Characters in this chapter:
- Sapphiras Perfectio, former 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge
- Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier
- Adeline, Margravine of Vanderwall, Percival’s mother
- Sandrion Timberlake, daughter of Earl Timberlake, Theodore’s fiancée
- Dylan Belisario, Percival’s paternal cousin and childhood friend
- Ryan, son of Earl Foster, a relative of Sandrion
“Sapphiras, what’s wrong?”
Percival must have been watching us. He came over quickly and casually put his hand around my waist as if to hold me close.
“Nah……!”
The boy stood up vigorously and glared at Percival.
“Even though you are Percival-dono, I would like you to not touch my fated person so casually.”
He didn’t raise his voice, but his tone was strong. I mean, I was showing him the ring, so it should be obvious that my fiance is Percival.
“……If I’m not wrong, Ryan-dono of the Earl Foster’s family?”
Oh, as expected of Percival. He knows who this boy is.
“Yes, that’s right……i-is it possible that the person who gave you that ring is Percival-dono?”
Ryan turned a puzzled glance at me.
Has he finally realised?
“Yes, that’s right.”
The unveiling took place in the royal capital. That was for troublesome nobles, and even relatives who would be invited to the wedding would probably not know about Percival’s engagement.
“N-no way…….”
Shocked, Ryan had a tragic expression on his face, as if he had encountered a magical beast in a defenceless situation.
Sorry, boy. I never thought I was the one you were after. Get someone else to pick up your bones.
“Tomorrow……at tomorrow’s hunting party, I will definitely hunt a better prey than Percival-dono!”
The boy had been slumped just a moment ago, but after saying this to Percival, he quickly left the place.
It’s a local custom to hold a hunting tournament the day after the wedding, with the participation of relatives and guests. Of course, the hunting tournament will also be held at this wedding. The participant who catches the largest prey will be awarded a prize.
It’s an event typical of this area, so I really wanted to take part, but hunting with magic is not allowed. That means it’s either a bow, sword, or spear, none of which are suitable for me. I don’t feel like I’ll be able to hit anything with a bow, and I’m the one getting swung around by the sword and spear. Still, if I try hard, I might be able to catch something, but if I’m going to hunt, I want to aim for at least a giant grizzly bear.
I was a little disappointed, but it seemed like we could set up tents in the hunting grounds and enjoy tea and light meals, so I decided to give up on the hunt and quietly sip tea while waiting for Percival to return.
“Umm, does that mean he intends to compete with Percival in hunting?”
“That may be true, but he probably wants to give his prey to Sappiras.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. The prey caught in a hunting contest is given to one’s partner or fiancée. It was originally a custom to prove that one was skilled enough to support a family, so it’s a remnant of that.”
“Eh? That’s troubling……no matter what prey he brings, I shouldn’t accept it.”
“No, don’t mind accepting it.”
“Eh? Is that ok?”
“Yeah. There’s no rule that says you can’t give prey to anyone other than your partner or fiancée. If giving prey to Sapphiras makes him feel better, then so be it.”
“Oh, Percy, you’re so relaxed.”
“Dylan-san.”
“Then, should I give also Sapphiras some of the prey I hunt?”
Dylan-san smiled mischievously, fully intending to make fun of Ryan.
“It’s going to complicate things somehow, so please don’t.”
“Well, well, isn’t it ok.”
Percival shrugged in amazement at Dylan-san’s strange enthusiasm.
The hunting ground was near the lake where Percival and I had splashed around in the water.
When we travelled to the hunting ground by horse and carriage, several large tents had already been set up, allowing the ladies to relax and enjoy the hunt in peace.
Also, there were more people not participating in the hunt than I had expected. For the Vanderwall warriors, hunting is an everyday occurrence, but not everyone can master the use of a bow and spear.
Vanderwall-kyou and his brothers, as well as those who are obviously members of the Belisario family, are naturally participating. Among the relatives and guests of Sandrion-san’s bride’s side, those who seem to be skilled are also participating.
When Vanderwall-kyou announces the start of the hunting tournament, each person enters the forest with their favourite weapons.
“Percival and Dylan-san, be careful.”
“Yeah.”
“Look forward to the prey!”
The two of them, carrying their swords and bows, entered the forest, chasing the people who had gone hunting earlier. To Percival, it was just like a garden, so there was nothing to worry about.
“Sapphiras-sama!”
As I was seeing them off, I heard a loud voice call my name. It was the young Ryan from yesterday who came running up to me. His eyes were still sparkling as he looked at me.
“I’m going to hunt the best game of the day and offer it to you. So please look only at me in those beautiful, shining sapphire eyes.”
Young Ryan, I think you’re being too dramatic.
He’s a relative of Sandrion-san, and Sandrion-san apologised profusely to me after that, but I was just a little surprised and there was no harm done. He’s at an age where he wants to show off, and it’s probably just a temporary fever, so he’ll wake up soon.
And then, when the fever dies down, he’ll be rolling around on the floor, deeply ashamed of his behaviour……
While I was wondering how to respond to that toothy remark, Ryan ran off as if to make up for the delay in his departure. His back was full of the spirit of hunting big game.
I hope he’s not being reckless……but I hear the Vanderwall soldiers are patrolling the woods, so he should be okay.
“Sapphy, come and join us for some snacks.”
“Ah, yes!”
That’s right, delicious sweets and tea were waiting for me.
When I hurriedly sat down at the tea table after being called by Madam Adeline, I was immediately surrounded by young ladies and other women. There were a few sons among them, but being surrounded by so many people was quite overwhelming.
There were surely many women who wanted to be Percival’s partner. I am sorry to be Percival’s partner, but I have no intention of giving up my place next to him now.
I was prepared for a bit of a baptism, so I was prepared no matter what they were going to say……
“Sapphiras-sama, I was looking forward to talking to you.”
“Sapphiras-sama. I heard that you like sweets. Please eat this. It’s a very popular sweet these days.”
“Please have some tea. It’s flavoured with fruit peel, so the refreshing scent goes really well with the sweets.”
“Sapphiras-sama, you use a wand when casting magic, what do you look out for when choosing a wand?”
People keep calling out to me one after another and I don’t have time for sweets or tea, but somehow it feels like I’m being well received.
Madam Adeline and Sandrion-san skillfully mediated the conversation, and we had lively discussions about magic and popular confectioneries, and before we knew it, it was noon.
Looking up at the sky, I saw clouds carrying thunder rising into the sky. While I was watching, the clouds grew rapidly, occasionally flickering with a low sound. It will soon be raining heavily. Madam Adeline, perhaps noticing my gaze, also looked up at the sky.
“……Oh dear, it’s going to rain. It would be best for the people out hunting to return. Sandy, please guide the guests in the tent to the carriage.”
“Yes, mother-in-law.”
“Sapphy, please wait here. I’ll call Percy back immediately.”
“Yes.”
Madam Adeline told the knight guard to blow the whistle to signal the end of the hunt, and gave instructions to the servants to clear the table. Sandrion-san also steadily guided the guests to the carriages. As always, she managed things brilliantly.
The thunderclouds were growing faster than expected, but at this rate everyone here would be able to head to the castle by carriage before the rain starts to fall.
Shortly after the knight blew the whistle to announce the end of the hunt, the people who had been out hunting returned one after another. Some of them were empty-handed, but some of them had hunted a big game like a boar. Unable to carry it alone, it took several people to bring it in.
Percival returned with the soldiers and his brothers who had been waiting in the forest. It seems like everyone who had been hunting had returned safely.
“Sapphiras.”
“Percival, welcome back!”
“For my fiancée.”
“Oh, thank you! This has gone way beyond.”
Percival handed over five plump mountain rabbits1I honest dk if it is rabbits or hares cos the JP word for them is both usagi. Gonna go with rabbit cos it sounds cuter lol.. However, don’t underestimate them. Rabbits are quick targets, so you need a good archery skill. Moreover, these mountain rabbits are special prey.
The best time to hunt is from early autumn to winter. During this time, animals store fat in their bodies in preparation for the cold, and their fur changes to winter fur and becomes thicker, so the meat and fur are in the best condition.
On the other hand, animals in summer have thin fur and little fat because they have summer fur. But mountain rabbits are different. They eat a lot of grass during this time and are well-fed. Their fur becomes thin like other animals, but their meat is first-class and satisfying.
This is about Percival. If he had wanted to, he could have hunted a larger prey. However, instead of aiming for a big game, he aimed for prey that was in season.
Another reason for aiming for a mountain rabbit was to let the guests take the flowers2a figure of speech, means to give someone else credit.. The Knight of the Sun is truly thorough.
“Oh, what? So Percival also went for rabbits after all.
“Welcome back, Dylan-san.”
“Yeah. It looked like the weather was going to get rough, so I came back quickly. Anyway, I’ll give this to you, beautiful magician.”
Dylan-san presented three mountain rabbits.
“Unfortunately, I lost to Percival in terms of numbers, but aren’t my rabbits bigger?”
When Dylan-san was about to compare the size of the rabbits, suddenly, there was a white flash all around. Then, a thunderclap shook the air, and large raindrops began to beat on the tent, and in an instant, the rain curtain obscured the surroundings.
“Oh, this is terrible.It looks like we should wait and see for a while rather than forcing ourselves to go home.”
“It seems so.”
Since it’s come to this, it’s better to wait until the rain calms down rather than forcing ourselves to go home as Dylan-san said. I stare blankly at the rain from under the tent. The people who returned earlier by carriage will be fine. Vanderwall’s horses aren’t going to be worn down by this amount of rain.
“Sandrion-san, has Ryan gotten on the carriage yet?”
A woman came rushing over.
“No? I haven’t seen him since he left for the forest this morning.”
“N-no way……ah, what should we do……Sandrion-sama, Ryan is nowhere to be found……”
“……Eh?”
We had been listening to their conversation from the sidelines and looked at each other.
