The Hidden King's Stolen Wife
Chapter 121: The Hunt

Chapter 121: The Hunt

"It will do well for you to tune out the sound of chirping birds, Prince Ricard," Soleia said, her expression not once changing. "More often than not, they fail to sing songs of value."

Ricard merely laughed, his shoulders rising and falling as he did. There was a sparkle in his eye as he gazed upon Soleia, eerily reminding her of a cat eyeing the rat before it made the killing strike. He was toying with his food, and unfortunately for Soleia, she had just become his newest target.

"Do you mean to say that it’s false?" Ricard asked. He made a show of tapping his chin, as though deep in thought. "Sir... Ralph, was it? He was awfully defensive when I brought the topic up earlier."

"Because it’s untrue," she said, unable to resist turning back to glare hotly at him. This only widened his grin.

"Then why the reaction, Princess?" Ricard asked, his tone teasing.

It frustrated Soleia― he had addressed her the same way Ralph tended to, and their voices were more similar than Soleia would like. She hated that he was using the same nickname, especially since it seemed like Prince Ricard was mocking her rather than addressing her by her title.

"With all due respect, as a prince, you ought to know the importance of a lady’s reputation," Soleia said, resisting the urge to snap. "I would appreciate it if you refrained from spouting false rumors, especially when my wedding is around the corner."

"Right, the wedding," Ricard said, nodding. "I also heard that the wedding was supposed to be between Duke Elsher and his mistress. How has it been that the bride has been changed to you, Princess Soleia?"

"Because Lady Elowyn is a mere concubine."

Soleia whisked her head around, and likewise, Ricard’s gaze extended beyond Soleia and at the man who approached them from the direction of the fields. Sir Ralph was practically an angel who had descended from heaven, calmly approaching them before stopping in between Ricard and Soleia. He had positioned himself just slightly ahead, using his body to shield Soleia from Ricard’s view.

"If any woman deserves to hold their wedding at the royal palace, it would be a member of royalty, not a concubine of peasant origins, don’t you think, Your Highness?"

The glint in Ralph’s eyes was sharp and filled with bloodlust. He met Prince Ricard’s eyes evenly, unafraid to back down despite the differences in their social standing.

In fact, surprisingly, Prince Ricard did not take offense to Sir Ralph’s hostility. He took a step away and chuckled, raising his hand in surrender.

"And so here comes the guard dog," Ricard muttered, even though his voice was still loud enough for Soleia and Ralph to pick up. "A fair bit of warning, Princess Soleia," he said with a twinkle in his eye, "men more often than not pretend to be who they are not just to impress a woman. What you see on the surface may not truly be who they are as people."

Then, Ricard adjusted his clothing and side-stepped the two, headed straight for the hunting grounds.

"Take that as a word of advice," Ricard said, waving a hand at them without turning to spare them a glance. "We shall reconvene at the hunt."

Soleia and Ralph stood there rooted until Ricard was gone. Only then did Soleia exhale heavily in frustration, huffing so powerfully that her fringe flew up with the gust of wind that left her lips.

"He infuriates me," Soleia admitted quietly, staring daggers at the spot in which Ricard disappeared. "Should I be thankful that I have wedded a duke and not a prince?"

With what Florian was like — which was painfully similar to Ricard, if not worse — then Soleia was led to believe that all princes across the world were merely spoiled brats who knew not of manners.

Ralph winced. "Princess, you can’t judge a whole legion of men just because of one―" He coughed before correcting himself, "―two bad apples."

"Well, seems to me that every prince I have ever met thus far is rotten to the core," Soleia said with a disgruntled huff. "My sisters’ husbands included."

With that said, Soleia picked up her skirts and marched herself straight into the forest, with Ralph trailing behind her with a shake of his head.

When they arrived, most of the party was already present. The men were noticeably missing — most likely in preparation for the event — while Soleia quickly caught the eyes of her sisters standing at one side. She hurried towards them immediately, her eyes wandering left and right. When she didn’t spot who she was looking for, Soleia quickly frowned.

"Have you seen Reitan?" Soleia asked the moment she was near enough, drawing Celestina and Bellaflor’s attention.

Her two older sisters turned, both wearing dimmed smiles and worry in their eyes. Seeing their expressions, Soleia’s heart dropped.

"You are a little too late," Bellaflor said. "They’ve already sent the first group in. Reitan was among them."

"What about Orion?" Soleia asked. "Was he with Reitan? Why didn’t you stop him?"

He had said he would look out for her younger brother, after all.

Bellaflor offered her a pitiful look. "It was Father’s orders, Soleia. We couldn’t have done anything to stop it."

"Duke Elsher wasn’t with Reitan either," Celestina replied, and Soleia felt her knees weaken. "Father had assigned Duke Elsher to the second group, along with Prince Raziel. Prince Ricard has announced that he would not be competing, and Father was more than pleased, considering that meant that Vramid would have more competitors than Raxuvia."

"Who’s in the first group?" Soleia asked. "Why are there even groups? Shouldn’t all contestants enter at the same time in the spirit of fairness?"

"Duke Elsher was supposed to be the only one to enter at a later time, but Prince Ricard volunteered Prince Raziel to stay for the second round as well," Bellaflor explained. "Everyone else entered in the first batch."

Just then, there came the familiar sound of the trumpets. Orion Elsher and Prince Raziel appeared, each on a mighty steed, headed straight for the woods. Soleia darted forward, pushing through the crowd in an attempt to get to him. She needed to tell him about Reitan and make sure he would check on the boy.

However, she was eventually held back by the guards who stood between them.

"Let me through!" Soleia ordered. "I need to speak with my husband!"

"Princess Soleia," a booming voice came from behind, and Soleia stiffened, turning to look back at her father, whose face was darkened with fury. "Just what do you think you’re doing?"