Chapter 61: The princess has no friends (8)

Noel departed, leaving just Orcus and me alone at the shooting range.

Even though only one person had left, a silence enveloped between me and Orcus. In this now quieter space, the whistling of arrows released by Orcus filled the air.

Was he getting the hang of it? From what I could see, his arrows were steadily getting closer to the center.

It was evident that he possessed the divinity of a god. His physique resembled that of a well-trained warrior. While he hadn’t trained as consistently as Noel, his physique was so impressive that anyone could mistake him for a seasoned warrior rather than a mage.

Of course, physical prowess and combat intuition were slightly different domains, but seeing his current archery skills, I believed he wouldn’t have anything to be embarrassed about in a hunting competition. Even if he didn’t have an innate talent for weaponry, the improvement in his abilities was evident with his practice.

By the time his tenth arrow hit the target, I halted him briefly and shifted the target back by 30 steps. As the target moved farther away, Orcus hesitated for a moment but then confidently pulled back his bowstring.

- Thud

Though it wasn’t the center, the arrow didn’t miss the target. A satisfied smile spread across Orcus’ face.

His confidence bolstered, and the rhythm of his shots increased. If he had been merely increasing his pace, I would have stepped in. However, with each rapid shot, his accuracy only got better, so I just watched him shoot.

Finally, one of his arrows lodged directly in the center of the target.

He had used a total of thirty-six arrows to get there.

It was his first perfect shot after all those attempts.

A cheer would have been appropriate at this point, but Orcus remained silent. However, his clenched hand holding the arrow indicated his joy.

As he glanced at me, I noticed that while his eyes weren’t as expressive as Noel’s, they shimmered with the same blue hue. They were siblings, after all. Previously, I had thought they only shared hair and eye color.

I nodded at him and said, “Let’s move it back another 30 steps.”

At my words, Orcus’ eyes narrowed.

Why? Didn’t he want the challenge?

I ignored Orcus’ sharp gaze. His gaze flitted between me and the stack of arrows at his feet, as if silently suggesting, ‘Perhaps we could lessen the amount?’ But I wasn’t inclined to entertain his silent plea.

The mountain of arrows by his feet stayed as it was.

Unlike Noel, whom I had simply let go, I had given Orcus a significantly larger number of arrows for practice. The amount was so great that Orcus, who did not easily show his emotions, seemed surprised.

After all, I had placed all the arrows reserved for the shooting range right there.

He probably wanted a reduction in the allotted quantity since he hit the center. However, in the first place, I had no intention of asking him to shoot all these arrows.

If I were to use all the arrows I had brought now, it would be less of a training session and more like torture disguised as one.

The reason I presented him with such a large number of arrows was to remind Orcus that the decision on how much training he should undergo was mine to make.

Orcus must’ve known that if he showed any progress in his training, I would adjust the workload. That was probably why he didn’t object when I initially set a seemingly unrealistic training volume. His reaction now has its reasons.

However, it seemed he didn’t anticipate that there might be a difference between his perception of progress and mine.

Every move Orcus made showed evident improvement. But how could I be satisfied with just one arrow hitting the center? Especially when the hunting competition in the South was vastly different from hunting ordinary animals.

With half-baked skills, it would be challenging even to catch a rabbit in that environment. At the very least, one should be able to freely hit any target within 200 steps.

There was still a long way to go. It was too soon to relax.

Just as I was about to move the target again, Orcus took a deep breath and suddenly spoke to me.

“What did you think?”

“About what? If you’re talking about the arrow just now, you did exceptionally well. With that momentum, let’s move the target back another 30 steps.”

“No, not that. I’m talking about Noel.”

Noel?

Why is he suddenly bringing her up?

Caught off guard by the unexpected topic, I paused my steps. Since I wasn’t entirely indifferent to his words, I lent Orcus my ear.

Seeing that I hadn’t left my spot, Orcus took a moment to scan the surroundings, perhaps checking if Noel was still around.

Since the archery range was in an open area, if she were nearby, she would be easily spotted. With no structures to hide behind in the vicinity, Orcus confirmed that Noel wasn’t around and continued speaking.

“Didn’t you notice anything odd about Noel’s behavior today?”

“I did sense she was having trouble focusing on the conversation. Is there a problem?”

“That’s the thing. Her mood has been a bit off since yesterday.”

Orcus stared at me for a while after speaking. Could it be... Does he think that the reason behind Noel’s behavior lies with me?

Yesterday...

I briefly revisited my memories.

The encounter at last night’s dinner... I began sensing something unusual from that moment.

She frequently interlocked gazes with Elena and me. Continuously glancing between us, her face would suddenly flush, and then moments later, when looking at Elena, her face would become expressionless. A truly unpredictable series of actions.

Even during our recent training, hadn’t she seemed lost in thought, unlike herself, until Orcus spoke to her? Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be odd if he pointed at me as the cause. That said, it might involve Elena as well.

I had been consistently concerned about this matter.

Before I knew it, I had become deeply engrossed in the topic Orcus had brought up. Well, even if I pondered on it, I barely knew anything about her to come to any conclusion. All I could do was stimulate my inadequate imagination and fabricate an almost fictional story.

Amidst these thoughts, a single statement from Orcus struck me.

“Somehow I think Noel might have taken a liking to you.”

“What the hack?”

Without thinking, I responded to Orcus in informal speech instead of in polite form. Realizing this, I was about to apologize and brace myself for a reprimand, but all I heard was his laughter.

Considering the importance he placed on the authority of the imperial family, I expected a stern warning for my lapse. But seeing my reaction, he was too busy laughing. His laughter made me realize that he had just been pulling my leg.

That was a close one.

Even though I knew very well that it was absurd for Orcus, arguably the person closest to Noel, to say such a thing, for a split second I considered his words seriously. As I stared at him incredulously, Orcus, still laughing, said,

“You have quite the range of expressions. This is new to me.”

“Were you jesting?”

“Hm? Are you disappointed?”

“Of course not. I’m just curious if Princess Noel’s behavior was also part of a prank you devised.”

“That wouldn’t be the case. Honestly, do you really think Noel is capable of such intricate acting?”

That was true.

Seeing my agreement with his words, Orcus smirked.

“In that case-”

“-It is true that Noel has been worried since meeting you yesterday. The only difference from what I just said is that I know the reason.”

In the end, it sounded like my interaction with Elena had something to do with Noel’s change in behavior.

So, what exactly was bothering Noel?

My interaction with her had only been a brief spar followed by a conversation. Given that, the information I had to determine her concerns was not enough. Perhaps Orcus realized this, as he didn’t pose any further questions to me. Instead, he divulged what he knew straight away.

“It might be hard to believe, but in fact, Noel only found out about your engagement to Princess Elena yesterday. To be precise, she had known, but only truly remembered it yesterday.”

“What are you talking about?”

I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at Orcus’s words. The very reason they came here was to congratulate Elena and me on our engagement, yet one of the main parties was unaware of it? How could that make any sense?

However, Orcus’ subsequent words made everything fall into place.

“Isn’t Noel deeply passionate about swords? No, that’s an understatement. I believe she’s obsessed with them. Due to her nature, it seems she only grasped the part about going to Sarham and overlooked the engagement. It appeared she had completely forgotten until I reminded her on our way back to our rooms yesterday.”

“Ah...”

After hearing Orcus, everything started to make sense.

Why she kept alternating her gaze between Elena and me, blushing. Why she looked anxious every time she looked at Elena. All the questions had answers now.

I had thought that she approached me so openly in the practice yard because she was bright and innocent. It turned out she didn’t know I was Elena’s fiancé. That was why her actions seemed more cautious after she realized it.

No wonder she seemed to deliberately avoid me. It all made sense now.

Maybe she left the archery range early to meet Elena. Thankfully, it seemed the issue wasn’t as severe as I thought.

After hearing Orcus’ answer, the weight that had been bothering me seemed to lift, lightening my spirits. But there was still a question lingering. Turning to the smiling Orcus who spoke of Noel, I asked,

“Then why is Your Highness suddenly brought up such a matter to me?”

At my query, Orcus’ laughter ceased. Though he no longer laughed out loud, a smile remained on his face as he responded,

“To become friends. Isn’t friendship formed through conversations and jokes like this?”

“I guess so. Alright, understood.”

I see. It was a simpler reason than I had thought.

Hearing Orcus’ answer and feeling fully satisfied, I moved to reset the target. I removed the arrow lodged in the target, took 30 steps back, and set the target again. When I returned to my spot, Orcus was looking at me with astonishment.

I looked at his puzzled expression and asked,

“Why that look?”

“Uh, well, your reaction was different than I expected. Did you perhaps misunderstand something?”

“No, you said you wanted to become friends, right?”

“Indeed. So?”

“Well, is there anything else needed?”

“So, should I take that as your consent to my words? That’s what I’m asking.”

At Orcus’ words, this time I laughed and replied,

“Why would you need consent to become friends? If you consider me a friend, then we are friends. If you see me as an enemy, then an enemy it is. How this relationship progresses is decided by both of us.”

How could one dictate the direction of a relationship right from its inception?

Surely Orcus, having faced numerous adversaries in the palace, knew this. But perhaps the silly question arose because he hadn’t had the opportunity to form a genuine friendship before. Hearing his words, I started to understand a bit more why the emperor had wanted them to make friends.

Orcus seemed to ponder my response for a moment before extending his hand and saying,

“Very well. Let’s look out for each other, Damian.”

I, too, grasped the hand he offered and responded,

“I also hope for the best going forward, Orcus.”

I truly didn’t know if he thought of me as a friend or merely a tool.

In the novel, Orcus Estelia was a man with a noticeably calculative side. Perhaps even at this moment, he might be weighing the pros and cons of befriending me. However, the same could be said for me. If he treated me as a friend, I would reciprocate; if he saw me merely as a political tool, then I would see him as a tool for navigating this world.

Being addressed by name seemed unfamiliar to Orcus as he awkwardly smiled.

“It’s quite... odd. Being called by name by someone who’s not family. But it doesn’t feel bad, Damian. From now on, feel free to be informal with me in private settings. Actually, let me change that. You can be informal from now on.”

Although his tone was still as measured as ever, there was a change in Orcus’ demeanor. It was as if sugar powder named ‘Noel’ was sprinkled over the dry bread called Orcus. The pretense that was once evident seemed to have diminished, and it wasn’t a bad look on him.

“Alright, then.”

With Orcus’s permission, I immediately dropped the formal speech. This prompted another peculiar expression from Orcus, but I continued speaking. Picking an arrow from the pile at his feet, I handed it to him and said,

“I’ve moved the target back 30 steps. Let’s begin again.”

“This again...”

Why was he always trying to move on hastily?

There was still a long way to go.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

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