Weeks passed, and the excitement for the upcoming royal hunt grew. It was set to take place in four days.
"I'll give my best to secure the top rank. I aim to bring the greatest prize for you, Aria," Rasheen declared confidently.
"Pft. I've heard you struggle with a crossbow. Ranking last might be in your future," Napoleon taunted.
"What did you say?" Rasheen was clearly irritated. "And why are you even here?"
"Haha I will cheer for you guys." Aria said.
"This is the first time you will not participate in the hunt, it's your favorite event after all." Gawain noted.
"The Emperor still won't allow her to ride a horse," Xerxes mentioned casually, sipping his tea.
"It's all right. I'm not skilled at horseback riding anyway," Aria admitted.
Although she had been secretly practicing horse riding, she was far from proficient.
"Do you want me to teach you?" Xerxes offered.
"What? I'll be the one to teach Aria!" Rasheen interjected.
"She will be in danger if you're the one who will teach her. Let me teach you, Aria, I'm an expert at horses." Napoleon suggested.
"You scoundrel!" Rasheen glared at him.
"Uhmm... when it comes to horses, I think Ryu would be the best teacher. Right, Ryu?" Aria suggested.
"Ryu???" both of them asked.
Ryu showed up from the window.
"Who is he?" Rasheen asked. The smells of jealousy. This guy is a treat.
"I've seen your face before. You're the captain of the Crimson Blades," Xerxes remarked.
"As far as I know, their organization serves the imperial family. Nice to meet you," Gawain greeted.
Napoleon was silent, struggling to hide his jealousy.
She smiled at Ryu, who blushed.
Valentine was just listening. When did the palace become so lively? Had he missed a lot while he was away?
.
.
"You seem happy today, Your Highness," William remarked.
"Hehe, I'm just glad to see the men around me getting along now. When I first saw them, they treated each other as enemies," she replied.
"They changed because of you."
"Huh? Me?"
He nodded.
"You are the reason why they are getting along now. Before, when you neglected them, they didn't have the chance to express their feelings. But when you started giving them attention, they slowly showed their true selves. If you hadn't changed, they would never have become like this."
"Do you really think I am the reason?"
He smiled and patted her head. "There is no other reason."
"William..." she lowered her head. "What if I did not change? What if I remained evil like in the past? Would you guys still care about me?"
"You have never been evil." He looked into her eyes. "In my eyes, you're a good person."
"But what if the Princess in front of you now is no longer the Princess you knew from the past? Will you still accept me?"
"Why are you saying that?" he furrowed his brows.
She turned her back to him. "J-Just answer me..."
"If I had to choose between the past and present you... I would choose the present you." he answered.
"Why?"
"Because you are now showing who you really are. You used to hide your real emotions, but now you can freely smile, laugh, and cry in front of everyone. You are no longer hiding."
She lowered her head. But the past Aria and I are different...
William made her face him and held both of her shoulders. "Forget the past Your Highness, please live in the present and future, that's more important."
She wiped her tears that are about to fall. "I..I will." She smiled.
He smiled as well…
They continued to walk.
She suddenly stopped when she saw Maximilian staring at the flower that he was holding.
"Can you stay here, William?" she asked.
He glanced at Maximilian before nodding.
She walked towards Maximilian.
"Your Highness..." he stood up and bowed.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said.
He glanced at the flower. "Yeah..."
He stared at her.
He smiled then put the flower on her ear. "It looks even more beautiful on you."
She blushed. "Thank you."
Maximilian glanced at William, who was giving him a death glare.
He smirked, he could sense the jealousy.
"What are you doing here? Aren't you training?" she asked.
"I'm done training." he answered.
"Ohh..."
"Your Highness, you mentioned before that you don't deserve to be here. If you ever decide to leave, will you come with me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, if you're no longer happy here, I can take you to a place where you'll be happy."
She was puzzled.
"Haha, forget about it." he said.
She scratched her head.
He remained smiling.
"Your Highness, sorry to interrupt, but Sir Philip is here," William said, walking towards them.
Sir Philip followed him, bowing to her. "Greetings, Your Highness."
"What is it, Sir Philip?" she asked.
He glanced at Maximilian before speaking. "The Crown Prince wants to see you."
"Me? But why?" she asked, confused again.
"He didn't tell me the reason." he answered.
She suspected it had something to do with the real Princess.
"All right, I'm coming." She faced Maximilian, then bowed and left.
Philip glanced at Maximilian again. "If you're planning something against her, just stop it already. The Crown Prince won't spare you."
Maximilian didn't say anything.
.
.
....
Aria entered the room and noticed Mikhail staring out the window. She bowed. "Greetings, Your Highness. Philip mentioned you were looking for me."
He looked at her intently. "How are your husbands?"
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Are they suspicious of you?" he inquired.
"No, they still trust me," she assured.
"Good, you should be careful. If they find out that you're not Aria, I will kill you."
She looked away. "I know that…and they will also never forgive me for lying."
"Glad you knew." he stated firmly.
"Your Highness, can I just leave the palace?" she pleaded.
"No."
"B-But.."
She doesn't want to lie anymore, she's tired..she wants to live for who she really is.
"If I say no, you must obey. That's an order."
She lowered her head and nodded, concealing her true emotions.
"Besides, your life is in danger." He added.
"H-How did you know that my life is in danger?" she asked, surprised.
"Because I am the Crown Prince."
"So you already know about the masked guy too?"
He nodded.
"I still have no idea who he is. Leon, Ryu and I are working together to catch him but he's too mysterious."
"Your life is in danger because of my stupid cousin. I don't know what she did to have someone that wants to kill her."
Once again, she lowered her head. "Honestly, I don't want to die here. Every time I think about my life being in danger, I feel terrified. What if one day I accidentally drank a poison? Or what if someone stabbed me from behind? Or an arrow pierces my heart? Thinking about those things makes me go insane."
Mikhail gently caressed her face. "You're scared?"
"O-Of course.. Who wouldn't be scared if their life is in danger? I never wished to end up here. I have no idea why I'm here. I want to return to my world, but I can't. There's no one I can confide in about my problems, and I always feel so alone... I'm scared!" she confessed tearfully.
Mikhail didn't understand, but seeing her cry gave him a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Ahh..Finally…that face is crying!
Drawing his sword, he said, "Don't cry, no one will be able to hurt you as long as I am here."
"W-What do you mean?" she stuttered.
"I'm willing to help you... but on one condition," he stated while cleaning his sword.
She stared at him, confused. "Condition?"
He grinned malevolently. "Be my woman.."
Her eyes widened in shock.
What???
She was surprised by what he said.
"I will protect you. In exchange, you will be my toy…entertain me, cry, scream…give your body to me. So what do you think?"
She looked away. "Have you forgotten that this is your cousin's body?
"I don't care. No one will be able to save you except me. If people find out you're not the real Princess, they will kill you too. Even your husbands won't help you. Even Lord Napoleon…even Ryu, who is loyal to you and even your knight…if they find out that you are not their beloved Princess, what do you think they will do?"
She bit her lower lip, holding back her tears.
"So what's your answer? Yes or yes?" he demanded.
She had no choice. "P-Please…protect me..Your Highness." she said, then kneeled.
He smirked, pointing his sword at her. "Good."
This is her only option for surviving in this world.
.
.
"Just give me that dog." Xerxes insisted.
"No way! No one is allowed to take this dog except the Princess." Cedrik hugged Hachi.
"But there's something off about that dog." Xerxes said.
"Hachi is completely fine." Cedrik insisted.
"What's going on?" Aria caught them arguing.
"Your Highness!" Cedrik ran to her and hid behind her. "He wants to take Hachi."
"Why?" Aria asked Xerxes. "What happened?"
"That dog is strange." Xerxes explained.
"Hmm, but Hachi is a good dog." She carried Hachi. "Lord Gawain gave him to me. He's my companion whenever I'm bored and lonely. I don't sense anything strange about him."
Xerxes sighed then glanced at Hachi. "Fine, I'm sorry if I overthink too much."
She smiled. "That's all right."
But Xerxes glanced at Hachi once again. He was sure that there was something peculiar about Hachi. Its scent was familiar.
.
.
....
"The Crown Prince is also investigating the masked guy?" Ryu asked.
"Yes, he said he would help us catch the masked guy." Aria replied.
"Can you trust him? You two are enemies."
"I don't know but I have no choice but to trust his words. The most important thing here is to catch the masked guy. The royal hunt is approaching, and I'm sure those people will try to kill me at the event," she said. "Please protect me."
Ryu walked towards her, knelt, and kissed her hand. "Even if you don't ask, I will do it."
I'm sorry, Ryu, if I am using you to protect myself. I just want to live…sorry for being selfish.
.
.
"Order the knights to surround the hunting ground during the event and station plenty of guards beside the Princess and the Emperor. I believe that the masked guy will show up during the event, or maybe his men will. Capture them no matter what happens, and ensure Aria's safety," Mikhail ordered.
"Yes, Your Highness." Philip bowed.
He drank his wine, it was getting darker outside.
.
.
That night, Aria went to Mikhail's room. She saw him lying on his bed wearing only a robe. She bowed to him.
He stood up and walked towards her. He sniffed. "You smell so good.."
She slowly pushed him back. "Y-Your High---"
He started kissing her neck. "And you taste good too."
She closed her eyes as he continued kissing her on her neck.
He then grabbed her and pushed her onto his bed. He started to undress her.
Her tears fell, she covered her mouth.
He noticed that she was crying, so he stopped. "Tsk. What now?"
She didn't answer him.
He whispered in her ear. "If you want to stay alive, just obey me." He then kissed her on her lips.
…
She cried in pain. She tightened her grip on his back.
"A-Ahh..Y-Your Highness..i-it hurts.." she moaned.
"Endure it, you will get used to it." he whispered.
He began to move faster.
.
.
When they finished, Aria put on her clothes. She looked at herself in the mirror, there were lots of marks on her body. She glanced at Mikhail, he was sleeping soundly.
She wiped her tears and went out of his room.
She immediately returned to her bedroom and cried.
William stood outside her room and leaned on the door. He could hear her cries.
Although she ordered him not to guard her tonight, he still followed her in secret. He saw her leaving the Crown Prince's room.
What did he do to her that she made her cry like that?
.
.
....
The Royal Hunt has finally come.
Every noble in the empire gathered for the event. They hosted a tea party before the hunting event started.
"How are they?" Aria asked Cedrik.
"They're currently in their tents, getting ready for the hunt," he responded.
"Your Highness, would you like to try some cake?" Jenny offered.
"I'm fine, I'm not hungry," Aria declined.
"Allow me to extend my greetings to the flower of this empire," a man in a wheelchair greeted as he approached Aria.
"Lord Hadrian, it's a pleasure to see you here," Aria greeted with a curtsy.
He was Lord Hadrian Wolfsbane, the younger brother of the Duke of the South. He rarely participated in parties and events. This was the first time that she had met him in person.
Hadrian smiled appreciatively. "I'm delighted that you still remember me."
Of course, she had studied about every noble in the empire. Hadrian was a pleasant individual, unlike his arrogant brother.
"Would you care for some tea with me?" Aria offered.
"I would love to, but my brother is already waiting for me. I only came to greet you. Perhaps next time, Your Highness," Hadrian replied.
"I understand, I will send you an invitation some time." she said
"Thank you." His butler pushed his wheelchair and they left.
"I heard he rarely leaves their mansion." Jenny whispered to her.
"It would be good for him to participate in more gatherings. I'll visit him next time," Aria said.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Lady Lory approached and bowed.
"It's lovely to see you here, Lady Lory," Aria greeted her.
"Today is a significant event. I couldn't miss it. My husband will also be participating in the hunt," Lady Lory shared.
"I wish good luck to Lord Austin." she conveyed.
Lory smiled and continued, "I've heard your husbands are competing for the first rank in the hunt. You are fortunate to have such husbands."
"Thank you, but it doesn't matter to me who wins. I treat them both equally," Aria replied.
"Really?" Lory's expression changed. "Someone told me that you and Lord Claudius are still meeting each other. I thought you had already divorced him."
"He visited me when I was sick." Aria explained.
"Ohh? Even if he is no longer your husband, does he still care for you?" Lory probed.
Aria didn't respond.
"Your Highness, you have already divorced him. If you continue meeting him, even though he's no longer your husband, he'll become the laughing stock of the other nobles—a former husband desperately trying to win back the Princess' love," Lory insinuated.
"I don't want him to be humiliated." Aria responded.
"But he's already facing humiliation because of you. You've ruined his life," Lory accused.
"Watch what you're saying, you're accusing our Princess," Jenny interjected.
"Shut up," Lady Lory's attendant retorted.
Tensions flared, and the two servants glared at each other.
"I've already set him free. It's not my fault if he's still clinging to me," Aria defended.
As Aria attempted to leave, Lady Lory grabbed her arm.
"Let go of me," Aria demanded.
"Because of you, he has changed," Lory claimed.
"I don't know what you're talking about. Just let go of me!" Aria insisted, she pulled her hand.
Lady Lory stumbled and fell to the ground.
The people looked at them.
"Did the Princess push Lady Lordy?"
"They've had a contentious relationship since they were young."
The murmuring of the crowd continued.
"Aria? Lory?" Claudius arrived and helped Lady Lory to her feet. "What's happening here?"
"Lord Claudius, the Princess pushed my lady," Lady Lory's attendant claimed.
"Stop lying! Her Highness didn't do anything wrong," Jenny countered.
"Yes, Lady Lory started it first," Cedrik added.
"Aria... Did you truly push her?" Claudius questioned.
"I didn't push her. She grabbed my hand," Aria explained.
Lory hid behind Claudius, feigning distress.
Gosh, stop acting innocent!
Claudius let out a sigh. "Aria, can you just apologize to her?"
"What? Why would I do that?" Aria protested.
"Aria..." he said.
"I didn't do anything wrong. She started it first. I am not going to apologize to her." she said.
"Aria, just apologize!" he shouted.
The crowd was shocked.
Aria was equally surprised. He was yelling at her?
Ah yeah, she's just nothing compared to her…
She clenched her fists. "Fine, I'm sorry." She looked at him. "Are you happy now?"
This was a complete humiliation for the Princess.
Seeing her holding back her tears, Claudius realized he had made a mistake.
"It's the right choice that I didn't believe your words," she stated as she left.
"Your Highness, wait!" Jenny and Cedrik chased after her.
"Aria!" Claudius called out.
Lady Lory grabbed his hand. "Claudius.."
He glared at her, then pulled his hand away. "Lory, you are already married to Lord Austin. Why are you doing this? Don't you realize that your actions might lead to misunderstandings for the Finnigan family? Please, don't do this again." Then he left her.
Lady Lory bit her lip, noticing the murmurs of the people around her.
.
.
"Your Highness, where are you?" Cedrik shouted, but they couldn't findthe Princess.
Aria keeps running and accidentally bumped into Nikolai.
"Hey, are you blind?" Nikolai complained.
"What? Are you going to yell at me too?" she shouted.
He was surprised to see her crying.
"I--"
But Aria ran away before he could say anything.
He just wanted to ask her why she was crying?
.
While running, she bumped into another person. This time it's Mikhail.
"Are you crying again?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"N-No, I'm not. A dust just went into my eyes," she stammered, looking away.
"There are tears on your cheeks. Obviously, you cried. Seriously, why are you always crying every time I see you?" he remarked.
"It's not my fault if some people are bullying me," she replied, her voice choked with emotion.
Mikhail's expression changed. "And who dared to bully the Princess of this empire?"
"F-Forget it." she wiped her tears.
Mikhail saw Claudius running. "Now I get it."
He held Aria's hand and whispered to her. "C'mon let's go meet father. The event is about to begin."
He noticed Claudius watching them and smirked at him before they left.
.
.
Claudius saw Aria with the Crown Prince. He clenched his fists. Mikhail had never been kind to her, so why was he with her? He saw that he smirked at him.
What the hell is he planning?
.
.
"Father.."
Mikhail and Aria bow when they meet the Emperor.
"You're already here, the event is about to start." The Emperor said.
Aria noticed Viscount Milano by his side, giving her a hostile look once again.
The masked guy had used his name, and she believed they had connections.
I wonder what he's planning today? I must be careful, I can't trust any servants here or even the nobles. Maybe someone is hiding here and waiting for the right time to attack me.
Mikhail glanced at Philip, who nodded.
They heard the gong sound, and everyone gathered to hear the Emperor's message.
After the Emperor's message, all participants headed to the starting point and mounted their horses.
Aria noticed that Mikhail hadn't left his chair. "Why are you still here? Everyone is now at the starting point."
"I'm not going to participate today," he said.
"Eh? Why?" she asked.
"Hunting is boring. If I join the hunt, no one will have the chance to win first place."
It's true, no one can beat the Crown Prince.
"Besides, I prefer hunting humans to small animals."
Scary!!!
"ARIA!!!"
She saw Rasheen waving at her. She smiled and wave back.
She also saw Napoleon winking at her.
What a flirty man.
"Don't be too intimate with them. If you fall for them, you're the one who will get hurt in the end." Mikhail warned.
"I know that! But I can't ignore them. They are nice to me," she said while waving at them.
Mikhail rolled his eyes.
She noticed Claudius looking in her direction. He looked sad. She avoided his gaze and looked at the other participants.
Xerxes was talking to the stablehands, probably discussing not using magic during the hunt.
Valentine was busy assembling his weapons.
Ryu was wearing a mask so no one would recognize him. He looked in her direction. She smiled at him then nodded.
Gawain also looked in her direction. She waved at him and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled and rode his horse.
The gong sounded, and the hunt began. Participants dispersed into the hunting ground.
Mikhail yawned and closed his eyes.
"Today's hunt is very exciting, with many nobles participating. I wonder who will win first place," Viscount Milano remarked.
"Haha, the Prince of Targaryan is too eager to win," the Emperor laughed.
"I heard he wants to win for the Princess," the Duke of the South commented.
"Ehem. My son will also try his best to win. He wants to give the Princess the biggest animal he can catch," the Marquis of the North chimed in.
"Haha, my son will also do his best, since the Princess is watching them today," the Count of the South added.
"I saw that the Great Mage and His Grace Valentine were also doing great during the hunt. I will bet on those two."
"I also bet on the Great Mage."
"I will bet on the masked guy. He's fast. I wonder which family he's from."
"It seems like all of those men are eager to win. They really want to please the Princess," Viscount Milano said, glancing at Aria.
Aria smiled. "Of course, I promised them that if they were at the top rank, I would give them rewards."
The nobles laughed.
"Too bad that the Princess is not participating. Hunting is your favorite event, right?" Viscount Milano added.
"I heard about the accident. Too bad I will not be able to see the Princess hunting," the Duke of South remarked.
"Haha, I'm the one who didn't allow her to join the hunt," the Emperor said.
"But it looks like she's fine now. Why don't you show us your horse riding skills, Your Highness?" Viscount Milano suggested.
Tsk. this old man.
"Yeah, show us. I want to see your skills too." Said the Duke of the South.
The other nobles agreed. The Emperor scratched his head and glanced at Aria.
Aria glanced at Mikhail. He was sleeping!
"Aria, can you ride a horse now?" the Emperor asked. He's worried.
Of course, she can't! She doesn't even know how to ride it properly. She always failed during her practice.
But she can't turn down their request. They will get suspicious.
"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will guide you." William whispered to her.
She doesn't want to do it!
But she had no choice.
Damn you Crown Prince, don't just sleep there! Help me here!
She's screaming in her mind.
She stood up and asked Cedrik to prepare her horse.
When she left, Mikhail opened his eyes. He then glanced at the Viscount.
.
.
"Your Highness, this is the only horse available." Cedrik said.
All the participants had already taken the horses from the stable, and this one was the last one. Aria sighed, feeling a sense of frustration.
"William, I don't think I can do this," she whispered, her anxiety building.
William looked at the nobles, noticing the deliberate situation. "I'm sure they are doing this on purpose because they heard about your accident. Don't worry, I will help you."
This is all Viscount Milano's plan!
Summoning courage, she took a deep breath. William assisted her in mounting the horse, positioning himself at the back.
"Hey! Why is the knight with the Princess?" the Duke of the South complained, a sour note in his voice.
"The doctor said that Her Highness still needs support in riding her horses," William explained, trying to defuse the situation.
"But we want the Princess to do it alone. Don't tell me she lost her skills after the accident?" Viscount Milano provocatively said.
Murmurs spread among the gathered nobles, and Aria felt a mix of frustration and embarrassment.
"William, it's fine," she said.
"But.." William was worried.
She offered a brave smile.
He sighed, seemingly torn, then got off the horse.
You can do this, Kaye. William used to teach you, right? If I knew that this would happen I should have listened to William properly.
As William was checking her horse, a servant carrying a whip approached them. Suddenly, an unknown man tripped the servant, causing him to accidentally hit the horse with the whip.
The startled horse reacted in fear.
"Aaaahhh!" Aria screamed as the horse bolted.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!!!"
Everyone was surprised. William quickly looked for participants nearby to borrow a horse and chase after Aria.