How to Become a Hunter (1)
"You're going to the hunting competition too?"
Edwin stared at me with wide, startled eyes.
"Does Your Highness disapprove?"
Royals and nobles always brought attendants with them to hunting competitions. Someone had to load the kills onto carts and retrieve game shot from a distance.
But the Third Prince's Palace had no servants fit for the task, so I had volunteered to handle it myself.
"No, when did I say I disliked it? I was just checking. Can you ride?"
"Well enough."
"And a bow?"
"I shoot better than Your Highness."
"The hell you do."
Edwin grumbled, but he couldn't hide the laughter in his voice. He broke into a bright smile and even greeted the horse.
"Hello there. Nice to meet you."
He really was prickly with people yet endlessly kind to animals.
"Ria wants one too! Ria wants a horse too! Hwaaaaang!"
Meanwhile, Emilia, cradled in Catherine's arms, thrashed her limbs and sobbed dramatically.
"Her Highness the Princess is still too young. It's far too dangerous."
"Ria is not young! Ria is all grown up!"
"Oh dear, what am I going to do with you?"
Catherine tried to soothe her while shooting me a desperate plea for help.
"Princess Emilia."
The princess turned her tear-streaked face at the sound of my voice.
"Once Your Highness grows a little taller, I will personally find you a horse that suits you perfectly. So please dry those tears."
"Sniff… a horse that suits Ria?"
"Yes. How about a white horse as pure as snow, or one whose coat shines with golden light?"
Emilia's eyes sparkled.
"A white horse! Ria likes white horses!"
"Very well. Then until I bring you one, you must focus on growing up strong."
"Mmm… but when can Ria ride?"
"When you are as tall as His Highness Edwin is now."
Emilia's eyes welled up again at my answer.
"That'll take forever! Ria wants to ride now!"
"If Your Highness works hard, it won't take as long as you think."
I gently wiped her tear-stained face with my sleeve. It seemed a shame to let such an adorably heart-melting face be ruined by tears and snot.
"Eat all your meals properly, go to bed early, and sleep well. You'll grow up in no time."
"Really?"
"Of course. Until then, please enjoy this instead."
"Kyaaaa! A storybook!"
I quickly offered the fairy tale I had tucked inside my clothes. Emilia let out a delighted shriek and forgot all about crying.
The horse seemed entirely forgotten.
"Nanny, how in the world did you manage to acquire two such fine horses?"
Catherine asked while readjusting her hold on Emilia, who was now happily rocking with the book in her arms.
"The funds I provided couldn't possibly have been enough."
"…No, they were exactly enough."
"Nanny? Why does that answer sound so suspicious?"
"You're imagining things."
I turned my gaze away from Catherine's doubtful stare.
Anyway, I was worried that bastard Gail might try something stupid again.
The horses he had delivered were in far better condition than I had expected. The black horse meant for me was especially impressive.
They say the fiercer the horse, the finer the steed.
I smirked as I watched the black horse snort aggressively.
It was worth squeezing that coward Gail until the very end.
Since both horses had originally been destined for the Second Prince's stables, their quality was assured.
"By the way, what is this riding outfit? I've never seen it before."
Edwin, back in the room, held the new clothes against his body and asked with obvious fascination. The outfit was far more ornate than anything he usually wore.
"Ah, Her Majesty the Empress sent it."
It had been genuinely surprising. The Empress never seemed to spare Edwin a single thought, yet she had gone out of her way to send riding clothes.
I'd half-expected a poisoned needle or some strange trap sewn into the fabric.
But after a thorough inspection, the outfit was perfectly ordinary. If anything was extraordinary, it was the exquisite embroidery stitched meticulously across the luxurious material.
"If it doesn't please you, I can prepare something else…"
"No, I like it!"
Edwin answered almost shouting, then ran his hands over the fabric with clear delight. The new riding clothes must have been quite the novelty.
But we had no time to leisurely admire new garments.
"Shall we begin right away?"
"Begin what?"
"What do you think?"
The hunting competition could begin at any moment. Before then, I needed to turn him into the greatest hunter possible.
"It's practice for the hunting competition, of course."
The thunder of hooves rolled across the clearing, accompanied by my voice.
"Sit up straight! Shoulders back!"
"Squeeze with your legs!"
"Who told you to grip the reins that tightly!"
"How many times must I tell you to keep your balance!"
Thanks to the relentless stream of corrections, Edwin's riding improved with every passing day.
"Ughhh…"
He still collapsed each night groaning in pain, of course. Yet he continued to attend knight division training without missing a single session.
Even I, who rarely offered praise, had to admit he was remarkable.
I've felt it since the beginning, but he really does have a natural talent for physical exertion.
I didn't know who he took after, but Edwin possessed excellent athletic instincts. Perhaps he resembled the Emperor, who was said to wield a sword as skillfully as Duke Crowner.
"You're riding quite well now."
Once Edwin could freely let go of the reins and move his hands after only a week, I decided it was time for the next stage.
"I believe we're ready to move on."
Edwin, who had been playing with the horse's mane, blinked in surprise.
"Next stage?"
"To hunt, you must learn to shoot a bow."
I opened the box before him. It contained the bow and arrows the King of Adamanth had sent as a gift.
"Have you ever handled one before?"
"Ah… no."
Edwin answered uncertainly.
"I've seen them often, but this is my first time actually using one."
"I see."
I took the bow from the box and handed it to him.
"I inspected it earlier. It's in perfect condition. Give it a try."
"O-okay."
Edwin accepted the bow awkwardly and hooked his fingers on the string in a clumsy stance.
"Ugh—!"
The moment he pulled, his pale face flushed bright red like heated iron. Yet despite his desperate effort, the string barely moved.
"How am I supposed to pull this? It's impossible!"
"It is possible."
I took the bow from him and drew the string smoothly. His eyes widened in shock as he watched it pull back like unraveling thread.
"If I can draw it, there's no reason Your Highness cannot."
"That's because you're strong!"
"The bow is a weapon anyone can master with practice."
I handed it back to him.
"From today onward, draw this string a thousand times each day."
"What?"
Edwin's mouth fell open and he practically jumped.
"That's impossible! I can't even draw it properly!"
"Whether it moves or not, you will draw it a thousand times a day without fail."
My voice left no room for argument.
"Do you understand, Your Highness?"
"But—!"
"You said you wanted to become strong like me. If you can't even manage this, how do you expect to grow stronger?"
Edwin scowled at me for a long moment before giving a small, reluctant nod. I lightly ruffled his hair.
"In matters of the body, sweat and effort never betray you. You already know this, don't you?"
The boy who once couldn't even keep pace with the lowest ranks of the third division knights now followed their training with relative ease.
"You're doing very well, Your Highness."
I offered him a gentle smile as he looked up at me with those wide eyes.
"So believe in yourself and keep pushing just a little further."
Splash.
Catherine poured hot water over herself and melted like warm taffy.
"Aaaah, all my exhaustion is melting away!"
"Ria is tired too! All the tiredness is goooone!"
I swept my wet hair back as I watched Emilia and Catherine enter the grand bathhouse.
I thought a place this oversized would have no redeeming qualities, but I was wrong.
Even in the bleak Third Prince's Palace, there was one luxury the other palaces lacked: this enormous bathhouse.
At first I mistook it for an old, dried-up pond.
The previous head maid had completely neglected the maintenance of the palace's auxiliary facilities. Only after Catherine took over did it finally regain its true form.
It was originally meant for royalty and distinguished guests only.
Thanks to Emilia's hatred of bathing alone, the three of us often enjoyed the bathhouse together.
Which means I get to enjoy this luxury too, so I suppose it all worked out.
The meticulously cleaned bathhouse felt even finer than the one in the Emperor's palace annex. The terrace outside featured a small outdoor hot spring—an absolute dream for any imperial citizen who loved soaking in mineral waters.
Soaking in hot water beneath the cool night air while gazing at the moon… now this is true luxury.
I massaged the back of my neck and admired the moon hanging in the sky.
Emilia paddled over like a puppy and clung to my shoulder.
"Rachel! Catherine keeps trying to wash Ria's hair!"
"You need to have your hair washed, Your Highness."
"Ria doesn't like it!"
Emilia whined, clinging tighter. Then she suddenly jabbed her chubby little finger into the center of my back.
"Rachel! There's a worm on Rachel's back!"
"A worm?"
I hadn't felt any insect on me. I reached back with one hand to feel the spot.
There was nothing there.
"It looks just like a worm! Doesn't it, Catherine?"
Catherine, now close enough to see, lifted Emilia with one arm and tilted her head.
"My goodness, Nanny. You have a very unusual mark on your back."
"A mark?"
"Yes. It's perfectly round, like someone drew it there."
She continued while firmly hugging the squirming, hair-washing-hating princess.
"It does look like a curled-up worm. Though to me it resembles a snake more—a snake coiled neatly into a circle…"
"Kyaaaang! Ria wants to run away! Rachel, save meee!"
As I watched their ridiculous little struggle, a familiar sensation prickled along my spine.
...Bloodlust?
The refined killing intent wasn't aimed at us. It was directed elsewhere—specifically toward the main building where the Third Prince, Edwin, resided.