"On this glorious day blessed by the goddess Kronosis, we have the opportunity to gather our bravest warriors to fulfill our duty to protect the people of Islerus. The wild animals that descend the mountain are a risk to those who live in this village, and so we will brandish our swords to ensure protection and abundance for this winter."
Rehael made the speech flawlessly. His presence was enough to make the participants of the festival anxious for its beginning. Crossing arms, Magnus already knew every word to be said in that speech, although no new word would be able to steal his attention.
In fact, it has been some time since those words were haunting his mind.
"Stephen Baragnon, you are my key".
Your husband never showed interest in young Baragnon, at least not directly. Only the more he thought about it, the more Magnus noticed a strange pattern in his husband's behavior.
First, the event that triggered their marriage. Magnus had drugged Stephen's drink and Lucian swapped the glasses, choosing to drink in his place. Second, he saw the two talking near a balcony during a dance soon after Magnus decided to marry the prince, which culminated in Stephen's next opportunity to present Lucian with a pocket watch. Watch that Lucian always wore, even at the same moment he checked the hours.
Wasn't suspecting Lucian had any feelings for the omega, at least not so openly. Considering all the time they spent together during their honeymoon and the way Lucian was possessive of him in these last days, Magnus did not wish to doubt Lucian's feelings. However, Lucian was someone mysterious in Grand-duke's eyes. Someone cunning who always smiles innocently when, under the cloths, is plotting something.
His instinct was to be careful with Stephen and pay more attention to Lucian.
"Be careful in your ways, I wish you a good hunt."
The applause filled the field of tents, and soon the nobles spread out to climb on their horses and prepare to leave. Magnus took the bow and his arrows, going straight to his dark-mane horse. One last time he looked towards the Grimwood tent, where he saw Lucian accompanied by his brothers.
There he sat, behaving in that delicate mask. Magnus saw the real Lucian Saint Richmond, the fragile prince of strong mind. Quickly Magnus checked the Grimwood knights, making sure each was in position. Pleased to see him completely surrounded and protected, Magnus allowed himself to concentrate on his hunt.
"Why are you so grumpy?"
Looking at the corner, Magnus noticed Cadec next to him, checking his gloves pretending not to be talking. After all, they were still on the stage of that opera.
"Is there any day that I am not?" Replied Magnus in a whisper "How are the preparations?"
"I have already gathered the evidence, but you asked me to wait until today. May I know what you are planning?"
The crimson eyes followed the servant holding a horn. The lured fingers tightened the reins, ready to leave.
"I plan absolutely nothing. I'm just being cautious."
The trumpet sounded.
The field was filled with the sound of galloping horses and their horsemen thirsty for advantage. The dark horse crossed absolutely all competitors as if hunting a bandit in his day to day. What to expect from a man and his horse who are accustomed to the adrenaline when they needed to protect their Empire?
At the foot of the mountain there was a dense forest that served as a hiding place for wild animals to hide. Unfortunately it was not the perfect time, as winter began and many of these animals are already preparing to hibernate. However, some others would go out to hunt as well. Small animals were taken by the other competitors. Magnus passed by them without blinking, He didn't want a small gift.
Especially when he saw Stephen Baragnon riding in the same direction as him.
"Tsk!"
A sound coming to his right made the Grand Duke's knight turn away from the path. Immediately Magnus looked at the origin of that sound, finding a deer who turned his back to flee. That is, if the sword of Victoria Shang did not arrive first and hit him.
Well, well, as expected of his sister-in-law. She was definitely an excellent hunter. Magnus stopped the race and watched her turn. Where should he go? Where would be hiding the best prey of that region?
"Brother, do you want to go to the bottom of the field? You know very well that there are many beasts there, I don't recommend you go alone."
Cadec turned to Raven, who had already caught his first target.
"Are you coming with me to steal my prey, Raven?"
The omega let out a low laugh.
"I could never do such a thing, my brother. But I don't mind helping you so that you don't lose to His Grace."
Magnus just raised his eyebrow in response. So, if he went into the forest would he find more wild beasts? That seemed interesting. Although he evaluated their routes and tried to detect any movement, Magnus was still able to hear the conversation between the two members of the Imperial Family. And only that discussion left him with a crooked smile on his face.
"My goodness, would it take two of you to try to beat me? What an honor."
Raven chuckled graciously and pointed the arrow at a bush, shooting quickly as it hit its second target.
"My brother, I think we should honor the Grand Duke."
"It seems so."
"All right, so be it", Magnus smiled and went off for the second time.
The brothers did not take long to gallop behind him, creating a small quarrel that occurred naturally during festivals. Cadec used to catch some smaller prey on the way, leaving Magnus as the only one who got nothing.
Well, it was your choice.
He wanted the best prey. The bigger, stronger and harder to get, the more precious it would be. Just to imagine what face the Eighth Prince would do when he threw at his feet the biggest prey of his hunt, already made Magnus' heart race with adrenaline. It would demonstrate to that feeble alpha how much his omega was someone indispensable and unique, to the point of no other omega being compared to him.
Crossing the small stream, they entered the densest part of the Forest. Now there was no more track for them to locate with accuracy, and part of their visions were blocked by tall, leafy bushes. If he did not know the region well, they would surely fall into a great ambush and get lost. That's why Raven marked the tree trunks with the tip of her arrow.
Leaving the brothers aside, Magnus concentrated on hearing any sounds. It was so quiet that it became suspicious.
Too suspicious to...
"Rawr!"
Magnus' horse barked and raised his front paws when a bear appeared to ambush him. The sharp teeth and roar startled the horse, but Magnus quickly reacted by drawing his sword, completely abandoning the idea of using arrows.
The bear's heavy paws could knock Magnus off his horse, and in reflex he was quick to pull the reins to dodge. Turning the dagger, Magnus dealt the first blow making the use of the left paw useless. However, the blow irritated the animal, which now tried to attack him with more force and determination.
"Hah... that's right big guy, come to me that I will make you the most beautiful coat for Grimwood's Consort."
It was a bit of labor to escape from those heavy paws and grotesque body while riding on a horse. Although Magnus has trained the horse, it's not as if he was able to stop his natural instinct to run away from danger. So at some point, Magnus jumped off his horse and decided to fight head-on with the bear's dictum.
The area around him did not give him any advantage. In fact, it hindered his movements, not giving much space to jump and move. Also, the bear pushed him into the stream, perhaps hoping that there Magnus would get even more confused and finally be caught.
Keeping the sword down, Magnus began to make cuts in the areas where the bear left his guard down. He could use his own body as a distraction so that the bear would not see the movements of his sword. Although they were not lethal blows, they were enough to make his movements slow. And so, Magnus finally managed to escape his field of vision and jump under a tree, gaining access to the wild animal's nape.
It was there that he gave his direct blow!
The gigantic animal fell lifeless in the stream, with Magnus stepping on his back sweating and tired.
"Ha... you were hard, buddy... hm?"
A rustle broke the silence. Magnus looked around without really seeing anything, couldn't even see the two royalty who should be around. He held firmly the dagger of his sword and narrowed his eyes as he saw shadows approaching from where he was.
Acting cautiously, Magnus assessed the situation trying to understand exactly what was happening around him. The shadows approached looking like a human silhouette. It could be Cadec or Raven, who were probably hunting. Thanks to such suspicion, he could not attack blindly at the risk of hitting the two brothers.
It was then that something hit his shoulder.
"Argh!"
Turning over his shoulder, Magnus saw an arrow embedded in his flesh. Clenching his teeth, he pulled the arrow from himself and threw it to the ground, finally realizing the shooter was aiming another arrow. The bastard was on top of some boulders a few meters away, already taking the second arrow to shoot him.
Before Magnus could jump to catch the damned, another arrow hit him. This time in his thigh, near where he was wounded during the duel.
"But what..."
"Get him!"
For the first time Magnus had failed in his peripheral vision and did not notice the group of people armed with beasts and swords surrounding him in the stream. And by the rudimentary dress, it was clear what it was. The worn fabric and vibrant colors as if they wish to be noticed by anyone even from a distance.
Opening an arrogant smile, Magnus wielded his sword with the other hand. He did not intend to run away without fighting, and considering the anger he felt for the pain they caused him, he could certainly have had the energy to kick some butts before his body became useless.
"Haha, it seems that a bunch of rebels came to hunt too... What do you think of being my prey?"