Taming The Villainesses

Episode 273.1

The hot summer dragged on.

But despite the scorching sun, incidents still happen, and there were always tasks that needed to be handled.

━Did you hear? Apparently, Sir Theo and Lord Reinhardt had a big fight in the training grounds not too long ago.

━Wasn’t that just a rumor? I saw them both at work today, talking as usual.

━I heard they even went hunting together yesterday.

When I listened closely, I could hear the voices of the maids gossiping. Having overheard similar conversations countless times over the past few days, it no longer fazed me.

“So, with the amount seized from the Bellhawk family, we’ve decided to proceed with the martial festival in the Northern territory. We’ll decide which business will organize the event later.”

As the court meeting concluded in the afternoon, and I was gathering my notes and preparing to leave the meeting room, someone placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Sir Theo, I heard everything. You handled the funding issue for the martial festival quite impressively.”

A large hand, a towering figure, and a deep, resonant voice paired with a gaze as sharp as a beast’s—this was Chancellor Reinhardt, the second most powerful man in the court.

“…Lord Reinhardt.”

“If you have some time, I was thinking we could have lunch together. What do you say?”

“… Um.”

“I’ve already made a reservation at the court. Let’s head there.”

With his hand nudging my shoulder, I had no choice but to follow him to the restaurant he had reserved. As we walked side by side, the whispers around us grew louder.

━They seem to be getting along well, don’t they?

━Didn’t they have a fight?

That’s how it would seem.

On the surface, Reinhardt and I were on good terms after our confrontation, without any lingering resentment. The problem, though, was that the lack of tension was starting to make me increasingly uneasy.

“Every day, I have lunch here. How about a drink? I heard you’ve taken the afternoon off, so there’s no harm in indulging a bit.”

“… As you know, I don’t drink alcohol.”

“Is that so? Fair enough. I also heard you’ve taken some time off this weekend. Coincidentally, I’m free this weekend as well.”

“… Um, I see.”

“I noticed during the last hunt, you handled the falcons quite well. Did you use some kind of magic to control them?”

“I just managed to catch a few rabbits.”

“You caught four. One of them was a horned rabbit about a meter long. They usually hide in their burrows and are rarely seen, but you managed to snag one.”

“Well, the falcons did most of the work.”

Yesterday, Reinhardt invited me on a hunt, so I accompanied him through the forest on the Lioness family’s estate.

At first, I wondered, ‘Is he using this hunt as an excuse to kill me?’ After all, many have died from ‘suddenly’ falling off their horses or from a stray arrow while hunting. 

However, the hunt proceeded normally, and I was able to train birds of prey using my ‘bird taming magic’ to catch several rabbits.

It seems Reinhardt had taken note of that.

Reinhardt chuckled.

“We recently seized a few goshawks from the Bellhawk family’s laboratory. I was thinking of letting them stretch their wings and skills by going falcon hunting in a forest I own nearby.”

Was he suggesting another hunt for the weekend?

For a moment, I wondered if there was some hidden agenda. But then I realized that Reinhardt’s offer was simply out of genuine goodwill. 

The Lioness family were straightforward and fiery in nature, but once the problem was resolved, they don’t hold grudges or keep pushing further.

The weekend, huh?

Hunting was enjoyable. There was something special about roasting and eating the rabbits I had personally caught.

“Hmm…”

I didn’t have any specific plans, to be honest.

While I was pondering it over, Reinhardt spoke with a subtle tone.

“If we show people that Sir Theo and I are getting along well, they won’t bother us anymore, right?”

“That’s true.”

As I was mulling over the idea, someone appeared in the dining room and pulled out the chair next to me. Then said this to Reinhardt.

“Theo already has plans with me this weekend. He can’t go hunting.”

It was Elga, the Young Lady of the Lioness family, dressed in her red uniform. Looking at the red medals hanging on her shoulder, it seems that the award ceremony went well.

I decided to greet her casually.

“Elga-nim, congratulations on receiving the medal.”

“Ah, oh.”

Elga received a medal from Aira at the palace this morning. It was, of course, in recognition of her significant contribution to stopping the secret experiments and frenzy that took place in the Belhawk family.

Elga herself didn’t seem too thrilled about it, responding rather indifferently. For the record, the Draco twins and I also received rewards for our efforts. 

In my case, I was also awarded a rather generous two-day vacation.

It was during this awarded break that Reinhardt had suggested the hunting trip.

“You have plans for the weekend?” 

As Reinhardt frowned, Elga responded, “Yeah, just something. Anyway, he can’t go hunting this weekend, that’s that.”

Caught between the father and daughter, I found myself in an awkward position. So, I just quietly sipped my water.