MWTB 06

CHAPTER 06

In the end, Endymion left the secret room, having decided that the grace period he had given Julia would be thrown straight into the trash at this very moment.

He quickened his pace, intending to head straight to the Queen’s Palace. But as he passed his desk, a document lying on top of it bumped against his body and fell to the floor.

It was a proposal to hold a hunting competition in celebration of the King and Queen’s coming-of-age ceremony.

Endymion had been about to give it a passing glance and move on without thinking when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, making him stop dead.

“A hunting competition……”

The royal hunting competition was essentially an outing meant to strengthen friendships. And among the younger nobles, it was especially famous for being a place where romantic relationships blossomed.

Some couples enjoyed secret meetings in the vast, dense forest, while quite a few others met there, fell in love, and eventually married.

Endymion’s older sister, Iris, had also met the Duke of Hyde there for the first time. He still vividly remembered how their late father had been so shocked that he had spent an entire day bedridden when his normally cold and aloof sixteen-year-old princess suddenly declared that she had chosen a husband herself.

“Hmm……”

While the middle-aged and elderly nobles strengthened their political connections, a soft and romantic atmosphere unfolded behind the scenes—a veritable paradise. Endymion’s exceptionally brilliant mind, second to none, began working at full speed.

Before long, one corner of Endymion’s mouth curved gently upward.

“This is it.”

It was a relaxed smile that made all his worries disappear in an instant.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you like this, Young Lord Tremburn.”

“It is an infinite honor to meet Your Majesty the Queen!”

The promising young knight, the son of Count Tremburn, had been appointed commander of the security detail for the upcoming royal hunting competition. Julia held out one hand toward him as he stood before her in his immaculate white uniform.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Young Lord Tremburn’s face reddened as he leaned forward to kiss the back of the Queen’s hand in respect.

Thud!

“Whoa!”

His shoulder was suddenly shoved, causing the young nobleman to stagger before barely regaining his balance. At the same time, a gentle force pulled Julia toward someone.

“Who……?”

Startled by the body heat pressing closely against her, Julia looked up.

Endymion was glaring coldly at the young nobleman, one strong arm wrapped around Julia’s waist from behind.

“Who gave you permission to kiss my Queen?”

“I greet His Majesty the King!”

Young Lord Tremburn immediately stepped back and hurriedly dropped to one knee in greeting. Relieved upon confirming that it was her husband, Julia looked forward again, but she stole a sideways glance at the arm around her waist.

“You’re being overly respectful. If it’s merely a gesture of respect, touching your lips to her forehead would have been sufficient, wouldn’t it?”

“I—I apologize! I was being thoughtless. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!”

The young lord quickly caught on and apologized. Yet Endymion continued to watch him with a sharp gaze.

Thinking it was nothing serious, Julia smiled gently.

“It’s all right. I wasn’t offended. Please take good care of security today.”

As she said this, she stepped forward and held out her hand once more. Keeping an eye on the King, Young Lord Tremburn stood and lightly took her fingertips, touching them to his forehead in a formal greeting.

But before he had even finished, Endymion wrapped his arm around Julia’s waist again and spoke.

“Are you wearing the gift I gave you, Queen?”

Why was he asking that now?

Taken aback by Endymion’s unusual behavior, Julia hesitated before answering obediently.

“Ah…… Of course.”

Caught awkwardly between the married couple, Young Lord Tremburn shuffled backward. But Endymion, without batting an eye, asked again.

“What kind is it? The cream-colored one?”

“No, the black one. The one you gave me for my birthday last year.”

“I don’t quite remember which one that is.”

“I’m wearing it underneath, so I’ll show you later.”

Julia chatted casually with Endymion, while the young lord over there cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Th-then, I’ll take my leave.”

At that, Endymion nodded as though he had been waiting for him to say it.

“My Queen and I will leave in five minutes, so make the preparations.”

The young lord, tense under the King’s cold gaze and voice, bowed crisply before disappearing.

Young Lord Tremburn hurried away without even looking back, visibly flustered as he organized the lines of horses and knights.

Only then did Julia belatedly realize how things must have sounded. Her cheeks flushed as she lightly smacked Endymion’s arm around her waist.

“Oh no, I think our conversation earlier sounded strange!”

“What? We were having a perfectly wholesome conversation about hunting clothes.”

“Endymion!”

The fact that they had happened to discuss something only the two of them knew at exactly that moment was more than enough to invite some rather suggestive misunderstandings.

But seeing her husband looking perfectly calm, as though nothing had happened, Julia found it difficult to blame him any further and reluctantly looked away.

Besides, anyone who thought something strange was the strange one. Endymion surely hadn’t meant it that way.

“Oh, right.”

Julia looked down at Endymion’s arm, which was still wrapped around her waist, and naturally slipped away from him before asking,

“‘My’ Queen? What’s that about?”

Julia looked at Endymion questioningly. But, astonishingly, there was something different in his blue eyes.

“I’m calling my Queen my Queen. Is there a problem with that?”

“Hmm. You’re suddenly using a title you never used before.”

And he had suddenly started putting his arm around her waist—the very waist he usually only held when they danced at parties or balls.

As Julia tilted her head in confusion, Endymion answered casually.

“I think it’s time for a change.”

His tone made it sound like nothing important, so Julia blinked uncertainly.

Had his voice sounded strangely meaningful, or was she just imagining it?

Just then, Endymion held out his hand with the smile he reserved only for her.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, okay.”

Right. It must have just been her imagination.

Julia took his hand as naturally as ever and smiled brightly back at him before climbing into the waiting carriage. Young Lord Tremburn, who had been appointed commander of the security detail, approached and closed the carriage door for them.

However, his hand trembled slightly as he tucked Julia’s long, trailing dress back inside the carriage.

“I-I’ll make sure you travel in comfort.”

Thud.

The door closed.

Julia had gracefully pretended not to notice his nervousness, but as soon as the door shut, she turned toward Endymion to ask if he had seen that.

Instead, she caught sight of his icy gaze glaring out the window so intensely that it seemed sparks might fly.

“Endymion, do you dislike that young lord?”

“Very much. I heard he’s a womanizer who specifically targets married women.”

“What? Really? He didn’t seem like that.”

“I hear womanizers have been running rampant lately. They’re disgusting men, so from now on, if another man tries to kiss the back of your hand, refuse him. Understood?”

“Okay, I understand.”

So that was why he acted like that earlier?

Julia muttered to herself and looked out at Young Lord Tremburn with a disgusted expression. Endymion glanced at her, and only then did he lean back in his seat with a satisfied look.

Young Lord Tremburn had suddenly acquired a rotten personality simply because he had failed to read the situation.

The long procession of carriages he led stretched out behind them. It was a beautiful day, with bright sunlight shining beneath a clear sky.

Whoosh—

Kreeeek!

The shriek of a monstrous beast tore through the air.

Julia wiped away the sweat beading on her skin and lowered her bow. Endymion had drawn his sword and ridden off toward the beast, and before long, he returned after taking care of the rest.

“Well done. You pierced its vital point perfectly.”

“Phew, what a relief. I was worried I might have gotten rusty since it’s been so long.”

“Whose pupil are you? What a disappointing thing to say.”

At Endymion’s deliberately stern tone, Julia burst into laughter.

At her clear laughter, Endymion sheathed his sword and raised the corners of his mouth as well.

“Thank you. It’s nice to come out here again after so long.”

Julia, who came from a rural kingdom, was accustomed to living in nature.

But after becoming the Crown Princess of Semele, she had been forced to live inside the royal palace. Sometimes she felt stifled, almost as though she were homesick. The only person who noticed was her husband, who spent every day with her.

Back when Endymion was still Crown Prince, he would secretly take Julia out to the training grounds.

It wasn’t as vast and wild as the nature surrounding her homeland, but simply having a wide-open space where she could run freely and lush green grass beneath her feet was enough to make her feel as though she could breathe again.

At first, she spent her time watching Endymion review what he had learned that day. Then, naturally, she began learning what he had been taught as well, little by little, like his student.

Naturally athletic, Julia absorbed Endymion’s teachings with ease.

She couldn’t quite match Endymion, a genius with the sword, but she became skilled enough to defend herself. And when it came to her specialty, archery, she had even managed to catch up closely with him.

That was how the young married couple spent their peaceful adolescence together.

“I think that’s enough for today’s inspection. Let’s head back before sunset.”

Today’s preliminary inspection was for the royal hunting competition that would be held tomorrow.

Numerous animals lived in the vast forest owned by the royal family, and whenever a hunting competition was held, knights would come in advance to prepare the area.

Large and dangerous wild beasts, as well as high-level monsters that became active after emerging from hibernation, had been dealt with beforehand, leaving only suitable game for the competition.

This time, the extermination of dangerous beasts and monsters had already been completed yesterday.

Therefore, Endymion and Julia had originally planned to leave tomorrow morning.

But the reason they had come to the hunting grounds a day early was because Endymion wanted to give Julia some time to herself.

It had been quite a while since she had been able to leave the royal palace, and she needed some time to breathe freely.

After riding a horse and practicing archery for the first time in ages, Julia quickly became tired. But she felt incredibly refreshed and happy.

As she delighted in the refreshing greenery of the trees and grass, a satisfied expression appeared on Endymion’s face as he watched her.

After taking a leisurely tour of the hunting grounds under the knights’ protection, the King and Queen turned their horses toward the lodgings rather than the royal palace.

Although they had come under the pretext of a preliminary inspection, they wanted to enjoy a little more freedom after such a long time.

Endymion and Julia decided to spend the night at the temporary lodging in the middle of the hunting grounds and return to the royal palace early at dawn to prepare for their procession.

“We’ve dealt with all the dangerous beasts and monsters, and temporary barricades have been put up. How many guards should we station in front of the lodging?”

“Have them stand outside the fence.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

At the King’s command, his direct knights moved outside the fence in perfect unison.

Endymion gave them several additional instructions as well.

Julia rubbed her stiff shoulders and entered the lodging first.

The temporary lodge, built from logs, was warm and comfortable.

Naturally, it was smaller than the royal palace, but it was a place where previous kings had often stayed during hunting trips, so it had everything they needed.

It even had two bathrooms.

The washing facilities were also equipped with magic stones and were just as sophisticated as those in the royal palace, so there was nothing lacking.

“Hmm, I’m not hungry.”

Julia stopped in front of the bedroom, pondering.

Earlier, while spending time with Endymion, she had eaten an early dinner. It had been a picnic lunch prepared by the royal chef, simple yet filling enough to satisfy her.

And after exercising so refreshingly, she didn’t feel hungry at all.

“Then should I wash up first?”

Julia glanced out the window.

Perhaps because there was still so much to prepare for tomorrow’s hunting competition, Endymion was still outside, giving orders to the knights.

Julia thought for a moment, then picked up the bag containing her change of clothes and crossed the hallway.

‘If I’m not in the room, he’ll assume I went to wash up. I should go freshen up first.’