The path they took was a long and arduous one. They passed some uphills and downhills until they reached the center of the forest about fifteen minutes later. Lianne was stupefied by the sight of nature along the way.
The landscapes of the mountains that were towering up to the heavens, the enormous trees that covered the forest floor, and the peacefulness of the forest itself were all wonders for her to behold.
They stopped near a riverbank, descend on the ground, and secured the horses by tying the reins up around a sturdy tree. Present now was only her, Lord Cain, and two other generals.
It seemed that the other groups weren’t able to catch up with their fast pace.
It was good progress, however. In a hunting competition, the man that kills the most number of animals shall be named the winner. What better way to win than to separate with the group and scatter throughout the forest floor.
“You go on hunting. I will just stay here, Cain.” Lianne offered first as he assisted her down his stallion.
“Hah! Aren’t you coming, Your Highness?” Sir Caleb, general of archery, asked in wonder, waiting for his horse to finish drinking in the river.
“Oh, I… I can’t really.” Lianne quickly retorted, looking at Cain at the same time, seeing his disappointed look. “The look of animals being killed is too much for me, I guess.”
“Then you go on ahead, I will just stay here with the Princess,” Cain decided quickly.
He placed down the heavy crossbow that was dangling on his shoulders and then unbuckled the straps of his scabbard and let the iron sword fell down the ground.
“Bah! You are such a gentleman, General Cain. It won’t hurt if we will just leave the princess here for just an hour, right?” A buffy man, the tallest of the three, grumbled in frustration.
He was Sir Brooder, general of combat and skills. He was twenty years older than Cain, almost like a father, but treated him as his younger brother.
The man apparently was Lord Midas’ right hand, but never slew a man without reason. In times of battle, he only stayed on campgrounds receiving fallen comrades for medical assistance.
But there was one battle he had fought outside of camp and that was the raid of the Vhillana Kingdom. He witnessed the murder of Lianne’s royal family under Midas’s own hands. Though aghast by the sight of it, he didn’t say a word and kept that fact to himself except sharing it with his wife to lighten his guilt.
“I will be alright, Cain, you know that,” Lianne answered as he looked at her with worry.
“Now come!” Sir Caleb insisted, dragging him by the arm all the way to the dense forest. Sir Brooder was following them, holding the crossbow and sword in one hand.
Cain huffed in dismay as he was led away from her front.
“You stay there, princess. Don’t go anywhere!” he hastily commanded as he disappeared into the bushes.
“Hah,” she huffed and cocked her head to the side, “where could I possibly go?”
She turned to scan the area, examining every bit of detail Nature has to offer.
The place was quiet and the breeze was fresh. The leaves of the tall oak trees, fig trees, and cedar trees were dancing along with the wind. The sun rays touched only some of the ground as the area was roofed perfectly by the trees.
The river however was rich with shimmering crystals of sunlight and Lianne was calmed by the sight of it. The river was crystal clear. Assorted species of fishes swam all around.
At a bank on the opposite side of the river, a few meters away from her, the princess saw deers near the water.
The buck noticed her presence but ignored her as its partner went closer to the edge. Both of them were calmly drinking while the princess stared at them in wonder.
“Aww, they are so sweet,” Lianne muttered to herself. “It’s amazing that somehow these creatures know the feeling of love.”
Without warning, sounds of shots from riffles were heard on the air.
Lianne was surprised and quickly caught a glimpse of the two animals scurrying out of the river and dove into the bushes to hide. She felt relieved upon seeing them safe, but still, she couldn’t deny a feeling of dread knowing they might be killed sooner or later. With that many men vying to be the winner, she was unsure there would still be animals left alive come sunset.
***
It has been past forty minutes since the start of the hunt. Lianne found herself sitting on a large magnolia tree where its roots were elevating off the ground. She appreciated the nature surrounding her but frowned in every shot of rifle echoing the forest.
She noticed though that the sky wasn’t as bright as it was earlier. Now, it turned into a dark sky, evidence of impending heavy rainfall.
Lianne felt a bit uncomfortable with that fact and wondered when Cain and the others would return.
However, minutes after, the rain did touch down the forest, coupled with a heavy mist surrounding the whole area. The horses began to jump wildly and whinnied in chorus. It seemed that the rain itself made them uncomfortable too.
Lianne sought shelter under the magnolia tree as the rain began to pour down hard. She felt her hair and dress slowly becoming wet from the rain, but there was nothing she could do.
“Well, this certainly is a new experience.” She chuckled and hugged herself.
The gloomy feeling in her surroundings was not new to her anymore. She has been accustomed to such in the Regaleria mansion. The difference now was that she was utterly powerless against the forces of nature.
With nothing to do, while waiting for the rain to stop, her mind wandered. She pressed her head against the slightly dry bark of the tree and stared at the falling rain on the ground outside, splashing and sprinkling like the carefree element that they were.
As if it was in a slow-motion, her senses started to sharpen. The sound that the water made was clearer to her and she saw a more detailed scene as the rain dropped.
Instantly, however, her thoughts wandered more into her deepest, most hidden memory of her mind.
It was raining that night also. The rain certainly hid her cries of passion, and hopefully, it was enough to mask what she truly felt that time when Ruen’s hands tenderly caressed the curves of her body.
She hoped greatly that he wasn’t paying attention; that he didn’t notice; that he didn’t hear her whisper those three deadly words out of her mouth.
With that memory in mind, her brows cringed in displeasure and she shook her head.
Never. Never will she remember that again.
***
The rain gradually stopped and slowly, the sky changed into a blue hue once again.
What amazed the princess when she went out of the magnolia tree was the scene that took place in the river. There was still some heavy mist present on some of the areas, but the river looked pristinely beautiful.
The water had risen due to the rain and the current was much faster. She stared at the landscape in front of her. With the fog, the shimmering crystal waves, and the clear green river, it was truly a magnificent scenery to behold.
However, she abruptly held out her breath as a shadowy figure stood at the other side of the river concealed partially by the fog and a slim tree. She couldn’t clearly see who the figure was, but she was sure it was that of a man.
She focused her sight on the figure and with just that, her heart leaped for a second, recognizing the man standing at the other side.
“Ruen?!” she exclaimed. “How?!”
Lianne stepped backward with her hands trembling and her knees buckling. She was frozen in place, tongue-tied, and unable to run.
She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to run away or wait for him to cross the river.
‘Lianne!’
Her head shot back when she heard someone call out her name from the bushes behind her. She found that Cain and the other generals had come back and with them an assorted number of dead animals; four deer, one bear, five bearcats, two squirrels, and six forest snakes.
She felt quickly nauseated by the sight of it and turned her face away.
Briefly, she glanced at the area where Ruen stood, but she found that he wasn’t in sight anymore.
“I deeply apologize for leaving you here all alone, Lianne. And to top that, it was raining too!” Cain then spoke, nearing the princess while holding a coat intended for her. She made a reserved smile as Cain placed the coat around her back.
“Thank you. It wasn’t a problem really. We were all wet from the rain anyway.”
Sir Caleb quickly patted Cain’s shoulder and said, “Ah, the princess is so considerate, General. You do not need to worry that much.”
“That is true,” Lianne replied, smiling in the old general’s way.
“We should go then, princess. You need to dry yourself quickly,” Cain announced in a concerned way.
“And you too, My Lord.” She nodded at him.
***
The whole ride was a silent one. The animals were tied up to both Sir Caleb and Sir Brooder’s horses, dragging them slowly inside a wide leather cloth.
Cain had his hands tightly on the reins. It was a muddy and slippery path that he needed to stabilize his stallion every now and then. Sunset would have been the mark of the hunt’s end for this day, but due to the unexpected weather, the competition was postponed for tomorrow.
Lianne cared less of it though. What had completely occupied her mind was the memory of seeing Ruen at the opposite side of the river.
How could he have gone there when he wasn’t joining the hunt? Not to mention the forest was a long way from the Regaleria mansion too.
However, the boundary of the Soulisse estate and the Regaleria estate was the river and the waterfall. Therefore, it wasn’t unusual for him to visit the place.
She however hoped it was only the atmosphere and the fog that seemed to create an absurd illusion for her. If it was only an illusion, then she would feel more at ease, but she knew deep down it wasn’t. He was real and he was looking for her.
When they arrived in the barracks, almost all of the men participating in the hunt were already there waiting for them. By the looks of things, Cain’s group had the most kills, and so, they were ranked first.
The conclusion of today’s activities was a dinner party later that night. Lianne, while waiting for the time, chose to stay in her bedroom. Erza entered with a tray of pastries and hot tea for her.
“How was your first experience on a hunt, Your Highness?” the maid asked just as she served the princess some tea.
Lianne sipped its contents slowly, enjoying the aroma and the taste of it while leaning on the custom-made couch. She then replied with ease, “It was enlightening, seeing such wonderful nature surrounding me. Though I would have preferred to stay here, rather than seeing animals being killed.”
Erza stared at her silently. Her eyes then squinted, making a mental picture of what the dead animals looked like. “Well, I think no woman could stomach such cruelty to animals though. Especially you Princess, since this is your first time.”
“I wasn’t planning on joining them in the first place. Cain just literally lifted me into his horse to go with him on the hunt,” Lianne confessed in a disappointing way. “Never would I want to see such a sight again.”
“I was worried about you getting a cold because of the rain though. Lady Faye would definitely scold me for it,” Erza stated as she stood waiting for the princess to finish her tea.
Lianne was just sipping on it, blankly staring at the transparent vase of white lilies on the table. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the events that happened at that time, and the center of it all was seeing the King.
“You don’t really need to worry Erza,” Lianne then spoke, smiling at the same time. “When I realized it was raining, I immediately sought a place to shelter myself. Big trees really do come in handy when times like these happen unexpectedly.”
The maid stared at her with bewildered eyes. She knew the princess wouldn’t share what she experienced in the forest. She only hoped that nothing intimate happened between her and the general. If there was, then she’d answer directly not only to the governess, but to the King.