I had dinner with Rinel at the Empress Palace.

Around the end of the meal, he suggested we ride horses together to the training ground, saying he would teach me how to shoot a bow.

I deliberately pretended to be excited and made a fuss.

I even acted cute, making “pew pew” sounds while pretending to shoot arrows.

I’m not sure if he took that as aegyo, but his reaction wasn’t too bad.

As Rinel held his stomach laughing and begged me to please shoot an arrow at him too, I obliged his wish with a solemn expression, shouting “Pew!” as I shot an imaginary arrow with my hand.

Then he started arguing about the direction of the arrow I shot.

Apparently, I had aimed at his vital parts?

“Your aim is quite insolent.”

He stood with his legs apart, placed his hands on his hips, and laughed while scolding.

How can one laugh while scolding like that?

As I stared at him in wonder, I realized one thing.

I always have a habit of aiming for vital spots when shooting arrows, thinking ‘This is the last arrow.’ That habit came out even when I was pretending to shoot.

“Was your aim intentional?”

As he kept questioning,

“I’m sorry, I thought arrows should be shot at the most important parts.”

I played innocent and brushed it off like that.

After changing into riding clothes and coming out to the rear garden of the Empress Palace, horses were already prepared for us to ride.

I wanted to pull the reins and gallop through the forest right away, but I obediently mounted the horse and slowly headed towards the training ground with him.

[This is the timeline separator]

Prince Tessler returned to his assigned room after finishing his conversation with Princess Resilia.

As soon as he arrived in the bedroom, he looked for wine first.

He sat back loosely on the sofa and drank wine straight from the bottle.

“To think an unexpected obstacle would pop up.”

His head kept throbbing over the issue with Prince Norton.

He couldn’t carelessly touch Prince Norton now.

If he mishandled him, it could become not just a problem for the Chatonille Kingdom, but potentially develop into an inter-continental issue.

“Let’s leave it to Resil for now.”

At first, he ignored her words, but after listening, he concluded it would be better to use Norton rather than eliminate him.

‘I’ll sweet-talk Norton well and make him mine again.’

Because no man could resist if his sister set her mind to seducing him.

That would be no exception even for a man who had betrayed once.

Prince Tessler believed so.

But if that Norton were to ask him about that day’s incident…

Yes, he could just say he never received a report about him and the child falling off the cliff.

And then blame it on the royal knights.

If he chose the most useless one among the deputy commanders of the royal knights and executed him for responsibility of that day’s accident, what more could that guy say?

“If I deny it, what can he do? If he wants to get back on good terms with Resil, he’ll have to let it slide even if he’s suspicious.”

Using someone and discarding them was Resilia’s specialty, so there was no chance she would ruin things because of emotions or her own child.

“Wait, did Martins really… not know about this?”

As Prince Tessler’s head tilted with disbelief,

Knock knock knock−.

A cautious knocking sound was heard from outside the bedroom door.

He picked up a wine glass and said,

“Come in.”

“Your Highness, have you been well?”

Grand Duke Martins entered the room with a welcoming face.

Crash−!

A wine glass flew past the right side of the Grand Duke’s face.

The wine glass shattered against the wall next to him.

The glass shards splashed onto the Grand Duke’s face, leaving a small scratch on his cheek.

“…Did something unpleasant happen to you here?”

“You bastard. You knew, didn’t you?”

Prince Tessler shouted with his eyes bulging.

“Knew what?”

“That mercenary bastard is alive. And he’s a prince of the Partsha Empire! You knew, didn’t you?”

“Even if that’s true, this sculpted face of mine almost got sculpted further.”

The Grand Duke calmly spoke to Prince Tessler while staring intently at the scattered glass shards on the floor.

He wiped the blood trickling on his cheek and approached Prince Tessler.

The prince was taken aback by his reaction but shouted again.

“I asked if you knew, you bastard!”

“I didn’t know, you bastard.”

Grand Duke Martins retorted in a chillingly calm tone.

Prince Tessler jumped up from the sofa.

“…What?!”

The two were cousins. Having grown up like brothers since childhood, they often spoke casually to each other when alone.

But now was not such an atmosphere.

The sharp-witted Martins Rohain couldn’t possibly not know that, so why was he suddenly talking back like this?

Prince Tessler looked at him with an expression like he’d been slapped and said,

“Don’t… speak casually now. Grand Duke.”

Then Grand Duke Martins lowered his tail, acting polite again as if nothing had happened.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

‘Is this bastard playing with me right now?’

Prince Tessler felt somehow toyed with by him.

[This is the timeline separator]

“This must be your first time at the training ground.”

As we dismounted in front of the training ground, Rinel said while wrapping his arm around my waist.

‘He sure likes firsts. Our proxy empress, this is already your third time here. Emperor.’

The persona inside me snickered and retorted on my behalf.

I cleared my throat unnecessarily and stepped into the training ground.

The inside was as bright as day with all the lamps lit.

“Today, I’ll just teach you the basics. Since we don’t have much time.”

He said while selecting a bow from the weapon rack.

“What do you mean we don’t have time? Didn’t you say you finished all your work for today?”

I asked him while staring at the target stand installed on the opposite wall.

“The night is short, you know.”

He picked up a suitable bow and approached me again.

“Zelda, stand like me.”

He positioned me in a straight line with the target stand and placed the bow in my hand.

“Am I holding it right? I’ve never properly held a bow before, so my hands are shaking.”

‘Oh really? You’ve never properly held a bow before? Puhahaha.’

The persona inside me sneered.

I ignored the persona’s mockery.

“It’s okay if you can’t do it well.”

As if trying to encourage me, he squeezed my hand once and let go.

“Now, spread your legs in an 11 shape. Never take your eyes off the target, and don’t raise your head too much.”

“Like this?”

I awkwardly raised my head on purpose.

“No, you need to lower it a bit more. Shall we try pulling the bowstring first?”

“Yes, that sounds good.”

I deliberately moved my fingers elegantly as if playing a harp.

Seeing my hand movements, he let out a worried sigh.

“Oh my, I’m not sure if you can shoot properly with those small hands. I’ll help you from behind, so don’t be nervous.”

I acted clumsily on purpose, even making my standing posture crooked.

Then Rinel stood closely behind my back.

He wrapped his arms around me to correct my posture and helped me slowly pull the bowstring together.

Although I could hit the bullseye even with my eyes closed right now, it wasn’t bad to receive his teachings in person like this.

It felt like I had returned to being thirteen years old, holding a bow for the first time.

“Zelda, after only seeing you in dresses, seeing you in riding clothes like this really… makes me want to run together.”

Rinel whispered in my ear while helping me pull the bowstring from behind.

“It’s making my instinct to gallop rise. What should I do…”

“Isn’t it too dark to ride horses now?”

“…It is too dark for horseback riding. Yes, horses are. Haa, nevermind. Shall we pull the bow again?”

Rinel’s voice and breath became sultry, but he continued seriously explaining about the archery posture.

Suddenly, I started to feel how much he loved me.

I glanced back at him.

As I expected, his eyes were clouded with instinct.

“What?”

“It’s nothing.”

I smiled slightly and repositioned myself to pull the bowstring.

Rinel also started interfering, pulling my waist towards him as if pulling his own desire.

“Why are you doing this, really…”

My concentration was disrupted because of Rinel.

“What.”

He asked solemnly.

“Don’t mind me and keep practicing.”

“How can I not mind?”

Knowing that the instinct is growing bigger and bigger.

“Zelda, this is all training too.”

He said in a deliberately solemn tone.

“What do you mean?”

“Beasts don’t stand still and let arrows hit them. The same goes for the person shooting the bow. You need to be able to hit accurately while running and moving around.”

“Are you saying this is also a kind of training?”

“That’s right. In the forest, everything becomes a distraction. Even the wind.”

This man, he sure is good with words.

“Right now the target is fixed like that, so I’m creating a situation by interfering with you from behind.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’re deliberately… I couldn’t fathom your deep intentions.”

Even when I retorted sarcastically, he didn’t seem to mind.

“Right, there’s no way you could understand my deep intentions. Whew, it’s hot.”

“You’re hot when the wind is blowing in from outside like this?”

I pointed at the fallen leaves rolling in through the open entrance of the training ground along with the wind.

“Ahem, focus and stand straight again.”

He cleared his throat and corrected my posture again.

“Hold the arrow and string together with your index finger, and think of your bow arm and string-pulling arm coming to the same position while never taking your eyes off the target.”

Rinel was still pressed closely behind me interfering, but his explaining voice remained serious.

“Zelda, keep your gaze focused on the target until the end. Just as my body is focused on you.”

“…Pardon? You’re focused on me?”

“You know and yet you ask.”

“I’m asking because I don’t know.”

“You’re pretending not to know.”

“Why would I?”

“You really don’t know?”

“No.”

Rinel tilted his head.

“That’s strange, you shouldn’t be able to not know?”

He muttered with a slightly hurt expression before falling silent.

“Am I Your Majesty’s target by any chance? You haven’t hidden any arrows or something on your body, have you?”

“What nonsense about arrows. I mean my heart.”

“…Your heart?”

As I was about to glance back at him with a sidelong look,

“Yes, my damn hard heart! What are you looking at? Look ahead!”

Oh, you startled me.

Rinel quickly folded his hands politely in front of himself and ordered me.

I turned my gaze back to the target stand, holding back laughter.

“Now let’s actually shoot by pulling the bowstring.”

His voice, soft again, touched my nape.

Because of that, one of my shoulders twitched, but my eyes had already finished scanning where to shoot the arrow.

I obviously had to avoid the center of the target.

Yes, I should miss the target stand completely to avoid suspicion.

The small, long wooden board set up to the left of the target stand caught my eye.

That place would be suitable.

The point I chose was at 7 o’clock in the middle of the wooden board.

I never lingered long after pulling the bowstring in the past.

Aiming is already finished while pulling the bowstring.

Bang−!

With a crisp sound, the arrow flew.

As expected, the arrow hit the exact point I had aimed for.

I secretly smiled with satisfaction before turning to face him.

“Oh dear, it’s because it’s your first time. No need to feel discouraged.”

But Rinel, unaware of this fact, patted my back.

‘I intentionally aimed there from the start though?’

While inwardly retorting like that, I looked up at him with a deeply crestfallen expression on the outside.

“Ugh, I guess I have no talent for archery.”

“No, you did well for a first try.”

“Really?”

“No.”

“…”

What’s with this Emperor, Your Majesty.

“Actually, your skills are terrible, but I was interfering from behind too, remember? It’s already great that the arrow didn’t fly towards my face.”

He vigorously shook my shoulders to encourage me.

“I’ll improve with practice, right?”

“It would be wiser to avoid situations where you need to shoot arrows rather than that.”

“…Ah.”

He had an excellent ability to hit people with words.

“There will be progress if you keep at it… but don’t hold out false hope.”

Just when I thought he was comforting me, he ended up giving an honest assessment in the end.

In other words, he was saying my skills were terrible.

I had pretended to be bad on purpose, but it still made me feel a bit upset.

I glared at his strange comfort.

“You’re saying my skills won’t improve, right?”

“Yes. They won’t improve.”

How resolute.

“But what occasion would there be for you to shoot arrows at a hunting ground anyway?”

Rinel gently tucked my hair behind my ear and smiled softly.

That gentle face was so beautiful that I wished I could capture his current expression in a painting.

That smile he only shows to me, that only I can see.

Suddenly, I wondered what I could do for him.

Compared to what he could do for me, there was almost nothing I could do for him.

“What are you thinking about?”

He asked as he took the bow from my hand.

I did want to shoot a few more arrows, but I wasn’t too disappointed.

Even if I shot more, I would hit the strange targets I set 100% of the time, and I’d have to act disappointed each time, which was more troublesome.

“I was thinking that there’s almost nothing I can do for Your Majesty.”

I honestly shared the thought that had just crossed my mind earlier.

“Why are you suddenly thinking about such an obvious fact?”

He asked while stroking my back.

“…Well, it just occurred to me.”

“And the conclusion?”

“There isn’t one.”

His brows furrowed at my honest answer.

“How disappointing.”

He went to the weapon rack to hang the bow back up.

Suddenly, as if his emotions had shifted from disappointment to anger, he sharply turned his head towards me and asked, as if throwing a tantrum.

“There must be something? No, there is.”

“Pardon?”

“The one greatest thing you can give me.”

Rinel said with an expectant look in his eyes.

…What is that?