Cling.

The bell kept ringing without realizing my turmoil.

I wasn’t even shaking the bell.

It’s definitely suspicious.

“…….”

A strange silence fell between the Queen and I.

The doctor’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my god…….”

Clink, clink, clink.

The bell still rattling, Queen folded her ruby eyes into a half-moon and laughed.

“That’s an unusual bell.”

A thorn in my side.

I quickly picked up the bell on the floor.

“What is that, an ornament?”

“Oh, yeah. Well…, sort of.”

I smiled calmly.

“I’ll leave you to it. Tea’s ready.”

I said my goodbyes to the doctor.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the bell before turning away.

The Queen and I were alone in the barracks.

There is an awkward silence.

I take my seat, keeping an eye on the Queen.

She was looking at the bell with great interest.

“The bell…….”

“…….”

“I’ve never seen anyone carry such an ornament before.”

My lips were dry.

The Queen flicked back a loose strand of hair.

“May I have a look, Grand Duchess?”

She says kindly, with a smile.

I am caught in a conundrum, unable to do this or that.

‘But not the bell.’

I say, looking as perplexed as possible.

“It’s just a regular bell.”

And then, naturally, I put the drop back in and……

“Why?”

“…….”

“It must be very precious to the Grand Duchess?”

The prickly Queen’s words pierced my ears.

She looks like a snake who has regained its appetite.

“It’s very dear to me.”

“I see.”

The queen stepped back more easily than I expected.

Though her sinister gaze still lingered on the bell.

‘I’ll have to take better care of the bell.’

Surely, the Queen would want to know more about the bell.

By any means necessary.

‘I must take care of myself until the old lady returns.’

As I tucked the bell into my arms and nervously lifted my teacup, a loud trumpet sounded outside the barracks.

‘Finally…….’

The hunt was over.

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Looks like the hunt is over.”

The Queen laughed.

I laughed along with her.

The men who had left on horseback were coming down from the mountain.

The first to arrive barged into the barracks at a brisk pace.

“Flotty.”

It was the Grand Duke.

‘What a pleasure.’

I smiled brightly at the Grand Duke for his timely arrival.

The  Grand Duke let out a small sigh.

“You’ve returned.”

The  Grand Duke glances at the Queen.

“The hunt ended sooner than I thought.”

“I missed you so much I can’t stand it.”

Ugh, I never get used to hearing that.

“The Queen is here, too……….”

I walked over to him and poked him in the side with my finger.

“What happened, are you okay?”

I whispered, pressing my face close to his.

“That’s what I wanted to ask, are you okay?”

“Yeah. I just made a mistake.”

“What?”

“The Queen saw my bell.”

At my words, the Grand Duke glanced over and saw the Queen.

“That was dangerous. Did she say anything?”

“Yes. The hunt is over…….”

The  Grand Duke nodded slightly at my words.

“Shall we go out then?”

The Queen was still smiling.

The same expression, so inscrutable.

We walked out of the barracks to the sound of trumpets.

The hunted beasts were being tethered and dragged along.

“Whose victory will this hunt be?”

The Queen said, stepping up beside me.

“Whoever catches the biggest, most dangerous beast wins.”

She explained to me kindly.

‘The victor.’

It’s just a simple hunting gathering, I realize.

This is a show of the crown prince’s power.

It must always be the crown prince who wins the hunt.

“I’m very curious to see who the winner will be.”

The Queen laughed.

The prey, large and small, were piled up one after another.

Behind them, several knights were huddled together, struggling to keep up.

“……What is that?”

At first I thought they were dragging a boulder.

Something that big and heavy was being dragged along by the knights.

“Oh my God, we’ve caught something big.”