Chapter 8

　　“Where in the blazes did all the knights go?” Etienne yelled, but shouting was not about to make them reappear.

　　Ezekiel simply wiped the rain that streamed down his face.

　　A thunderstorm had descended upon them. It had started as a light drizzle, and Felicia’s carriage had begun to fall behind. Delighted, Etienne had spurred his horse on, eager to widen the gap and watch her frustration from a distance. He knew that as the future crown prince, she would not dare complain.

　　The flustered knights had split into two groups, one escorting Felicia’s carriage, the other following the princes. The real trouble began when the rain intensified.

　　“Hah!” Etienne shouted, a wild cry of exhilaration.

　　Normally, they would have stopped to wait out the downpour. But Etienne was caught up in the moment. The plains of the Arbois Duchy felt endless, as if they could ride forever. He galloped ahead, leaving even his own escort behind. His mount was a warhorse of the finest imperial bloodline, and it easily outpaced the others.

　　“Your Highnesses!” the knights cried, their faces pale with panic.

　　Ezekiel could not just leave his brother. With a sigh, he urged his own horse forward. His mount was a sibling to Etienne’s, so catching him was not impossible, but it was not easy either. After a long, hard ride, Ezekiel finally found his brother in a deserted forest. Etienne had reined in his horse and was looking around, his bravado replaced by fear. His face lit up when he saw Ezekiel.

　　“Ez!”

　　“Brother!”

　　“Where are we?”

　　In that moment, they both knew. They were lost. Etienne’s arms fell limply to his sides. “I am sorry…”

　　“It is alright. I am glad you had some fun.” It was perhaps inevitable that Etienne, constantly burdened by his duties, would get carried away.

　　Ezekiel’s horse panted, foaming at the mouth. Despite the rain, both animals had run so hard that steam rose from their flanks. The first priority, Ezekiel decided, was to let them rest.

　　“The knights will find us soon. Let us look for a road.” While chasing Etienne, he had dropped markers along the path—his headband, a decorative pin. The storm had likely washed them away, but perhaps a few remained. He asked Etienne for the map.

　　Etienne’s face went white as he searched his pockets. “It is gone.” He must have dropped it during his wild ride.

　　Ezekiel barely suppressed a sigh. “Then let us follow a river. If I remember correctly, there are villages along the main river in this area.”

　　Though the storm obscured the sky, the map he had memorized over Etienne’s shoulder proved useful. If his memory was correct, a small territory should lie to the northwest. “Quillucsia, I believe it was called.”

　　“Huh, that sounds familiar. Ah.” Etienne dredged the name from his memory. It was a territory they had initially dismissed as not worth inspecting, but he had insisted on including it. “I found a rather audacious letter while working at the palace.”

　　“What did it say?”

　　“The Baron of Quillucsia requested a full tax exemption for the year, claiming he was ill and a flood had ruined the harvest.”

　　Lords pleading for tax reductions was a daily occurrence. But a complete exemption? Etienne chuckled at the audacity, his cheerful expression making him seem to have forgotten their predicament. “The name sounded familiar, so I looked it up. It is a title bound to the imperial family.”

　　That was unusual. “How so?”

　　“Well,” Etienne leaned closer, whispering as if sharing a great secret, “they say he caught Father when he accidentally fell from a terrace while secretly courting Mother.”

　　At that, Ezekiel had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. The Emperor and Empress were famous for their loving marriage, a rarity that stemmed from the fact that they had fallen in love before they knew they were betrothed. The story of the young Emperor stealing a kiss from a beautiful woman at a ball, only to discover she was his intended, was a treasured secret among their children.

　　In his youth, the Emperor had been impatient to marry. At a palace banquet, desperate for a moment alone with his fiancée, he had slipped and fallen from a terrace. The man who caught him was a palace knight—the soon-to-be Baron Quillucsia. Unfortunately, the baron broke his leg in the process. Though he recovered, his career as a knight was over. As a reward, the Emperor granted him a single-generation title bound to the imperial name, which came with a small territory and several unique rights.

　　“But if that is the case, the letter was not audacious at all, was it? With a title like that…”

　　“Not at all.” Etienne nodded. They both knew what rights came with that title. “I was planning to tell them during our visit. I just did not expect to arrive like this.” He had heard the baron’s daughter had written the letter. The thought of meeting this unknown young woman was amusing. “Imagine her face when I tell her that title carries no obligation to pay taxes.”

　　“I checked the records. They have paid taxes for sixteen years straight. I intend to refund the entire amount.”

　　As they spoke, the rain began to ease. They emerged from the forest, their spirits lifting. But their soaked clothes were heavy, and a chill was setting in.

　　“I just hope Lady Arbois is not suffering too much in this rain,” Ezekiel said.

　　“Ez, are you really worried about her after all this?” Etienne grumbled.

　　Ezekiel shrugged. “When I consider who will bear the brunt of her displeasure if she suffers, I cannot help but worry.”

　　Etienne’s eyes widened, and then he roared with laughter. “Hahaha! Ezekiel! That is the first time I have ever heard you speak ill of someone!”

　　Ezekiel smiled back. The Felicia he had met on this trip was even more difficult than he remembered, and her abrasive nature had not endeared her to him. Whenever she was at odds with Etienne, she took out her frustrations on everyone around her. Her temper was so foul that the maids seemed to be in a perpetual state of tears.

　　“Who knows how many knights are secretly weeping into this rain right now?”

　　“Bwahahaha!” Etienne gave him a thumbs-up, but his cheer quickly faded as he remembered it was his fault they were lost. “When we get back, I shall have to give each of those poor knights a bag of gold.”

　　“A fine idea.”

　　“You know, Ezekiel,” Etienne said, letting his horse slow to a walk as he wrung out his drenched cloak. “Sometimes I truly envy Father.”

　　Ezekiel listened as his brother continued.

　　“Felicia’s personality is… formidable, but as a crown princess, she is flawless.” It was true. A daughter of the Ducal House of Arbois, the most powerful family in Murenas. She was wealthy, bold, and intelligent. The fact that she adored Etienne, though he loathed it, only made her a more perfect candidate. But watching his parents had clearly given his brother other ideas. “I cannot help but wonder if there is not a fated partner out there for me, too.”

　　As the ever-dutiful third son of the imperial family, it was Ezekiel’s place to correct his brother’s foolish notions. “That is a rather presumptuous thing for a future crown prince to say.”

　　“Tch.” Etienne grinned and raised a fist. “Be careful, or you might suddenly fall in love yourself.”

　　“Gods, what a terrifying thought. Shiver me timbers.”

　　“Hey!”

　　But their banter was cut short. As they reached the entrance to the Quillucsia territory, they were met with an unexpected sight: a collapsed bridge.

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