Iris snatched the liquor bottle from Chase’s hand as he drank repeatedly.
“What are you doing?”
The intoxicated Chase yelled irritably.
“Your Highness, what are you doing?”
Iris sighed, looking at the bottles rolling on the floor.
“Can’t you see? I’m drinking.”
“Your Highness, now is not the time to drink.”
“It’s a great day. Everyone else is drinking, laughing and chattering, so why can’t I? Don’t you celebrate your own sister’s engagement? I cannot overcome my urge to celebrate, so I’m drinking. Come here and join me.”
Chase roughly pulled Iris by the waist.
Unable to shake off his hand, Iris sat beside him.
“Ah, my fiancée.”
Chase nuzzled Iris’s nape. Iris grit her teeth, tilting her head up towards the ceiling.
“Let’s celebrate together. It’s the day Elise got engaged to that barbarian, right, Iris?”
Chase snatched the bottle from Iris’s hand. Filling his mouth with liquor, he then pressed his lips to Iris’s.
The potent alcohol burned Iris’s throat.
“Your Highness, ugh, stop this, Your Highness!”
Iris pushed him away, but her frail wrists could not budge the grown man.
Chase barged on recklessly. Iris’s body fell back onto the sofa.
“If you won’t let me drink, then I’ll have to make you swallow something else, won’t I?”
A faint madness swirled in Chase’s eyes. He manhandled Iris as he pleased.
Fury rose in Iris from his rude, rough treatment.
She was not someone deserving of such treatment. She was the next Sage, destined to seat Chase at the highest place and take the spot beside him.
Iris bit Chase’s lower lip.
“Ugh.”
Startled by the sudden pain, Chase recoiled, allowing Iris to forcefully shove him away.
“Get a grip! How long must I endure this? If you can’t forget Elise, then take her! If you can’t have her, then at least ruin her!”
Having escaped from under him, Iris glared at Chase.
Chase stared at Iris with a dazed look, like icy water was being poured over his alcohol-soaked brain.
“I’m your fiancée. I shouldn’t have let such words leave my mouth.”
Iris gritted her teeth. To live her whole life with the man who embraced Elise.
“Take her even if you have to ruin her, Your Highness. You won’t care about a broken thing.”
Leaving the disheveled Chase behind, Iris departed.
“Take her even if you have to ruin her.”
Chase caressed his stinging lip.
“I was going to do that anyway, even if you hadn’t said so.”
Only his last shred of conscience had held him back. But since Iris told him to, realizing his desire to ruin and take what he wanted was not just his own thought, Chase would no longer hesitate.
However, his hand did not stop searching for another liquor bottle. Without alcohol, he could not stop his thoughts.
The scene of Karan and Elise’s kiss, Elise’s blissful expression as she breathlessly accepted Karan’s embrace – it was etched into Chase’s mind like a tattoo.
****
“Princess Ilaria, I’m really going to miss you.”
Just days before the commemorative hunting trip, Ilaria had to depart for Magnus.
“Are you really going to miss me, Elise? The chances of winning increase if I’m not there.”
“If it were Your Highness Ilaria, I could gladly cede the champion’s trophy.”
“It wouldn’t be ceding though.”
Ilaria and Elise smiled at each other. But their smiles held deep regret over the parting.
Originally, Ilaria was supposed to attend the hunting trip before leaving. But the King of Magnus urgently summoned her back.
The gate issue seemed serious.
“I’m sorry I can’t help right away. It will take some time.”
Whenever there was a royal celebration, a hunting trip was held to boost morale and promote prosperity.
With no special entry requirements, these hunting trips also served as a way to recruit capable warriors.
Among the commoners able to make a living, some would train from a young age while awaiting the hunting trips to become royal warriors.
Becoming a warrior meant honor and decent wealth despite physical hardship, and with luck, one could contribute to the royals and receive a title.
Of course, there were cases of being recruited directly as a warrior for displaying exceptional skill, but that was as rare as an elephant passing through a needle’s eye.
Regardless of the method, the more opportunities to become a royal warrior the better, so unless a major disaster or incident struck Tetris, the hunting trips could not be postponed or canceled.
“There’s no need to apologize. We can still manage on our own for now. And we have to try our best. The Ivory Tower said reinforcements are coming, so we’ll utilize that support as much as possible too.”
Unable to outright tell her to persevere, Elise extended her hand instead. The two made a simple handshake in place of wishing each other luck.
Ilaria mounted her horse. With a raised and lowered hand motion, the horses and carriages departed in unison.
Her dignified movements looked truly elegant.
Elise watched Ilaria’s departure for a long while.
“Miss, are you really going?”
As Ilaria’s figure completely disappeared from view, Regina asked.
“That’s the tenth time you’re asking, Regina. No matter how many times, my answer won’t change. I’ll participate in the hunting trip. That’s why I’ve been steadily learning the sword from Ruo.”
“Still……”
“I’ll also prepare plenty of magic circles.”
“But……”
Despite Elise’s reassurances, Regina remained unconvinced.
Though it could seem hurtful that she didn’t trust her abilities, Elise just smiled.
She knows well that she is weak. So Elise will make more preparations. Reckless acts….’I must do it.’ Elise had a reason to attend the hunting festival. She didn’t want to be labeled as a weak woman in front of the nobles either.
“I can go in your place.”
Ruo interrupted the conversation between the two. Even Ruo, who rarely spoke first, expressed a negative opinion about Elise’s attendance at the hunting festival.
Elise let out a faint sigh.
“Regina, Ruo. Listen well. There’s no sending anyone in my place. I’m a Tetris person. And I’m the protagonist of this hunting festival. I have no intention of just sitting still and taking the spoils brought by other warriors.”
“It’s not against the law to send a proxy.”
It was Rosh.
“If you wish, I can stretch my body for the first time in a long while.”
Elise was dumbfounded. Did she appear so weak that even Rosh, who had retired as a warrior and was not in good physical condition, volunteered?
“I’m fit enough to protect myself.”
“Did His Highness Karan permit it?”
Rosh intended to use Karan if his persuasion didn’t work.
She thought Karan, who doted on Elise, would never send her to the hunting festival.
But her thoughts were completely off the mark.
“His Highness even cheered me on to do well. And gave me a sword.”
The skeleton sword specially ordered by Karan for Elise.
The thin, light, and sharp sword fit Elise’s physique perfectly.
Disappointment flashed across the faces of people including Regina.
“Don’t worry, everyone.”
Elise consoled them. Her face was brimming with confidence.
Elise recalled her goal she couldn’t bring herself to tell others.
‘I’m going to win.’
She intended to seize the title of warrior as well.
***
“Are the preparations going well?”
After the engagement ceremony, Karan, who hadn’t seen Haltbin for a while, called him.
“Weren’t you on vacation?”
The day before the engagement ceremony, Karan had called Haltbin and told him not to look for him unless it was an emergency.
“What if the enemy nation invades?”
“Well, if they invade the palace courtyard, I’ll go out and take care of it myself.”
Then why did he call him?
He was in the middle of betting with other warriors on the winner of this hunting festival.
Of course, the male winner was set as Karan. The opinions were divided on the female winner.
The hunting festival commemorating the engagement ceremony was held on two mountains that rose like twins, with separate hunting grounds for men and women.
There was always the opinion questioning the meaning of separating men and women to determine physical superiority, but the tradition was maintained since the hunting festival also had a celebratory meaning.
Moreover, even non-warriors participated. Especially on the women’s side, there were many non-warrior participants.
“Elise is busy. She has things to check on as well.”
Well, if that’s the case.
Karan would not leave Elise alone.
“The preparations?”
Another question was thrown at Haltbin, who was grumbling inwardly.
“What preparations? You gave me so many tasks.”
“You’ve become quite brazen these days. The words came right out, didn’t they? Give me a rundown for old time’s sake?”
He put it so elegantly that he would grind Haltbin’s internal organs into mush. Haltbin smiled wryly and reported.
“I’ve enlisted most of the female warriors participating in the hunting festival. They’ve promised to guard Elise without her noticing. They will assist Elise’s hunt to a reasonable extent.”
“And.”
“I’ve also adjusted the level of wild animals on the mountain to a reasonable level. The most dangerous beast would be a wild boar at most.”
Even after hearing the report, Karan did not relax his expression.
Would this be enough to keep Elise safe?
He could not easily put his mind at ease.
It would have been better if she didn’t attend the hunting festival, but after whispering for days from the bed that she wanted to go, he had no choice but to allow it. There was no grounds to stop her either.
“Anything else for me, Your Highness?”
“No, that’s it for now. And what about Feu?”
“He’s clean. A person with nothing to gain or lose.”
But why did the clever Elise ask for Feu? He was suspicious, but as always, Karan brushed it aside.
“Just in case, assign someone to watch Feu.”
He could only do what he could to ensure her safety.
“Understood. Any other instructions?”
“Why would there be none? There are.”
Karan grinned. A red warning light went off in Haltbin’s mind.
‘Here it comes.’
It seemed Karan was about to give an outrageous order.
