The Hunting Festival (1)

Like the rest of the Betchner duchy, Maria Betchner was an opportunist. If she saw an opportunity to achieve her goals, she would grab it. The only problem was that she wasn't the best at predicting the consequences of her actions.

When she first saw Anaroth step out of the same carriage as Veridin, she decided that she was going to use him to get closer to the hero. She believed it would be a perfect plan to become close to Veridin through the demon king. All she had to do was get Anaroth to like her, which she had done dozens of times before with others. What she hadn't expected was the strange reaction of her underlings.

"Sir Anaroth, how do you take care of your hair?"

"Sir Anaroth, what skin care routine do you use?"

"What kinds of parasols are the best to block the sun?

Maria gripped her tea cup in irritation. Do these fawns have wax for brains? Clearly Sir Veridin was the most handsome, most kind hearted, beautiful man in the Empire! She scrutinized the awkward Anaroth in front of her. She could see why they would be asking those ridiculous questions. He had a pale complexion without a single blemish. His long, flowing hair looked like pure silver silk. He carried a black parasol at his side despite being a man. No matter how you looked at it, wasn't he a nancy boy?! She shakily set down her cup.

"Now, his majesty is still a king. We should refer to him as such."

As if! Not only is he a demon, but he's the closest person to Sir Veridin! A thought crossed her mind. Sir Veridin and the demon king… Her complexion turned pale and her mouth gaped open. She smacked herself, startling the others at the table including Anaroth. There's no way! Sir Veridin would never stoop so low! He was a knight of the church, so of course he would be against that kind of stuff. She stood up and cleared her throat, glancing over Anaroth. Then again, he was almost as beautiful as Sir Veridin.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Anaroth watched Maria walk away with a curious gaze. She was the one who invited him, yet she had barely spoken. Instead, he had been bombarded with strange questions about his bathing routine and his tastes in parasols. Anaroth sighed with a smile. As he thought, dealing with noble women was completely different than dealing with Veridin.

"Oh, if you live with Sir Veridin then you should know about his tastes in books right?" The girl beside the one who asked clasped her hand over the first girl's mouth.

"Books?"

The girl let go of her colleague's mouth and chuckled nervously, "Sir Veridin likes to read books whenever he's bored. It's just that his taste in books is a little strange."

Anaroth hadn't remembered seeing Veridin read a book. He squinted. Thinking back, there was a time where he saw Veridin reading. During the time they were traveling to the capital, he had been reading the night he arrested priest Julas.

"What kind of books does he read?"

The girls at the table all became flushed, except the girl who asked first. One of them began fanning themself. Anaroth furrowed his brows. What exactly did Veridin read to have this kind of reaction? Veridin isn't the type of person to be romantically involved, nor would he even remember these girls' names.

"Sir Veridin reads… Ahem. He reads romance novels."

Anaroth tilted his head. What? His entire perception of Veridin began to crumble. That kind of man reads romance novels? How had he not known this? Was it because Veridin was embarrassed? These girls who have no relationship with him knew this, so it couldn't be that. Was it because he wasn't bored? Then it made sense that Veridin never read around him. Anaroth leaned on the table with a dark expression. A snake like that? Reading romance novels? He could barely believe it. He was so shaken that he didn't notice Veridin approaching until he spoke.

"Here you are, I've been looking for you."

"Ah! Sir Veridin! Er, your majesty!"

Veridin glanced over the girls: Maria's underlings. Then where was Maria? That girl loved to cling to him any time she could. It didn't matter. He turned his eyes back to Anaroth who had an amusingly perplexed look on his face. "Is there something–"

"You. Read romance novels?"

Veridin blinked a few times. This was the first time Anaroth had cut him off so abruptly. This was also the first time he had to truly think about how he wanted the conversation to go. Should he say yes and move on? Well, where would the fun be in that. He raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Not really…" Anaroth looked to the side. His exhausted expression looked as if he wouldn't be surprised if he heard the sky was falling down. It made Veridin have to cover his smile. This was just too much. He was far too enjoyable to make fun of.

"I didn't think my hobbies would be a big deal to you."

"Ha… What did you need me for?"

"I came to ask you if you'd be participating in the hunting contest."

"I have no reason to do that. Besides, if I did it wouldn't be fair."

"I understand," Veridin narrowed his eyes, "Then will you be spending the next four hours with these girls?"

"They make better company than you," Anaroth smiled through gritted teeth.

"We'll see about that." Veridin lowered his hand and smirked. He had just disappeared behind the tents when Maria returned.

"Miss Maria!" The girls gratefully crowded around her. One of the girls whispered to her, "Sir Veridin was just here! He was looking for Sir Anaroth! Sir Anaroth even talked back to him!"

"What? If Sir Veridin was here you should have told me!" She whispered back before bowing to Anaroth. "I apologize for my sudden disappearance, your majesty."

"It's fine. You're welcome to call me Sir Anaroth as well." Anaroth smiled. These girls were rather refreshing compared to Veridin.

"Then I shall do that Sir Anaroth." She smiled as she sat down.

"Then Miss Betchner, you seem rather taken with his majesty."

She flinched. Was that a threat? She glanced up at him. No, he only seems to be curious. She slowly set down her fork. There was no way… That she was going to pass up on the opportunity to talk about Sir Veridin!

"You're quite right Sir Anaroth. I've been enamored by him since we were kids. Those golden locks, those sharp features, those striking eyes! He's but the definition of an angel!" Her eyes seemed to blaze with an unquenchable fire. "His kind hearted nature! His sense of duty and justice! Is there a more perfect man who exists in the Empire? No, the world? If you were to pull the main character straight from a romance novel into reality it would be Sir Veridin!"

"Miss Maria…"

"What? I'm not done. Sir Veridin is truly comparable to the sun!"

"Miss Maria, his majesty's speech…"

Maria Betchner immediately closed her mouth and promptly sat down. Her face turned red with embarrassment. Veridin, of course, heard every word of praise from her. He was standing on the stage that was set out for him with a smile. Onlookers might think that flattering speech was what he was smiling about, but it wasn't. He was smiling at Anaroth's skeptical expression; How Anaroth could only smile and agree with such false claims. Having the demon king under his thumb was a joy incomparable to anything except revenge. He let out a soft laugh before beginning to give his address.

"I would like to extend my gratitude to every person attending the festival today. Looking over this crowd, I can see both new and familiar faces. While this may not be the first time I've given a speech in front of a crowd like this, I can say for certain that this is the first time I've ever started off this hunting festival. Honestly, I expected my first speech to be at my coronation ball, but due to some complications that had to be put off."

Veridin paused and scanned the crowd. A large majority of the nobles had a dark expression. The ones that didn't were either inexperienced or good at controlling their faces. Of course, this was because Veridin had just insulted the church. Not only did he state that the church was having problems, but his presence here was his way of saying that the church held no power over him. An official coronation didn't need to happen for him to be the king. The royal family was taking back control.

"However, this isn't the place to be talking about aspirations. Like years past, the winner of this festival will be crowned the spring huntsman. Unlike years past, though I will be participating, I won't be taking that title," He chuckled, forcing the nobles to laugh alongside him, "The rules have not changed. Quality, amount, and rarity are the criteria. You may dedicate your hunt to someone else. Do not go beyond the flags. Lastly, if the marble on the bracelet you were given turns red, return immediately and inform the guard. The hunting event will last for three hours starting from now with a magic flare marking its end. Enjoy the hunt."

He stepped down from the platform. Seeing the expressions of those nobles was satisfying. He accomplished his goal. As he was smiling to himself, Rowan brought his horse to him.

"You've changed quite a bit, your majesty."

"I haven't changed much. Are you not participating?"

"What can I do with this leg of mine? I'm lucky enough that you made me an instructor for the imperial guard."

"It's a position you deserve through skill, not luck."

"A lot of the nobles would disagree with you."

"Have I ever cared what they thought of me?"

"No, you haven't, your majesty."

"That's right." Veridin swung his legs over the sides of the saddle, gripping the reins. "Also, don't call me your majesty in private."

Rowan smiled as he mounted the horse. He rode behind Veridin quietly, his smile fading into a skeptical glare. Veridin wasn't the same benevolent person he was while he was a knight of the church. Rowan had witnessed it while he was in the palace. Veridin was a scheming, crafty person who could handle the corrupted nobles with ease. He had always wondered how Veridin put up with them. Now he knew that it was simply waiting for the right moment to strike. Veridin had become the tiger that hunts the hunters. Rowan couldn't tell if this person he was following was the same kid he met eight years ago.