In an instant, all the pessimistic imaginations and optimistic predictions in his head shattered and disappeared.
When he came back to his senses, Tristan was already carrying Dory in his arms, heading toward the royal infirmary tent. He summoned a doctor to deal with the immediate crisis and listened to the explanation of what had happened.
Dory's account was brief.
"I tripped. Looks like my arm got scratched on a thick tree branch or something."
'Sure it did.'
It didn't even cover half of what must have actually happened.
But Tristan didn't press her further.
'Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it.'
On the large bed in the royal infirmary, Dory's frail figure caught his eye.
What on earth had this delicate body gone through?
Was it an animal? Or a person?
If it was someone less than human, someone who dragged her through the mud—Tristan swore he would find that person and toss them into the valley stream.
His anger overshadowed any disappointment he felt upon hearing that Dory had lost the gift.
What bothered him more was the look of regret on her face.
'Was Dory looking forward to giving me the gift?'
Of course, she must have been. It was only natural. It was every lady's dream to hand a small token to her partner before a fight and wish them luck with a "Please take care of yourself". As his fiancée, Dory must have been looking forward to it too.
'All the more reason to catch that d*mn alpha wolf.'
But first things first.
Once he confirmed that Dory's expression had eased, Tristan left the royal infirmary tent.
Though he didn't tell her, his destination was already decided.
'I'll go to the spot where Dory fell.'
There were enough clues to figure it out.
"They asked me to mind a small tent in the corner."
She hadn't mentioned it during the day but brought it up now. Something must have happened near that small tent.
Tristan recalled the locations of the small tents assigned to groups of four or fewer in the camp. There were five in total.
Next, he considered the second clue.
'Where could someone have slipped?'
Every path in the camp had been thoroughly maintained; he could vouch for that.
"The tents at the camp's edge were prepared with care, even along the outer perimeters in case of emergencies. This means Dory must have ventured near an area where maintenance was impossible or unnecessary."
The range narrowed immediately.
There was only one tent backed by the valley.
The Meyer family's tent, visited by only two people.
With a lantern and two hunting dogs, Tristan quickened his pace.
When he reached the Meyer family's tent, there was no sign of life. The entrance was securely tied, showing no signs of hasty opening or closing.
"Is anyone there?"
Even with the lantern raised high, the tent appeared empty.
But beside the tent, there were traces—long and deliberate—that someone had tried to erase but hadn't managed to completely. They looked like drag marks.
'This is…!'
Realization struck as the hunting dogs barked sharply, their noses pointing toward the valley below.
No further deliberation was needed. Tristan slid down a gentler slope and followed the dogs. They quickly found their target.
A man, half-floating in the water, groaned weakly. To Tristan's surprise, he recognized him.
"Ugh…"
"Alex?"
"T… Tristan? Help… me…"
Tristan calmly assessed his condition. He knew a little about emergency medicine.
"Move your feet."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
"You… Your friend's hurt and you—ow, ow, ow!"
Tristan grabbed Alex's ankle and twisted it slightly. It moved. Good, his spine was fine.
Without hesitation, Tristan hoisted Alex over his shoulder. Though he expected some noise, Alex could only squirm weakly, unable to cry out.
Following the path illuminated by the dogs ahead, Tristan moved steadily. Alex groaned.
"Slow down… D*mn it, my ribs hurt."
Hearing coherent sentences was a relief. That meant Alex could survive this.
Good, because Tristan had questions.
"Alex. What did you do?"
"What? Why do you assume I did something wrong? I was hunting and slipped, obviously."
"You'd never hunt alone without a beater. What were you doing at the Meyer family's tent?"
The questions grew sharper. Without time to prepare, Alex squirmed.
"Hah…"
"Let's not waste each other's time. Does it have anything to do with the rabbit you caught alive?"
"When did you become a detective, Your Highness?"
After some groaning, Alex clenched his teeth and confessed.
"It was because of you."
"What?"
"You. At the beginning of the season, you boasted about marrying Maria Meyer and told me to bet on it."
"…I did."
It was a meaningless joke from months ago, exchanged during idle chatter at the club. Back then, wasting time and money at the club had seemed fun. Now, just recalling it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
But Alex didn't stop talking.
"Now, they're saying you don't even talk to Maria at banquets anymore. You've stopped sending her flowers. Do you even want her?"
Tristan stayed silent.
Did he?
The most beautiful woman in society. If she were by my side, it would surely inspire envy at any event in any country.
Yet, for some reason, when I imagine myself attending an event now…
Not even considering the gazes of others, the one at the end of his smiling gaze is…
"…That shouldn't matter right now."
Tristan clenched his teeth, scattering the messy thoughts.
"Why the hell are we talking about my wager in this situation?"
"Why? Because my money is riding on your marriage! And since you seemed overwhelmed by that pretty-faced lady, I thought I'd make things easier for you!"
"Easier?"
"With a scandal. One good scandal, and that stuck-up attitude would crumble."
Alex chuckled nastily.
"I tossed a wounded rabbit into the tent. If Maria screamed, I planned to go in pretending to help and spend a little time alone with her. Once the rumors spread about the two of us being alone in the tent, I could craft any story I wanted."
"What?"
"Oh, I wasn't going to touch her! Absolutely not! But I figured if there were some rumors about me and her, her pride might take a hit, and you'd have an easier time approaching her… That was the idea."
The campfire flickered in the distance, its light shimmering faintly now. Alex didn't notice Tristan's slowing steps and continued speaking.
"Right after throwing the rabbit into the tent, I failed. Someone struck the back of my head and pushed me into the valley."
"…"
"The culprit might be a maid from the Meyer family. I scratched her arm just before falling, so we can find her and make her pay—Tristan?"
Tristan stopped in his tracks and set Alex down. Alex staggered, biting his lip in pain.
"Ugh… Are you making me walk to the infirmary on my own now? My legs are fine, but—"
"No."
"What?"
Alex looked up at Tristan, confused. But instead of a reply, what he received was—
"…!"
Alex couldn't even scream.
The only thing he could grasp through the pain that struck like a flash was one realization: He wouldn't be walking to the infirmary anymore.
The burning agony in his shin from the broken bone under Tristan's boot was undeniable. And then, again—
Tristan reached down to pick up Alex, who writhed on the ground, not as a friend but as a former one, slinging him over his shoulder.
Rising abruptly, Tristan strode forward with a hardened expression.
In Alex's increasingly blurry vision, he didn't see the campfire's light anymore—only darkness.
"Tris…tan…!"
Tristan responded calmly.
"To keep a personal promise."
"What…?"
Dory may have already tossed Alex into the valley once, but surely there's no harm in an engaged man following his fiancée's example.
The hunting dogs, puzzled but obedient, followed Tristan.
And then he realized something important.
'I almost forgot.'
He also needed to retrieve the gift Dory had lost.
I didn't have much of an appetite. I hadn't even eaten dinner yet.
But maybe it was because I'd been busy since dawn—I ended up dozing off, tossing and turning in bed. When someone suddenly announced, "I'm coming in," I jolted awake in surprise.
"Eek!"
Oh no, my voice cracked.
In front of me, Tristan looked down with an exasperated expression.
"Your Highness!"
"You could sleep a little longer."
"What are you saying? The infirmary is for patients."
"Aren't you a patient?"
"My fever's gone, and the pain has disappeared. I think I can return now…"
I glanced around, searching for the doctor to prove my point, but the tent was empty.
Wait, where did the doctor go?
Tristan answered. "Looking for the doctor? They're working in the general infirmary right now."
"What? Did something happen?"
"A patient was found seriously injured at the bottom of the valley."
…No way. Surely not?
There's only one person who could have been found at the bottom of the valley!
Completely unaware of my thoughts, Tristan replied lightly.
"Don't worry. His arms and legs are all thoroughly broken, but his consciousness is clear enough to explain how he fell."
"How did he get hurt?"
"He said he tripped over his own feet."
"…Really?"
"Really."
Tristan poured himself a glass of water and added, "If I'd strengthened patrols earlier, this wouldn't have happened. Thanks to you, I've learned a valuable lesson."
'Can a fall alone break all your limbs? That wasn't how it went in the original story, was it?'
Unable to bring myself to question Tristan, who seemed content to wrap things up so neatly, I kept silent and watched him instead.
Even drinking water looks picturesque.
…But wait, what's that?
"Your Highness, what is that?"