CHAPTER 72…………..
“His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, Her Imperial Majesty the Empress, have arrived!”
It seemed the Emperor and Empress had finally arrived at the hunting grounds, because a cheerful whistle rang out from outside the tent.
I patted my full stomach after dessert and hurried outside.
The two sovereigns were just passing the entrance of the hunting grounds, each accompanied by guards and their maids.
The royals and nobles all bowed deeply to them at once.
“We greet Your Majesties. May the light of the goddess Eridium shine upon you.”
“We greet Your Majesties. May the light of the goddess Eridium shine upon you.”
The Empress replaced words with a faint smile, and the Emperor merely gave a familiar, expressionless nod.
The Emperor spoke.
“In exactly ten minutes, the hunting competition will officially begin. Those assigned to Zone 1 will use the right entrance, and those assigned to Zone 3 will enter through the left. Any objections?”
“None.”
“Then, in ten minutes, the whistle will sound.”
The Emperor finished his short announcement and turned away. The Empress was also about to turn, but for an instant, our gazes met.
She briefly jutted her lips and then turned coldly away, retreating into her tent.
I tilted my head and frowned.
What was that?
I had a bad feeling.
And bad feelings like this always seemed to come true, so I tugged on Cecil’s sleeve and whispered softly.
“Don’t leave my side today.”
“You state the obvious, Your Highness.”
Right—Cecil was strong. What could go wrong?
I calmed my pounding heart and, as the nobles began to disperse from the center of the hunting grounds, I followed suit.
Exactly ten minutes later, a sharp bwee! from the whistle announced the start of the hunt.
As soon as I stepped outside, Dina came running up to greet me.
“We meet again, Your Highness! We’re supposed to head into the left entrance just like His Majesty said. What’s your weapon?”
As we walked, Dina chattered away, and I answered her questions kindly without showing any sign of annoyance.
“I’m not skilled with weapons, so I’m bringing an offensive artifact instead.”
“Offensive?”
I pulled a diamond-shaped artifact from my pocket to show her.
It had a crimson base embroidered with gold thread, and in the center, a blue gem gleamed.
I explained in detail.
“This gem here is called a magic core—it stores mana. If you channel your power into it, it glows.”
“That’s amazing.”
Dina’s eyes sparkled.
In her hands and slung over her back were a finely crafted bow and quiver, befitting the daughter of a duke. Clearly, she would be using arrows for today’s hunt.
Soon, we children separated from the adults and entered Zone 3 completely.
The little ones began murmuring among themselves.
“What’s different from the regular hunting grounds?”
“You dummy! Look, they put up a fence! That wooden fence is the boundary.”
Sure enough, just as the child said, there was a tightly constructed fence around the outer edge of the forest so that no child could cross beyond the boundary.
It was almost as tall as the children themselves.
A precaution to prevent kids from wandering off.
No wonder the knights and carpenters had been working themselves to death.
I remembered their groans as they worked and silently thanked them.
Just then, a group of elegantly dressed young ladies, looking rather charming in their hunting attire, approached Dina and me.
“G-Greetings, First Princess. If it’s not too presumptuous, would Your Highness like to join us?”
They’d noticed that Dina and I were alone and shyly extended the invitation.
The one who spoke had her hair braided neatly on both sides, her cheeks faintly flushed.
“We could talk… hunt together… and if we get tired, we could sit in the shade and chat…”
“No!”
“Uh… wh-what?”
Dina cut in suddenly, smiling sweetly.
Her blue eyes curved gently as she gave a calm refusal.
“Her Highness and I agreed to stick together during the hunt! I appreciate your kindness, but hunting in a big group could cause fairness issues.”
“Oh…”
The young lady slumped her shoulders. I felt bad, but she had a point—if Dina and I joined, their group would be seven people strong.
Since the competition is based on the number of game caught, it would be awkward.
“I feel bad, though.”
The girl quickly waved her hands.
“N-No, it’s fine! We just didn’t think it through—Your Highness doesn’t need to apologize! Well then… please enjoy your time!”
She gathered her companions and headed deeper into the hunting grounds.
Following her lead, other children also began to disperse.
“Your Highness, shall we go too?”
“Yes.”
Dina took my hand, and the real hunt began.
Dina was practically flying.
Perhaps because she was Richard’s younger sister, several of the stags released for the event were already lying at her feet.
Meanwhile, I had only managed three rabbits, so I trailed behind, clapping enthusiastically for her feats.
“You’re amazing, Lady Dina.”
“Ah…! I’m sorry, Your Highness. You must be tired from following me around.”
I wanted to say no, but honestly, chasing her through the forest as she hunted was exhausting.
I gave a weary smile and nodded.
“A little…”
“Oh no! I promised my brother I’d take good care of you!”
On the verge of tears, Dina quickly stuffed the stag she had just caught into her magic pouch—a special hunting-day bag from the imperial household, enchanted by court mages to hold anything regardless of size.
Fastening the now bulging pouch at her waist, she said,
“I’ll share some with you, Your Highness!”
“It’s alright. I’m not aiming to be hunting champion.”
“Still… Ah! I think we’ve caught enough for today. How about exploring the forest? I’ve never gone deep before, in case of bears or wolves.”
“I’ve never gone far in either—too scary.”
“Then let’s explore!”
Her excitement was contagious, and since I’d come more to enjoy the forest than the hunt, I readily agreed.
Besides, with her guard and Cecil nearby, we’d be safe.
Hand in hand, we went deeper into the woods.
Sunlight filtered through the lush green canopy, dappling our faces with light and shadow.
“Your Highness, can you climb trees?” Dina asked.
“Trees?”
“I used to climb them a lot when I was little! My mother didn’t like it, though.”
She pressed herself against a trunk and began climbing step by step.
Since I couldn’t climb, I simply admired her skill.
So the young lady has this side too… When I came of age, she was always so calm.
It was rare to see such a tomboyish side of her, so I clapped in encouragement.
“There are fruits up here.”
“Oh, should I pick some for you?”
“Can you?”
“If it’s dangerous, Belgert will help.”
Belgert, her guard, was surely hiding nearby watching us. Since he didn’t intervene, this must be a common occurrence.
Dina skillfully plucked the fruits and held them up.
“I’ll drop them—catch them, Your Highness!”
I quickly held out my hands and caught the two she tossed down.
She climbed down even faster than she went up, landing lightly on the grass.
“Let’s eat these.”
“Uh… eat them?”
“Why else would I pick them?”
I’d only wanted to look at them…
Ilia and Mulin told me not to eat wild food…
Remembering their stern warnings, I hesitated.
“They’re not washed.”
“Just wipe them on your clothes!”
“O…”
She demonstrated by rubbing the fruit vigorously against her sleeve before biting into it without hesitation.
“It’s so sweet! Try it, Your Highness!”
It couldn’t be poisoned if she’d just picked it.
You saw it yourself—it’s fine.
I copied her, rubbed the apple on my sleeve, and took a bite.
Crunch!
The crisp sound was refreshing, and sweet juice filled my mouth.
“It’s good.”
“Right? Eating fruit like this is a special treat!”
She raised a finger to her lips with a playful “shh,” like she was sharing a secret, making me smile.
We continued our exploration, apples in hand.
After about an hour, I was tired and sank under the shade of a tree, Dina flopping down beside me.
“Let’s explore again tomorrow!” she said.
“Sure. Should we bring other young ladies next time?”
“…Mmm.”
She averted her gaze awkwardly—apparently not keen on the idea.
Is she shy?
She’d always approached me warmly before my regression, even stepping in when other nobles excluded me.
“If you’d rather not, I’m fine just with you.”
“!”
Her face lit up, and she nodded eagerly.
Looking up at the sky tinged orange with sunset, I suggested cautiously,
“It’s getting late. Let’s head back before it’s dark.”
“Okay!”
We rose, but I didn’t notice something fall from my pouch as we left.
That night, during the hunt’s feast, the adults gathered around a bonfire to cook and eat the day’s game.
We all handed our catches to our attendants to prepare. I gave my three rabbits to Cecil.
Ilia and Mulin approached, cleaning my hands and face.
“How was it? Did you enjoy being with Lady Elliette?”
“Did you talk to any other young ladies?”
“It was fun—the forest exploration made the time fly.”
“That’s nice~ You must be hungry. The preparations look like they’ll take a while, so have a canapé.”
“And some juice—we brought orange juice for you.”
Smiling, I accepted the snacks from them.
The canapé was gone in a few bites, and just then Cecil peeked in through the tent flap.
“Your Highness, the food is ready. Shall we?”
“Yes, you join us too.”
“Can I share your table?”
Why not, when he was protecting me?
When I nodded, Cecil cheerfully brought over four plates piled high with meat.
We chatted as we ate, but I quietly focused on my stew.
If I could catch a stag tomorrow like Dina, it’d be good for my reputation… but I’m still not used to the artifact His Majesty gave me.
Thinking I might secretly practice after dinner, I reached for my pouch—
“…?”
The surface that should have been bulging was strangely smooth.
I checked the other side—also flat.
I froze.
No way… did I lose it…?
The offensive artifact His Majesty had gifted me just the night before the hunt was gone.
My face must have gone pale, because Cecil immediately glanced over.
“Your Highness?”
“Oh, Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
“You look unwell. Shall I fetch the physician?”
“N-No, I’m fine. It’s not that.”
“Then why do you…”
I bit my lip.
I’ve never lost something before… and of all things, it had to be the Emperor’s gift…!
Too embarrassed to say it aloud in front of everyone, I clenched my fists. Cecil seemed to catch on and knelt beside me.
“What’s the matter? If it’s your health, please speak freely.”
“…Well…”
I glanced at Ilia and Mulin, then sent them outside.
Once they were gone, I whispered to Cecil.
“What should I do…? I think I lost the artifact His Majesty gave me.”
“The one you used during the hunt?”
“Yes, that one.”
He made an ah face.
“Well, weapons do break or get lost during hunts. Why not just tell His Majesty? I’m sure he’d understand.”
“But… I don’t want to lie to him. And if I tell him I lost his gift, won’t he be upset?”
“That’s… true.”
“So can we go look for it together?”
“…With you as well, Your Highness?”
He frowned and shook his head firmly.
“If it must be found, I will go alone. Please wait here.”
