The hunting festival continued until sunset. Points were awarded based on the size of the magical beasts caught, and the majority of participants were noble children dreaming of making a name for themselves by catching the eye of the imperial family rather than truly enjoying the hunt.
‘Though it seems Erina attended solely because of Kiss rather than for such purposes…’
Erina bit her lower lip, her expression openly stiffening at my suggestion to travel together. Perhaps it was because I’d only ever met such black-hearted bastards, but seeing someone whose inner thoughts were so blatantly visible actually felt rather endearing. After gleefully watching Erina fidget restlessly, I turned to Kiss and asked.
“You’ll grant the request of your dear childhood friend, won’t you?”
When I emphasized the words ‘childhood friend,’ Erina’s already poor complexion darkened even further. Kiss, who had been pondering something at my words, nodded as if finding it reasonable.
“Well, if we happen to encounter a grizzly bear or something, we’d need to throw one person as bait…”
“A bear might appear? Wait, I know how to deal with bears in the wild. What was it again—you have to stick your arm in their anus to render them helpless…?”
“Wouldn’t anyone become helpless with that, not just bears?”
But I’m certain I saw a similar method for dealing with bears on TV. Erina, who had been staring intently at Kiss as he chuckled quietly in disbelief, spoke up.
“You two get along so well. Enviably so.”
Erina turned sharply and strode away with large steps. Anyone could see she was sulking. Watching her retreating figure quietly, I whispered to Kiss in a small voice.
“Kiss-nim, even though Lady Erina can be a bit mean, I think she’s cute.”
At my sudden words, the smile faded from Kiss’s lips. Kiss, who had quickly returned to an expressionless face, muttered with a sigh-laced voice.
“So it was Erina who was the target, not me.”
“Huh? There’s no way I’d want to travel with you, Kiss-nim. It’s obvious I’d be thrown as bait to a grizzly bear. No, anyway, that’s not what I’m trying to say.”
“…”
“Lady Erina is cute and weak. Unlike me, she hasn’t experienced many harsh situations. So if something bad happens to both Lady Erina and me at the same time…”
A flock of crows suddenly flew up from above the dense forest. And they cried out mournfully as if foretelling the ominous event that would soon follow. I looked straight into Kiss’s eyes and spoke in a serious voice.
“When that happens, you must help Lady Erina without fail. Understand?”
In truth, even without me saying this, it was obvious Kiss would go save Erina, but I said it just in case. Kiss, who had been silent, answered in a dry voice.
“Erina isn’t just some simple fiancée to me. The donations and territory the Bellua family provides to the knight order annually are enough to make me tear up with gratitude.”
“Enough to make you tear up…”
“So even if I choose Erina, don’t be too disappointed.”
The Paladin Order, where Kiss served as commander, was the core strength that would become the most important backing when staging a coup d’état in the future. Kiss had to become emperor to avenge his mother, and for that reason, he couldn’t give up the Bellua family’s support.
Therefore, for Kiss, saving Erina instead of me was an all too natural thing. At Kiss’s words telling me not to be disappointed, I shrugged my shoulders.
“A deer must run with all its might to survive, and a lion must chase with all its might.”
“…”
“I like that aspect of you, Kiss-nim. How you always give your all in life.”
After finishing my words, I walked after Erina. Had I walked a few steps? I looked back questioningly at Kiss, who for some reason wasn’t following. Kiss, who belatedly began walking, muttered.
“That’s the kind of talk that makes me want to render you helpless.”
* * *
Erina, who had been sulking and silent at first, quickly brightened up when her arrows hit the prey several times. Even the way she got upset quickly and got over it quickly seemed somehow like a noble lady. How long had we continued hunting like that? A drop or two of rain began to fall, then poured down like a downpour.
According to Kiss, apparently Erdain Forest frequently experienced such sudden showers. Seeing Erina shivering in the chilly weather, Kiss adjusted the bow slung on his back and spoke bluntly.
“The temperature will drop even more while it’s raining, so you two should take shelter from the rain in that cave for a bit. I’ll go gather some dry wood.”
Kiss pointed to a cave visible not far away. Erina’s expression openly stiffened as she realized she’d have to be alone with me. I spoke to Erina with a beaming smile.
“If I’d been alone when this rain poured down, I would have been scared. Good thing, right?”
“…”
Erina, who cleanly ignored me, walked toward the cave. At least when Kiss was around, she pretended to maintain formalities with me, but now that Kiss had left, it seemed she thought there was no need for such pretense.
I sat down next to Erina, who was shaking off her shoulders inside the cave. An awkward silence continued. Erina, who had been subtly glancing at me repeatedly, spoke in an arrogant tone.
“I don’t particularly feel sorry about what happened last time. My father told me this—if there’s something I want in this world, I must obtain it by any means necessary.”
“Yes… You don’t look sorry at all.”
“You probably told him everything anyway, didn’t you? About how mean I was to you.”
Unlike her arrogant tone, her voice somehow carried a tinge of anxiety. This was just my guess, but Erina was definitely afraid of being hated by Kiss because of the mean things she’d done. I gazed quietly at Erina’s face as she wore a resentful expression, then answered calmly.
“I didn’t tell him.”
“What? Why?”
“Just… I thought even I would be bothered if the person I liked had a childhood friend. It’s irritating to look at.”
Even if it was because of my phobia, the fact remained that I had rolled around with Kiss, so I actually felt somewhat guilty. At my awkward answer, Erina, who had been avoiding eye contact the whole time, turned her head sharply. Then she nodded her head vigorously, expressing her agreement.
“Right, exactly. It’s irritating to look at. What’s so special about meeting him a little earlier than me? And I really hate that you look similar to me too. I, I… feel like I’m your substitute.”
“Oh, come on. Kiss-nim thoroughly chose you looking at the Bellua family’s wealth. He loves money more than anything in the world…”
“Are you calling that consolation right now?!”
Erina, who had let out a shout, buried her face in her knees, which she hugged resentfully. Erina’s water-colored eyes filled with melancholy. Listening quietly to the sound of rain, Erina slowly continued.
“Kilius does anything I ask him to do, but he never suggests doing anything first. I even tried pretending to associate with male servants to get his attention, but… he didn’t bat an eye.”
“…”
“He always draws an invisible line, as if warning me not to cross beyond this point. Your issue was the same. As soon as he found out I’d touched you, he got angry at me for the first time.”
Ah, so that’s why he found me so quickly back then.
But the fact that Kiss got angry was likely Erina’s misunderstanding. In my opinion, Ash wasn’t such a special existence to Kiss. Looking at Erina’s reddened ears, I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.
“I heard that Kiss-nim’s ability is strangely unable to heal the person he truly loves.”
“…”
“In that sense, keeping his distance… might be the greatest expression of affection Kiss-nim can give. Though of course, I just think it’s because he has a bad personality.”
Erina’s gaze, which had hesitated, fixed on me. Her long eyelashes fluttering each time she blinked were lovely like a doll’s. After a long silence, Erina murmured quietly.
“You’re quite good at saying pleasant things. Did the Serpents buy you, was it? I should have brought you as my attendant first to abuse you instead.”
“No, if I’d been sold to a master like you, Erina-nim, I would have bitten my tongue and killed myself…”
“What? What do you mean by that? Do you want to be locked in the storage room again?”
As I chuckled quietly while watching Erina huffing and puffing, a voice echoed from deep within the cave.
“Oh my, oh my. It’s troublesome when females make such loud noise.”
My body froze the moment I heard the deep bass voice that seemed to cut through my lungs.
When I turned my head to find the source of the voice, a large muscular man with an ant’s face was looking at us from the darkness, a huge sword slung over his shoulder. The moment I saw the two protruding antennae and sharp serrated teeth, cold sweat broke out.
‘If my eyes aren’t mistaken, that’s definitely…’
Without taking my eyes off the man who was beginning to approach us, I grabbed Erina’s forearm. Then I whispered in as calm a voice as possible.
“Erina-nim, listen to me carefully. When I count to three, just run and find Kiss-nim without thinking. Got it?”
It was the appearance of Narikeh, the Fifth Guardian of the Primordial Evil.
