Loving The Cursed Werewolf King-Chapter 106: The Hunt

"I visited her room before coming here. I’ll tell you what I saw if you manage to make me the winner in this hunting contest," Andrea challenged, making her brother groan in displeasure. Andrea’s eyebrows shot up, she lifted her chin briefly so that Alexis looked back.

Beside him, King Ronan also dismounted from his horse to greet Arielle, who was approaching.

"Is there a specific animal you’d like for me to bring?" asked the man while cupping Arielle’s downcast face.

"I don’t mind whatever animal you bring, Your Majesty."

"You look gloomy? You don’t like this crowd?"

"N-no... it’s just...." Arielle bit her lip, not sure if her request could be deemed an insult. She had one request, but if it offended the king, she had better keep quiet.

"Say what you want. Even if you ask for a dragon, I can still ride alone to Mount Birwick."

"Not that!" cried Arielle making Ronan smile.

"You don’t want me to hurt the animals in the forest, do you?" he asked, making Arielle look up quickly.

"Uuuh... I just feel pity for the animals..."

He had expected Arielle to act like this. But hunting was still hunting. Ronan himself could not deny that this was his favorite activity in his free time before Arielle came to the North. Ronan gently patted Arielle’s head so as not to worry.

"I have another idea," said the king in a low voice without being heard by Arielle. "You don’t want to say something before I leave for the forest?"

Arielle touched the king’s arm and smiled wryly.

"You don’t have to think too much about my worries. If you wish to hunt, then do what you want. My pity for the animals may only last for a moment. I don’t want my feelings to burden you. Do it carefully, and don’t get hurt," said Arielle.

Ronan really wanted to kiss the girl right now, if not for the presence of her two older siblings or other people around. Just writing Arielle’s name as the recipient of his game was already making a spectacle and he would certainly get a lot of questions about his relationship with the girl in the monthly meeting later.

Ronan didn’t want to force his will and make Arielle uncomfortable. The king wanted Arielle to be by his side in the right way.

"Thank you," Ronan replied, rubbing Arielle’s blushing cheeks.

Lucas asked the princess to take a few steps back. Ronan returned to his horse. Not long after, the trumpet sounded again with the additional sound of drumming, and simultaneously, several fireworks were lit. The group of hunters left the Colosseum for the forest.

Ronan pulled the reins of his horse and rode first through the snow. He was followed by Alexis, who took the same route. The rest of the participants scattered, trying to enter the forest through different paths.

The forest in the North was quite wide and dense. The foliage was predominantly white and pale green due to limited sunlight. The animals that live in it were quite diverse, ranging from herbivores to carnivores, although not as many as the animals living on Mount Birwick.

After seeing the yellow ribbon tied to the tree, the man slowed his horse. The whole forest had been marked. White to yellow bands indicated the areas of herbivorous or easy-to-hunt animals such as birds, rabbits, or small deers living nearby.

Then, orange band areas would have animals such as deers, wild boars, or foxes. Finally, there were the red band areas, showing where dangerous animals like tigers or bears could be found.

Usually, wolves would also hang around. But according to the rules, no one could touch the wolves.

Alexis was still visible behind Ronan. As the orange band came into view, Ronan headed deeper into the forest, leaving Alexis, who changed course.

Some of the hunters from the knight group would usually wander around the orange area. Only a few dare to enter the red zone. And the white to yellow zones were dominated by young nobles trying to practice their archery skills.

Hm..... orange zone. Ronan could find a stag here. Male deers were usually quite shrewd. Ronan intended to bring a moose without killing it. After giving the prey to Arielle, Ronan wanted to immediately heal the animal and then release it back so that Arielle would not feel sad.

He saw a knight entering the red zone. Of course, the red zone was his favorite place. His adrenaline always spurred hearing the growls of other animals that made his heart beat fast. But this time, Ronan had to restrain himself.

Ronan grabbed one of the arrows from his back. The horse’s steps became very slow. His sense of hearing was sharpened. The man closed his eyes to concentrate.

Stags had four legs. The soles of their feet had hard hooves so that the sounds they made when walking was more pronounced.

The king shook his head. It was the sound of a horseshoe he was hearing. The sound was harsh, while deers, although firm but softer than this sound.

The man opened his eyes. No, a beautiful stag was unlikely to roam in the orange zone, as they preferred darker places to hide. Ronan pulled the reins of his horse, back into the red zone forest.

He sharpened his hearing again. In this red zone, everything sounded quieter. A few hundred meters behind him came the sound of a horseshoe, which meant that someone was following him.

In the distance, he heard a faint roar. The tiger’s roar sounded so far away, so the other hunters would definitely not hear it. The red zone was safe from tigers.

The air pressure in his place was getting thinner. Ronan managed his breath to stay concentrated. His animal instincts told him that there was another wolf in a close radius.

The man continued to walk. His smile was formed when he heard the roar of a bear which was quite loud. His heart wanted the animal, but he was reminded by Arielle.

He realized someone was coming from the opposite direction. Sure enough, he saw Alexis from where he was. Alexis didn’t notice his presence because the atmosphere of the red zone forest was quite dark. Ronan’s smile widened when he saw the flash of yellow eyes approaching Alexis from behind.

"I’m sorry, Sweetheart. I’d still bring you a stag alive, but this one I can’t just let go."

Ronan raised his bow, placing arrows with outstretched arms. He squinted. His red irises gleamed at the sight of his victim, who was ready to lunge. Ronan pulled his arrow hard.

"3... 2... bingo!" The king then shot his arrow so fast past Alexis, who was startled right in front of the head of the brown bear that was standing ready to pounce on Alexis from behind.

The shocked Alexis almost staggered off his horse. Hearing a roar right behind his body, the man took his horse away. His eyes widened when he saw an arrow pierced right and deep into the forehead of the now lifeless bear.

"Ah... is this what you call a missing arrow?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Alexis’ body stiffened at the cold tone of someone behind him. Ronan came closer to see the results of his shot. He had gotten a mountain bear, thanks to Alexis.