“Huh!”

I was prepared for a drizzle, but a storm hit instead.

Litania quickly stepped back as Herna turned in surprise to look at the gatekeeper. Bain followed, as if shielding her from Herna’s view.

Regardless, Herna, completely focused on Orbis, forgot who she had been talking to just moments ago and hurried out to greet him.

“Divine Dragon Orbis!”

“Did you have a guest?”

Orbis asked, looking beyond the arch of the rose maze garden without glancing at Herna.

Herna briefly recalled Litania’s presence but calmly denied it.

“No? There was nothing like that. Just flies buzzing around.”

“Is that so.”

“More importantly, Orbis, I have something to ask you…”

“Then if there’s no business, I’ll be on my way.”

“What? O-Orbis, Orbis!”

Having deliberately come, Orbis turned back without showing a hint of lingering interest. Herna tried to chase after him, but it was impossible to keep up with the speed of a dragon who could cover great distances in the blink of an eye despite appearing leisurely.

Seeing the empty space where Orbis had vanished in an instant, Herna bit her lip hard and trembled.

“Could it really be… that fake?”

* * *

“Thank you, Bain. You didn’t have to escort me.”

“Not at all. I felt bad for not seeing you all the way last time.”

“Haha. Bain, you really worry about the smallest things.”

Litania laughed and waved her hand dismissively.

‘Thanks to him, I was able to escape quickly before Orbis discovered me.’

Meeting Herna was a small wave. It could have been overcome if needed. But the tsunami named Orbis was something she absolutely couldn’t handle.

So she ran away.

‘For now… I must absolutely avoid encountering Orbis in the future. That’s the only way his interest in me will fade.’

She couldn’t quite understand why he would propose marriage at their first meeting, but one shouldn’t try to understand non-human beings.

‘Even if we chalk it up to love at first sight as a romantic fantasy allowance, it’s probably still just a light interest at this stage.’

Litania decided to completely revise her plan.

First, she needed to stay quietly holed up in the separate palace as before, waiting for the storm to pass.

If she could avoid catching Orbis’s eye as much as possible, either his interest would cool during her absence, or Herna would eagerly pursue him.

‘Then my life should be spared. Let’s pray for Herna to achieve her wish!’

Litania prayed inwardly and looked up. Her eyes met Bain’s.

He was tilting his head as if curious about what she was thinking.

“Sir, you should head back now. You shouldn’t leave your post during duty hours.”

“Please call me Bain, Princess Litania.”

“Alright, Bain.”

Litania corrected his name and smiled awkwardly.

“Well, I’ll be going in now. You should hurry back before Herna scolds you!”

“Yes, I will do that.”

As Bain responded respectfully, Litania chuckled and waved goodbye as she disappeared.

Watching her leave, Bain felt a strange emotion.

‘How did someone like her survive in this imperial palace?’

The outcast princess who had been locked up in the northern separate palace for 19 years, not meeting anyone.

She trusts people with foolish innocence and bestows kindness without expecting anything in return.

If she had met bad people, she would have been deceived and used just like that.

‘If kindness should be repaid with kindness…’

He wanted to help this kind-hearted, foolish princess continue to believe in the circulation of goodwill as truth, unaware of the world’s dirty aspects.

He wanted to create such a world.

Even knowing it was impossible for him, the princess’s guard knight, Bain suddenly harbored such a wish.

* * *

“Participate in the Spring Hunting Festival?”

Litania was taken aback by the emperor’s sealed order that Snow had brought.

The hunting festival that marks the finale of the spring festivities. An event hosted by the royal family to prevent beasts coming down from the mountains after hibernation from threatening villages.

Of course, that was just the pretext, and in reality, it was just a staged event, so many female participants, including princesses, also took part.

“But is there really a need for even me to participate?”

“Shall I say you’ll decline then?”

“Snow, that’s not it.”

Litania glared at the emperor’s order. Whether it was revived affection for a daughter he had neglected until now or something else, it wasn’t good to defy the emperor’s orders.

‘I need the emperor’s protection to escape from Orbis.’

Even the original Orbis, who killed princes and princesses like weeding, didn’t directly lay hands on the emperor.

It was probably like a final stronghold to enjoy entertainment in the human world. In the end, he swept everything away, saying he didn’t need such a world when he couldn’t receive the original Litania’s love, but that’s another story.

‘And the palace will be quiet because of the hunting festival, so staying here isn’t a good option.’

If Orbis were to visit the separate palace, there would be no way to avoid him. It might be better to participate in the hunting festival and blend into the crowd to avoid his gaze.

“Right. If herbivores want to avoid predators, they have no choice but to form herds…”

“I walk alone though?”

“You must not be an herbivore then…”

Snow tilted his head with his red eyes rolling, but Litania ignored him.

“I’ll participate in the hunting festival.”

“Then, Litania, we’ll need to get you fitted for hunting clothes.”

“I have riding clothes, right? I’ll wear those.”

The hunting festival was just a pretext, not for actual hunting, so just keeping up appearances would do. She had no desire to hunt animals, nor the ability to do so.

‘It’s not like I’m going to achieve any merits, I’ll just kill time in a relatively safe place.’

Having ruined the long-awaited ball and with her plans to hide away now twisted, Litania decided to go with the flow, having lost all motivation.

‘As long as I can avoid Orbis’s attention, I can endure a little hardship!’

However, unfortunately, fate was not on Litania’s side.

* * *

The Black Forest. The vast forest connecting the high mountains northeast of the capital to the city was densely populated with tall trees and undergrowth, making it an easy place for beasts to hide.

Litania scanned the figures gathered in the clearing in front of the Black Forest.

Flags displaying the crests of noble houses participating in the hunt fluttered in the wind, and below them, people leading horses and dogs bustled about.

As the sound of hooves and barking hunting dogs echoed across the clearing, Litania felt a little uneasy.

‘Should I ride a horse too? I’ve never ridden a horse before.’

Whether it was the original Litania or the current one, this was the first time participating in the hunting festival.

Among the excited horses pawing the ground and unfamiliar hunters, Litania took a deep breath and approached the tent with the royal family’s flag.

“Huh?”

The one who spotted Litania was the 3rd prince Vapor, standing in front of the tent.

Looking at Litania with a puzzled expression, he glanced at his siblings inside the tent and asked her in a slightly lowered voice.

“Why are you here?”

The prince was two years younger than Litania. Yet, the fact that he called her ‘you’ instead of ‘sister’ showed that he didn’t consider her as a sibling.

‘Still, he looks a bit like me.’

Soft-looking brown hair and pink eyes. Even his somewhat timid expression. He was completely different from the unpleasant-looking crown prince.

Litania relaxed her slightly stiffened shoulders and approached the prince. They were both equally awkward, but Litania had no reason to be intimidated in front of the prince. She spoke nonchalantly.

“It’s His Majesty’s order to participate in the hunting festival.”

“…Dressed like that?”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?”

Litania was wearing a soft silk high-neck blouse with a black velvet jacket over it, paired with form-fitting riding pants in the same color as the jacket, and black leather boots that came just below the knee.

Her hair was braided and tucked into a wide-brimmed hat, tied with a ribbon decorated with vine patterns – Snow’s masterpiece.

‘It’s not that fancy, but it should be sufficient for a princess’s riding outfit… Oh.’

Litania looked Vapor up and down. She had been too overwhelmed by the excited atmosphere of the hunting festival to notice properly, but Vapor’s attire was clearly different from hers.

His jacket and pants, seemingly made of sturdy yet breathable fabric, had several pockets for hunting daggers and equipment. A horn hung from the bag at his waist, and a belt for holding a quiver was slung over his shoulder.

The prince wore boots with heels suitable for mountain hiking, multi-layered gloves, and had even tightly fastened the strap of his hat under his chin.

It was the attire of a hunter, suitable for running and chasing prey on uneven terrain.

‘Wasn’t this supposed to be a staged hunt? Why is it so serious?’

Litania had only intended to fill a spot, with no plans to seriously participate in the hunt.

She thought everyone would be dressed similarly to her, as hunting in this era was just a sport, but it seemed everyone was serious about the hunt.

Litania belatedly realized why Snow had recommended getting new hunting clothes.

“If you go into the forest like that, you won’t be able to keep up with the dogs’ speed and will fall behind. First, we need to get you a bag…”

“Vapor! What’s taking you so long to come in… Oh?”

Princess Herna, who had come out lifting the tent flap, recognized Litania and frowned deeply.

“Why are you here again?”

When Litania looked at Vapor instead of answering, the prince reflexively explained the situation to his sister.

“She says it’s His Majesty’s order.”