Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 76
76. Engagement – Cleo de Frederick
The prince... was grilling meat.
He wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by two knights, who sprang to their feet and drew their swords when Leo approached.
“Who goes there?”
The knight with blue eyes and a large scar running across his right cheek and lips pointed his sword at Leo and asked.
Leo raised his hands to show he had no ill intentions.
“I am an aspiring knight in training. I was wandering around the mountain when I smelled meat and couldn’t help but come closer...”
“Why would a knight in training be wandering the mountain?”
Leo glanced around.
Roughly skinned animal hides discarded on the ground, with the blood of the prey spilled next to them.
The rumors that the prince occasionally went out hunting were true.
Leo lied.
“I found the sword training dull and thought I might clear my head with some hunting.”
“Sir Lloyd. Sir Manon. Sheathe your swords.”
The prince, who had been observing Leo with curiosity, ordered the knights to stand down.
He smiled warmly and gestured for Leo to sit.
“You must be quite hungry to have been drawn here by the smell. It’s not much, but would you care to join us?”
[ Achievement: First Meeting with the Prince - Earned slight favor from all princes. ]
Thanks to the achievement and the ‘First Meeting with the Prince’ achievement blending together, Cleo de Frederick showed kindness.
Leo was worried that the favor gained through achievements might apply differently depending on the person, but fortunately, it did not.
Leo, with a cheerful demeanor, took a seat by the campfire and asked,
“Thank you. I won’t refuse. Did you just catch it?”
“Yes. I’ve been running around all morning to catch this small one. Hahaha.”
The prince laughed heartily.
With his rich auburn hair blowing in the wind, he was a person full of charm just by appearance alone.
Overall, his fine features gave a soft impression, but his firm jawline and distinct vertical nose radiated masculine ambition.
However, his green eyes, close to yellow, held a look of resignation.
After inwardly assessing the prince's appearance, Leo carefully tore off a piece of the hot meat and began to speak.
“You seem to enjoy hunting.”
“I find it helps clear my mind. When chasing prey, I don’t get distracted by other thoughts. By the way, what is your name... or rather, what are you called?”
“I am Leo Dexter. I come from the Kingdom of Astin.”
“Dexter? Are you a noble?”
“No. The castle was merely awarded to my father, a knight, for his meritorious service.”
“Oh... If your father was granted a castle, he must be quite an esteemed knight. I am Crio Prellik. Nice to meet you.”
The prince gave a different name.
Seeing the prince in simple casual clothes, Leo knew he was hiding his identity but pretended not to know.
“You are a noble, then. I apologize for not showing proper respect earlier.”
As Leo stood and performed a courteous gesture, the prince spoke with surprise.
“Oh, you know the imperial etiquette. Hahaha. No wonder I liked you from the start. You must come from a distinguished knightly family.”
“I only learned a few moves by observation, but your praise is too generous.”
“With such manners, you needn’t be so modest... Let me introduce my escort knights. This is Sir Lloyd, and this is Sir Manon.”
The knight known as Sir Lloyd, with a large scar on his face, greeted gruffly. The middle-aged man with blue eyes said nothing more.
Leo also greeted the elderly knight known as Sir Manon and quickly recognized him as a crusader.
The escort knights, like the prince, were in casual clothes, but Sir Manon’s scabbard bore the symbol of the Cross Church.
Of course, Leo didn’t mention this.
“The Kingdom of Astin... You’ve come a long way. How do you find the Holy Kingdom? Did you have any trouble on your journey?”
The prince, apparently fond of Leo, asked many questions.
To win the prince's favor, Leo exaggerated and embellished his otherwise arduous journey.
But when he mentioned his stay at the ‘Count Simon’s estate,’ Sir Lloyd’s eyes widened, and he ground his teeth.
His angered expression disappeared so quickly that Leo didn’t notice.
Sir Lloyd was actually a noble.
Born the heir to the Baron Agnac family, he lost his family at a young age.
His aunt, ‘Agnes Agnac,’ was adopted into the Count Simon’s family, which led to a disaster.
Fleeing the retribution of the Count Simon’s family, ‘Lloyd Agnac’ abandoned his surname and became a knight.
He became a bodyguard knight serving the Frederick royal family, long harboring thoughts of revenge.
But tied by the laws of the Cross Church, the royal family couldn’t do much, and Sir Lloyd’s revenge kept being postponed.
The reason Cleo de Frederick, the heir to the Frederick royal family, roamed the forests hunting was also due to those accursed laws.
As the legitimate heir, he had been ambitious from a young age. Though he had no desire to invade other countries, he dreamed of becoming a great ruler who would lead his nation.
It was a hopeless dream.
The royal power in the Holy Kingdom was helpless against the divine authority of the Cross ChurChapter The Frederick royal family was merely a conduit for the church's secular affairs.
As he grew older and learned more about the royal family’s situation, the prince felt powerless. His future was set to be that of a ‘puppet king,’ just like his father.
With the nobles having left the capital, there was little chance to unite any power.
Despairing, the prince resorted to hunting. He even had to be accompanied by a crusader as his bodyguard.
Cleo disliked the old Sir Manon, who followed him like a shadow, but this was the reality of the royal family.
Leo and the prince continued to chat.
In the midst of their conversation, Sir Manon interrupted, “The sun is setting. It’s time to leave.”
The prince, hiding his displeasure, bid farewell to Leo.
“It’s time to go. I had a great time today. I enjoyed all the stories.”
“I also had a wonderful time. Do you often come hunting? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like to join you occasionally.”
“Hahaha. I’m glad to hear that. I come here every weekend for hunting. I’ll be here tomorrow too. Do come if you have the time.”
Cleo de Frederick quickly affirmed before Sir Manon could interfere.
“I will certainly do so.”
Leo rode his horse, which he had tied to a tree, down the mountain and back to his lodging. As soon as he arrived, he collapsed onto the bed.
Lena was still swinging her sword in the clearing. Leo merely waved to let her know he had returned and didn’t engage in conversation.
The prince was a decent man. Like the prince in the game Prince Maker, he hid his identity and regularly ventured outside the palace.
‘Now, if I can just get Lena to meet the prince...’
“Ugh!”
Leo's stomach twisted uncontrollably. He couldn't hold back and ran to the outhouse to vomit. The meat he had eaten with the prince resurfaced into the open air.
The prince was a decent 'man.'
And Lena was his fiancée, the woman he loved.
‘Almost there... just a bit more...’
After emptying his stomach, Leo sat down, gasping for breath.
Lena would be happy meeting the prince. She would become a noble princess.
“Uuugh! Uweeegh!”
His empty stomach convulsed as if to say, ‘This is not normal! This is madness!’
Leo tried to compose himself by thinking of Enen.
Someone like me, bound by this strange curse... being with me will only bring her misery.
The repeating tragedy must end here.
Lena had died twice before, and even when she survived once, she lost an arm. Who knows how she would die if they started the adventure to claim the throne again?
Compared to dying, this is the better option.
‘I just have to endure it... So please... leave us alone...’
Leo stayed in the outhouse for a long time.
---
“...Lena, would you like to meet someone?”
The next day, Leo initiated a conversation for the first time in a long while.
Lena responded in a subdued voice.
“...Who?”
“A noble I met yesterday... He might introduce us to knights for sparring.”
“Alright.”
She had brightened up a bit while staying at the Count Simon’s estate, but had since become gloomy again.
Leo, cautious, led her up the mountain.
“...It’s a mountain.”
Lena pressed her lips together, lost in thought, likely remembering her first hunt with the Ainar warriors.
Leo, averting his eyes from her, used his {Tracking} ability to find the prince.
The prince was warming up, seemingly about to start his hunt.
“Oh! It’s Leo Dexter. Nice to see you again.”
He remembered Leo’s name.
“Who is the lady with you? Could you introduce her?”
- Ugh...
“She is a 'friend' who is also training to be a knight. Lena, say hello. This is Cl... no, Crio Prellik.”
“...Hello. I am Lena Ainar.”
“It is an honor to meet you. I am delighted to see a beautiful lady who handles a sword.”
The prince reintroduced his knights and suggested they hunt together.
Fortunately, Lena agreed without complaint.
The three, accompanied by the two knights, set out to hunt.
Leo had the {Hunting} skill but initially held back to observe the prince’s method.
The prince's hunting skills were terrible. He seemed not to care about the hunt itself but rather chased after any prey he spotted, relying on his exceptional physical abilities, possibly from his mana or training, to catch it. However, it was very inefficient.
Unable to watch any longer, Leo identified likely spots for prey.
It was better to finish the hunt quickly and talk, so Lena could get closer to the prince...
With Leo’s help, the prince caught a deer and laughed joyfully.
“Amazing. How did you know there would be a deer here?”
“It’s nothing special. You can predict where the prey will be by examining the terrain. For example...”
Lena, Leo, and the prince talked while roasting the deer.
It was mostly the prince and Leo who did the talking.
“Using traps is also a good idea... Lena could explain about traps.”
“Me?”
“Come to think of it, you mentioned you are from the Ainar tribe?”
There was no discrimination against barbarians in the Holy Kingdom, thanks to the Cross Church’s laws that regarded all humans as equal. Hence, the Holy Kingdom was the only nation on the continent that didn’t allow slavery.
Though these laws could potentially negate the caste system, the Cross Church permitted noble privileges by adding a clause stating, ‘Those who bear great responsibilities must have corresponding rights.’
“Well, um... I don’t know much, but there are traps like snares that use loops and ground traps...”
“And there are frame traps to confine prey.”
“Right. Anyway, there are three types of traps, and the choice depends on the prey and situation. The differences are...”
Leo supplemented Lena’s halting explanation, and the prince laughed, suggesting they try setting traps next time.
The conversation flowed smoothly, as Leo intended.
He threw in new topics to involve Lena, and the kind prince, wanting everyone to be part of the conversation, subtly waited for her turn to speak.
After finishing the deer, the prince stood up.
“We finished hunting early and have some time left. I heard you practice sparring. Would you like to spar with me? Though my skills are modest, I have learned some swordsmanship.”
“It would be an honor.”
The three took turns sparring. The prince’s swordsmanship was well below Leo’s but still quite good.
Leo, holding back his full strength to end in a draw, made the prince smile knowingly.
In his match with Lena, the prince lost narrowly. Leo, having sparred with the prince first, thought his skills were similar to or slightly better than Lena’s, but her skills had improved significantly in the past few months.
She was now almost at the level of a regular knight...
The prince extended his hand for a handshake.
“Well, I’m no matChapter But it was enjoyable.”
“I also had fun. You were excellent at positioning... I’m glad I didn’t let my guard down.”
“Hahaha. Receiving praise from a master is embarrassing. Sir Lloyd, would you like to spar with them?”
“Understood.”
Lena and Leo also sparred with Sir Lloyd and Sir Manon.
The duel with Sir Lloyd ended quickly. He was a knight as strong as Leo’s father and didn’t hold back.
In his bout with the older Sir Manon, Leo barely managed to win.
Sir Manon, true to his title of crusader, excelled in close combat using martial arts rather than weapon skills, but his age meant he lost to Leo’s youth and strength.
Afterward, Lena and Leo had a few more sparring sessions and conversations with the prince before parting ways.
When they finally left, Lena seemed to have taken a liking to the prince, waving goodbye and promising to meet again the next day.
She looked much brighter than she had in the morning.
‘As expected...’
Leo thought his plan was indeed the right one.
Cleo de Frederick seemed almost as if he were made to meet Lena.
Besides being handsome and of good character, he regularly went out hunting, making him easy to meet. Just like in Prince Maker, where the heroine could meet the prince, who hid his identity, every January.
Moreover, the prince was knowledgeable and enjoyed entertaining stories, which suited Lena well in the childhood friend scenario.
‘As expected... Introducing Lena to the prince was the right thing to do...’
On the way back to their lodging, Lena spoke excitedly about Crio’s unique swordsmanship.
Leo hung his head.