Chapter 9.1 – Hunting Festival (Part 3)

“We greet the little sun of the Empire.”

It was Serena and Katrina who came to their senses at the growing whispers of the surrounding nobles and rescued Ria, who was trapped in Cherta’s embrace and couldn’t move an inch.

“Marchioness Rosevita, and… Lady Peune.”

Cherta frowned one eyebrow at their appearance, openly expressing his displeasure and tightening his arms around Ria. Based on his experience so far, he knew well that if he stayed like this, those two would take Ria away from him.

“Cherta, let go.”

But soon he had to loosen his arms, albeit reluctantly, at Ria’s request to let her go. He inwardly swallowed his tears and raised his guard against the two who were taking her away from him again today.

‘He’s doing it again.’

Serena and Katrina simultaneously sighed inwardly. It wasn’t the first time he had been jealous and wary of them, so it wasn’t very scary anymore. It was rather ridiculous that he remained unchanged, even though there must be some benefits to their relationship for them.

A sudden impulse to not help this time arose, but the memory of Ria diligently preparing handkerchiefs for them erased that thought.

“Ria, did you bring that?”

As Katrina brought her lips to Ria’s ear and whispered quietly as if whispering a secret, Ria, understanding the meaning, nodded slightly and murmured.

“Yes, I brought it. But is it really okay? It’s too clumsy. Maybe I should practice a bit more and then give it…”

“No, now is just right. Perfectly. Besides, you worked hard on it for today, right? It was very pretty, so don’t worry.”

“Then…”

“What secret are you two talking about?”

It was just as Ria, encouraged by Katrina’s reassurance, was reaching for the small bag she was carrying. Rune approached, wrapped his arm around Ria’s waist, pulling her close to him, and interjected in a low voice.

Katrina almost soured her expression again seeing the n*ked jealousy filling his blue eyes directed at her. They’re making such a fuss even though they barely exchanged a few words. Anyone watching would think she was some kind of scoundrel.

At this point, like Serena, Katrina’s opinion of them was gradually declining.

Previously, she hadn’t thought their attitude was bad. To her, Ria was such a good person, someone she wished to be happy, so she had been reassured by their actions of cherishing only their woman, thinking Ria was receiving a lot of love.

Serena often worried that Ria couldn’t leave the mansion much, but Katrina, understanding to some extent their desire not to let her go to dangerous places, didn’t think it was a problem. There should be more people unlike Omur.

But seeing them so openly display possessiveness and jealousy even towards a female friend, she was starting to worry now. The occasional mention of a ‘bird trapped in a cage’ that Serena had made in passing was probably not unfounded.

Katrina was beginning to understand Serena’s concerns.

Meanwhile, Ria, caught by Rune, fiddled with the opening of her bag for a moment, pondering, before looking up at him.

“Rune, I have something to give you.”

“Hmm? What is it? A kiss of encouragement?”

Rune, who had tilted his head at Ria’s words, soon spoke his true feelings overlaid with playfulness and smiled brightly. Then his face suddenly drew closer, and Ria, startled, slapped his arm around her waist and twisted her body to escape his embrace.

She was dying of embarrassment because of them clinging to her at every opportunity.

“What if you keep clinging like that where there are so many people? If you keep doing that…”

“If I do?”

“I’ll, I’ll get angry!”

“How?”

At his question catching her words, Ria rolled her eyes and delivered her finishing blow, but Rune’s laughter didn’t stop. The image of her scolding him automatically formed in his mind, making him grin foolishly. The thought of this small woman scolding a man so much taller and bigger than her was just too lovable to bear.

‘If only she would get angry on the bed.’

That imagination naturally merged with his desires. As Rune’s eyes became strange with the vivid erotic scenes filling his mind, the other three men who noticed his thoughts inwardly cursed him as a pervert. Undoubtedly, it wasn’t something that should come from those three.

Ria, unaware of what Rune was thinking as he suddenly stopped talking, just sighed in relief inwardly, thinking she had escaped from a situation she almost got caught up in, and took out four handkerchiefs from her bag. Her arm, which hesitated for a moment, stretched out to them.

Soon, soft white handkerchiefs were placed in each of their hands. From that moment, their heads froze.

“It’s a bit clumsy, right? I guess I don’t have much talent.”

“……”

“I wanted to embroider the names in the Imperial language, so I practiced writing every day, but when I actually tried to embroider, it was hard to gauge, you know? So the names ended up being embroidered almost like drawing pictures…”

“…The Imperial language?”

“Huh? Ah, yes. Even if I wrote it in my language, it would look like the Imperial language to your eyes… but I wanted to do it in the Imperial language.”

“……”

“Um… Is it not good after all? Originally, I wanted to keep practicing and give them to you when they turned out pretty, but everyone said to give them at the hunting festival…”

Ria, anxious at their silence, started making various excuses. Still, they remained frozen in place, just staring intently at the handkerchiefs. Their eyes, precisely focused on their names embroidered on the handkerchiefs, gradually rippled like spreading paint.

Serena and Katrina, waiting for their reaction beside them, hadn’t noticed this yet and opened their mouths to add something. The two knew exactly how many times Ria had pricked her fingers with the needle while making the handkerchiefs. They couldn’t let her efforts go to waste.

At that moment, Eden tightly embraced Ria.

“Eden?”

Ria, who had been thinking about how many times she had been hugged in front of people today, blinked her eyes and called his name as he buried his face deep in her neck. Soon, a slightly choked voice, wet with emotion, penetrated her ear.

“Was the paper you hid in the greenhouse before the one where you were practicing writing our names in the Imperial language?”

“Huh? Yes. Did you see it then? I was practicing secretly to surprise you.”

“…No. I didn’t know then. I thought I saw familiar letters, but, Ria, if you hadn’t told me today, I would have never known.”

Haa. Ria slightly shrank at the sensation of his warm breath tickling her neck. Eden hugged her small body even tighter.

She always moved him in ways he never expected. Even if she had written their names in her language, he would have been overwhelmed with happiness, unable to speak from the emotion of just receiving a handkerchief.

Ria, his small woman, his one and only lovely companion, had embroidered each of their names in this world’s language. It felt as if she was firmly stating her intention to live in this world, by their side, making his heart pound so hard it ached.

Even though he had heard such words directly from her before, he had still been anxious every moment, wondering if she might disappear, if she might want to leave them. But the soft handkerchief wrapping around his rough hand felt like it was comforting him, telling him he no longer needed to worry about such things.

Eden slowly loosened his arms and met Ria’s eyes. The straight gaze of her brown eyes turned that feeling into certainty. Unable to contain the overflowing affection, he lowered his head.

“What are you doing? I also need to thank the lady, so please step aside.”

“Where do you think you’re putting that mouth of yours?”

But he was immediately blocked by Rune and Kahin’s hands and pushed back at close range. Eden, irritated at the two for breaking the mood, gnashed his teeth and fiercely confronted them.

“Ha, do you two realize you’ve only been nagging at me from before? And what’s wrong with me expressing affection to my woman?”

“What’s wrong, you ask? How dare you try to get ahead while we’re watching with wide open eyes?”

While they were bickering, Cherta, who had been waiting for an opportunity, immediately approached Ria and bowed his waist. The white hand caught by him trembled slightly at the hot lips tickling her hand.

“Thank you, Ria. I’ll catch a silver fox as a reward for this precious gift, so please wait a little.”

Silver fox?

As Ria tilted her head as if hearing this for the first time, the emotion swelling in Cherta’s heart grew several times larger. He realized that she had prepared the handkerchiefs purely for them, not because of the hunting festival tradition.

In the end, he took the opportunity to leave a quick kiss on Ria’s cheek.

“…!”

“I couldn’t help it because you’re so lovable.”

At the sweet excuse, Ria’s face turned bright red. A low laugh rumbled in his throat, and they once again fell into their own world.

Serena and Katrina once again averted their eyes with clouded expressions at the sight unfolding before them, which they still couldn’t get used to.

Fortunately, just before they could sink deeper into their own world, a loud bell sound filled the forest. It was the sound announcing that the hunting festival would soon begin.

Cherta, noticing his aide approaching, clicked his tongue briefly. After all, this guy and that guy were all desperate to interfere between him and her.

“Play with Marchioness Rosevita and Lady Peune. I’ll be back soon.”

“Be careful not to get hurt.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry too much. I’m quite skilled.”

At his confident words, Ria burst into a small laugh and nodded. His gentle gaze, as if melting, was directed only at his lovely woman.

“No. Worry a little, just a little. That way you’ll keep thinking of me. While we’re gone, if anything happens, tell Kahin, and unless it’s a special situation, don’t let him leave your side. And… when the hunting festival is over, let’s go to my palace.”

He slowly rubbed the inside of Ria’s wrist with his thumb and kissed her round forehead. Then, with reluctant steps full of regret, he headed towards the platform. Rune and Eden also left words that they would be back soon and followed behind Cherta.

As Ria stroked her wrist, which somehow felt hot and flushed, while watching the backs of the three, she soon turned to Serena and Katrina.

“I think it was good to give the handkerchiefs today, as you two said.”

Thank you. 

Her face, wearing a shy, clear smile, looked so happy that the two smiled back at her.

Not long after, the Emperor and Empress appeared on the platform to start the hunting festival. After the Emperor’s brief opening speech, Cherta, who was standing at the very front below the platform, mounted his horse, followed by the nobles participating in the hunting festival mounting their horses one by one.

Finally, as the bell sound rang out loudly once more, the horses that had been standing still began to prance.

Cherta looked at the handkerchief held in his hand, reverently kissed it, and carefully placed it in the inner pocket of his uniform.

Soon, he held the reins of his horse with the eyes of a predator chasing its prey, completely different from before.