The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 100: The Royal Hunt II

Chapter 100: The Royal Hunt II

After the morning feast, King Solomon and others talked about the rules of the Royal Hunt.

"This Royal Hunt is a competition among the members of the royal family, including our honored guests from Kingdom Eldara, Princess Thalia, and Crown Prince Cassian," King Solomon said in his opening speech.

"From Kingdom Averion, we have six participants– the crown princess and crown prince, Princess Alessandra, Princess Aliyah, Princess Eve, and General Alaric," The Royal Chancellor of Averion chimed in.

"I can’t wait to see who will dominate the hunting ground!" Chancellor Igrin from Eldara made his remarks. "But I have a question. Is this an individual competition or will the participants team up and choose their partners?" he asked King Solomon.

"This will be an individual competition for two categories. The princesses will compete among each other while Crown Prince Stefan, Crown Prince Cassian, and General Alaric will challenge each other," King Solomon replied.

"The gentlemen are not allowed to help the princesses!" Queen Amara butted in as she glanced at Alaric.

Alaric furrowed his eyebrows upon hearing that. "How can we ensure the safety of the princesses?" He raised his concern.

"General Alaric, you don’t have to worry about their safety. The princesses have different areas for their hunting grounds. The gentlemen will have a different hunting ground," General Ravenmoor explained.

"The northern and eastern sides of the forest are reserved for the princesses. Deers, pheasants, and rabbits are distributed in those areas. Each princess will have two royal knights accompanying them. They are assigned to guard them and at the same time, they are responsible for collecting the animals the princesses will be able to hunt," General Drakemont spoke up.

"General Blackridge and I will be roaming around and monitoring these areas," he added, reassuring Alaric.

"General Alaric, Crown Prince Cassian, and Crown Prince Stefan will take the western and southern parts of the Riverdale forest. Deers, boars, foxes, hares, and wolves were equally distributed in those areas." General Ironwood informed the gentlemen.

"General Ravenmoor and I will be roving around in those areas to spectate," General Ironwood said.

"Furthermore, we did Pre-Hunt Scouting. We have already secured the areas. No wild beast can be found in this forest. We also built barricades and fences to prevent the boars, foxes, and wolves from entering the hunting ground assigned to the princesses. Royal Knights were also deployed in the different borders." General Ravenmoor convinced everyone that the princesses would be safe from those wild animals.

The four generals were assigned to ensure the safety and security of the Royal Hunt.

"Thank you for your hard work, generals!" King Solomon praised them.

On the other hand, Alaric glanced at Eve worriedly. He was still uneasy about this.

"Do you want to back out?" He asked her in a low voice.

However, Eve shook her head while smiling at him. "Don’t worry about me. I can handle this. I will participate."

Eve squeezed his hand, trying to comfort him.

"The Royal Hunt will last for three hours. So you have to hunt and capture as many animals as you can. The winning individuals will be rewarded greatly!" King Solomon said, encouraging the participants.

"All of you will be given equal numbers of arrows, daggers, and swords," he added. "The princesses can choose their respective guards."

"Perfect! I like that rule," Aliyah blurted out of the blue. She planned on bringing Gerard, her loyal lackey.

"Do you have any more clarifications?" King Solomon asked the group.

Crown Prince Cassian raised his hand.

"Crown Prince Cassian, you may speak." King Solomon permitted him.

"Your Majesty, regarding the reward for this Royal Hunt, since I am competing with these two gentlemen, I would like to propose a bet to make the hunt more exciting," Crown Prince Cassian suggested, eyeing Alaric meaningfully.

"Besides, I want to have more motivation to win this," Prince Cassian continued, shifting his gaze to Eve.

King Solomon rubbed his chin, taking Prince Cassian’s suggestion into consideration.

"Let me consult General Alaric and Crown Prince Stefan. Do you agree?" the king asked the two.

Alaric frowned, clenching his fists. He had a bad feeling about this. He could sense that Crown Prince Cassian would try to use this Royal Hunt to get what he wanted– it was Eve.

"I don’t mind making a bet," Crown Prince Stefan replied.

"How about you, General Alaric?" King Solomon asked him.

Alaric was about to object when Crown Prince Cassian immediately cut him off. "Are you afraid of losing to me, General Alaric? Are you not confident enough to fight me?" The prince of Eldara was deliberately provoking Alaric.

"I’m not afraid of losing. But if your bet has something to do with my wife, I won’t participate in this nonsense," Alaric frankly said, not filtering his words. He could still vividly remember the moment Crown Prince Cassian proposed to Eve.

King Solomon, the generals, and the other royal court officials were surprised by Alaric’s action. He was so rude toward Crown Prince Cassian. They were unhappy about that.

"Please mind your words, General Alaric. You are talking to Crown Prince Cassian. Apologize to him!" General Ravenmoor couldn’t help but reprimand Alaric in front of everyone.

"Cough! Cough!" King Solomon cleared his throat. The atmosphere was suddenly filled with heavy tension.

Crown Prince Cassian just let out a soft chuckle. "I don’t mind him being rude. No need to apologize."

"I also have suggestions," Princess Aliyah butted in. "The winner should make a wish and it should be granted by the person they choose as long as it is feasible! The participants in this competition should cooperate and accept the result and respect the wishes of the winners in each category!"

"To make it transparent, we should ask the participants whom they want to fulfill their wishes now. We should also get the permission of the person." Princess Aliyah wanted to support Crown Prince Cassian to catch his attention.

Queen Amara found this conversation amusing. "Alright. Let’s start with the princesses first."

"Hmm. If I win, I want Prince Cassian to fulfill my wish," Princess Alessandra said without hesitation.

"I’m fine with that," Crown Prince Cassian replied nonchalantly.

"For me, the person whom I want to fulfill my wish is Alaric!" Princess Thalia’s choice was too obvious. Everyone had already expected that. Since the beginning, she has shown her interest in Alaric.

Alaric frowned as he nodded reluctantly.

Meanwhile, Aliyah and the Crown Princess chose King Solomon.

When it was Eve’s turn to speak, everyone fell silent, their attention fixed on her. They wondered whom Princess Eve would choose to grant her wish.

Eve roamed her eyes around her. After a while, her gaze fell on someone.

"I’m choosing Queen Amara to grant my wish," she said while staring at Queen Amara intently.

Queen Amara’s expression turned grim upon meeting Eve’s gaze. ’How dare she choose me?! What is she up to? A mere slave wants me to fulfill her wish. This is a great insult to me!’

Queen Amara was about to express her disapproval when Prince Cassian suddenly interrupted her.

"Princess Eve is such a filial daughter. Among the princesses, she is the only one who chooses her mother. I will look forward to this."

Queen Amara pursed her lips, cursing Crown Prince Cassian in her mind. Because of his statement, she could no longer object.

"Mother, calm down. You have nothing to worry about. There is no way Eve can win this," Alessandra whispered, comforting her mother.