When the guests who were participating in the hunting competition for the first time were confused by Prince Calvain's seemingly unexpected words, Raphael added an explanation.
“There is a tradition of playing a game after the first meal.”
Aha, was that the original plan?
“Why do you play games?”
Princess Resilia raised her hand and asked a question. Prince Calvain looked at the Princess, who looked obviously annoyed, and answered in a kind voice.
Aha, was that the original plan?
“Why do you play games?”
Princess Resilia raised her hand and asked a question. Prince Calvain looked at the Princess, who looked obviously annoyed, and answered in a kind voice.
“You can think of it as a way to get to know each other better. It’s still early in the hunting competition, so everyone is still a bit awkward. If you’ve already become friends, it’ll be a more enjoyable game.”
“Can people who don’t want to do it leave?”
This time, Catherine raised her hand and asked sharply.
“Yes, if you don’t want to, you can stay behind. Unless you want that blue diamond.”
“B, Blue Diamond?! Are there any prizes in the game?”
Melanie half sat up and shouted.
“Yes, of course. Just as the pink diamond of the Kingdom of Shattonil is famous in the Northern Continent, the blue diamond of our Pasha Empire is famous in the Southern Continent, as you all know.”
I know. It is said that a single bean-sized blue diamond is worth enough to buy a small house. Blue diamonds, in particular, are rumored to have a mysterious power that seduces the opposite sex, so they are popular among noble ladies. When the topic of blue diamonds came up, the concubines' eyes were all focused on Prince Calvain. Prince Calvain continued speaking with a proud expression.
“In the Continental Hunt, prizes are given to the first person to catch the game and the first person to win the game. Usually, the prizes are given out in the country where the destination is.”
It's a great tradition. The eyes of the concubines who didn't know this fact began to sparkle like diamonds. My expression probably wasn't much different, right?
“The destination has changed to the Belos Empire, but if Emperor Adrian permits, we would like to offer the goods from our Pasha Empire.”
Prince Calvain looked at Emperor Adrian. Emperor Adrian accepted Prince Calvain’s opinion with a ‘I’ve got the money’ expression. Wait, I caught the first game? I glanced at Commander Macrom. Raphael and the others around him were congratulating Commander Macrom on receiving the blue diamond, enviously. Commander Macrom must have noticed that I was looking at him, because he looked at me and smiled brightly. What does that smile mean? Is he going to swallow it all by himself? I’ve never seen people like that, but they’re so greedy? I’ll have to discuss how to calculate the blue diamond with Commander Macrom during the hunting competition. After Prince Calvain mentioned the blue diamond, the expressions on the faces of the guests showed their determination to become the final winners of the game.
“If I had known this would happen, I would have worn the uniform.”
Princess Resilia whined to Crown Princess Jasper next to her. Crown Princess Jasper then patted her on the back and soothed her.
“Princess, don’t be too upset if you don’t win the game.”
“Why?”
When Princess Resilia asked, Princess Jasper whispered something in the Princess's ear. Then, Princess Resilia's expression gradually brightened. I guess Princess Jasper said something like, 'If you marry Prince Norton, I will give you a blue diamond the size of your fist as a wedding gift.'
“I’ll try to play the game hard, just in case.”
Princess Resilia spoke ambitiously and strengthened her resolve. She is very greedy. I imagined Princess Resilia wearing two diamond necklaces at the same time, and her delicate neck would naturally bend under the weight. I wish Princess Resilia could walk around with her head bowed like a criminal.
“What game do you want to play?”
Emperor Katria turned her head from side to side as if doing warm-up exercises and asked Prince Calvain. It seemed that the game items were decided by the country that would give the prizes. Prince Calvain whispered with his younger brother, Prince Norton, then looked at the Lapion concubines and opened his mouth to decide on the game items.
“This year, there are a lot of women participating, so let’s do it accordingly... by handing out handkerchiefs.”
When I heard the game that Prince Calvain suggested, I doubted my ears. Is he serious? I opened my eyes wide again and looked at Prince Calvain, and his eyes were very sincere. Why the handkerchief game? I felt a little uneasy.
“It was handkerchief-passing three years ago, too, right?”
Linel drank a large glass of water and then spoke. His eyes also looked quite serious.
“That’s right. But in this competition, everyone should take care of their bodies.”
Prince Calvain laughed and replied. What was the handkerchief-passing game like three years ago? Could it be that if you catch someone who leaves a handkerchief behind their back, you can beat them? Was that even allowed? I was thinking that the game was too trivial, but when I looked at the guests who had been attending the Continental Hunting Competition, no one seemed to think it was trivial. In fact, the eyes of the guests lit up brightly. And after a while, I experienced the most brutal handkerchief-passing game in the world.
“Can people who don’t want to do it leave?”
This time, Catherine raised her hand and asked sharply.
“Yes, if you don’t want to, you can stay behind. Unless you want that blue diamond.”
“B, Blue Diamond?! Are there any prizes in the game?”
Melanie half sat up and shouted.
“Yes, of course. Just as the pink diamond of the Kingdom of Shattonil is famous in the Northern Continent, the blue diamond of our Pasha Empire is famous in the Southern Continent, as you all know.”
I know. It is said that a single bean-sized blue diamond is worth enough to buy a small house. Blue diamonds, in particular, are rumored to have a mysterious power that seduces the opposite sex, so they are popular among noble ladies. When the topic of blue diamonds came up, the concubines' eyes were all focused on Prince Calvain. Prince Calvain continued speaking with a proud expression.
“In the Continental Hunt, prizes are given to the first person to catch the game and the first person to win the game. Usually, the prizes are given out in the country where the destination is.”
It's a great tradition. The eyes of the concubines who didn't know this fact began to sparkle like diamonds. My expression probably wasn't much different, right?
“The destination has changed to the Belos Empire, but if Emperor Adrian permits, we would like to offer the goods from our Pasha Empire.”
Prince Calvain looked at Emperor Adrian. Emperor Adrian accepted Prince Calvain’s opinion with a ‘I’ve got the money’ expression. Wait, I caught the first game? I glanced at Commander Macrom. Raphael and the others around him were congratulating Commander Macrom on receiving the blue diamond, enviously. Commander Macrom must have noticed that I was looking at him, because he looked at me and smiled brightly. What does that smile mean? Is he going to swallow it all by himself? I’ve never seen people like that, but they’re so greedy? I’ll have to discuss how to calculate the blue diamond with Commander Macrom during the hunting competition. After Prince Calvain mentioned the blue diamond, the expressions on the faces of the guests showed their determination to become the final winners of the game.
“If I had known this would happen, I would have worn the uniform.”
Princess Resilia whined to Crown Princess Jasper next to her. Crown Princess Jasper then patted her on the back and soothed her.
“Princess, don’t be too upset if you don’t win the game.”
“Why?”
When Princess Resilia asked, Princess Jasper whispered something in the Princess's ear. Then, Princess Resilia's expression gradually brightened. I guess Princess Jasper said something like, 'If you marry Prince Norton, I will give you a blue diamond the size of your fist as a wedding gift.'
“I’ll try to play the game hard, just in case.”
Princess Resilia spoke ambitiously and strengthened her resolve. She is very greedy. I imagined Princess Resilia wearing two diamond necklaces at the same time, and her delicate neck would naturally bend under the weight. I wish Princess Resilia could walk around with her head bowed like a criminal.
“What game do you want to play?”
Emperor Katria turned her head from side to side as if doing warm-up exercises and asked Prince Calvain. It seemed that the game items were decided by the country that would give the prizes. Prince Calvain whispered with his younger brother, Prince Norton, then looked at the Lapion concubines and opened his mouth to decide on the game items.
“This year, there are a lot of women participating, so let’s do it accordingly... by handing out handkerchiefs.”
When I heard the game that Prince Calvain suggested, I doubted my ears. Is he serious? I opened my eyes wide again and looked at Prince Calvain, and his eyes were very sincere. Why the handkerchief game? I felt a little uneasy.
“It was handkerchief-passing three years ago, too, right?”
Linel drank a large glass of water and then spoke. His eyes also looked quite serious.
“That’s right. But in this competition, everyone should take care of their bodies.”
Prince Calvain laughed and replied. What was the handkerchief-passing game like three years ago? Could it be that if you catch someone who leaves a handkerchief behind their back, you can beat them? Was that even allowed? I was thinking that the game was too trivial, but when I looked at the guests who had been attending the Continental Hunting Competition, no one seemed to think it was trivial. In fact, the eyes of the guests lit up brightly. And after a while, I experienced the most brutal handkerchief-passing game in the world.
***
You have to chase the tagger who left a handkerchief behind your back by any means necessary and prevent him from sitting down. However, you cannot use weapons. In fact, this was a bit disappointing, but it was natural since it was a friendship game. The songs to sing while passing the handkerchief were said to be sung by each country, and the honorable guests of that country would sing famous songs. Other than that, it was similar to the general rules of passing the handkerchief. First, the knights showed a demonstration game. Those who were participating in the Continental Hunting Competition for the first time all gaped in amazement as they watched the demonstration game. The speed at which the knights ran was truly amazing. The tagger looked like a thief who had stolen important documents from the family, and the person who was trying to catch the tagger looked like someone chasing the family’s mortal enemy. Thanks to Blue Diamond, the game was going to be more exciting than expected. If it was going to be like this, I should tighten my bootlaces too.
First, the heads of each country came out and fairly decided the tagger through rock-paper-scissors. Judging from the fact that everyone was patting Prince Tesla on the shoulder and laughing, it seemed that Prince Tesla had lost.
“The first drinker is Prince Tesla of the Kingdom of Shattonil. The game will begin with a song from the Empire of Lapion.”
The game progressed smoothly in Raphael's society. On one side, Linel and Commander Macrom were seriously discussing something. They were probably discussing what song to sing. After reaching an agreement, Commander Macrom returned to his seat and sang a song. Then the concubines all started singing along, saying, "Aha, that song?" Since I am from the Kingdom of Shattonil and did not know the songs of the Lapion Empire, I just opened my mouth. I never thought I would feel left out in such a place.
“The first drinker is Prince Tesla of the Kingdom of Shattonil. The game will begin with a song from the Empire of Lapion.”
The game progressed smoothly in Raphael's society. On one side, Linel and Commander Macrom were seriously discussing something. They were probably discussing what song to sing. After reaching an agreement, Commander Macrom returned to his seat and sang a song. Then the concubines all started singing along, saying, "Aha, that song?" Since I am from the Kingdom of Shattonil and did not know the songs of the Lapion Empire, I just opened my mouth. I never thought I would feel left out in such a place.
As the song began, the people sitting on both sides clapped their hands. As the voices of the Lapion Empire's dignitaries grew louder, everyone began to get excited, and Prince Tesla walked behind the dignitaries, looking for the next drinker. When everyone heard the climax of the song, Prince Tesla's pace quickened, and he dropped his handkerchief as he passed behind Prince Calvain. But then, a strange person suddenly stood up.
'Huh? Why is Linel waking up?'
Prince Tesla dropped a handkerchief behind him, clearly aiming at Prince Calvain, but for some reason, Linel, who was sitting next to him, turned around, picked up the handkerchief, and ran towards Prince Tesla.
“Wow, that’s fast!”
“I don’t think you can see your feet?”
Exclamations of admiration erupted here and there. Linel's running form was reminiscent of a cheetah. It seemed as if I could hear the sound of his nimble body cutting through the wind, shouting, "If you catch me, I'll kill you!" The result was, "Aw!" and Prince Tesla's elimination. It seemed like a situation where he could have just lightly hit his back, but Linel pushed Prince Tesla's back with all his might. As a result, Prince Tesla rolled around on the dirt several times. Linel, who had been looking down at him with an indifferent gaze, slowly approached Prince Tesla and politely extended his hand.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry. I thought I’d miss it, so I stopped without realizing it.”
“Oh, it’s okay, Your Majesty.”
Prince Tesla looked down at his own battered palms with a vain gaze, then took Linel's outstretched hand and stood up.
“I dropped a handkerchief behind Prince Calvain’s back, but why did Your Majesty...”
Prince Tesla asked him while brushing off his uniform. Of course, he deliberately trailed off and spoke politely, as if he were not asking a question. The Prince's last words, which he could not bring himself to ask Linel, were probably 'Why are you making a fuss?' Prince Tesla's sullen expression looked just like that.
“Really? Wasn’t there a handkerchief behind me? Oh, it must have fallen, and the wind blew it towards me.”
Linel shrugged and patted Prince Tesla's back. It was a rough touch, not like dusting, but like he was patting his spine. And even though it was his front that had gotten dirty from the fall, he was hitting, no, patting, the Prince's clean back so carefully.
“Prince Tesla was the first to drop out. He is now behind.”
Raphael quickly isolated the eliminated player and continued the game. Since there were many people, the one who was caught was eliminated, and a new one was chosen through rock-paper-scissors. This time, the women played rock-paper-scissors, and oh my, Princess Resilia became the one who was...
'Huh? Why is Linel waking up?'
Prince Tesla dropped a handkerchief behind him, clearly aiming at Prince Calvain, but for some reason, Linel, who was sitting next to him, turned around, picked up the handkerchief, and ran towards Prince Tesla.
“Wow, that’s fast!”
“I don’t think you can see your feet?”
Exclamations of admiration erupted here and there. Linel's running form was reminiscent of a cheetah. It seemed as if I could hear the sound of his nimble body cutting through the wind, shouting, "If you catch me, I'll kill you!" The result was, "Aw!" and Prince Tesla's elimination. It seemed like a situation where he could have just lightly hit his back, but Linel pushed Prince Tesla's back with all his might. As a result, Prince Tesla rolled around on the dirt several times. Linel, who had been looking down at him with an indifferent gaze, slowly approached Prince Tesla and politely extended his hand.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry. I thought I’d miss it, so I stopped without realizing it.”
“Oh, it’s okay, Your Majesty.”
Prince Tesla looked down at his own battered palms with a vain gaze, then took Linel's outstretched hand and stood up.
“I dropped a handkerchief behind Prince Calvain’s back, but why did Your Majesty...”
Prince Tesla asked him while brushing off his uniform. Of course, he deliberately trailed off and spoke politely, as if he were not asking a question. The Prince's last words, which he could not bring himself to ask Linel, were probably 'Why are you making a fuss?' Prince Tesla's sullen expression looked just like that.
“Really? Wasn’t there a handkerchief behind me? Oh, it must have fallen, and the wind blew it towards me.”
Linel shrugged and patted Prince Tesla's back. It was a rough touch, not like dusting, but like he was patting his spine. And even though it was his front that had gotten dirty from the fall, he was hitting, no, patting, the Prince's clean back so carefully.
“Prince Tesla was the first to drop out. He is now behind.”
Raphael quickly isolated the eliminated player and continued the game. Since there were many people, the one who was caught was eliminated, and a new one was chosen through rock-paper-scissors. This time, the women played rock-paper-scissors, and oh my, Princess Resilia became the one who was...
Princess Resilia started to turn in a circle, waving her handkerchief. It was a fairly large circle, so after turning halfway, the Princess's expression already looked exhausted. However, Blue Diamond did not want to give up and kept returning to her target. Princess Resilia's pace quickened as she got closer to where Rosie and Melanie were sitting. I was sitting close to the two of them, so I couldn't keep looking at Princess Resilia as she approached. However, after a while, I suddenly heard a 'Wow!' sound and glanced back. Princess Resilia started running toward her seat. I wondered why she was screaming, but behind Princess Resilia, Rosie lifted the hem of her dress up to her knees and was chasing the Princess at a frightening speed. Wait, was Rosie originally that athletic?
Rosie's sturdy ankles, clearly visible under her dress, looked like she had good stamina, but I wondered if she, a noble lady, had ever run like that. A red light flashed in those eyes, full of passion, as if they were going to grab Princess Resilia's fluttering pink hair. Red light? Oh, Moiya is the doppelganger of Rosie. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to run like that.
What should I do? Should I get up and stop her? Then I’ll look weird too? Unless it was a relay race, there was no way I could step forward. While hesitating about what to do, Moiya, who had transformed into Rosie, followed Princess Resilia closely. Just as Princess Resilia was almost at her seat, Rosie’s one leg stretched out forward. Princess Resilia didn’t see Rosie’s foot that suddenly came in front of her and fell forward. Unfortunately, the Princess didn’t fall to the floor like her brother, but fell into the arms of Princess Jasper, who was in front of her. You’re so lucky.
“Oh my, oh my!”
Princess Resilia's groaning sound as she fell over caused laughter to erupt here and there. The Princess's face burned brightly like a bonfire.
“I almost missed it, Moiya...”
“That was good,” said Rosie, patting Princess Resilia on the back. Excited, Rosie approached Raphael to hand him a handkerchief while dancing a shoulder dance. The guests opened their eyes wide, looking at the sudden dance of the concubine of the Lapion Empire as if they were amazed. Regardless, she, no... Moiya was directing the ball alone. A few seconds later, giggles could be heard here and there.
What should I do? Should I get up and stop her? Then I’ll look weird too? Unless it was a relay race, there was no way I could step forward. While hesitating about what to do, Moiya, who had transformed into Rosie, followed Princess Resilia closely. Just as Princess Resilia was almost at her seat, Rosie’s one leg stretched out forward. Princess Resilia didn’t see Rosie’s foot that suddenly came in front of her and fell forward. Unfortunately, the Princess didn’t fall to the floor like her brother, but fell into the arms of Princess Jasper, who was in front of her. You’re so lucky.
“Oh my, oh my!”
Princess Resilia's groaning sound as she fell over caused laughter to erupt here and there. The Princess's face burned brightly like a bonfire.
“I almost missed it, Moiya...”
“That was good,” said Rosie, patting Princess Resilia on the back. Excited, Rosie approached Raphael to hand him a handkerchief while dancing a shoulder dance. The guests opened their eyes wide, looking at the sudden dance of the concubine of the Lapion Empire as if they were amazed. Regardless, she, no... Moiya was directing the ball alone. A few seconds later, giggles could be heard here and there.
Oh no, Moiya! How long are you going to make me watch that shoulder dance... Rosie’s arms spread out to the sides, and her movements became bigger. My lady, please don’t dance like that!
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment