Unable to bear watching her occasionally limp, presumably due to a leg injury, I approached Marie as well. She immediately grabbed my hand and began leading me to one side so that people could not hear our conversation.
"Haa, ha... I, I'm sorry."
"Marie?"
"Forget everything I said earlier. It's a crumbling abandoned house, so there's nothing to see there, and it's actually a scary place."
Although she spoke in a whisper, she couldn't help but raise her tone. Like someone being chased, Marie teared up, her face filled with anxiety and guilt.
"Never go to the Maze Forest. It is a maze you cannot escape from. You absolutely must not go there!"
"Marie..."
"And keep this dagger safe. Something might happen... Even if a knight escort is accompanying you, it is dangerous to go in unarmed."
"..."
"Yes. You must be flustered. Sob, I know I'm acting as I please. I'll gladly accept any punishment. So please... Sob, please tell me you won't go to the Maze Forest? Please?"
I looked at Marie for a moment as she poured out tears, her face soaked, then spoke in a low voice.
“Then will you tell me?”
The sound of gasping breath stopped for a moment.
"Who ordered you to do this?"
"Princess..."
Her wet, grass-green eyes trembled pitifully, as if being blown about by the wind and rain. I reached out and gently wiped her damp cheek.
"Then I won't go to the maze forest as Marie wishes."
Puuuuu-
The second trumpet sounded. We had to move now because we had to leave when the third trumpet sounded.
I raised one hand to Oscar, who was staring at me from a distance, to tell him to wait a moment, and then looked at Marie.
"...I will let you know when you return safely. Please make sure to have a safe trip."
I trembled as if I were clinging to a rope on a cliff, and I gently stroked the back of Marie's hand as she held mine.
"Alright. Get a good night's sleep, and I'll be back when you wake up. See you later!"
And then I smiled broadly. As if to say not to worry about anything.
I patted Marie, who barely let go of my hand as if she still had lingering feelings, and turned around. As I stood before the horse, Oscar pressed himself close to my side and asked with a puzzled look.
“Are you okay?”
I mounted my horse briskly, stared intently at the entrance to the hunting ground, and answered.
“Yes, let’s go.”
The last trumpet sounded long. It was the time of the hunt.
***
"The hunting ground is quite large, so the deeper you go, the more ferocious beasts appear. It would be best to stick to the entrance."
"Ah, then are there mainly herbivores near the entrance?"
"They are there, but with so many people coming in, they will all be hiding and won't be easily noticed."
"Should I look for a place to hide..."
"Are you trying to catch a rabbit?"
"Yes."
"Shall I catch it for you?"
"Ah. That would be fine, but..."
Although Thierry said there were no specific rules, if I accepted Oscar's help, he might insist it was invalid because I hadn't caught it myself, so it would be better not to get him to hold me accountable.
"I'll give it a try, and if it doesn't seem like it will work, I'll ask for your help."
I looked around carefully. I saw people scattering in all directions between the ridges of evergreen trees.
Everyone was riding their horses fast, as if heading deep into the wilderness, and only I and a few others were moving leisurely.
"Which noble family is she from? To think Lord Bellic is sticking so close to her..."
"Indeed. It is the first time I have seen Lord Bellic escorting someone other than His Majesty."
"Ah, that person? I heard she is a Princess from the Kingdom of Ashtad. I heard she lives at the main palace."
"Ah. That..."
"Then isn't she a hostage? She certainly didn't come here just to play, yet to brazenly participate in the hunting festival. His Majesty is truly generous."
The whispering of people glancing at me from the side cut right into my ears. Even though I tried to speak quietly, it was of no use at all, as the loudest noise was the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.
"Maybe they just don't really care?"
“I’m a little curious.”
"Hmm—I wonder what it will be? Shall we give it a try?"
Don't come. I tightened my lips and sped up my speech.
However, those who came running excitedly were a bit faster, and I had no choice but to slow down again due to the nobles who were sticking close to me.
"Lord Bellic, it has been a long time. How have you been?"
It was obvious that he was glancing at me and speaking to Oscar first, as if ignoring me.
I decided to simply observe their behavior, as if possessed by a borrowed sack of barley. However, Oscar scanned the people gathered around him with a blatantly annoyed look, as if he had no intention of giving up even a little.
"The road is narrow, so why don't you spread out a bit? Are you only moving aside when someone trips?"
It was a look filled with the determination to knock him down himself right then and there.
"Sir Bellic! I heard you became a bit more well-behaved after becoming the Vice-Commander of the Knights, but judging by your words and actions, that doesn't really seem to be the case."
"You high-class people are the ones who should watch your words and actions. I'm the type who communicates with my body."
Screams of terror erupted from all directions.
“That’s so rude!”
"Generously, just like the disgrace of the Duke of Bellic. What good is outstanding ability if he is so frivolous!"
Oscar... Was he a son of the Duke?
That surprises me a bit, too. Ah, perhaps being from a high-ranking family actually allowed him to be more confident?
"Princess, would you mind going ahead a little? I will take care of the rest from behind."
What exactly are you trying to handle...?
Oscar's smirking tone, as he told me to speed up a little because it was fine, was unsettling.
'No, I think this person would have been like this even if he wasn't from the Duke's family.'
Seeing my awkward smile, the nobles who had been trying to pull their horses away, perhaps misunderstanding that I was going to stop Oscar, slowly started to approach me again.
"Then I'll be going first."
Since I was just a nobody anyway, I didn't really need to worry about their safety. Smiling resignedly, I obediently walked ahead as Oscar had instructed, and gasps of breath erupted from all directions.
"What the hell is this?"
But a cold voice that shouldn't have been heard came from behind. As if by prearrangement, everyone's heads turned to the back.
"Your Majesty!"
Then I saw Thierry approaching me, showing me the miracle of the Red Sea.
"Did everyone come to hang out?"
A cool glint flashed as he scanned the surroundings. Since the hunting festival was indeed a social gathering in its own right, it was fitting for the people who had come to have fun.
However, everyone kept their mouths shut, knowing that if they answered yes, they would get nowhere.
I came expecting a peaceful horseback riding experience, but as time went on, the situation was turning out to be completely different from what I had imagined.
'Should I take this opportunity to sneak ahead?'
I looked at Oscar and gestured ahead. To tell him to quickly see my signal and follow me.
"Your Majesty, would you like to travel with me?"
...Oscar, are you crazy?
The nobles watched Thierry turn his gaze toward Oscar, glancing around cautiously as if measuring the timing to stealthily disperse.
But suddenly, Thierry glanced at me. More precisely, over me.
He exuded a menacing aura, his eyes sharp as if he had sensed something.
"Princess, come toward me-"
It was before Thierry could even finish speaking. With the sound of a biting wind, an arrow flew and lodged in the leg of the horse I was riding.
"Aaaah!"
"Princess!"
It happened in an instant. Before I knew it, Thierry and Oscar were within striking distance, but it was impossible to control the horse, which was out of its mind from the pain.
The horse screamed and raged violently, then started to buck in an instant. I hugged the horse's neck tightly to avoid falling off as it swayed violently.
"Princess!"
Thierry's voice followed behind. I couldn't see my surroundings, but I knew he was still chasing me.
The horse ran like a madman on its injured leg. It was an extraordinary speed.
'Crazy, isn't it normal to collapse if you get shot in the leg?! It must hurt; how are you running? What the hell? It's not like you took any medicine or anything; whatever it is, please stop!'
***
Thierry chased after Elisha's horse as it sped away.
'To think it can reach that speed after being hit by an arrow.'
It was an abnormal thing.
Thierry's black horse was one of the finest in the Empire, and he had chosen a gentler one from his own hordes for Elisha. Thierry was riding at full speed, and even though the white horse had injured its leg, the distance between the two horses was not closing in the slightest.
On the contrary, the situation became even more chaotic as the distance widened at an overwhelming speed.
"Your Majesty!"
"Gather the knights and follow me."
Thierry gave orders to Oscar, who was running after them, and followed Elisha into the maze forest. White trees blocked the view, and only the sunlight filtering through the branches spread a pure white light.
"..."
At that moment, the light spreading out in tiny fragments created a strange afterimage. Thierry's red eyes trembled violently.
It was a terrible hallucination. It had been haunting him for years, but to think it had to appear in a situation like this.
The sight of a slender frame running vigorously, familiar brown hair, and refreshing laughter that touched the heart. The longing that arose from time to time cast itself in colorful forms every time.
"...Lari."
As if answering the call, the girl turned to face Thierry. Then, curving her green eyes beautifully, she smiled broadly.
Even though he knew it was clearly an illusion, Thierry could not ignore this fantasy. He simply reached forward to catch the girl as usual, his eyes turning red.
"No."
The faint light shimmered as if within reach, then eventually scattered. And through the scattered light, the fleeting glimpse of Elisha's back vanished completely from sight.
"Come back!!!"
Thierry screamed, veins bulging in his neck. At the sound of his desperate voice, birds soared into the sky.
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