The hunt concluded in the strangest way imaginable.
The chaos and panic caused by Althea's spell had nearly driven everyone mad with fear, but the queen somehow managed to convince all who were at the campsite and in the forest that nothing truly dangerous had occurred.
By the time the nobles returned to their homes, they firmly believed the hunt had been a resounding success. Each of them thought they had returned with impressive spoils, and even though many knights and attendants were brought back to the palace nursing serious injuries, the queen's spell made them recall being attacked by wild wolves whose carcasses they had supposedly brought back as trophies.
As for those who had played the role of wild beasts, dressed in animal furs, they vanished without a trace.
Only Kai resisted the fabricated narrative.
Unlike the others, the crown prince refused to believe he had been wounded by a wild animal.
