Hunting grounds were not Miranda's place of work. It was unlikely for her to be noticed even if she was there.
Miranda sneaked to the hunting ground; the preparation of the prince's hunting was made precisely perfect without any mistake. Weapons such as longbow, crossbow, and hunting spears were arranged in order on the table.
Miranda carefully checked her surroundings, finding anyone who saw her as suspicious. She didn't want her plan to fail before she had a chance, but to her luck. Everyone seemed to be doing their thing. Grooms attended the horses and equipped them with decorative saddles and harnesses.
Some other male servants checked the horns used in hunting to see if they were fully polished. Other maids set a table with drinks with refreshment. From the way it looked, Miranda knew this hunting ceremony wasn't a small one. Looking at the preparation, it seemed Prince Erian intended to invite guests.
Then her attention drifted back at the table of weapon selection, looking at a bow that belonged to Prince Erian. According to her writing, the bow, Autumn Fall, was a treasured bow of Prince Erian given by his first love. As per description, the bow was a warm golden bow with rustic textures and fall leaves. The name originated from the saying that any arrow that uses that bow could even make the leaves fall from its tree.
That's absurd, Miranda thought. It was her idea to make the bow so cool, but she didn't actually believe that was even possible. When her eyes came across the bow that she described, she smiled and took it to her hand. It was a little heavy, but she managed to hold it firmly in place.
Then she thought of what she could do. All she knows is she has to tamper with it, no matter how. The idea of cutting the string that connects both sides of the bow seemed like a good idea. With a string being cut, Prince Erian will not hunt, and then he will be humiliated in front of his guest; moreover, he won't hesitate twice but to give her a death sentence.
On the table were also daggers; she took one the dagger and cut the string apart of the bow. A laughable voice echoed in her mind, and she told herself she was one step into going home.
"What are you doing?" Asked an unfamiliar voice behind her, when she turned, an elderly man looked shocked, seeing the prince's bow on her hand and torn. More to it, she held the dagger.
He fell down on the ground helpless, fear bursting deep inside him. "Young lady, what have you done?" Exclaimed the elderly man.
Miranda pointed out the bow, "Oh this?" She stated. "Don't worry, you won't be blamed for it," she said confidently, like nothing mattered.
"Do you wish death upon you, young lady?" Asked the elderly man on the floor. "Why would you do something so forbidden that could risk your life and everyone here?" The elderly man's hand flied in the air in a gesture of showing Miranda around.
When her eyes looked around, she noticed most of the maids in there; actually, all of them fell to the ground, some weeping. She didn't know why they were overreacting to something, she was going to get the punishment.
"Young lady, do you know how precious that bow is to his highness?" Cried the elderly man.
"Of course I do, and I will get my punishment. So why are you all overreacting?" she said annoyingly.
As she stood there talking, the announcement was made by the maid that Prince Erian had arrived at the hunting ground. Fear gripped everyone, even Miranda herself. Seeking death was simple, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to die a horrible death.
When the Prince Erian figure appeared before her eyes, her legs paralyzed, and she felt to the ground involuntary. Why did she fall?
She was supported to show she isn't guilty for doing so,she is supposed to confidently face Prince Erian, but why did her legs fail her in this crucial time?
When she was writing her novel, she wrote of Prince Erian as a notorious and vicious prince; to whomever saw him in person, fear would grip them in an instant. If you were weak, you could fall with your leg to the floor. She couldn't believe her writings were going against her this time.
When Prince Erian reached Miranda and the elderly man, then his eyes went to Miranda, who faced down with a broken bow on her hand. He bowed that belonged to him, the treasured one.
The elderly man suddenly turned to face his direction with his head on the ground and cried. "Forgive me, your highness, for I have neglected my duty and let this woman cause problems."
Prince Erian stayed quite, infuriating his anger toward his broken bow. "How did this happen?" I spoke to a man beside Prince Erian who looked like a Prince Erian bodyguard.
The elderly stammered and didn't know what to say since he wasn't sure what happened. He was not sure if Miranda had broken his highness bow by mistake or deliberately.
When the elderly was finding it had to speak, that was when Miranda spoke. "I broke it, your highness," she said, her voice cracked.
When Prince Erian heard that he didn't believe it, not only did this maid break his favorable bow but also stated she broke it with confidence.
"You broke it, not by mistake; you just broke it," Prince Erian muttered, clutching his teeth in anger.
Miranda raised her head from the ground and stared directly at Prince Erian. "Yes, your highness. I didn't cut the string by mistake, as you can see the dagger in my hand; I deliberately cut the string on my own," she said.
Prince Erian snickered. "Kill the elderly man," he ordered.
The man who stood behind Prince Erian as his bodyguard drew his sword from a stealth and slit the elderly man's throat. Before Miranda could react to Prince Erian's order, the elderly man's blood flew to her face and clothes, causing her clothes to have blotches of blood.
She was left speechless with that scene.
Why was the man killed instead of her?
In that instant, she felt guilty for causing the man's death.