The competition would continue until the sun set today, and rankings would be determined based on the highest scores.

“Let’s go!”

Countless people gathered, and the words scattered in various directions of the forest, and they began to run.

Artia showed the map to Cascus.

“Let’s go here.”

Pointing to the marked place on the map along with the direction, Artia spoke.

Artia whispered to Cascus’s ear in a low voice.

“I know the key points of the Hwangung Hunting Competition. Just trust me.”

“You have good skills. Is your body okay?”

“Of course. It’s not just fine; it’s very robust. My heart races when I hunt.”

Artia confidently spoke, dismissing concerns.

“Shall we start?”

Cascus and Artia rode deeper into the forest on horses. To reach the marked location on the map, they had to pass through this area.

Nobles who had arrived earlier were already hunting.

Thunk!

An arrow shot by a noble hit the leg of a white rabbit.

“Catch it!”

“Wow!”

Cheers and the sounds of bows being drawn echoed throughout the forest.

Artia saw Owen disappearing into the distance.

It was impossible to catch up with Owen’s famous horse, even though the horse Cascus and Artia rode was an ordinary hunting horse provided as a supply at Hwangung.

However, Artia didn’t intend to chase after him.

Whether Owen caught a hundred bears or killed all the tigers didn’t matter.

The important thing was to catch rare animals.

As they went further into the forest, the nobles seemed to have dispersed and hidden their traces.

Artia raised her head and scanned the terrain. Sharp, triangular-shaped mountains and trees appeared, just like in the book.

Looking at the compass, Artia gradually approached the place marked on the map.

“You seem to know the way well. When did you investigate?”

Cascus said, looking at Artia.

“I did some reconnaissance.”

Artia answered with a smile.

“The Crown Prince will undoubtedly try to make us a laughingstock in the hunting competition.”

“Good ability. You’ve taken over what I should do.”

“Really?”

“Usually, in this kind of terrain, the animals and their locations are predetermined. Even if it’s different from where I usually am, it doesn’t deviate much from the general framework.”

“Indeed, the Duke had a plan. But my plan is formidable too, don’t you think?”

Meanwhile, Artia skillfully guided the horse.

“Hyah!”

“Hee-yah!”

The horse that Artia rode for the first time today neighed, shaking its tail happily.

“Did you tame that horse in the meantime?”

Cascus asked, opening his mouth and glancing at the horse Artia was riding.
The horse Artia rode already seemed to recognize Artia as its master.

“There seems to be no queen of animals.”

“Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Artia laughed coolly, revealing her neat teeth to Cascus.

It was Artia’s first time participating in a hunting competition, but she appeared not only fearless but also excited.

“For you, this seems to be an extension of your exercise.”

“That’s right. Lifting weights with barbells is good, but I wanted to try participating in a hunting competition at least once.”

When a rough mountain path appeared, Artia and Cascus dismounted briefly from their horses.

A fierce wind blew, scattering Artia’s silver hair.

Cascus reached out and neatly arranged Artia’s silver hair.

As if trusting Cascus’s meticulous touch, Artia closed her eyes tightly.

Cascus felt unparalleled affection for Artia.

How foolish he was to mistake Artia for a crossdressing man in the past.

His wife had no flaws, from her well-groomed eyelashes to her red lips, and every single one of her actions was lovely.

Cascus was eager to unravel the dark magic that bound Artia’s body by any means necessary.

Now, he couldn’t bear to imagine a life without her.

Cascus, barely resisting the urge to kiss Artia, who had her eyes closed, finally spoke.

“Well… Shall we go back?”

Artia and Cascus headed to a high place where they could see in all directions.

Soon, Artia, standing on an uphill road, set foot on land where she could see the surrounding landscape at a glance.

“We need to go that way.”

With each stride of the horse, fresh air deeply filled her lungs.

‘Ah, on a day like this with good weather, I should spread out a mat and sip on some protein.’

Not a single sound of people could be heard nearby.

They had already ventured quite deep.

Changing directions several times while running for a long time.

Eventually, Artia found a peculiar-shaped rock and spring that she had seen in the appendix.

‘Good. This is it.’

A spring with clear water was visible near the rock.

‘There should be a cave nearby.’

Artia quickly explored the surroundings, rolling her eyes.

Before they knew it, it was late afternoon. The sound of chirping birds echoed in their ears.

Then, a whining sound came from somewhere.

‘It was definitely the sound of a fox.’

Artia pressed her index finger to her lips, signaling Cascus not to make any noise.

“Whining!”

The sound occurred again.

In the distance, a silver fox with shining fur appeared.

It was undoubtedly a silver fox.

‘Crazy… They’re so cute.’

It wasn’t just one. There were two in total.

Both were about the size of a medium-sized dog, and their bodies seemed to still be growing.

‘…Are they still babies?’

Seeing the silver foxes playing in front of her, Artia bit her lips with a face that had been beaten by a pounding heart.

A face mixed with a Samoyed, Pomeranian, and desert fox.
And the fluffy fur was shining in the sunset hanging in the sky.

It seemed like there was some truth to the saying that once you fall for a fox, there’s no turning back.

‘Let me touch it just once. Please, just once.’