[Episode 59] - Preparing for the Hunting Competition
“Bwahahaha! Ha, hahaha!! You fool! I knew you'd cause trouble someday! What good does it do to ruin the Princess's first tea party! Shouldn't a worthless man like this resign from his ministerial post? Your Majesty? Hehehehe!”
“......”
“Hehehehe! Bwahahahaha! Ah! So this is the taste of teasing me, is it! At my age, thanks to you I'm learning something quite good indeed. Hehehehe!!”
The Minister of Education knelt on the grass with his hands raised above his head, serving his punishment, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs watched him and laughed fit to burst. And there I was, looking at the scene in exasperation.
“You old rascal. I saw it coming from when you were excitedly showing off in front of Her Majesty the Queen. I said you'd surely cause trouble this time.”
“Then why didn't you tell me sooner...?”
“Didn't I clearly try to stop you? And when I did, who was it that threatened to set those 'puppies' loose in my room? I suppose this is what they call reaping what you sow? Hehehehehe!”
“......”
The day after the tea party, the Minister of Education was being punished by me yet again, following yesterday. He kept making excuses, insisting the wolves were gentle, but ever since then, the Princess startled at even the mention of wolves, so I had no intention of forgiving him easily.
‘I hope it doesn't become a trauma.’
I was worried about the Princess, who had become afraid of wolves, but there were other important matters at hand. I had come to the palace riding grounds with the Princess to learn horseback riding. At the hunting competition, neither the Princess nor I particularly needed to ride, but horses were essential for visiting the 'cottage' deep in the forest.
‘As it is, our positions as Queen and Princess leave us with too little time alone together. And the 'hunter' who will be there is another problem. To avoid drawing others' attention as much as possible, I need to learn to ride.’
And so, I had come to the riding grounds with the Princess to learn from the Minister of Education, who knew animals well, but... somehow, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had suddenly shown up, forcing us to stop our lesson momentarily and take a break.
“...Minister of Foreign Affairs, do you truly have so little to do?”
“Huh? How could that be? Work is important, but isn't the most important task right now teasing this fellow who is being scolded by Her Majesty the Queen? Hehe!”
In other words, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had cast aside his duties and come all the way to these riding grounds, far from his office, solely to tease the Minister of Education while he was being punished by me.
I let out a small sigh and looked at the Princess, who was giving treats to a horse. I could only imagine how much she had cried in my room last night—her eyes were so swollen it was a pitiful sight.
“Tease him moderately and go back. The Princess and I need to practice riding.”
“Hehe, of course. I'll tease him ~moderately and take my leave. Hehehe!”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said this, but seemingly with every intention to continue, he grinned and circled around the Minister of Education, saying something to him. When I strained my ears to catch their conversation—
'Idiot, fool, a minister who only picks up dog poop,' and such childish words were exchanged, so it seemed like a conversation not worth listening to. I ignored them and approached the Princess, who was admiring the horse.
“Titania. Aren't you scared of the horse anymore?”
“Yes, a little... I think it's kind of cute, too.”
The Princess, who had hesitated at the horse's unexpectedly large size at first, now seemed accustomed to the animal and was even feeding it by hand. The horse followed her well, too, and seeing how animals took to her somehow reminded me of Snow White from the fairy tales.
“Whew... anyway, this is more tiring than I thought.”
Having ridden myself, I realized that horseback riding was truly a physically demanding activity. My thighs, waist, and even buttocks ached all over. As I was stretching my stiff waist and pelvis from riding, the Princess looked up at me with a blank expression.
“What is it?”
“It's just... I think it's the first time I've seen Mother in trousers. Ah! I don't mean they don't suit you! You look much better in them than I expected...”
I lowered my head and looked at the riding attire I was wearing. I had grown so accustomed to skirts that I could live in nothing but dresses without discomfort, so the tight trousers clinging to my lower body were somewhat awkward. They were so snug I wondered if they were too tight.
“Hehe, thank you for the compliment. The shorts you're wearing suit you well, too. Why don't you try wearing them inside the palace sometimes? Aren't shorts more comfortable than skirts?”
I smiled brightly and looked at the Princess's outfit. She wore a blouse and shorts made for riding. Having worn nothing but dresses every day, seeing her in these sporty shorts made the already adorable Princess seem refreshingly cute.
However, the Princess shook her head vigorously, perhaps finding the shorts awkward. At that sight, I laughed softly and, just as I had learned from the Minister of Education, stepped into the stirrup and lightly mounted the horse. I had been frightened at first, but now the elevated view made my heart feel open and refreshed.
“Here, Titania. Take my hand.”
Mounted on the horse, I reached out to the Princess standing beside me. She hesitated, then took my hand and climbed up with effort, grunting with her small stature. I seated the Princess in front of me and pulled the reins, slowly urging the horse forward.
As expected of a horse recommended by the Minister of Education, who knew animals well, it was a clever creature—it didn't throw its rider or behave violently. The horse was so docile that it felt less like me, a beginner, leading the horse, and more like the horse was graciously carrying us.
We were only walking the designated path slowly, but the Princess smiled brightly, clearly enjoying the ride. Seeing her beam as if she had never cried at all made me smile, too. As we were enjoying ourselves, the Princess looked up at me and asked curiously.
“Will Mother be hunting, too?”
“Me? Hunt?”
I giggled at that and flexed with a “Hup!,” putting strength into one arm. Arms more slender and willowy than those of ordinary women. I flexed arms thin enough to barely hold a pen, but far from showing any muscle, my forearm merely trembled.
“Do I look like I could lift a heavy bow with these arms?”
The Princess shook her head.
“Then why did you say we were going to the hunting competition?”
“That's...”
I wondered if I should tell the Princess about the cottage and the 'dwarves' in that forest, but I held my tongue. She would find out when we attended the hunting competition anyway, and I was afraid that telling her beforehand might ruin her first meeting with the dwarves. So I simply smiled brightly and looked down at the Princess.
“Not everyone at a hunting competition is there just to hunt.”
“Then what?”
“The lady who invited us said that scholars attend as well, to survey the forest's ecology. They enter the forest to research what animals live there and what plants grow wild there, she said.”
It wasn't a lie. Whether it was a hobby of hers, the lady said she always invited scholars to the hunting competition to see what was happening in the forest. They surveyed the forest's ecology and inspected the 'fog' that never disappeared deep within it every year. Though there had been no real results thus far.
‘Well... that's also because the cause is fairy magic.’
That fog was a phenomenon similar to the 'fairy path' Frang had told me about. It was 'fog' connected to the dwarves' 'cottage,' but it was the type of 'magic' where, if one wandered deep inside knowing nothing, they would be lost in the fog forever.
‘Since we just need to avoid entering the 'deep areas' where the fog spreads. The lady and her husband probably know that, which is why they hold the hunting competition.’
Under normal circumstances, they would have restricted access to the forest by spreading nasty rumors, such as it being a monster-infested wood, but for some reason, countless animals were said to gather around that fog.
Whether bewitched by the fog or not, there were unique and beautiful animals found only in that forest, so from the perspective of the noble who owned it, there was no reason not to catch them.
And so, the lady had scholars investigate the fog and the forest every year while simultaneously holding a 'hunting competition' to hunt animals. She captured them to sell as pets, or processed them for meat and leather to earn pocket money, she said.
“So, we are going to 'sightsee' in the forest, like the scholars. They say there are many flowers and animals that grow only there. Titania, would you dislike sightseeing in the forest with me?”
The Princess shook her head vigorously and smiled brightly.
“Hehe! As long as I'm with you, Mother, anywhere is fine!”
“You say such cute things. Then, let's ask the chef to pack a lunch basket for the hunting competition. The lady said she knows a good spot for a picnic.”
Entering the fog, which was surrounded by frightening rumors, was concerning, but I knew the way out of the fog and the way into that 'cottage,' so I wasn't too worried. There was Ainsel, too, and another 'witch' lived not far from there, so there was no need for concern.
“Come to think of it, Titania, isn't this your first time leaving the palace?”
“Yes! That's why I'm even more excited!”
Perhaps because she was looking forward to leaving the palace for the first time, having never once been outside since she was born, I could feel her heart pounding against her back where it touched mine. I smiled brightly, stroked Titania's head, and grasped the reins, increasing our speed just a little.