Tuk watched the troop of warriors cheer like maniacs. The prince's triumphant hunt had turned the scene into an open-air festival of blood, feathers, and overenthusiastic back-slapping. "I’m so glad I chose to be on their side," she thought, crying a little on the inside.

The weapons the prince used just now looked strikingly similar to the designs I once showed to the weaponsmith back when I was so excited about presenting ideas for weapons inspired by RPGs and MMORPGs.

'I didn’t know his swords could shift into different shapes. That's so cool. I want one,' Tuk mumbled to herself.

The enormous griffin lay lifeless nearby, looking like it had swallowed every monster in existence before meeting its end. Tuk pulled twigs and leaves from her tousled hair, her clothes were now stained with dirt and grass. Able to breathe and relax a little, she finally remembers why she came here in the first place.

"I almost forgot about this," she muttered, fishing a crumpled letter from inside her vest. Once pristine, the parchment now looked like it had survived a battlefield. "Well, at least it will be delivered. Effort counts, right?"

“Your Highness...” she began, approaching the Prince with all seriousness, who stood like a war god in the center of the clearing. She can’t believe how rude she was behaving earlier. Luckily, he’s not petty to kill her over his words, or is it because she has an important role to fill that’s why he is tolerating her behavior until now or he's just in a good mood? She doesn't know, for her, the prince is the hardest person to read.

As he approached him, he could clearly see his dark armor gleaming with streaks of blood. Is that his blood? Or the Griffins? Hard to tell. They were both monsters, after all.

The warriors watched her with barely contained amusement as she staggered weakly closer. Tuk rolled her eyes. 'Laugh all you want, but your prince looks like a medieval vampire who overdid it at an all-you-can-drink blood buffet.' Tuk stopped thinking as she clearly saw the prince's face. 'Annoyingly, he still looked... good. Too good it’s so annoying!’

She gave the battered letter toward him, “Letters. For you,” she muttered with exasperation. She can’t believe what she had to endure just to send those damn letters. She can now appreciate how convenient emails are in her world now. The Prince's eyes gleamed after seeing the letter. He took and inspected the royal seal before tossing it carelessly into a pool of blood at their feet.

Tuk’s mind short-circuited. Did he just throw that?

Her polite smile barely masked the storm brewing within. “Your... Highness. Lord Nixon said it was IMPORTANT,” she said through gritted teeth, silently praying for divine intervention to spare her dwindling patience.

The prince shrugged, casually wiping his hands with a towel offered by a warrior. “I received it, didn’t I?”

‘Read it, you baffoon!’ Her internal monologue screamed, though she maintained her mask of calm. She sighed inwardly. If I keep stressing over this man, I’ll have gray hair before I turn thirty.

“Right. Well, I should head back, then,” she muttered, turning away.

Stressing over the prince was a one-way ticket to premature aging—only to remember, with a sinking feeling, that her treacherous horse had abandoned her.

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That stupid horse. When I find it, I’ll paint its hooves neon pink!

She hesitated, then asked with a glimmer of hope, “Ah... I seem to have lost my horse. Perhaps someone could... offer me a ride?”

Michaelli’s lips curled into a knowing smile, his golden-brown eyes gleaming with amusement, as if he’d heard every unspoken thought. “We’re done here. Prepare for the return,” he commanded his men.

Relief flooded her as a warrior with a sun-worn face, who called himself Zalem, waved her over. His grin widened. “Need a ride, Lord Advisor?”

“Desperately,” she sighed.

Climbing onto the horse was anything but graceful. She felt like a clumsy frog landing on a lily pad—awkward, shaky, and completely uncomfortable. Every muscle in her body ached, begging for rest.

---

Back at the encampment, cheers erupted for the participants of the hunting competition. The air buzzed with excitement, but Tuk barely noticed.

She trudged along with the prince’s entourage, her energy drained from the aftershock of being hunted by a beast—and, for the love of all things holy, she hadn’t even had a single moment to cry about it. Instead, she’d been hauled off by warriors like a helpless sack of grain, their idea of “welcoming” her apparently involving zero personal space.

Can I at least have an hour to mourn my misery? Seriously!

She’d tried calling out to the prince for help, but the jerk hadn’t so much as glanced her way. Not a flicker of acknowledgment! How is he even a prince? I thought we were close now! she fumed silently, biting back a groan of frustration.

When they finally stopped, it wasn’t at their designated tent but a nearby lake. The sight of the clear, sparkling water might have been refreshing if Tuk wasn’t too tired to care. It wasn’t long before most of the men stripped naked and waded into the water as she suspected, their carefree laughter and splashes filling the air like a bunch of rowdy schoolboys on holiday.

Tuk slumped by the water’s edge, staring blankly at the shimmering surface. She didn’t even have the energy to be shocked by the parade of naked men anymore.

Well, she thought, her lips curling into a faint smirk, At least no one’s trying to kill me here. That’s progress, I guess.

Trying to shake off her fatigue, Tuk decided to observe the warriors instead. The sunlight glinted off their wet butts and muscular bodies as they bathed while laughing. For a moment, she forgot her misery and let herself enjoy the spectacle.

“They really have amazing muscles,” she muttered to herself. Her eyes drifted from one warrior to the next. “Oh, that one has way more abs than the rest. What was his name again? Zalem? Halem?” She squinted, counting under her breath. “One, two, three, four, five, six... Damn.”

A faint grin tugged at her lips. Maybe some people would kill to be in my position right now.

Her gaze shifted to another warrior who looked like he’d been carved from marble. Tuk propped her chin on her hand, her exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

Well, when life gives you abs, you take a good stare, It’s not my fault the world served me perfection so rare. Like a Vogue cover come to life, right in my view, Who could blame me for admiring the free preview?

A sudden splash of water crashed down on her from above, and before she could react, someone shoved her straight into the pool. She surfaced with a gasp, water dripping down her face. Some jerk had clearly decided to mess with her.

“I’ll kill y—ahh!” she started to shout, but before she could finish, more bodies leaped into the water, sending waves splashing all around her. She barely managed to stay afloat, coughing as another wave hit her.

Worse, she couldn’t get out—not easily, at least. Her clothes were already clinging to her skin, and the last thing she wanted was to give everyone a free show. Yeah, definitely not the ending I was looking for.