Finally, Endymion decided that he had to throw the grace period he had given Julia into the trash can right away and leave the secret room.
He was about to go to the Queen's palace with quick steps. As he was doing so, one of the documents on the desk hit Endymion's body and fell down.
It was a proposal to hold a hunting competition to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony of the royal couple.
Endymion, who was about to glance past without thinking, stopped dead in his tracks when a thought crossed his mind.
"It's a hunting competition..."
The royal hunting competition was a kind of social gathering, and in fact, the most famous of these was the love affair of young nobles.
Some couples enjoyed secret rendezvous in the lush, wide forest, and there were quite a few who fell in love there and got married.
Endymion's older sister, Iris, also met Duke Hyde there for the first time. The cold and icy 16-year-old Princess made a shocking statement, saying that she had chosen a husband for herself, and Endymion vividly remembers the late King being so shocked that he lay down for a day.
"Hmm..."
While the middle-aged and elderly nobles were cultivating political friendships, behind the scenes, a soft and ticklish atmosphere unfolded in a paradise on earth. Endymion, who had an extraordinary intellect that would make him sad to be second, was busy thinking.
Before long, one corner of Endymion's mouth rose gently.
"This is it."
It was a leisurely smile that blew away all worries and concerns in an instant.
***
"It's nice to meet you, Sir Tremburn."
"It is a great honor to meet you, Your Majesty!"
The promising knight, Count of Tremburn, was put in charge of the guard for the upcoming royal hunting tournament. Julia held out one hand to him, dressed in white.
It was at that moment that Sir Tremburn, who was moved and blushing, approached the Queen to give her the back of the hand in respect.
Bam!
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, his shoulder was pushed, and he staggered, barely regaining his balance. At the same time, a soft force pulled Julia towards him.
"Who!"
Julia looked up, startled by the body temperature that was getting closer to her. Endymion was holding her waist with his strong arms from behind and was glaring at Sir Tremburn coldly.
"Who dared to kiss my Queen?"
"Your Majesty the King!"
Sir Tremburn stepped back and hurriedly knelt down on one leg to pay his respects. Endymion, who he had confirmed was Julia's husband, looked forward again with relief but glanced at the arm resting on her waist.
"You're being overly polite. If you're going to show respect, wouldn't a bow to the forehead be enough?"
"I... Yes! God, I was reckless. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
He quickly apologized. However, Endymion was still staring at him with sharp eyes. Julia smiled gently, thinking that it was nothing special.
"It's okay, I hope you didn't feel uncomfortable. Please take good care of my security today."
Then Jukia took a step forward and held out her hand again. Sir Tremburn stood up, looking at the King's expression, and took her fingertips very lightly and placed them on his forehead to show respect.
But before the example could end, Endymion hugged Julia's waist again and spoke.
"Did you wear the gift I gave you, Princess?"
Why are you asking that now? Julia hesitated at Endymion's unprecedented actions and then answered obediently.
"Ah... Of course."
Suddenly, Sir Tramburn, who was caught between the couple, hesitated and stepped back awkwardly. Regardless, Endymion asked again without even blinking.
"What is it? Cream?"
"No, it's black. The one you gave me for my birthday last year."
"I don't quite remember what it was."
"I'm wearing it inside, so I'll show you later."
As Julia was casually chatting with Endymion, Sir Tramburn coughed and spoke from over there.
"Then God will step aside."
Then Endymion nodded as if he had been waiting.
"My Queen and I will be there in five minutes, so get ready."
Sir Tramburn, who was tense with a cold gaze and voice, greeted them politely and disappeared. Without looking back, Sir Tramburn ran away and was seen visibly flustered and organizing the ranks of the horses and knights.
Julia, who realized it too late, blushed and lightly slapped Endymion's arm around her waist.
"What should I do? I guess our conversation earlier sounded weird!"
"What? It was a very wholesome hunting story."
"Your Majesty!"
The fact that she had told him something that only the two of them knew at that time was enough to cause a strange misunderstanding. However, seeing her husband's calm expression as if nothing had happened, Julia felt it was a bit odd to blame him, so she had no choice but to look away.
Well, it's the person who thinks strangely who is strange. She doesn't think Mion had any other intentions when he said that.
"Oh, right."
Julia looked down at Endymion's arm, which was still wrapped around her waist, and asked, naturally pulling away.
"My Queen? What is that?"
Julia looked at Endymion with a puzzled look. But surprisingly, there was a different expression in his blue eyes than usual.
"Is there a problem with calling my Queen my Queen?"
"Hmm, you're suddenly using a title you don't normally use."
Suddenly, he hugged her waist, something he only did when dancing at parties and balls. While Julia tilted her head, Endymion answered strangely.
"I think it's time for a change."
Julia blinked her eyes in confusion at the tone of voice that seemed to be nothing special. Was it an Illusion that the voice sounded strange?
At that moment, Endymion held out his hand with a smile that he only gave to her.
"Let's go now."
"Oh, yeah."
Yeah, I guess it's just my mood.
Julia, who had been holding his hand as usual and smiling brightly, got into the waiting carriage. Today, Sir Tremburn, who was also in charge of the security guard for the preliminary inspection, approached and closed the carriage door.
However, his hand trembled slightly as he tucked back the hem of Julia's flowing dress that was sticking out of the door.
"Please. I will make you feel comfortable."
Bam, the door is closed.
Julia, who had been gracefully pretending not to notice, turned to Endymion as soon as the door closed to ask if he had seen that. However, she caught a cold gaze glaring out the window, enough to make a stinging sound.
"Mion, do you hate that guy?"
"Oh, really. I heard he's a womanizer who only seduces married women."
"What, really? I didn't see it like that."
"I heard that these days, womanizers are rampant. They're dirty bastards, so from now on, if another man tries to kiss the back of your hand, refuse. Got it?"
"Yes, I got it."
So that's what happened earlier?
Julia muttered and looked at Sir Tramburn with a disgusted expression. Endymion glanced at her and then leaned back in his seat with a satisfied expression.
It was Sir Tremburn who suddenly became a rotten person because he was not perceptive. The carriage procession he led stretched out. It was a rare sunny and clear sky.
***
Ssaek-
Squeak!
A scream as if the demon was going to tear her apart was heard.
Julia wiped the sweat off her face and put down her bow. Mion, who had drawn his sword and ridden his horse, returned shortly after finishing cleaning up.
"Well done. You hit the vital spot completely."
"Phew, that's a relief. I was worried that my skills might have gotten rusty since it's been so long."
"Who is your disciple, that you can say such disappointing things?"
Julia burst out laughing at Endymion's seemingly stern voice. Endymion followed suit with a bright laugh, raising the corners of his mouth as he put his sword away.
"Thank you, it's nice to be out after so long."
Julia, who came from a rural kingdom, was accustomed to living in nature.
However, after becoming the Crown Princess of Semele, she often felt suffocated because she had to live only in the palace. There were times when she felt homesick and suffocated. The only one who noticed this was her husband who lived with her every day.
Endymion, when he was Crown Prince, secretly took Julia to the training ground. It wasn't as vast as her hometown, but just the fact that there was a wide open space and green grass where she could run freely gave Julia a sense of relief.
At first, she spent her time watching. Endymion reviewed what he had learned that day. Then, naturally, she began to learn little by little what Endymion had trained as if she were his disciple.
Julia, who was born with great athletic ability, absorbed Endymion's teachings. Although she was not as good as Endymion, who was a master swordsman, she was good enough to defend herself. She was even close to Endymion in her specialty, archery.
The young couple had a happy teenage life.
"I think that's enough for the inspection. Let's go back before the sun sets."
Today's preliminary inspection was for the royal hunting competition that was to be held tomorrow. The vast forests owned by the royal family were home to many animals, and when hunting competitions were held, the knights would come in advance and take care of them.
Large, dangerous wild beasts and high-level demons that had awakened from hibernation and were active were quickly subdued, leaving only suitable prey. This time, too, the subjugation of dangerous beasts and demons had ended yesterday.
So originally, Endymion and Julia were scheduled to leave tomorrow morning. However, the reason they came to the hunting grounds a day early was Endymion's consideration for Julia.
Julia, who had been unable to leave the palace for quite some time, needed some time to breathe freely.
Julia, who had been riding a horse and shooting arrows for the first time in a long time, got tired easily. However, she felt very refreshed and happy. Endymion's face, looking at Julia, who was enjoying the refreshing feeling of the green trees and grass, also showed satisfaction.
After a quick look around the hunting grounds under the escort of knights, the royal couple turned their horses toward their quarters instead of the palace. Although they came out under the pretext of a preliminary inspection, they wanted to enjoy their freedom a little more after a long time.
Endymion and Julia decided to spend the night in a makeshift shelter in the middle of the hunting grounds and return to the palace early in the morning to prepare for the procession.
"All dangerous animals and beasts have been dealt with, and a temporary fence has been erected. How many security personnel should we have in front of the
accommodation?"
"Stand back outside the fence of the accommodation."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
At the King's command, the knights retreated out of the fence in unison. Endymion also gave various additional instructions.
Julia went into the room first, rubbing her sore shoulders.
The log cabin was warm and comfortable.
Of course, it was smaller than the royal palace, but it was where the Kings of the past stayed when hunting, so it had everything they needed. It even had two bathrooms. The washing facilities were also made of magic stones and were as sophisticated as the royal palace, so nothing was lacking.
"Well, I'm not hungry."
Julia stood in front of her bedroom, pondering.
She had an early dinner while spending time with Endymion. The picnic lunch prepared by the royal chef was simple and filling. And after a refreshing workout, she didn't feel hungry at all.
"Then should I wash first?"
Julia glanced out the window. She could see Endymion still ordering his knights around as if he had a lot to prepare for the hunting competition tomorrow.
Julia thought for a moment, then crossed the hallway with her bag containing a change of clothes.
'If I'm not in the room, he'll think I went to shower. I should shower first.'
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