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Published at 4th of December 2022 08:18:08 PM


Chapter 40

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Chapter 40

“That—”

Iellie, who reflexively opened her mouth, swallowed her words back.

Her cheeks flushed brightly.

‘Actually, it was because I was excited about you yesterday… How could I explain?’

To be honest, she also didn’t think her behaviour last night was right the way it was. She was with the drunken Zachary, and gave meaning to each and every one of his actions.

She thought that he was going to kiss her, and that would be a secret only to Iellie. Perhaps, it’s just embarrassing for her to say it out loud.

‘But, Zachary doesn’t know anything about what I’m thinking.’

In the end, she decided to be a little crooked. She raised her chin and looked directly into Zachary’s eyes.

“Well, you drank and made a fuss yesterday.”

“That, that… That’s right. Still, you said it wasn’t a big mistake, right?”

Zachary protested in a timid tone. Iellie’s eyes gradually turned, and she gazed at him.

After a while, she snorted.

“Anyway, mistakes are mistakes. Isn’t it a mistake, even small?”

Iellie questioned him with quite a bit of force.

At that, he bit his lips tightly. The way he was slowly scrutinizing his eyes was like a dog with a lot of scolding and despair. Zachary, who was not sure what to do, opened his mouth cautiously.

“…Sorry.”

“….”

“I’m really, really, really sorry.”

He felt so sorry for it that it seemed like he would collapse to the floor and disappear at any moment.

‘…Well, he looked a little pitiful.’

“So, don’t be angry, huh…?”

Uttering that, Zachary looked down at her with earnest eyes.

Finally, Iellie let out two long sighs.

“Only this time.”

“Huh?”

“I’m only going to forgive you this time.”

As she answered, turning her head sharply, Zachary’s expression brightened like a lamp turned on. Zachary, who reached out his hand and held Iellie in his arms, exclaimed in relief.

“Thank you, I will never make a mistake in the future!”

“Uh, Za, Zachary? I’m—I’m choking!”

Iellie tapped him on the back and shouted.

Everyone passing by glanced at the friendly appearance of the Heir Apparent couple, who were approaching their coming of age, with happy eyes.

Meanwhile, Iellie’s face turned red.

A thick shadow loomed beneath the dense coniferous forest.

Because the temperature was cold in the North, there were much more coniferous forests than broad-leaved trees. The Prince pulled the reins roughly. His stomach was rumbling.

“…Oh, crap.”

The current Prince was suffering from a hangover. His last memory was a drinking game with the Heir Apparent. The monstrous little guy was constantly emptying his drink, though he didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

“You bastard, as strong in alcohol as a monster…”

He chewed and swallowed swear words that were somewhat inappropriate to speak as a Crown Prince into his mouth.

“Damn, why is it so cold here?!”

The Prince, who was nervous, raised his head. Seeing the Crown Prince’s mood, the hunters shrugged his shoulders and immediately looked at him.

He then grumbled, shaking his shoulders.

“There is nothing good about it.”

He was a prince who knew his nobility well. The Crown Prince also showed off his nobility by trampling on the lower ranks of his subordinates. It was common knowledge that he had to take care of himself in order not to be beaten.

‘… At least, it was nice to meet her.’

The Prince smoothed his lips.

Pink hair swaying gracefully like the leaves of an asha flower, and green eyes as soft as a bud…

Even her sharp voice was lovely, and even the voice that rejected him was like a song.

‘If I had known she was so beautiful, I would have been stubborn and would have let him marry Annerose.’

Gray eyes sunk deep. The Emperor, who was lying in a sickbed and in a semi-comatose state, seemed to want to show his father’s affection, which was rare at that time.

At that time, the Emperor was outraged and ordered to find a new wife rather than marrying Annerose, and the Crown Prince chose Lady Blanchet without thinking.

‘But, it’s really strange. If only she had been a simple beauty, I wouldn’t have been so moved…’

The Crown Prince turned his horse’s head, narrowing his eyes. Tsk—the Prince who kicked his tongue made a strange face.

‘Besides, she doesn’t seem to even hear of ‘Asha’s blessing’…’

He would have to check again later, though that was how it seems so far, at least. And, for the Crown Prince, there was no one who did not listen to ‘Asha’s Blessing,’ unless it was the bloodline of Hessenweitz.

‘She’s a woman married from outside, and she hasn’t even had a child of Hessenweitz yet.’

Then, of course, ‘Asha’s blessing’ had to be applied. However, Iellie was only glaring at the Crown Prince with his sharp eyes. Recalling that, he raised the tip of his lips.

The Prince smiled bitterly.

“Well, it’s okay. Angry cats have a tame taste.”

As if it was natural, the Prince treated Iellie as a pet.

On the other hand, trying not to get close to the Prince, the hunters slowly followed him.

Right then.

He then glanced at the hunters.

“Why are you so late?”

At the loud shouting, the hunters stiffened their shoulders. The Prince swung his horsewhip threateningly.

“You want to be beaten to death with a horsewhip?!”

“Oh, no!”

The hunters ran in a hurry.

The Crown Prince sharpened his eyes and shouted sharply.

“Things like garbage, whom you serve is the Crown Prince of the Empire! What if something happens?!”

In fact, it was an absurd nonsense. The hunting forest was managed by the Duke’s Castle, and of course, all dangerous beasts and wild beasts were organized. However, the Crown Prince just wanted to vent his anger over yesterday.

‘Zachary Hessenweitz…!’

Silver hair as white as a freshly snowed field, eyes as cold as glacier…

A young man as cool as an elegant beast. Zachary’s blue eyes stared at him as if mocking the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince bit his teeth.

‘What a terrible monster!’

Even the Prince couldn’t have known. Zachary had been wary of him right after he arrived at the Duke’s Castle.

He also knew that yesterday he offered alcohol to protect Iellie. Nevertheless, since he was a prince who had been accustomed to banquets and pleasures for a long time, he thought that he could not be defeated in a drinking competition.

“I am the Prince of this Empire! How dare you, you don’t even know your place?!”

The Crown Prince raised his voice once more. But then, he heard the sound of stepping on the frosty grass.

What the hell is this sound…?

The Crown Prince quickly turned his head, and his expression quickly distorted.

“Oh, my. Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The main character of the voice was Zachary. With his head tilted lightly, he stared intently at the Crown Prince.

“There is no one here who doesn’t know that Your Highness will be the supreme ruler of the Empire in the future.”

Zachary’s graceful voice was full of cold scorn.

Hearing that, the Crown Prince raised his voice.

“Heir Apparent. Are you making fun of me now?”

“No way. I am just stating the facts.”

Answering, he shrugged his shoulders smoothly. The Crown Prince stared at Zachary like that, and his eyes lit up.

‘You’re only bringing that kind of weapon. Then, I might be able to catch a better hunt.’

Zachary currently wore a simple outfit. In addition, the only weapon he had was a large longbow, and he was alone.

‘He went out hunting alone without any hunters to hunt for the beast, arrogant.’

The Prince laughed inwardly.

‘Great. Then, I can catch a splendid hunt and give it to her.’

The Prince nodded his head inwardly.

Suddenly, Zachary rolled his eyes.

He widened his eyes and opened his mouth.

“Besides, it’s really sad what you’re saying about the hunting forest, as a member of the Duke family.”

“…That—”

It seemed that Zachary had heard what he said. With that thought, the Crown Prince told himself to pay more attention to manage his momentary expression.

‘What if something happens to me, the Crown Prince?’

Those words were meant to be an insult to the Duchy, the owner of the hunting forest.

“Isn’t it a hunting forest that Hessenweitz manages with great care?”

‘He heard.’

The Crown Prince bit the soft flesh in his mouth.

Zachary asked in a relaxed voice, “Your Highness doesn’t believe in the Duchy—is that what you mean?”

As he was asking that question, he smiled splendidly.

But, no matter how ignorant the Prince was, he hid it in his gorgeous smile. It was impossible not to notice the sharp energy.

The Crown Prince let out a groan and sighed.

“…I didn’t mean that.”

However, in the first place, the Prince made the mistake of speaking, so in the end, he had to say so with a dissatisfied expression. It was such a shallow thought to think that Zachary would overlook such words. Still—

“If that wasn’t what you meant, you would have one more thing to say to me.”

“What did you say now…?”

“I said you should have one more thing to tell me.”

In front of the Crown Prince, who had a surprised face, Zachary gently curved his eyes. He continued sarcastically.

“Even a young child when he’s wrong, he apologizes.”

“Hessenweitz Heir Apparent!”

“Are you still trying to change the subject?”

Having said that, Zachary sharply tied the bow to the longbow.

Creaaak. A scream-like sound came from the curved longbow. The Prince’s face turned white as he looked at it.

Was Zachary going to…

“Wh, what are you doing?!”

The direction the arrow was pointing was definitely pointing towards the Crown Prince.

At that moment, the Prince could feel his blood rushing out of his body. Currently, Zachary was a warrior that shook not only in the North, but throughout the Empire.

‘Is the Heir Apparent crazy? Bu, but…!’

If Zachary even messed around and attacked the Prince, there was no one who could stop him here.

Moreover, even if Zachary and he had a fight, the Crown Prince had no chance of winning. The Crown Prince did not even sharpen the minimum swordsmanship skills that male nobles learned as basic skills.

“I, I made a mistake with my words to the Heir Apparent! Because I was wrong…!”

Zachary’s blue eyes, hearing the Prince’s urgent voice, harbored a sign of contempt.

Pathetic.

He, who deserves no attention, even if he was the Crown Prince.

At the same time—Ping! and the bow shook.

“Kiingg!”

The fox’s sharp scream resounded.

Behind the Prince’s back, a white fox jumped up and fell to the ground. Zachary then lowered his bow.

He pushed the tip of his lips sternly and said.

“What are you doing?”

“….”

“Aren’t you hunting?”

The Prince slowly rolled his eyes and looked back at him. The fox, which had been shot by an arrow in the eye, was bleeding to the ground.

Thinking about what had just happened, the Crown Prince’s spine shuddered, and power drained from his body.

‘That arrow… It just brushed my left ear.’

Zachari smiled brightly.

He answered the Crown Prince in a voice that could even be heard cheerfully.

“I just shot because the prey was right behind your back.”

“…Hessenweitz Heir Apparent.”

“I’m sorry if I surprised you. I never meant it.”

In this place, only Zachary had a bright appearance. Meanwhile, the hunter and the Prince could not hide their astonishment.

‘The Heir Apparent shot the fox right in the eye…’

‘Even though it was so far away…?’

The hunters who had gathered there stared at the fallen silver fox with bewildered faces. The eyes were deliberately targeted so that the leather would not be damaged. Nonetheless, the distance between the silver fox and Zachary was still very far.

It was not a distance where they could shoot at the eyes.

Moments after, Zachary got on the horse with a casual expression.

“Oh, that’s a relief.”

He lightly jumped off the horse and picked up the silver fox, before speaking softly while observing the silver fox.

“The leather does not appear to have been damaged.”

“….”

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