"Huh? W-What? All of a sudden? Aren't you supposed to go give your gift to your hunter?"
"Well… I'm not ready yet. Just thinking about it makes my heart race."
Maria said this with a bright red face.
"U-Um, if it's alright, could I come along when you give your handkerchief? I feel like seeing you do it might give me a bit of courage."
No way.
The truth is, I'm just as scared of giving Tristan such a cliché gift.
And there's an even more important reason.
In the original story, Maria doesn't manage to give Arthur her gift on time.
This was because of something her uncle said: 'Give your gift to a man who isn't popular. Choosing someone with high competition and returning empty-handed would be a disaster!'
While Maria hesitated, Arthur refused gifts from other ladies and entered the hunt empty-handed. But…
In a classic turn of events, he ended up receiving Maria's handkerchief anyway.
You know, that clichéd scene where the male lead gets injured protecting the female lead, and she uses her handkerchief to bandage his wound.
Right now is not the time for her to give it!
I quickly came up with an excuse.
"For your sake, Maria, it's better not to. The person I'm giving my handkerchief to is none other than Prince Tristan."
"Huh?"
"You know how he's been… uh… overbearingly attentive to you since the start of the season? Of course, I plan to do my best to… adjust his behavior moving forward."
"…"
"But for now, I'm worried he might bother you again and make you uncomfortable—"
Maria shook her head and said something unexpected.
"Well… to be honest, it's true that he was a bit overbearing early in the season."
"Exactly! He kept asking you to dance until you finally gave in!"
"But that kind of attention has stopped for a while now. I can't even remember the last time he sent me an invitation to a ball."
Wait, what?
"Think about it, Dory. At the royal party in May, where we first met, the prince avoided dancing with me, didn't he?"
"That's… true, but…"
"The prince isn't interested in me anymore."
Maria's expression was completely sincere.
"Like many young noblemen, his initial enthusiasm was fleeting and just happened to land on me for a moment. You don't have to worry anymore."
"…Thank you."
I replied, but doubt still lingered in my mind.
Tristan doesn't seem like the type to come to his senses this quickly.
If he has come to his senses, that's a relief on a human level—but it's troubling from the perspective of the original story!
As I mulled over this, Maria cautiously asked a surprising question.
"By the way, who's your sister planning to give her gift to?"
Why is she asking this?
I found it odd but answered honestly.
"She's not planning on giving anyone a gift. She thinks the very act of accepting a gift from her is a favor in itself."
"Wow, that's impressive. That attitude really adds to Lady Natalie's commanding elegance."
Maria, who genuinely admired Natalie, then revealed the true reason for her earlier question.
"Actually… my uncle mentioned that the Count and Countess of Redfield seem to want a connection through marriage with the young duke."
Ah, so even the Meyer family knows.
It's obvious—anyone could see my parents' desperation from the way they suddenly threw a party as if announcing, 'Arthur, please come meet your future in-laws!'
I nodded.
"Yes, they're doing everything they can to marry him into the family. Not that it'll ever happen!"
"Why not?"
"Neither my sister nor I are interested in him. He's a good person, but we don't see him as anything more than a friend."
"Don't your parents say anything about that?"
I shrugged.
"They've probably said it a million times. But who cares? I'm more afraid of a future where I hate myself for ignoring my own feelings than one where my parents are disappointed in me."
"Wow…"
Maria's eyes sparkled.
"Dory, you're amazing!"
Even the maid beside her nodded in agreement, which made me feel a bit embarrassed.
"It's really not that impressive."
"Don't be modest! Most of what I've heard about marriage in high society is all about matching family status or meeting parents' standards. You're the first to talk about the importance of feelings!"
I'm sorry, but that's not it! I'm just a practical person settling for a lottery third prize instead of chasing an impossible jackpot!
But Maria's eyes were shining like someone seeing hope in a world of dirty adults…
And that made me nervous.
"Dory, thank you. You've given me courage."
"Uh…"
"I think I can be honest with you. You probably guessed already, but the person I really want to give my gift to is Arthur… the young duke."
I know.
"Even if I don't get anything in return, I want to give him my gift—for the sake of my own feelings!"
Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
That's my life in a nutshell!
But my brain quickly found the escape button.
"Calm down, Maria. It's not the right time yet."
"Huh?"
"Don't you remember what your uncle said? You should give your gift to someone who isn't popular."
"Of course I remember."
"If you go to give your gift to the young duke now, with everyone on edge about who is giving gifts to whom, your uncle will undoubtedly hear about it by tomorrow. He'll know his niece disobeyed his orders!"
Maria's delicate fingers gripped the box tightly.
"Then what should I do?"
"Let's aim for tonight. The evening banquet will be dark and bustling—it'll be easy to find a moment to meet him alone. If things get tricky, I'll help you!"
"Dory…!"
Maria's eyes sparkled with gratitude, piercing my conscience like a dagger.
It's fine; I'm not doing anything wrong, right?
Maria will have a lovely time with Arthur tonight. I'm sure of it!
***
After the topic of gifts was settled, the three of us, cramped in the tiny tent with nothing to do, decided to explore the surroundings before the opening ceremony began.
Between the tents, a pinkish atmosphere lingered in the air.
"This is a token of my heart. Please return safely."
"Just returning safely won't do. I'll come back bearing a fox pelt worthy of adorning your neck."
Of course, it'd be nice if all this excitement ended in one-on-one connections, but most of the time, emotions missed their mark, and people brushed past each other.
Men pretended to check their bows but stiffened at the faintest rustle of skirts. If a lady walked past without giving them anything, they'd gaze longingly at her retreating figure.
Are you baby ducklings just born? And born again every time a woman passes by?
Meanwhile, some tents, like Arthur Albion's, were surrounded by flocks of ladies competing with one another.
But contrary to expectations, gifts didn't pile up like clouds.
One lady called out to Arthur in frustration.
"Young Duke, why are you refusing my gift?"
"Because I cannot return a gift that matches the sincerity of your feelings, my lady."
"I don't expect anything in return! Please, just look at the handkerchief I embroidered…"
"Nothing is heavier than a heart that expects nothing. Please, grant me the favor of not disappointing you further."
The lady, after much back-and-forth, finally turned on her heel and stormed away, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Beside me, Maria let out a heavy sigh, laden with mixed emotions.
"Whew… Dory, thanks for the advice earlier. I don't think I could give him a gift in an atmosphere like this."
"You're welcome. Just take your time until tonight."
Arthur's tone had grown much smoother than before. He must've had plenty of practice turning down confessions.
He would undoubtedly accept Maria's gift…
But Maria might find the situation even more overwhelming.
Actually, just standing here is overwhelming.
All around us, whispers from ladies and their maids or friends drifted over from those hesitating to approach Arthur's tent.
"When he comes to resupply water during the hunt, wouldn't he have no choice but to accept if we forced it on him?"
"Why not give it to him at the evening banquet instead? He might be more receptive under the influence of the mood."
Just listening to them was making me feel uneasy.
I turned to Maria.
"Shall we head back—?"
Wait.
The spot where Maria had been standing was now empty.
Where did she go?
Panicked, I scanned the area, only to catch a glimpse of the young maid's skirt disappearing behind a tent.
She's outright hiding.
Could it be…?
"Looking for someone, Dory Redfield?"
...Not you, Tristan.
Right. The ducal family's tent is near the royal tent.
In my unprepared state, I'd made a mistake.
"I asked what you're looking for."
His voice sounded slightly tense—probably just my nerves projecting onto him.
Why are you here already? I haven't even figured out how to handle your gift!
"Well, I… I thought it was about time for the opening ceremony, so I stepped out—"
"Then you must have some free time. Let's take a walk."
"What? Aren't you busy preparing for the ceremony?"
"I can spare a moment for my fiancée."