Firstborn: Return of the heir

Looking at the grand procession of all kinds of nouveau riches, nobles and other members of the highest social standing, Saulus found it really challenging not to openly curse. Even though it didn’t serve well for his outfit, he was already back in the saddle, riding right beside the queen.

Those idiots… Don’t they know that we are at war? Thinking to himself, Saulus put a bright smile on his face when yet another noble attempted to greet him. Right now, the only saving grace of the entire situation was his position as the Queen’s personal guard, saving him from all the troublesome court skirmishes.

Give me all the jewels they wear for today’s hunt and I could create two more legions in a year…The journey from the city to the forest where the hunt was organized wasn’t that long. This location was picked mostly because of that exact reason. With how the official part of the event was aimed at strengthening the bond between the people who made up the higher class of the social ladder, it had to be comfortably close.

“So? What do you think?”

As soon as the front of the group reached the stage where the event would take place, Venna nearly jumped in her saddle to see what kind of reaction her old friend would have. Yet, to her disappointment, Saulus kept his face perfectly calm.

When compared to the military-grade of organization, the entire resting area of the great hunt simply looked bad, and also because the young general was simply too tired to care about it. For Saulus, the great hunt was all about getting supplies for his troops. As for whether the nobles and rich folk would enjoy their stay a bit closer to nature, he couldn’t care less about it.

“Hello? Are you sleeping already? No, that can’t be, your eyes are open… Wait, are you playing with me? How dare you!”

With Venna’s changing moods quickly leading her voice to reach the limits of a safe range, Saulus managed to snap out of his daze. Shaking his head for a moment, he looked to the side at his queen.

“I’m sorry, could you please repeat what you said?”

Instead of pretending to be lost in thought, Saulus simply allowed Venna to see how tired he was from the look on his face.

“I was just asking what you thought about this place…”

Slightly pouting, Venna turned her head away. Given how she was nearly at the very front of the entire procession, this was one of the last moments when the two of them could have a relatively peaceful talk.

“For a party aimed at nobles? Great. It has this raw feeling to it capable of making them feel as if this part of the hunt has nothing to do with actually obtaining as much meat as we can. In terms of practical sense, most of the stuff here is absolutely pointless.”

Even since Venna became Queen, or rather ever since she decided she wanted to truly act like someone wearing a crown, Saulus had distanced himself from court life. With all the necessary preparations for the incoming onslaught, he simply didn’t have the time to bother with mostly pointless shenanigans.

Sadly, this also meant leaving Venna alone with all the troubles that the nobles liked to cause, even during damned wartime. And given how she wasn’t used to being in the middle of everyone’s attention, it was only a matter of time before she would bend under the pressure.

“Hey… I know that this entire thing… I know it’s pointless to invite those nobles here in terms of military sense. I just thought that it would allow me to… No… Who am I trying to lie to…”

Suddenly turning silent, Venna slightly blushed before hiding her face in the copious lace of her dress. Puzzled by this kind of behavior, highly unusual to Venna, Saulus attempted to pry into her soul by looking at her reddish face, before the situation forced him to drop his attempts. They finally arrived at the spot where they were bound to leave the horses behind.

“Listen, I don’t know what you were trying to say, but as long as it’s within my power, I will do my best to give you whatever you desire. You can treat it as my payback for swarming you with all those boring, yet important duties.”

As soon as the two of them jumped down from their mounts, Saulus quickly approached Venna before the crowd would inevitably find them. Now that they were on foot, the official part of the procession was done. But that also meant that there was no longer the official barrier that stopped others from mingling with the queen, given how this was the main purpose of this otherwise useless event!

“Then take me to the hunt! The real one, I mean!”

Perfectly aware of how short they were on time to have a private conversation, Venna didn’t dare to miss the opportunity. Instantly getting closer to Saulus, she whispered those words into his ear before running away just as quickly. Before Saulus could react in any way, she was already gone in the sea of nobles that wanted to offer her their favors and company alike.

Oh Firstborns… Give me the power to understand women, as that’s the one thing I’m lacking. Shaking his head to get rid of the surprise that his childhood friend presented him with, Saulus stepped aside from the main point of the crowd’s congestion. Even though Venna was surrounded by nobles from all sides, a unit three times the size of Saulus’ own bodyguards company was hiding within the crowd, ready to intervene if any danger were to appear.

What’s so fun about real hunting in the first place? Isn’t it just bloody work? Thinking to himself, Saulus moved away from the crowd before sitting down on one of the chairs sprawling all over the wooden platforms. Initially prepared for the tired hunters to get some rest while having fun talking with others, they now served as a great vantage point, allowing the general to observe the entire area.

But well, since that’s her wish, then who am I to refuse her?