“Was it true when you said it hurt?”

Only after hearing Farnes’ words did Shalen finally take a proper look at Casaline’s appearance.

Her complexion was subtly paler than usual, and her breathing was unsteady.

When Shalen thought she was definitely feigning illness, these were the things she failed to notice.

Farnes spoke.

“It would be dangerous for her to attend to the queen in this state. But it’s also awkward to send her back after coming all the way here. I think it would be best if she receives appropriate protection from our side’s sufficient escort.”

“I appreciate your words, but this is our mistake. How could we impose such an inconvenience on you?”

“No. You don’t need to decline. His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen are important guests who came to enjoy today’s event, so please allow our imperial family to take responsibility.”

While others may not understand the deep meaning behind Farnes’ words, at least Shalen could.

While appearing to fully consider the circumstances of the foreign royal family, he was cleverly trying to protect Casaline and keep her within his sight.

Shalen struggled to find an appropriate answer to politely refuse his offer, but with many listening ears around, she couldn’t handle it carelessly.

If she were to say no to his offer of looking after the guests so they could enjoy the event at ease, unpleasant words would definitely be exchanged behind the scenes.

“Look here.”

As Farnes raised one hand, an attendant brought two horses as if they had been waiting.

One was a fine steed with a glossy black coat like a black leopard and a luxuriant mane like a lion, clearly of superior bloodline at a glance.

The other horse, slightly smaller in size, had white fur and was exceptionally gentle.

Farnes suddenly reached out towards Casaline.

Casaline, not understanding his action, just widened her eyes.

“Come here.”

“Yes? Where…?”

“Putting you on the knights’ horses would prevent them from properly performing their escort duties, and I can’t have you walking the rough mountain path in that condition, so there’s only one answer, isn’t there?”

As she hesitated, Farnes easily lifted Casaline and carefully seated her on the small white horse.

He then instructed a few escort knights to follow Casaline and prepare for any unexpected situations.

Farnes leaped onto his black horse and skillfully settled into position, then stretched his hand to the side to hold Casaline’s horse’s reins instead.

Seeing this, the nobles exchanged glances with sparkling interest.

Casaline glanced back briefly.

Shalen and Rose, who had been overflowing with composure just a moment ago, seemed quite shocked by Farnes’ actions and couldn’t even open their mouths.

“Today, I, Farnes, will bestow a great reward in the name of the imperial family to anyone who catches a more magnificent prey than me.”

At Farnes’ unprecedented proposal, further inciting the already considerable competitive spirit, the nobles let out resolute exclamations, suddenly forgetting the commotion from earlier.

As the atmosphere changed in an instant, Shalen could hardly find an opportunity to take Casaline back.

Even when she deliberately sent a glance to Duke Ludovic, he only said not to worry and enjoy the hunt, either lacking awareness or pretending to lack it.

Meanwhile, the nobles scattered in all directions in search of prey, each confidently proclaiming that they would be the glorious victor.

Amidst the fluttering hems of riding clothes in the mountain breeze, the lively sound of hooves, and the rattling of arrows, Farnes turned his horse’s head downhill while leading Casaline’s white horse alongside him.

He slowly descended along the path marked by flags, and as the surroundings grew quiet, he slowed down as if leisurely taking a stroll.

Left alone in the middle of the quiet forest, away from watchful eyes, the two remained silent for a while.

On the slender reins where their hands overlapped, his fingers occasionally tensed for no reason.

Whenever his fingers lightly brushed over the back of her hand to adjust the direction, sweat strangely seeped into her palm.

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“Have to?”

“Yes.”

Casaline nodded, desperately trying to hide her trembling heart.

“Do you think I’m doing this despite not wanting to?”

“Then what?”

While Farnes delayed his answer, the dry fallen leaves that had accumulated over the winter fluttered with a whoosh in the wind.

Sunlight shattered through the sparse branches, shining down on the two people’s heads.

Closing the distance in an instant, Farnes easily lifted Casaline and seated her in front of him.

As he embraced her from behind, Casaline nervously surveyed the surroundings where even the knights who had been following until just now were no longer visible.

Then she slowly raised her head and looked up at him.

“I need to keep an eye on you too.”

He lowered his head at an angle as if he was about to kiss her nape at any moment.

As his cold breath drew closer little by little, her heartbeat began to throb uncontrollably.

However, nothing ever touched her skin in the end.

Farnes moved away again, muttering as if scolding her.

“You’re inherently clumsy, so if I take my eyes off you for even a moment, you always end up causing accidents. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if a foreign maid was found as a cold corpse on such a nice day?”

“What do you take me for?”

Casaline, sulking, slightly twisted her body, trying to get off the horse.

But as Farnes readjusted his grip on the reins, he pulled her waist tightly.

“Where are you going?”

“The terrain around here isn’t rough, so I can walk.”

“There might be a pack of wolves nearby. If you don’t want to be swallowed in one bite, stay put obediently.”

“But this is too… embarrassing.”

Holding Casaline firmly with one hand so she wouldn’t fall, Farnes, who had been slowly urging the horse forward, suddenly stopped breathing for a moment.

He lowered his shaking eyes.

Casaline was at a loss, covering her face, which seemed ready to explode with redness, with one hand.

“You really don’t understand my feelings at all. You always treat me like a child and only make silly jokes.”

“……”

As Casaline’s hair, which had been precariously hanging on her shoulders, fell with a plop to the vicinity of her chest, her white nape was exposed.

Farnes only stared at her slender neck with a thirsty gaze and remained silent.

From the bowstring, pulled taut to its fullest, an arrow flew with a whoosh.

Despite the loud sound, the arrowhead struck the innocent tree trunk with a thud.

Thanks to that, two red deer nearby fled deep into the forest.

“Damn it.”

Shalen abruptly cursed.

The sight of the red deer running away without even looking back overlapped with Casaline, who had leisurely disappeared into the forest with Farnes a moment ago.

Casaline, who faithfully followed etiquette more than anything else, didn’t even pretend to refuse Farnes’ proposal.

She was a woman of truly firm integrity, who during their dating days, tried not to even hold hands if there was even a single person around.

‘In a word, it means she’s so enamored with that bastard Farnes that she’s lost her sense of propriety…’

Shalen stretched out a hand to his attendant.

The attendant, who had been waiting with a quiver in his arms, quickly handed him a sharply carved arrow.

“Your Majesty…”

Rose watched Shalen, who was hastily pulling the bowstring as if taking out his frustration on someone, with anxious eyes.

Although she believed he couldn’t possibly do that, to Rose, it seemed Shalen wasn’t simply angry about Casaline, but rather, he appeared to be jealous.

Looking back, Shalen had always been like that.

Pretending to reprimand the maid as the king, pretending to educate her justly, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the direction of his emotions was subtly different.

He couldn’t stand seeing Casaline close to other men.

As if Casaline was his possession.

As if she had an obligation to live chastely and devotedly as a maid within the confines of the royal family forever.

‘No. That’s an excessive thought. There’s no way His Majesty Shalen would think of Sister Casaline like that.’

Rose approached him with her signature bright and pure smile, unchanged since their first wedding ceremony.

Because giving strength to a husband who was upset about not catching much game was also a wife’s proper duty.

“Your Majesty. This hunting ground is strange no matter what.”

“What?”

“The beasts are all acting skittishly as if they’re drugged. The imperial family must have done something to make sure people can’t catch many.”

“Now that you mention it, that’s true. The queen’s words seem to be correct. If not, there’s no reason they wouldn’t be caught this much.”

“Of course. Your Majesty has been renowned as the best hunter since your time as the crown prince.”

When Rose praised him, Shalen barely caught his breath, wiping the beads of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

With the attendants behind them, he belatedly felt embarrassed about getting excited and forgetting his surroundings because of a single woman named Casaline.

“Well, I did catch the leader wolf in one shot when I was nine, but it’s not something to boast about.”

“Wow. Really? That’s amazing.”

Thanks to Rose, his self-esteem, which had been miserably crushed by Farnes, was somewhat restored.

Shalen was searching for game again when he abruptly stopped moving.

Across the stream, so far away it was blurry without narrowing his eyes, Farnes and Casaline were leisurely passing through the forest path.

As if the hunting competition was of no concern, the sight of the two people peacefully enjoying the breeze while observing the small birds busily flitting from one tree to another momentarily stirred a bizarre impulse in Shalen.

“Give me the arrow!”

Shalen, his face flushed red up to his neck, snatched an arrow from the attendant.

He immediately nocked the arrow and aimed it in Casaline’s direction before firing.

Of course, he aimed at a tree slightly away from her.

With a thud, as the arrowhead pierced the tree bark, the startled Casaline reflexively turned her head to find the source of the sound.

At that moment, Shalen roughly pulled Rose, who was beside him, and began to pour kisses on her.

Even Shalen himself didn’t know why he was doing this.

He just felt like it.

‘She must have definitely seen this much.’

Shalen slightly raised his head, expecting Casaline’s face to be vividly colored with jealousy.

However, as if she hadn’t even noticed them, Casaline was moving farther away with Farnes.

At that moment, Shalen was seized by a sensation as if a black, sticky lump of emotion was unpleasantly churning in his stomach.

“What if one day she suddenly says she won’t be yours?”

“I assure you, there’s no way Casaline will ever leave me. From now on, for a lifetime.”

Casaline leaving him.

He had never even imagined it once.

Because in the first place, such a thing could never happen.

Casaline doted on her younger sister Rose terribly, and if nothing else, she was a woman who knew how to pledge loyalty to the country of Khan.

Moreover, she wasn’t a woman to easily break her strong bond with him, which had lasted for a whopping ten years.

‘I’m just having unnecessary thoughts…’

Shalen hastily pulled the bowstring, aiming at a bird perched on a tree branch, his hands hardly calming down.

The sharply honed arrowhead flew limply into the void without hitting anything and eventually plummeted to the ground.