Chapter 315: Chapter 66: The Saint’s Selection

「One year later.」

「Late spring.」

The Oak Forest of the Monte Territory awoke in the morning light. Tender green leaves adorned the branches, and the air was filled with the scent of damp earth and the fragrance of wildflowers.

Beside a clearing in the woods, a group of people was preparing for the upcoming spring hunt.

Murphy and Aurora stood side by side.

Murphy was dressed in the same practical, deep blue hunting attire, a longsword hanging at his waist. His calm gaze swept across the woods. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Aurora, however, had changed into a well-fitted, dark green riding habit for the hunt. Her golden hair was neatly braided, her posture was erect, and her azure eyes held a gentle smile as she watched her son inspect his bowstring.

Kaiden was much taller than he had been a year ago, his adolescent figure beginning to show a youthful straightness.

He focused on checking the bowstring. Standing beside him was Annie, also fourteen. Time had quietly left its mark on her; beneath her neat leather hunting outfit, her figure had lost its childish awkwardness, revealing the unique suppleness and grace of a young maiden.

She was currently whispering with Kaiden about their choice of arrowheads, her serious expression tinged with a familiar ease.

A short distance away, Eleanor stood quietly beside a dogwood tree just beginning to bloom with white flowers.

The seven-year-old was dressed in a simple, light green dress, her small figure appearing especially quiet under the tree.

Her jet-black eyes would flit over her brother’s bow tip, then drift toward the depths of the forest, as if she were concentrating on catching whispers on the wind that no one else could hear.

Beside her, Elizabeth stood tall and elegant.

The princess, also fourteen, was beginning to show the bearing of a young woman. She had grown noticeably taller, most of her childishness faded. She wore an exquisitely tailored, light purple riding habit, and her long hair was tied back with an amethyst circlet. Her demeanor was graceful.

She had come to the Monte Territory this time in a private capacity, ostensibly to visit her younger cousin, Eleanor, and to experience a spring hunt in the Northern Territory.

At this moment, she was leaning slightly, whispering something to Eleanor with a proper smile, but her gaze inadvertently drifted over to Murphy’s calm profile.

Annie, having finished adjusting her bowstring, looked up at Elizabeth and said with a lively smile, "Your Highness had better watch closely today. With Kaiden and I working together, we’ll definitely hunt the biggest beast!"

Elizabeth withdrew her gaze and gave Annie a graceful nod. "I look forward to it. I have long heard of Miss Peric’s archery skills."

Kaiden scratched his head, a little embarrassed. He looked at Elizabeth and instinctively started to say, "Cousin Elizabe—"

"Kaiden." Aurora’s gentle but clear voice rang out at just the right moment.

Kaiden immediately fell silent, looking at his mother with a hint of embarrassment.

Aurora walked over, her calm gaze meeting Elizabeth’s. She offered a faint smile. "Her Highness’s status is noble; etiquette must not be discarded. Kaiden, you are to address her as ’Her Highness Elizabeth’."

Her voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

The smile on Elizabeth’s face froze for an imperceptible moment before returning to its natural state, becoming even brighter. "Madam Monte, you are too kind. In a private setting, there is no need for such formalities."

"Etiquette must not be discarded," Aurora repeated, her tone still gentle. "It is our honor to have Your Highness here in the Monte Territory."

Kaiden quickly nodded and bowed to Elizabeth again. "Yes, Her Highness Elizabeth."

Annie blinked. She was smart enough not to interject, merely leaning closer to Kaiden and quietly reminding him to check his quiver.

Murphy took all of this in but said nothing, only giving Aurora a slight nod. He then turned to Kaiden and Annie. "The woods are deep and the beasts are cunning. Work together, and put safety first. With your skills, hunting some pheasants and wild rabbits for practice will be enough. Don’t risk going too deep."

"Yes, Father!" "Yes, sir!" the two youths answered in unison, their faces beaming with eagerness.

The hunt began. Like two agile young leopards, Kaiden and Annie silently slipped into the woods, one to the left and one to the right. Soon, all that remained was the rustling of leaves and the occasional sound of their hushed voices.

Murphy, Aurora, and Elizabeth remained at the edge of the clearing, not participating in the chase.

Murphy leaned against an old oak tree and closed his eyes to rest, as if listening to the breathing of the forest.

Aurora stood slightly in front of him and to his side, her gaze following the direction in which the children had disappeared, her expression serene.

Elizabeth stood quietly to the side, maintaining her graceful posture. Her gaze shifted between the deep, dark woods and Murphy’s calm profile, her fingertips unconsciously toying with the silk cuffs of her riding habit.

Time flowed by quietly.

Suddenly, an unusual commotion erupted from deep within the woods, mingled with Kaiden’s slightly urgent shouts and Annie’s warnings.

Immediately after, a brownish-yellow shadow burst from the undergrowth—it was a startled adult stag!

It was powerfully built, with sharp antlers. Its crimson eyes were filled with terror and rage as it charged heedlessly toward the clearing at an incredible speed!

"Look out!" Annie’s shout came from the side and to the rear.

Kaiden also rushed out from the other side, drawing his bow to shoot. But the stag’s charge was too fierce and its path too erratic for him to get a lock on it.

Aurora’s expression tensed and her feet shifted slightly, but she did not draw her sword.

Murphy’s eyes remained closed, as if he were completely unaware of the crisis before them.

Just as the stag was about to burst into the clearing, its antlers nearly crashing into the closest sapling...

Eleanor, who had been standing quietly by the dogwood tree the whole time, raised her small hand.

There was no chanted spell, no flash of light.

She simply faced the direction of the charging stag and blew a gentle puff of air.

WHOOSH!

An invisible force swept through the air.

In front of the galloping stag, the fallen leaves, twigs, and dust on the ground were instantly stirred up as if by an unseen hand. They formed a small, chaotic barrier that just happened to blind the stag and slightly impede its charge.