59. How to Prepare for the Hunting Competition
59. How to Prepare for the Hunting Competition
[Episode 59] - Attitude for Preparing for the Hunting Competition
"Hahahaha! Heh, hahahaha!! You idiot! I knew you'd screw up eventually! How dare you ruin the Princess's first tea party! Shouldn't a pathetic guy like you be forced to resign from your ministerial post? Your Majesty the Queen? Hehehehe!"
"......"
"Uhehehehe! Hahahaha! Ah! So this is the kind of fun you were teasing me about! At my age, I'm learning such great things thanks to you. Hehehehe!!"
The Minister of Education is kneeling on the grass, hands raised above his head, serving his punishment, while the Minister of Foreign Affairs is watching, laughing until his stomach hurts. And me, watching this scene with a look of disbelief.
"Ugh, you fool. I knew it the moment you started acting all excited in front of Her Majesty the Queen. I knew you'd definitely cause trouble this time."
"Then why didn't you tell me sooner...?"
"I clearly tried to stop you! And who was it that said they'd unleash that 'puppy' in my room if I did? I believe they call this 'reaping what you sow,' don't they? Hehehehehehe!"
"......"
The day after the tea party, the Minister of Education was serving his punishment from me again, just like yesterday. He kept making excuses that the wolves were tame, but since the Princess had been startled and jumped at the mere mention of wolves ever since, I had no intention of forgiving him easily.
'I hope it doesn't leave a trauma.'
I was worried about the Princess becoming afraid of wolves, but there was something else important right now. I was currently at the palace stables with the Princess to learn horse riding. We didn't strictly need to ride horses for the Hunting Competition, but horses were essential if we wanted to visit the 'Hut' located deep in the forest.
'Even without that, as Queen and Princess, we have so little time alone. And there's the 'hunter' there to worry about, too. To avoid prying eyes as much as possible, I have to learn how to ride.'
That's why I came to the stables with the Princess to learn from the Minister of Education, who knows a lot about animals, but... I don't know how he found out, but thanks to the Minister of Foreign Affairs who showed up out of nowhere, we were taking a break from our riding practice.
"...Minister of Foreign Affairs, do you have nothing better to do?"
"Yes? How could that be? Work is important, but isn't the most important task right now to tease this guy who's getting scolded by Her Majesty the Queen? Hehe!"
So, in other words, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had abandoned his work just to tease the Minister of Education, coming all the way to this stable far from the office.
I sighed softly and looked at the Princess, who was feeding the horse a snack. Her eyes were puffy from crying in my room last night, to the point where it was pitiful to look at.
"Tease him in moderation and go back. The Princess and I need to practice riding."
"Haha, of course. I'll tease him 'moderately' and leave. Hehehe!"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said that, but he seemed to have more teasing left to do; he kept circling the Minister of Education, grinning and saying something. I listened in to hear what they were talking about—
'Idiot, moron, minister who picks up dog poop,' and so on. Since they were just exchanging childish words, I decided it wasn't worth listening to and ignored them, approaching the Princess who was watching the horse.
"Titania. Are you not scared of the horse anymore?"
"Yes, a little... I think it might even be cute."
At first, the Princess had hesitated because of the horse's size, but she seemed used to it now, even feeding it by hand. The horse followed the Princess well, and seeing animals follow her so easily, I was reminded of Snow White from the fairy tale for some reason.
"Phew... That aside, this is more exhausting than I thought."
Having actually ridden a horse, I realized that horse riding is a sport that really requires stamina. My thighs, waist, and even my hips—there wasn't a place that didn't hurt. As I stretched my stiff waist and pelvis from riding, the Princess looked up at me with a blank expression.
"Why?"
"It's just... I don't think I've ever seen Mother wearing pants before. Ah! I don't mean it doesn't suit you! It actually suits you really well..."
I lowered my head to look at my riding outfit. I had become so accustomed to living in dresses that I didn't feel uncomfortable in skirts anymore, so the pants, which clung tightly to my lower body, felt a bit awkward—if anything, they felt a bit too tight.
"Fufu, thanks for the compliment. The shorts you're wearing suit you well, too. How about wearing them inside the castle sometimes? Aren't shorts more comfortable than skirts?"
I smiled brightly and looked at the clothes the Princess was wearing. She was dressed in a blouse and shorts made for riding. Seeing her in such active shorts instead of the dresses she wore every day made the already cute Princess look cute in a different way.
However, the Princess seemed awkward in the shorts and shook her head at my suggestion. Seeing that, I chuckled and stepped on the stirrup as the Minister of Education had taught me, hopping onto the horse. It had been scary at first, but now the elevated view made me feel refreshed.
"Come on, Titania. Take my hand."
Once on the horse, I reached out to the Princess standing next to me. She hesitated, then grabbed my hand, and with her small stature, she struggled and climbed onto the horse. I sat the Princess in front of me, pulled the reins, and slowly guided the horse.
As expected of a horse recommended by the Minister of Education, who knows animals well, it was smart and didn't try to throw the rider or act violently. The horse was so tame that it felt like it was carrying me rather than me guiding it, even as a beginner.
We were just walking slowly along the designated track, but the Princess seemed to enjoy riding, smiling brightly. Seeing the Princess's face, beaming as if she had never cried, made me smile too. As we were enjoying the ride, the Princess looked up at me and asked, curious.
"Are you going to hunt too, Mother?"
"Me? Hunt?"
I giggled at that, made a 'Hup!' sound, and flexed my arm to show off a bicep. My arm was slender and thin, more so than the average woman's. I tried to flex my arm, which could barely hold a pen, but instead of a bicep appearing, my arm just trembled.
"Do I look like I can hold a heavy bow with this arm?"
The Princess shook her head.
"Then why did you say you were going to the Hunting Competition?"
"That is..."
I wondered if I should tell her about the hut in the forest and the 'Dwarfs,' but I held my tongue. She would find out when we attended the Hunting Competition anyway, and I was afraid that telling her in advance might ruin her first meeting with the Dwarfs, so I just smiled down at her.
"Not everyone at a Hunting Competition is there to hunt, you know."
"Then?"
"The Marchioness who invited us said that scholars attend to check the forest's ecology. They study what animals live there and what plants grow there, so they go into the forest to research."
It wasn't a lie. Whether it was the Marchioness's hobby or not, she always invited scholars to the Hunting Competition to check on what was happening in the forest. They investigated the forest's ecology and the 'fog' that never disappeared from deep within the forest every year. Though there hadn't been much of a harvest so far.
'Well... that's partly because it's fairy magic.'
The fog was a phenomenon similar to the 'Fairy's Side Path' that Fran had told me about. It was a type of 'magic' connected to the Dwarfs' 'Hut,' where you would wander forever in the fog if you went deep inside without knowing anything.
'Anyway, as long as we don't go 'deep' into the forest where the fog is spread, it'll be fine. The Marchioness and her husband must know that, which is why they hold the Hunting Competition.'
Normally, they would have blocked control of the forest by spreading various bad rumors about it being a Forest of Monsters, but for some reason, countless animals were said to flock to the area around that fog.
Perhaps bewitched by the fog, there were even unique and beautiful animals found only in that forest, so from the perspective of the nobles who owned the forest, there was no reason not to catch them.
So, the Marchioness would have scholars investigate the fog and the forest every year, while simultaneously holding a 'Hunting Competition' to hunt the animals. They would capture them to sell as pets, or use the meat and fur to make some pocket money.
"So, we're going to 'sightsee' the forest like the scholars. They say there are flowers and animals that grow only there. Titania, do you not want to go sightseeing in the forest with me?"
The Princess shook her head vigorously and smiled brightly.
"Hehe! If I'm going with Mother, I'm happy anywhere!"
"You say the cutest things. Then, when we go to the Hunting Competition, let's ask the chef to pack a lunch. The Marchioness said she'd show us a good spot for a picnic."
I was worried about entering the fog that had such scary rumors, but since I knew how to get out of the fog and how to enter that 'Hut,' it wasn't a huge concern. Ainsel was there, and there was another 'Witch' living a bit further away, so there was no need to worry.
"Come to think of it, is this your first time leaving the castle, Titania?"
"Yes! That's why I'm even more excited!"
She was excited to leave the palace for the first time in her life, and I could feel her heart pounding against my back. I smiled, stroked Titania's hair, grabbed the reins, and picked up the speed just a little.