When they finally reached the tournament's base camp, Andrew and Lusian went their separate ways.
The moment Lusian stepped into House Douglas's tent, a hand grabbed his cheek.
"Ow!"
Sofia pinched him hard before glaring at him.
"What on earth were you thinking?"
Lusian looked away.
"...Mother?"
"Don't try to change the subject." She pinched his cheek again. "Why did you do something so reckless? Do you have any idea how worried I was?"
Lusian answered with complete calm.
"I was never in any danger. Everything was under control."
Sofia stared at him for several seconds.
She didn't believe a single word.
Too many things didn't add up.
At last, she asked the question that had been bothering her the most.
"Then explain something to me."
Lusian looked up.
"Why did you send Umbra to follow Prince Andrew?"
A brief silence followed.
"Umbra was bored."
Sofia remained perfectly still.
"..."
Lusian cleared his throat.
"Well..."
He rubbed the cheek that still hurt.
"Maybe I went to tease him a little."
Sofia let out a long sigh before finally releasing his face.
"One day you're going to stop giving me these scares..."
Despite everything, she decided not to press the issue.
She knew her son too well.
When he didn't want to talk, no one could force him.
Besides...
He had saved the crown prince.
Whether it had been coincidence, intuition, or for reasons he still refused to reveal, that much was undeniable.
As night fell, the king gathered all the participants at the tournament camp.
The tension of the hunt had faded, replaced by the murmur of nobles, the glow of campfires, and the anticipation of the final results.
After offering a few words of praise for the participants and expressing his condolences for those who had lost their lives during the tournament, the king made another announcement.
"In two days, the royal palace will host a banquet to celebrate the conclusion of the tournament and welcome the new academic year at the Royal Academy."
A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd.
Every year, the banquet brought together the kingdom's most influential families. For many young nobles, it was their first opportunity to meet future classmates, professors, and even members of the royal family.
Then came the rankings.
House Douglas claimed first place with 160,000 points, earning the grand prize of one million gold coins.
House Bourlance finished second with 146,000 points, receiving 900,000 gold coins.
House Erkhan secured third place with 143,000 points and 800,000 gold coins, followed by House Sneider with 136,000 points and 700,000 gold coins.
Behind them came House Kesller with 124,000 points, House Denisse with 117,000, House Carter with 109,000, and finally House Mondrig with 107,000 points, completing the top eight and receiving their respective prizes.
As tradition dictated, those who failed to place among the top eight did not leave empty-handed.
Every participant received 20,000 gold coins for completing the tournament.
The results sparked mixed reactions.
Some families celebrated enthusiastically.
Others concealed their disappointment behind polite smiles.
Yet more than the prizes, everyone was talking about something else.
The attack on the crown prince.
But as always among the nobility, rumors traveled faster than the truth.
No one knew what had truly happened deep within the forest.
That had never stopped people from inventing their own versions.
Someone claimed they had seen the Douglas knights riding toward the crown prince's location.
Another insisted the fighting had begun shortly after Lusian disappeared from the main route.
By the time those stories spread from one camp to another, the original account had completely vanished.
Now there was only one rumor.
Lusian Douglas had attempted to assassinate Prince Andrew during the tournament.
Some repeated it with absolute conviction.
Others merely smiled and pretended not to believe it.
But no one bothered to stop the rumor.
After all...
To many people, hearing the name House Douglas and the word assassination in the same sentence sounded far more believable than any explanation.
In a private room inside a casino in the capital, a man was entertaining himself with several women when a knock came at the door.
The casino owner stood outside.
"My lord, I apologize for disturbing you."
"What is it?" the man replied impatiently.
"My lord, someone is here to see you."
"And who dares interrupt me?"
"Your men, my lord... the ones you sent on that mission."
"They're back? It's about time."
As they walked through the corridors, Ambrosio was careful not to offend the man. Thanks to him, he had earned enormous profits both in the Empire and within the kingdom.
"My lord, is everything to your satisfaction?" Ambrosio asked cautiously. "Would you like me to bring you more slave girls? Just say the word, and it would be my honor to oblige."
(Pathetic bootlicker... If I hadn't promised him an easy life, he wouldn't be nearly this obedient. Disgusting.)
"That's unnecessary. I'm fine for now," Marcus replied dismissively.
Inside a hidden chamber beneath the casino, twelve men knelt on the floor, dreading Marcus Valentine's reaction when they reported the mission's failure.
"Where's Nic?"
"I'm sorry, my lord... he died."
"What a shame. He had potential."
Marcus's expression darkened.
"And the mission?"
"We failed, my lord."
Marcus shot to his feet.
"WHAT?!"
His roar echoed through the chamber.
"You worthless idiots! You couldn't even kill a single brat?! What happened?"
"The Douglas boy showed up," one subordinate answered.
"Where are the others?"
"We're... the only survivors."
Marcus stared at them in disbelief.
"So you're telling me that thirty-eight Imperial soldiers died... and you still couldn't complete the mission?"
"I'm sorry, my lord," another man said, lowering his head. "We can retaliate. We could try to assassinate Lusian Douglas for interfering with the mission."
Marcus glared at him.
"You're an idiot."
His voice was cold enough to freeze the room.
"What exactly are you planning? March straight into five thousand highly trained Douglas soldiers?"
He took a step closer.
"Or sneak into their territory at night so you can be caught and tortured to death?"
Another step.
"Or perhaps assassinate him in broad daylight while he's walking through the capital, alerting every royal knight in the kingdom to our presence?"
The subordinate lowered his head even further.
"Forgive my ignorance, my lord... We await your orders."
Marcus clicked his tongue.
"Contact the Denisse family and tell them to halt everything."
His gaze hardened.
"Not a single move."
"This failure will put the king on alert."
A cold smile crossed his face.
"And once that happens..."
"They'll unleash their hunting dogs."
"...the Douglas."
"Yes, my lord."
Once he was alone, Marcus clenched his fists.
He cursed his rotten luck as silence settled over the hidden chamber beneath the casino.