That evening, Ron returned to Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop in the City of Chaos.
Nora was in the kitchen cooking. Ron walked in, gently wrapped his arms around her from behind, and brought up the Spring Hunt, which would begin the day after tomorrow.
"I can go, and I'd like to go with you," Nora said while leaning back into his embrace, skillfully stir-frying as she spoke. "But I still have to manage the flower shop and the Magic Battle Arena, and the competition venue on Moonview Street is almost finished… I might not be able to leave."
Now fully accustomed to this kind of close conversation, Nora no longer acted shy or awkward like before.
Ron held her around the waist, his hands resting over her lower abdomen, his chin on top of her head as he softly suggested, "We can leave a couple of puppets at the shop and the arena. If anything urgent comes up, I'll handle it remotely."
"As for Moonview Street, Kiel and Guy can keep an eye on things. Nothing major should go wrong."
"You've been working hard lately—just treat this as a chance to relax."
"Otherwise, once late March hits, we'll probably get busy again. I don't want you getting exhausted."
Hearing this, Nora no longer insisted. She nodded happily, sweetness filling her expression.
Back in the living room, Huskie was studying Legendary Kill at the coffee table.
After drinking the resin water at noon, he had glimpsed a sliver of hope.
But that glimmer had vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
The feeling left him restless and frustrated.
In the end, he could only distract himself with cards.
"How did it feel at noon? Any effects?" Ron asked, shuffling the cards as he tidied up the deck.
Huskie answered honestly, "At first, there was a warm current in my lower abdomen. My damaged Battle Aura Vortex responded slightly… but it only lasted about ten seconds."
"This kind of thing takes time. No need to rush." Ron now had a rough idea of what a single drop of resin could do. He handed Huskie a few Character Cards and said, "Drink one cup a day from now on. Slowly recover. For now, let's play."
During dinner, Ron brought up the Spring Hunt with Sylvie and Yuna.
Afterward, Sylvie sought him out.
"Your Highness, there are some things you should know."
"Hm?" Ron looked puzzled.
"The recent movements of the military have gradually settled. The turmoil in the Empire over the past period has come to an end—for now."
"Some forces may now have the time to take actions targeting you."
"So please be mentally prepared."
Sylvie spoke seriously.
"I see… got it." Ron nodded.
It had been over two months since anything troublesome happened—he had almost forgotten about those people lurking in the shadows.
Back then, with Ron as the trigger, the military had carried out a sweeping purge across various factions.
Behind it, there had even been tacit approval from Emperor André III.
Those shadowy forces had undoubtedly suffered during this time.
Some had even been made examples of—reduced to empty shells, effectively destroyed.
But now, Ron held multiple identities: the Seventh Prince of the Empire, the Chosen of the Harvest Goddess, an honorary student of the Royal Capital First Military Academy, and a special assistant instructor at the Royal Capital Magic Academy.
On top of that, Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop in the Royal Capital had formed partnerships with countless factions, weaving an increasingly dense web of shared interests.
If those forces still wanted to target him, they would have to think very carefully.
In the end, it would most likely amount to nothing.
Sylvie's reminder was simply precautionary—she didn't actually expect anything serious to happen.
After she left, Ron returned to his study.
Using the Heartvine, he pulled a book from the shelf—Noble Hunting Travelogue—and leaned back in his chair, reading leisurely.
He had picked it up from a bookstore in the Royal Capital, along with many others, purely to pass the time.
He hadn't read this one yet, and since he would be heading to the Spring Hunt soon, it seemed like a good chance to learn some hunting tips.
But after just a few pages, his expression darkened.
Three men and three women are going on a hunting trip… how did that turn into a fight in the wilderness?
Skipping that section, Ron flipped to the next hunting record by the same count.
This time, it was one man and five women…
"…Was this written anonymously by Soren?" Ron's eye twitched as he flipped to the table of contents.
The title of the first entry read:
"The Importance of Male-Female Pairing During a Hunt"
At first glance, Ron had assumed it was about coordination and division of labor during hunting.
After reading it… he had a completely new understanding of the title.
The second entry:
"How to Handle a Large Number of 'Prey' During a Hunt"
It looked normal enough—but now Ron was highly suspicious of what "prey" actually referred to.
Having realized the true nature of Noble Hunting Travelogue, Ron gave up on learning any actual hunting techniques.
Once he dropped that expectation, though… the book became surprisingly entertaining.
Just as he was reading with great interest, a shadow dropped from the ceiling, condensing into Yuna's figure as she plopped down onto the desk.
She had taken on her mature form—long legs wrapped in trousers swaying idly in front of him.
Her white fox ears were exposed, and her tail swayed lazily behind her.
"Something you need?" Ron asked, pulling his gaze away.
"If you're going to the Spring Hunt, I'll follow you in secret," Yuna said bluntly.
Ron raised a brow. "You heard something? Someone's going to target me?"
"Just a precaution." Yuna shook her head. "My previous mission is done, and both puppets are back. My main body can go with you, while the puppets watch the shop."
"The Forest of Freyst sits at the junction of the Royal Capital, the western region, and the southern region. It's nothing like the heavily guarded Royal Capital."
"Especially deeper inside the forest—beasts aren't much of a threat, but man-made dangers are easier to create."
"It's better to stay cautious."
Ron had originally felt indifferent, but after hearing this, the Spring Hunt suddenly seemed… a bit dangerous.
"So this trip is risky for me?"
"Of course not." Yuna rolled her eyes, leaning back on her hands and crossing her legs. "I said it's just a precaution."
"If anyone wants to target you now, it's unlikely to be through physical means—it'll be political."
"Your flower shop is tied to too many interests, and the source of your plants is controlled solely by you. For every force that wants to deal with you, there are even more that want to protect you."
"As long as you don't do anything reckless, your safety is guaranteed."
"I'm just guarding against the possibility of someone doing something stupid out of desperation."
"Alright." Ron shrugged.
With a professional assassin like Yuna protecting him, along with his passive abilities and the Life Belt, his safety was more than secure.
And if things really went south, the system's temporary missions would warn him.
With hundreds of thousands in wealth points, he could always spend his way out of trouble.
"You reading something interesting?" Yuna suddenly asked.
Before Ron could react, she grabbed the Noble Hunting Travelogue from the Heartvine's suction hold and casually flipped through it.
Ron's expression changed instantly.
This is bad.
Sure enough, before he could snatch it back, Yuna leaned back, raising the book high above her head, looking at him with a teasing smile.
"Tsk tsk tsk~"
"So that's how it is~."
"No wonder you suddenly decided to go to the Spring Hunt."
"You had the invitation for ages and never mentioned it."
"And today you suddenly announce you're going."
"So it's because of this, huh?"
Ron's face darkened. "Put the book down first. I can explain—"
"No need." Yuna stuffed the book straight into her storage space. "As your aunt, it's my duty to confiscate inappropriate material."
Then she leaned forward again, planting one long leg onto Ron's knee, grinning.
"The book's confiscated—but if you want to play some games in the woods with little Nora during the hunt, I can stand guard for you~."
"You're overthinking it. That's not what I had in mind at all," Ron said, exasperated.
"Really?" Yuna glanced downward suspiciously. "It's been over a month, and you've just been sleeping beside her like a saint? Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"
"What are you even thinking!" Ron snapped, smacking her pale leg. "I'm perfectly healthy!"
"Who knows? No one's tested it." Yuna shrugged. "You can't ignore something like that."
Ron's eye twitched. He stopped arguing and directly controlled the Heartvine, sending its tendrils toward her.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Over a dozen vines wrapped around Yuna, their suction cups attaching to her limbs, torso, and neck, lifting her off the desk.
The sensation made her body go slightly limp, a strange tingling spreading as she instinctively squirmed—momentarily forgetting to escape.
"If you're done, get out. I'm reading—stop bothering me." Ron opened the study door and tossed her toward the hallway.
Yuna snapped back to her senses mid-air, dissolving into a shadow and disappearing into the floor, leaving behind a soft "hmph!"
At that moment, the bathroom door across the hall opened.
Nora stepped out, sleeves rolled up, revealing her smooth forearms, carrying a washbasin. Seeing the study door open, she tilted her head.
"Boss, why is the door open? Want me to close it?"
"…Just airing it out. No need."
"Oh."
Nora didn't think much of it. She went to the balcony and carefully hung up their clothes to dry—
Including some of Ron's more personal garments.
Afterward, she warmed two cups of milk, adding a spoonful of resin to each. Stirring them evenly, she brought them into the study and placed them on the desk.
Ron casually picked up one cup, took a sip—then quietly grabbed the other and took a sip from that too.
Nora caught him immediately, both amused and slightly shy. "Boss~ you're stealing again!"
"What's yours is mine—how is that stealing?" Ron replied confidently.
Nora lightly tapped his shoulder, smiling as she continued browsing the bookshelf.
After a moment, she frowned slightly. "Strange… I remember seeing a book called Noble Hunting Travelogue a few days ago. Where did it go?"
Ron immediately broke into a cold sweat. "Why are you looking for that one?"
"Oh, nothing much," Nora said, pulling another book from the shelf. "Since we're going to the Spring Hunt, I thought I'd read something related to prepare."
Watching her sit beside him with the new book, Ron thought to himself—good thing you didn't find it…
Otherwise, you'd end up learning some very strange things.
Just like last time with The Viscountess's Rise Diary.
"Probably got mixed in when we sorted old books," Ron said casually, brushing it off.
Nora nodded and didn't dwell on it, starting to read.
The desk was large enough for two.
Under the warm yellow light, they sat side by side, reading quietly, occasionally chatting, occasionally sneaking sips from each other's milk.
The atmosphere was gentle and peaceful.
Nora preferred reading with an actual book, turning pages by hand instead of using the Heartvine—it made her feel more grounded.
Ron turned his head, watching her delicate profile, her soft dark cat ears atop her head, and the tail peeking out beneath her nightwear.
Even now, it all felt a little unreal.
"What is it, Boss?" Nora noticed his gaze and tilted her head.
Ron didn't answer.
He simply leaned in.
"Mm… Boss…"