have reported to any imperial official and continued his tasks.

But his excellent vision also caught sight of one particular thing.

Silver hair, fluttering among those suspicious figures.

Masked ruffians and the person they were carrying like a piece of luggage.

Although he couldn’t see the woman’s face from this far away, he hadn’t heard of any other silver-haired ladies participating in the hunting competition.

After that, any kind of logical thinking was impossible.

Without even confirming the exact situation, he impulsively followed the trail without reporting.

It was quite a distance, so he couldn’t catch up immediately, but his running feet didn’t hesitate.

The fact that this abduction was happening at imperial grounds was a significant issue, but something else irked him.

Who dares, to you.

Though he was here today to participate in the hunting competition, officially he was a knight. Standard procedure dictated that he must have first informed the knight order managing the event.

Yet, Aldin didn’t hesitate in his actions.

His primary concern was just one thing.

Violet’s safety.

Once he finally caught up to the ruffians, they were seemingly waiting for their companions, tossing the hostage aside as they chattered among themselves.

Approaching to verify what they were talking about, he realized they were confronting Violet.

Just the sight was enough to make it hard to control his anger.

But to make matters worse, blood was trickling from Violet’s neck.

The moment he confirmed that fact, without assessing the enemy’s skills or numbers, Aldin lunged forward.

“Keugh—!”

“Who’s there!?”

The person kicked by Aldin struggled to breathe. Suddenly, swords and clubs were directed at him.

“How dare…”

As he growled low in his throat, a cold silence fell. The raw anger in his voice made at least one of them tremble.

It’s obvious that they had to take down this unexpected opponent, and they knew that reinforcements were coming soon.

But that fact didn’t lend them an ounce of strength.

Like a razor-sharp blade, Aldin’s eyes glinted ferociously.

“Do you think you’ll get away from this unscathed?”