"You need to attend the 'Spring hunt' next week. Practice your hunting so as not to become a joke among the people." said Bridget as she put down her cup. "That's all?", inquired Lucien with an anxious frown. She didn't reply and after noticing that Lucien hadn't touched anything, she gestured him to have the food and mumbled "That's all". "Alright ", Lucien replied and started having his breakfast. "You don't need to worry". Hearing the words, Bridget's enerald green eyes turned ice-cold and sharp, unknown to Lucien who was happily gorging on his food.
Hearing the news that Lucien was going to attend the Spring Hunt, Ivan was more nervous than anyone. Lucien had never interacted with anyone outside the palace for years that it was unknown whether the empire had forgotten that they had a Prince or not. But the most troubling thing was that... Lucien had no hunting skills at all! He was not good with swords or bows or any weapons, nor did he have any special ability. His combat power was zero as he had mostly been sick and had just recovered and he has never even killed an ant. How would he give a good impression to his subjects when he couldn't even hunt anything? And it was such that Ivan had to teach him. He didn't want to... . It is very encouraging for the teacher if the student is passionate about learning. But Lucien was very lazy and laid back above being a dunce and so Ivan had to give 10 times the effort in teaching him so as to make their classes at least a little productive.
Days passed and the hunting event came nearer and nearer. Both Ivan and Lucien gave a lot of effort in shaping his skills. Ivan decided to let Lucien use the bow as his main weapon. "You can just aim from afar and try your best to catch the prey. Now imagine that the tree is your prey. Concentrate and shoot". Ivan stood beside Lucien as he pulled the bow string with an arrow. The arrow flew with a whish and struck the bark of the tree. "I did itt!!! Ivan I did itt!!", exclaimed Lucien with sparkling eyes. Suddenly, the arrow fell on the ground.. "Uh.. haha" Lucien scratched his head awkwardly. Ivan sighed and said, "Apply more strength when you pull the string. The prey won't be made of butter". Ivan deliberately ignored the fact that the trunk of the tree was very large and preys which could be hunted by an arrow wasn't that large. He could only hope for Lucien to hunt something, though it may not be realistic. They've already tried their best. Lucien nodded, "Okay! One more time!"
A hawk soared in the sky above the two people practicing shooting. It circled the area for a few rounds and flew away. It flew until it reached an old and broken tower and perched on a paneless window. A delicate and fair hand reached out for the hawk to sit upon. The hawk perched on the delicate hand and its eyes glowed purple for a few seconds. "Good boy", a feminine and pleasant voice sounded. The other fair hand gave the hawk a dark crystal emitting a faint purple fog, which the hawk greedily swallowed after crushing it inside its beak.
The day of the start of the Spring Hunt had approached. The hunt will be held at the Rigdoria forest which was 50 miles away from the palace for 3 days. Lucien would depart a day before and stay at the site the whole time and so will the other people participating the event. Ivan and a few other servants would assist him during that time. Early in the morning, the people who were supposed to depart from the palace were all busy preparing to leave. A maid knocked on Lucien's door and said in a sweet feminine voice, "Your highness, are you ready? Your carriage will arrive soon." She heard a faint grumbling sound and then Lucien replied cheerfully, "Yes! I'll come out in a minute ". "Alright your highness", the maid walked away.
"Ivan... why.. why do I have to wear this? It's suffocating", asked Lucien pitifully as he pulled at his collar. Ivan just ignored him. This young man was too spoiled. He even wanted to wear his comfy indoor clothes for a formal event. "I think you want to make her majesty wait", said Ivan with an expressionless face. "What?!", Lucien was truly shocked! "You mean Bridget's sending me off?! Really?", he asked with glittering eyes. "Really really? Tell me it's real", Lucien was almost pleading with his big and glittery dark orbs as he leaned closer to Ivan. Ivan didn't dare to look at the innocent face so close to his own. So he replied while dodging his eyes, "Obviously.. It's your first public event in years. And.. don't go around calling the Empress by her name. What if someone hears?" "Okay okay", replied Lucien with a mischievous grin "Let's go. What are you waiting for?". Ivan thought to himself, 'Weren't you the one fussing over your clothes just a moment ago?'.
Lucien waited and waited for the Empress in front of the carriage but she never arrived.
Ivan was feeling awkward inside the carriage with Lucien. The carriage was luxurious and the seat was soft and squishy but Ivan felt like he was sitting on top of pins. The talkative Lucien had never opened his mouth and he was smiling at Ivan with a smile that wasn't a smile and.. his eyes may be on Ivan but he was looking at something else entirely. Lucien must've been heartbroken. Ivan knew that, though the Empress didn't like Lucien, he was very fond of her. Ivan was not good at making conversations and he didn't know how to comfort Lucien. After thinking for a long time, Ivan finally said hoarsely, "Are you alright?". Lucien seemed to stir from his daydream and finally laughed out loud "What? Did I scare you? Ahaha. I was wondering how long it will take for you to open your mouth if I don't." He looked at his watch, "Haha! It took 20 minutes! I honestly thought it would take longer." Ivan stared back blankly, "You're not sad?". "Huh? Why would I be?", asked Lucien with utter confusion. "Her majesty didn't come to see you off". "Ohh! you're worried about that? I know she must be busy. She's got an empire to run after all". Lucien leaned over to the carriage window and opened the curtain with a swift and delicate hand.
The landscape was full of greenery. Flowers were swaying delicately at the direction of the wind. Birds were soaring high in the sky and the vast land seemed endless. "Such a beautiful scene, I've only ever just imagined from my books. I wish I could be a part of them, the hills, the meadows, the trees and the flowers, the birds and animals", Lucien said as he looked dreamily outside the window. He had always been within the palace walls and though he were given the best luxuries and decorations and beautiful gardens full of rare and beautiful flowers and fruits inside the palace, he felt trapped, like a song bird kept in a golden cage and fed with the rarest seeds. Lucien longed for the outside world much more than he ever realized. He kept on looking at every detail of the scenery of their entire trip as if to embed them into his mind.
"You highness, we have arrived", the coachman announced as he stood outside the door of the carriage. Ivan exited the carriage and held out his hand to aid Lucien in his descent. Lucien chuckled and said, "I'm not a lady, Ivan" but he readily accepted his hand anyway. A fair hand with exquisite and slender fingers held out from the carriage and took the hand of the tall and handsome servant. The coachman was enthralled. This was his Prince, the one and only remaining royal blood of their empire, blessed by the heavens and the earth. Just his hand seemed to be crafted of the finest ivory by God himself. He had a glimpse of his face earlier and was truly mesmerized that he didn't dare look any longer. Just looking at him felt like a sin. The coachman kept his eyes on the ground as Lucien stepped out. His face started to get heated and his heartbeat sped up and was thumping thunderously inside his chest. He gathered all the courage he had and raised his head to look at Lucien. Coincidentally, Lucien was also looking at him. He smiled and a sweet sound escaped his lips, "Thank you". The coachman stood there dumbfounded even when Lucien left.
Lucien was welcomed by a middle aged and smart looking man who identified himself as Count Bulton and the organizer of the Spring hunt for the year. He showed him inside the Rigdoria Castle, which could affort hundreds of people and was built by Emperor Bastian a century ago when he founded the Spring Hunt. Count Bulton had arranged the master room for Lucien to use. His surrounding rooms were to be occupied by other nobles. "Make yourself comfortable, Your highness. There's nothing to do until tomorrow except for dinner tonight", Count Bulton said before he excused himself. Lucien walked across the room and he could see the entire Rigdoria forest from the window facing east. The trees were sparse at the beginning but it became denser as it went beyond. He wondered how many animals would be inside the forest as he gazed into the forest. He saw a silhouette of someone among the trees and gasped lightly.