[Music Recommendation: The English Affair ~ Howard Harper-Barnes]

The hunting day finally dawned, with all sorts of weapons placed outside, well cleaned and polished for the game. Servants gathered around with water and clean clothes ready.

"Today is the hunting game. To avoid what happened to my daughter-in-law during the horse riding," he paused, looking at Oriana, who gave him a small bow. He continued, "We will make sure nothing happens to anyone. We will have to work in pairs, and all our personal servants will accompany us in this game."

Oriana was more than excited to hear that Freya would be joining her for the game. She turned to meet the girl’s eyes, and they both exchanged a smile.

"No horses this time, and the person who hunts the best game will have a reward specially from me. Now, let the hunt begin." King Fidelis took a bow and an arrow plated in gold and shot the arrow far into the thick forest that was going to be used.

Oriana was really grateful for the King. He did everything to make sure she was safe. She wanted to bring back a game that would make him happy, but she had never killed anything before. She went to the weapon table, looking for the best weapon to select. Her first attempt was to lift a big sword.

"Princess, isn’t that too big?" Freya, who was standing behind her, asked nervously. She was happy to join in the game but seeing the princess’s choice of weapon, she wasn’t confident anymore. "We practiced yesterday; maybe you should stick to the bow and arrow."

Oriana pressed her lips together; her aim wasn’t right when it came to using a bow, and she really needed to impress the king since he was kind enough to put her safety into consideration.

"Freya, you can never know unless you try. Let’s... um... use" she tapped her fingers on her lips, looking for the most dangerous weapon on the table. "This one!" Her eyes dropped on a heavy knife, and she leaned forward to carry it. The first attempt was fruitless because of how heavy it was. She turned to look at Freya.

"It’s heavier than it looks," she muttered.

Freya sighed. "Let’s go for something simpler," the young girl suggested, but the princess was too stubborn. She raised her gown, tying it properly at her waist to reveal her legs. She reached for the heavy sword again.

"Freya, we shouldn’t give up," she muttered. Taking a deep breath, she tried to lift the sword, and to her greatest surprise, she was able to lift it effortlessly. She shouted with excitement, "Freya, look, look! I’m doing it! I can carry it with ease... I have the stre-" She turned to see someone taller than her holding the sword up for her. It was obviously Adric, who was looking at her with his head tilted to the side. His eyes moved from her legs up to her face, and he wasn’t smiling.

"Your Highness," Freya bowed, her words breaking the silence. She didn’t dare to raise her head because behind the Crown Prince was her worst nightmare.

Adric raised his free hand, removing Oriana’s hand from the weapon. He held it and placed it back on the table. He didn’t know what to say to the princess standing in front of him, someone so small yet she opted to pick a weapon same size with her.

Oriana stood in place, her legs frozen at that spot. She could smell the fresh scent coming from Adric, and she wanted more of it. As he started walking closer to her, she took two steps back until her hand touched the table. She gulped.

Adric moved his hand around her waist and brought down the gown she had wrapped, letting it flow down to cover her legs. "What are you doing?" he asked with a tired voice.

Oriana cleared her throat, trying to respond. "I-" her voice cracked, "I was trying to choose a better weapon..." her voice trailed off.

"Then choose something you can handle. Why choose the dangerous ones?" Adric said, taking something from the table and dipping it inside his pocket. "Also, hunting is not about the weapon, it’s about timing." His hands moved to touch Oriana’s waist again, and she flinched.

Oriana could hear her own heartbeat with Adric’s hands around her. It reminded her of something; that day, their first day together. He was so gentle, just like now. Why did she not notice that about him until now?

"You already have a better weapon, remember?" He touched the small knife he gave to her, which was still on her waist.

Oriana nodded. She had almost forgotten about the knife because of how small it was. "Yes, I remember."

Adric touched her shoulder gently before leaving, with Rowan following him behind.

Freya ran to the Princess. "Your face lost color!" she muttered, wiping her own cold hands on her dress.

"Freya, did you hear my heartbeat from where you were standing?" Oriana touched her chest with both hands.

Freya shook her head. She was going to ask the princess the same thing. She thought she was going to pass out soon.

The time arrived for everyone to pick their partners. The sticks were colored with two colors; persons with the same colors became a pair.

Oriana prayed desperately to pick Adric, while Freya prayed hard to pick the princess. Finally, when the selection was over, it was time to announce the colors they had picked. The King was the first to find his partner; it was Adric.

"Son, let’s go hunt like the good old days." Fidelis was more than happy to hunt alongside his son.

Adric nodded without turning and entered the thick forest with his father.

Oriana cursed her luck. She was now left alone. Her hope was on Freya now. They both raised their sticks; they were different colors.

Nicholas walked up to Oriana, holding up his stick. "I think we are partners," he bowed.

Freya gulped when she saw the princess leave. The next person was Gwen, and her partner was Jasmine. Both mother and daughter, who were yet to settle their bad blood from yesterday, didn’t say anything but just walked away inside the forest.

Adelaide stood at a side with a smile on her face. She raised her stick. "Caspar, I think it’s you and me now," she waved the stick.

Caspar was more than elated to be a partner with the second princess. He quickly got his weapons ready, and they entered the thick forest.

Freya’s blood turned cold. She was ready to run away if her partner ended up being Rowan. In fact, she was going to leave the palace, because the princess had pronounced her a free soul. What if this whole hunting was a way to kill her inside the forest? Nobody would notice, and she also heard someone died during the last hunting game.

"I guess we are partners." Freya’s neck stiffened when she heard the voice, but when she turned to see the person’s face, she exhaled softly. It was the first nephew of the Crown Prince. Though he wasn’t an ideal partner, he was better than someone who might kill her and call it an accident.

"Yes, Prince Kai, we are partners," she clapped her hands happily.

Kai stared at her before looking at the small stick she was holding. "Can you hunt?" he asked.

Freya cleared her throat. She had almost forgotten how cold this prince was. She stopped smiling and bowed. "I have no knowledge of hunting, but I promise not to cause any trouble." Kai turned to leave when Walter ran after them.

"Uncle Rowan, let’s go with them!" Walter shouted, going to stand beside his brother.

Freya stopped walking when she heard the boy speak. "Who is your partner?" she asked in a small voice.

"Uncle Rowan, but it won’t be fun. I want to see Kai hunt!" Walter shouted with excitement, going to hold his brother.

That means... Freya closed her eyes. Oh, sweet Walter, I love you, but... Her head voice became quiet the moment Rowan came to stand beside her.

"Let’s go," Rowan said with a cold voice.

Freya looked back at the palace. She should have hugged her father properly before leaving, as this might be her last time. She reluctantly followed them inside the thick forest.