The Blue Prince's Hunting Competition (2)
“A person…?”
Edwin’s shoulders trembled as he stared at the man who had fallen from the tree.
“An assassin, it seems.”
“W-what? An assassin?”
At the word assassin, Edwin’s eyes clouded over with shock.
No matter how naïve the boy was, he understood exactly what it meant for a killer to be here.
The realization that someone had sent people to murder him had to be devastating.
Tsk. How long has it been since they sent assassins to the Third Prince’s Palace?
And now they were trying this nonsense again.
I clicked my tongue and pulled Edwin, who was hiding behind me, into a one-armed embrace.
Well, it’s not like I didn’t expect this.
A hunting competition. What better stage could there be?
It was the perfect opportunity to eliminate a bothersome rival under the guise of an accident. A place like this was hard to come by.
Still holding Edwin close, I reached out with my free hand and yanked the arrow from the assassin’s shoulder.
“Ugh…”
The groan that escaped him told me he wasn’t dead—just unconscious.
It looked like he’d hit his head when he fell from the tree.
Just to be safe, I tied his arms and legs and hid him deep in the underbrush.
“Your Highness.”
Meanwhile, Edwin kept his eyes fixed on me, fidgeting anxiously with his fingers.
When I called him, his head snapped up.
“Y-yes?”
His face, already pale as if dusted with flour, had gone even whiter.
“It seems there are dangerous beasts nearby.”
“Beasts?”
Edwin tilted his head, watching me with deeply worried eyes.
“But the knights said they wouldn’t release anything too dangerous like bears or lions for the hunting competition…”
“They might have wandered in naturally from elsewhere.”
I finally managed to pry Edwin off me—he’d been clinging like a leech—and knelt so our eyes were level.
“I’ll go check. Stay right here and don’t move.”
“B-but…”
“Oh, and the man I tied up with rope won’t wake for at least half a day. There’s no need to be afraid.”
Instead of answering, Edwin gave a slow nod.
I smoothed his hair once before standing up.
“I’ll be back soon. If you get scared, climb onto the horse. He may be timid, but he’s clever. If danger approaches, he’ll find his own way to safety.”
“R-Rachel!”
As I mounted the horse and prepared to ride deeper into the forest, Edwin called out to stop me.
“You’ll really come back right away, won’t you?”
At his earnest, worry-filled plea, I gave a light nod.
Then I dug my heels into the horse’s flanks.
The fierce black stallion shot forward into the thicket.
How dare you.
I lowered my body and clenched my teeth.
How dare you touch what I’m protecting right in front of me?
I yanked the reins harder.
I had no intention of forgiving those who had tried to harm the prince inside the imperial palace.
But this time, I would uncover the true mastermind behind the attempts on Edwin’s life.
“Damn it! Another miss!”
Second Prince Lloyd glared at the rabbit fleeing from his arrow and cursed.
He’d already been irritated by how noticeably fewer prey there were, and now his accuracy was dropping with every shot. His temper was reaching its limit.
“Your Highness, perhaps it would be better to move to another area…”
“Haven’t I already checked the other areas?!”
“There are still places left…”
“Shut up!”
Lloyd ignored his subordinate’s advice, breathing hard.
He knew there was still one hunting ground he hadn’t visited.
But that was where Duke Crowner and First Prince Adrian were hunting together.
I refuse to go near them just to be compared.
His half-brother Adrian might be frail and poor with a sword, but his archery skills had surpassed Lloyd’s since childhood. That fact never failed to annoy him.
“Your Highness, then perhaps returning to where His Majesty the Emperor is…”
“Ugh, you’re all so noisy!”
Irritated by the constant nagging in his ear, Lloyd suddenly yanked his horse’s reins and galloped into the forest alone.
“Y-Your Highness Lloyd! It’s dangerous to go alone!”
His retainers tried to stop him and gave chase, but the prince’s horse had already pulled far ahead.
“Your Highness! Prince Lloyd!”
“Haha, serves you right! Try to keep up if you can, you idiots!”
When the voices of his followers grew distant, Lloyd smirked.
How long had he ridden?
Once he no longer sensed anyone chasing him, he slowed his horse.
“Tch. Not even a single animal in sight here either.”
Lloyd frowned in displeasure.
He scanned the area for any decent prey, but there wasn’t even a footprint to be found.
“Boring.”
As he muttered and began to turn his horse, a very familiar voice drifted from not too far away.
“I wonder when she’ll come back.”
Lloyd quietly urged his horse through the bushes, careful to stay silent.
Through the leaves, he caught sight of a familiar figure.
It was Third Prince Edwin.
“Ha!”
Lloyd let out an involuntary scoff.
The cart trailing behind his detested half-brother was overflowing with game.
Of course, the number was still less than what Lloyd had caught, but the opponent was Edwin.
The boy who, until recently, had been mocked as the Shabby Prince and had probably never even held a bow properly. It was hard to believe he’d achieved this much.
How the hell did that worthless brat manage it?
Lloyd glared at Edwin as if he wanted to devour him.
The boy sat atop his horse, guarding the cart all by himself.
Not a single attendant was in sight.
Hmm. Alone, is he?
There was no way he could have hunted all those beasts by himself. His attendant must have stepped away for a moment.
At that moment, strength surged into Lloyd’s hands.
How dare he speak so casually with my fiancée when he doesn’t even know his place.
Suddenly, he recalled the scene just before the competition—Edwin chatting comfortably with Brigitte.
Even worse, Brigitte, who had blatantly ignored Lloyd, had approached Edwin first.
Lloyd bit his lip.
Creak.
The Second Prince quietly raised the bow he held.
The arrowhead was aimed at his distant half-brother.
“…Ugh.”
Despite drawing the arrow without hesitation, the tip trembled violently.
No matter how vicious his heart had become, he was still just a child.
As Lloyd hesitated, torn between guilt and his urge to let go, it happened.
Screeeech!
A large bird flew straight at the Second Prince.
“Huk!”
Startled, Lloyd released the bowstring.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t lowered the arrow yet.
The arrow shot forward in an instant and grazed Edwin’s cheek.
“Aaaah!”
Edwin screamed at the sudden arrow.
The horse he was riding startled at the cry as well.
“No, stop!”
Edwin desperately grabbed the reins as the horse suddenly reared and bolted.
But the animal had already lost its mind and simply charged forward.
“Hup!”
All the young prince could do atop the madly galloping horse was cling with all his strength so he wouldn’t fall.
Rachel…!
The wind stung the cut on his cheek.
Remembering his nanny’s order to stay put, Edwin squeezed his eyes shut.
Unfortunately, it seemed he wouldn’t be able to keep Rachel’s instruction.
And so, the horse carrying the young prince raced toward the darkness of the forest.
Toward an endless, unseen shadow.
“Stop right there!”
The group of assassins who had tried to attack Edwin seemed determined to escape the hunting grounds entirely.
After all, for an assassin, being exposed was far more dangerous than failing a mission.
Normally, they would have eliminated both Edwin and me before their identities were discovered, but this was the imperial hunting grounds.
If they killed anyone other than the target and caused a scandal, not only they but also the one who had hired them would be at risk of being traced.
Assassination is supposed to be a careful, secretive task, after all.
It must never be noticed. It must never be known.
That was the basic principle of an assassin.
Still, these guys seem quite skilled. Their level is much higher than the last ones.
I recalled the assassin brothers who had sneaked into the Third Prince’s Palace before.
Those two had been laughably weak.
But.
Still mounted on my running horse, I nocked another arrow.
My target was the leg of the closest assassin.
“Kugh!”
The assassin struck by the arrow eventually fell from a tree and rolled across the ground.
The others continued fleeing without hesitation, apparently deciding to abandon their fallen comrade.
“You should have stopped when I told you to.”
The abandoned assassin clutched his wounded leg and staggered to his feet.
He glared at me with murderous intent.
“Oh, how scary.”
I muttered in a flat voice.
“Do you think I’ll run away in fear if you glare at me like that?”
“…You bastard! Who the hell are you?!”
“That’s what I should be asking.”
I nocked another arrow on the bowstring.
At the creaking sound and the arrow now aimed at him, the assassin’s pupils shook slightly.
“It would be wise to speak honestly while I’m still offering you a chance.”
I bared my teeth in a smile at the man frozen in place, unable to move.
“Tell me who sent you to kill the Third Prince.”