Five Live Targets

Gustova's arrival did make the food go sour for Artie, but she was still paying attention to the second lady in case the woman spoke about interesting details. Now that Larkin was forcing an active conversation with the second lady, Artie had to sit through the attempts of the woman to seduce her would-be husband.

It's just that her words made Artie look up someone's page in particular.

[Princess Havina Talcum! Age: 24 years; Race: Human; Place of Origin: Talcum (Galacia); Affiliation/s: Terone Talcum (father), Herriot Talcum (brother), Larkin Ellis (uncle, in-law), Sarafina Talcum (auntie, father-side), Miel Ellis (cousin, in-law)… (more)]

[The most favored niece of the Archduke of Ellis Plains. Havina was the epitome of a Galacian princess and one of the standards of beauty in the whole of Galacia. She had left the kingdom to marry a prince of Latodine, but she continued to value her ties with her favorite uncle. Wielding the power of two crowns in Galacia, Havina was also deemed as one of the most powerful figures in the continent.]

Multiple points of the page caught Artie's attention, but she decided to contemplate later when she's alone. For now, she wanted to know what kind of clownery Gustova was willing to subject herself to. Since Gustova planned to make Larkin feel sad, Artie decided to pop her bubble with a few words. "We didn't receive that kind of letter from her. Actually, she was so happy and had sent a confirmation of her attendance along with her husband."

"...she must have given birth already." Gustova glared in Artie's direction before smiling at Larkin again. "Then, it would mean that she's under the great care of her husband. It would be strange for Lord Ellis to worry about her wellbeing, wouldn't it be?"

"She's still traveling with an infant, days after giving birth. I have reasons to worry about my niece." Larkin only sighed discreetly and figured it wasn't wise to ask Gustova. The woman was seriously deflecting his inquiries about the princess. He was well aware that the princess was pregnant, and that was why he was asking about her.

As if saving the conversation, the twins had arrived in the dining hall with Callum. However, unlike most days, Callum was donned in his nobleman clothes instead of his knight armor.

Clarissa eyed Artie first before Gustova who was glaring at them. She only huffed and chose to sit next to Artie as if finding a strategic place to watch her deemed enemies. Callum had to accommodate both girls since Marissa wished to sit next to Clarissa.

Watching him, Gustova then hummed as if she was rolling her eyes on the knight. "Sir Princesley, you're also in the age to marry, are you not? Tell me, are you planning to find a maiden far and wide, or are you going to stick to your poorly-drafted marriage proposal? It must be hard to always think of your sister while catering to the said maiden in the poorly-drafted marriage proposal."

"Are you really trying to pick a fight with me?" Clarissa frowned. She just arrived, and this wench was already targeting her. Artie had been here longer; did this old maid batter the archduchess with her words very easily that she chose a harder target? Did she think Clarissa would avoid conflict with her?

"Hmph, pick a fight? No, honey, I'm just worried about Sir Princesley's wellbeing." Gustova only chuckled as she saw the servants roll in the next batch of food since the ones from earlier were only for the first three diners. She quickly ignored the twins and waited for the food.

Clarissa gripped her silverware tightly before choosing someone else to take her anger. Of course, the very person in mind was her biological father who sat at the head of the table. However, Larkin was already seething in anger in his seat. His movements were smooth, but his eyes were flaring red towards Gustova. The older among the twins only retracted her gaze and looked down at the food given to her. Her appetite was long gone.

…

The sun softly lit up the hills to the east of Ellis Plains. Within this serene scenery was a wide road that would lead to the ravines towards the Miral Valley. These hills and the woods nearby were the home of a lot of wild herbivores and the general population of birds in Ellis Plains. Further in were the designated hunting grounds of the archduchy, and only under the permission of the archduke could people hunt in it.

The sights of Talcum were different from Ellis Plains that the twins were amazed by the beautiful woodlands. Talcum had been heavily industrialized, and only a few of their natural resources were left intact. Talcum might be the richest of all territories and duchies, but Ellis Plains continued to be more beautiful and pleasant to the eyes of the nobles.

Lupina and the Black Kodiak led the group towards the designated hunting grounds. Based on the report of the hunt master, they would be locating five live targets within the woodlands, and shooting them in different places would earn different points. Seeing that the place wasn't that big, Artie felt like it was plausible to only have five targets for now.

When they reached the resting stop—a seemingly flat area with no trees enough to handle a camp, the servants began building the tents for the spectators. Artie stayed on her horse while surveying the place. She could barely see the end of the woodlands now that they were inside. It was undeniable that she was excited.

"Hunters, please!" The hunts master called forth the ones participating in the hunt. Artie, Clarisa, and Marissa were all in their hunting attires wherein they sported trousers and tighter clothing to avoid getting caught in anything. Each lady would be on their chosen horses, and three servants would follow them around to help them if needed. Of course, they would be the ones shooting the targets down to earn the point.

"We have prepared five targets and scattered them all over. Be mindful that red markers will give you a full mark while blue marks will only give you half. We will control the surroundings so please don't be scared to be in the woods on your own. However, we do advise you to stick with your group." The hunts master continued with the reminder before finally letting them move in front of the group.

The spectators would be following them around and could go back to the resting stop at any time. Since it was still early, Larkin, Wusso, and Gustova continued to follow them through the woodlands. Artie was letting Clarissa lead their group, scanning the place with her own eyes. There didn't seem to be any traces of any animals in the area. It was strange… also, wouldn't moving around in such a big group spook the targets?

"I see one!" Clarissa laughed out as she rode her horse forward without warning. "Take a look, Artie Shen! This is how you take them down!" She pulled her bowstring easily and aimed with precision. As her horse ran past a strange figure hiding behind a tree, her arrow went loose and hit the target at the red mark.

"Ahh!" A human voice cried out, and Artie just saw a person fall down from behind the tree. Her eyes widened. 'The targets are… humans?'