SLDS 35

Not long after the hunt had officially begun, Ppuuu! a sonorous trumpet horn blared.

A servant who was observing the situation with a telescope shouted loudly.

“Baron Rowen has waved the flag! It’s white!”

Oh dear! Raucous laughter erupted inside the tent. Everyone knew how thoroughly Baron Rowen had prepared for today, so while they were disappointed by his early withdrawal, they also ridiculed him.

Cecil quietly observed the empress’s complexion.

Elizabeth, being fanned by maids on either side, wore the same lofty expression as usual. Even though her scheme had come to nothing, her expression did not change one bit, which was truly befitting of an empress.

“It seems Baron Rowen has run into some unavoidable circumstances.”

“I was looking forward to his archery skills. It’s quite a shame.”

Cecil and the empress exchanged a casual conversation. Unlike the sweltering weather, an inexplicable chill flowed between the mother and son.

Cecil took a sip of the chilled sangria. He didn’t know how it looked to others, but to his eyes, he could read that the empress was quite furious. A smile naturally formed on his lips as his mind felt somewhat at ease.

“There are bound to be variables in everything.”

“That’s right. That’s why one must always have a backup plan prepared.”

At the reply that came back, Cecil’s hand froze. Then, he silently raised only his eyes and looked at the empress.

The empress’s face was now turned toward Cecil. Within her delicate and beautiful face, emerald eyes, identical to Cecil’s, sparkled. They were eyes that could be compared to jewels, but within them, greed and selfishness were teeming.

“…As expected, Your Majesty the Empress is thorough.”

“Of course.”

The empress leisurely took a sip of her wine. Her red lips formed an attractive arc.

Since some time ago, she had stopped sharing her schemes with Cecil. This became even more so after she had experienced a few disappointments.

Although he seemed to have returned to his former self now, she was keenly aware that Cecil was not the same as before.

“Cecil. Don’t have any foolish thoughts today and just be quiet. Then this mother of yours will take care of everything. It’s all for you.”

“Foolish thoughts? How could I possibly go against my mother’s will?”

The gazes exchanged were sharp. Cecil and the empress hid their respective intentions and wore smooth expressions. On the outside, they looked no different from a loving mother and son.

“Good. Just be exactly as you are now.”

Fortunately, the empress seemed unaware that it was Cecil who had ruined her scheme. A few noble ladies approached the empress, who was wearing a gentle smile, and requested an audience.

While she engaged in pleasant conversation with the noble ladies, Cecil pretended to appropriately make way for them and went outside the tent.

His heart was pounding like crazy. He had thought that stopping Baron Rowen would prevent the accident from happening. But faced with a reality that was moving differently from his predictions, Cecil had to rack his brain over and over again.

Could the future be changing because of this?

The sudden thought made him stop in his tracks. Cecil, with a pale face, looked at the hunting ground spread out before him.

The future was changing little by little due to the things he had done to help Alexis. He had already deviated from the predetermined path, and there was no guarantee that the result would necessarily be a good one.

For example, Alexis could get hurt more seriously, or he could even die….

When his thoughts reached that point, Cecil immediately turned around. His pace, quickening to almost a run, was headed for the executive committee that was overseeing the hunting competition.

The executive committee had been taking a breather since the competition began. Like the other nobles who were enjoying the festivities, they too were taking a short break, eating their share of lemon sorbet.

“Huh? Mr. Cecil.”

But their leisure was short-lived. As soon as they saw the person who had barged in, they hurriedly put down their glass bowls and stood up.

“Is this the map?”

Cecil strode right up and picked up the paper that was spread out on the wide table.

The hunting ground was vast. It was divided into sections for each participant, and the participants had to hunt only within their designated areas.

Cecil quickly scanned the map. He set everything else aside and looked only for the place where the crown prince’s flag was drawn. Before long, he threw the map back down and turned to leave.

“Wh… what? Why is he suddenly acting like that?”

The committee members, with no way of knowing the reason, could only stare blankly at his receding back. The feeling of unease was indescribable.

But they thought, what could possibly happen? None of them could have guessed that Cecil had memorized the entire terrain in that brief moment.

Cecil headed to his next destination. It was the place where the imperial royal guard and the private soldiers brought by the nobles were gathered. One of the royal guards recognized Cecil and immediately corrected his slouched posture.

“Greetings to the little star of the empire!”

At the sharp salute, the soldiers nearby also straightened their posture and showed their respects. But Cecil ignored their greetings and walked straight ahead.

From the temporary armory where weapons were neatly displayed, he picked up a bow, a quiver of arrows, and a dagger. It was only natural for the royal guard to be startled by his sudden act of grabbing weapons.

“M-Mr. Cecil! Why are you doing this?”

“Move.”

“Absolutely not! What are you trying to do! Even if you are Mr. Cecil, you cannot take weapons out carelessly!!”

They didn’t dare block him and just waved their arms, but Cecil lightly pushed aside the royal guard who was in his way.

Then, he walked to where the horses were resting leisurely. He chose one of the spare horses that were ready to be ridden immediately, placed his foot in the stirrup, and easily mounted the saddle.

His posture, with his back straight, was flawless. He had no talent whatsoever for swordsmanship, but he was so skilled at horse riding that he could do it with his eyes closed.

Cecil gripped the reins tightly and pressed his calves firmly against the horse’s resilient body.

Hee-hee-hing, even as the sturdy stallion snorted and reared up on its hind legs, his stable posture did not waver.

“Go to the executive committee and tell them I am participating in the hunt too.”

“Mr. Cecil!”

“Don’t follow me. Anyone who disobeys my words will be punished.”

Cecil issued a stern warning and pulled the reins. As he kicked the horse’s flank with his heel, Thwack, the horse immediately picked up speed and started to gallop.

A cloud of sandy dust rose with the loud sound of hooves. The royal guards turned pale as Cecil entered the hunting ground in an instant.

“Captain! What should we do?”

“…This won’t do. Let’s follow him.”

After being unable to decide what to do, they eventually left a minimum number of personnel behind, hastily grabbed their weapons, and mounted their horses.

Then, with a vigorous command, the royal guard chased after Cecil. This was because they would face hardship whether they just stood by and watched his rash actions or followed him.

The peaceful hunting competition was showing signs of turning into a mess.

The terrain of the hunting ground was erratic. A flat forest path would continue, only to be followed by a steep downhill slope, and occasionally there were sections blocked by streams and piles of rocks.

The dense trees also served as a factor that obstructed the view. For hunting, these were optimal conditions, but for Cecil, who had to reach his destination in one go, everything just acted as a constraint.

But he gripped the reins tightly and continued to increase his speed. He quickly passed through the sections, overlaying the map he had memorized in his head with the actual terrain of the hunting ground. As expected of a well-trained horse of the imperial royal guard, the fine steed ran as Cecil willed.

He occasionally met other hunting competition participants, who were startled to see Cecil suddenly pop out from the forest path.

The guides and scouts leading the way even mistook Cecil for an animal living in the hunting grounds. A few arrows came flying at him, but thankfully, none of them hit.

After galloping at full speed for about twenty minutes, his whole body was drenched in sweat. The cumbersome silk fabric stuck clammily to his skin, and the beautifully shaped cravat had long since become disheveled.

The horse, too, was now exhausted and panting hot breaths. Cecil pulled the reins and stopped near a stream. He had finally reached the base where Alexis was.

After letting the tired horse quench its thirst with cool water, he headed toward the place where a white tent was set up.

Flags bearing the crest of the royal family surrounded the tent. He could see horses on standby next to it and imperial servants moving about busily.

Cecil dragged his tired feet. A servant who was dressing and stacking the freshly caught game in layers saw him and his eyes widened.

It was surprising enough that Cecil had appeared at the hunting ground, but more than anything, it was because his appearance was indescribably shabby.

“Mr. Cecil! How did you get here…”

“Hah, where is Alexis?”

Cecil struggled to swallow his ragged breath. The crown prince’s servant stood up awkwardly and pointed to a spot in the forest. When he turned his head, he could see three figures concentrating on the hunt among the dense trees.

Only after seeing the familiar back did a sense of relief wash over him. Cecil walked without delay. At the sound of his trudging footsteps, the ever-alert Claude was the first to turn around.

“Huh?”

At his voice full of bewilderment, Alexis and Yuria also turned around. Yuria had her bowstring drawn taut, as if she was about to shoot a bird fluttering before her eyes.

Surprised to see Cecil, she let go of the string. Fwish—the arrow that flew out lodged itself in the ground right in front of Cecil’s feet.