0&1 Ch 17.7

The King’s love of hunting continued unabated this year, too. The King, who had taken a break from his favorite pastime for several years after the death of Lady Rosé, threw himself back into hunting as if to make up for lost time.

Regardless of what was happening at the border, the people were sent out to sea to die, and the autumn hunting tournament was held.

The King wanted his two grown sons to show their bravery.

That meant Edward would be participating in the hunting tournament. I made up an excuse that I was sick, but the King did not respond. Instead, the Queen came to see me at Joffrey’s palace.

“Prince, where does it hurt? Let me take a look. Lift your head up…”

The Queen stayed up all night to nurse me, so I had no choice but to say, “I think I’m all better now, Mother. I’m fine.”

This hunting competition was not something I could avoid just because I wanted to. The fact that the Queen came to see me herself made that clear.

When the King was involved, the Queen became sharp. She was not the usual Queen who was lenient toward Joffrey.

Was she thinking this was an opportunity to impress the King? Or did she think she couldn’t let Joffrey look bad anymore?

Either way, there was no way out.

But it was a hunting tournament. How could Joffrey impress the King?

Even if it wasn’t a hunting tournament, there was no way Joffrey could impress the King unless he was reborn.

Does the Queen not know that? Or does she not want to know?

Another possibility was that she wanted to show off Joffrey’s skills to the nobles participating in the hunting competition.

But a hunting competition?

It was no joke.

I told Grey to be wary of the Queen.

The Queen was a scary woman. She was even more so when it came to Joffrey. It was a competition in which Edward and Joffrey were participating together. It was a competition where the two would be clearly compared.

She could take some kind of action based on what Edward said…

I could think of any number of ways.

“Yes, I will tell His Highness Edward,” Grey said with a strange look on his face. He wasn’t the type to say nonsense. He said he would tell him, so he would.

Edward would be prepared.

I stayed up all night to prepare for the competition. If the competition had been held at the royal palace, I wouldn’t have participated even if it meant breaking my legs.

The hunting competition was held on common land north of the royal palace. It was a safe playground with no dangerous game. The participants could relax and show off their luck and martial arts skills.

If Sir Baumkuchen had been there, he would have been a contender for the championship.

Sir Baumkuchen was not at the hunting competition. He had accompanied the King on a hunt once before and was so disgusted that he never participated again.

There were rumors that the King was displeased, but Sir Baumkuchen was not the type to worry about such things.

How did he become a knight of the King?

According to the knight himself, he was a loyal knight. And he said that a knight was not someone who entertained the King.

His words did not suggest that he had any desire for promotion.

Even so, he had earned recognition, even without the  King’s favor.

Even if the King didn’t like him, he was still a knight who had made a name for himself.

The participants in the hunting competition were all the same. The only people the King considered suitable company were aristocrats who liked hunting and drinking.

Such aristocrats were skilled at flattery and had a tendency to neglect their estates.

Still, they were wealthy nobles. It would be good to keep them in mind. If a Prince wanted to cultivate friendships with nobles.

Joffrey was eleven years old when he accompanied the King on a hunt once, and now he had his second chance.

The nobles gathered around the King. I stayed far away from him.

Edward was by the King’s side.

The King placed his hand on Edward’s shoulder and introduced him to the nobles. The Queen, who had come to cheer on Joffrey, saw this.

The Queen was smiling. “He’s really easy to understand.”

It was the first hunting competition where the King invited Edward and me at the same time.

The Queen handed me a handkerchief.

“I believe in the Prince. My Prince will bring me the finest game. He will shine the brightest in this hunting ground,” she said.

“I will try my best.”
“Make sure no one remembers that boy’s name.”

I couldn’t respond. It would be impossible.

The Queen should only hope that I would not disgrace myself by losing my horse and returning alone.

I stroked the horse. “You won’t throw me off, will you?”

The horse did not answer.

It won’t throw me off. Right? We’ve done well so far.

Trying to believe that, I climbed onto the horse.

My heart began to pound. My hands were shaking.

The horse was high, and there was nothing to hold onto. If I fell and hit my head, my bones wouldn’t heal as well as they did when I was a child.

I don’t know why I feel the same fear every time I ride a horse. I think I’ve done enough exposure therapy.

Joffrey, why do you act like that? What’s wrong?

Do something about your fear of horses and heights.

It’s not that high. You’re scared of the terrace on the second floor, aren’t you? Are you going to fall and die? You coward.

Cursing at Joffrey didn’t make me feel any better. It felt like I was cursing at myself. I had become too familiar with the name Joffrey.

Actually, I’m the coward, and I’m just blaming others.

I stared straight ahead so no one would notice I was shaking.

I straightened my back and hoped no one was looking at me.

The Queen and her maids were looking at me. The maids waved their white-gloved hands. I could see their fluttering gestures even without turning my head.

I saw the King turn his head in my direction.

There was a sound like a plate breaking. It was the signal.

The nobles rode off in unison. It was spectacular. I started late.

I’ll just keep up appearances.

If the goal was to make Joffrey look like a fool, all I had to do was catch nothing. The nobles and other soldiers would probably give me something like a deer, and then there would be no problem. Except that the Queen would be very sad.

I sighed. I’ll catch only one.

A flute sounded from the right. The King had spotted his prey.

There was no need to go that way. It was better to stay away. I ran in the opposite direction.

I saw a fox running in the same direction as me. It was an animal released for the hunt. Could I catch it?

I drew my bow.

I didn’t expect to hit it on the first try. I couldn’t even hit a target that wasn’t moving.

But perhaps the wind was in my favor, because the arrow hit the fox.

What? Did I use up all my luck for the year?

The fox jumped up, hit by the arrow, and continued to run, staggering.

I pushed my horse forward. After a short chase, I found the fox collapsed and bleeding.

If Sir Baumkuchen had seen this, he would have said, “As expected, the teacher is skilled…” and bragged about himself.

I bagged the fox and looked for water to let the horse drink.

Maybe Joffrey had a talent for hunting after all. Maybe he’s better at hunting live animals than stationary targets. Maybe he’s talented in real hunting.

It was nonsense and luck. I found prey quickly and was able to rest.

It would have been better if I hadn’t participated in the first place.

Where is Edward? How many has he caught? Is this fun?

Is this the best way to make Edward a better Prince than Joffrey?

There were still two years to go. 

It was two years. How long would this tedious comparison continue? Edward and Joffrey were pitted against each other to see which horse was better.

The King chose a surefire method, but I didn’t like it.

How long could I ignore Edward? I was sweating profusely since morning, trying to stop myself from looking at him. I was exhausted even before the competition started.

Even if I had given it my all, it would have been difficult to perform well. It would have been difficult to beat Edward no matter how well I performed.

Suddenly, an arrow flew silently past me. It passed by my side and pierced something.

I heard the growl of a beast. It was a wolf. My spine tingled. I hadn’t noticed it at all.

It was close enough to pounce on me with a single leap.

The owner of the arrow was approaching. I could see Edward under the shade of a tree.

He jumped off his horse and killed the wolf with his sword.

Wasn’t he with the King?

Why is he here?

From the moment I realized it was Edward, I couldn’t lift my head. I saw his sword pierce the wolf and disappear. The wolf was dragged along and disappeared into a sack.

Edward stood there for a moment. Was there another prey?

I couldn’t hear anything. I was holding my breath. I was afraid my breathing would be too loud.

Edward turned and disappeared.

My heartbeat returned. The wind rustled through the bushes and birds were in flight. It was a quiet and peaceful forest.

I put the sack on my horse and quickly left the forest.

“Prince Joffrey? Why do you look like that? What happened?” The Queen’s hand touched my face.

“I’m just a little dizzy.”
“Oh dear. Rest in the shade. It’s the sun. Why did they have to go hunting on such a hot day?”

The maids brought juice with ice and fans. I wasn’t sweating at all, but I felt chills every time the fan blew.

I wondered why there were wolves in the hunting grounds. The soldiers would have driven away dangerous animals.

But people are prone to mistakes.

The hunting competition was over.
Edward was the winner.

He took out several bags of game and piled them up. The game was piled up like a small mountain. There was no need to compare it with anyone else’s.

“Prince Edward?”
“My goodness!”
The nobles whispered. 

The nobles said. I didn’t look at Edward. There was no need to look at his kills.

I couldn’t help but admire Edward’s skill. Even without looking closely at what he had piled up, I could tell that he was a great hunter.

“I am so proud of you. I would gladly hand over the title of the best hunter in the kingdom to you.” I heard the King laugh.

Since Lady Rose’s death, he had always been gloomy and irritable, but today he seemed in a good mood.

“Is there another Prince who has achieved such an overwhelming victory? I don’t know what to give you as a prize. A sturdy bow? An ivory quiver? A famous horse? A famous sword? No, those are too ordinary. There is nothing worthy of my son’s valor!”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

“Flattery? Don’t you agree, my Lords? None of you could even catch up to half of my son! Are you all getting old and losing your strength? You are all so weak that my son seems to be exceptionally talented.”

“Please don’t scold us, Your Majesty. Prince Edward is the finest hunter I have ever seen,” Sir Emon spoke. He was a knight who never missed the King’s hunts.