afael and the others stepped forward, preparing to pass through the forest as they listened to the Duke lay out his conditions.
"First," he said, "since this challenge is between Haniul and Songjin, the competition will proceed as follows.
I have hidden five flags of different colors in separate locations throughout the forest.
Everyone else—except those two—may hunt animals without sustaining injuries.
However, the two challengers must do so while searching for the flags.
Here is a small hint: the scent of the flags will move against the direction of the wind."
"The challenge ends at sunset."
He fell silent, allowing them time to grasp what was required within such a limited timeframe.
Songjin wore attire suited for concealment, a dagger hidden within his clothes and a sword resting at his waist.
Jinhu stepped forward and offered him a flask of water.
In return, Songjin handed him the dagger, asking him to keep it safe.
A mocking scoff came from Haniul.
Jinhu understood exactly what he was thinking—but he had no interest in correcting his assumptions.
"Begin."
Sylvester's voice cut through the air.
Songjin handed the flask back to Jinhu and immediately took off running.
They scattered in different directions.
Jinhu closed the flask after taking a sip—then froze.
The dagger was still in his hand.
He gasped when realization struck.
"What's wrong?" Mariana asked curiously.
Rora glanced at the dagger, slapped her forehead in resignation, and sighed.
"Hurry and go after him."
"That would be cheating," Mariana said. "Besides, the forest is dangerous if he enters alone."
"Dangerous?" Rora echoed.
Mariana's voice dropped, firm and serious.
"You are not allowed to go in there. I mean it. There are poisonous snakes… even bears and wolf packs deep inside."
Jinhu hesitated.
It truly was dangerous.
That danger had once been what made the challenge exciting—risk, strategy, cleverness.
But he had never been part of it.
Now, he understood just how real the threat was.
He stepped back, dagger in hand, torn between fear and urgency.
Time passed.
He overheard Mariana speaking with her father.
"Father, where are the flags?"
The Duke chuckled proudly.
"Deep in the forest. They'll struggle to find them. Some may even need to cut them free from beneath tree roots—using anything sharp."
Jinhu glanced at Rora, who had seated herself nearby.
He stood.
"Buy me some time," he said quietly. "He'll lose if I don't give it to him."
"Tsk. Go. I'll handle things here," she replied indifferently.
He ruffled her hair in gratitude before leaving.
She froze, heart trembling for a few seconds, her cheeks warming—before she composed herself as Mariana returned.
Jinhu entered the forest at a brisk pace, breathing deeply, searching for any shift in scent.
Though the challenge was never mentioned in the novel, he knew one thing:
Songjin would head toward water when tired.
The forest was heavy with the scent of rain-soaked earth.
Any foreign smell would be easy to detect.
Then—
Mint.
Cool. Sharp. Strong.
Hope surged through him as he followed it.
Instead, he found Haniul cutting a flag lodged inside a snake's burrow.
Disgust flickered across Jinhu's face.
He turned to leave—
Crack.
A branch snapped beneath his foot, louder than it should have been.
His breath caught.
There was no time to blink.
A knife flew toward his face.
His mind went blank.
He expected pain. Darkness. Death.
But he was unharmed.
His hand flew to his chest, trembling.
His heart thundered violently as a dozen thoughts raced through his mind in a single second.
He had nearly crossed into the realm of the dead—saved only by Haniul's poor aim.
"What are you doing here?"
Haniul approached slowly, each step doubling Jinhu's fear.
He yanked the knife from the tree beside Jinhu's neck and repeated impatiently:
"What are you doing here?"
Jinhu stepped back, creating a small pocket of safety, and replied calmly:
"Do you know where Songjin went? He forgot his dagger with me."
Haniul stared at him blankly, then turned away.
Jinhu followed, suppressing his anger.
All he wanted was to find Songjin and leave.
"Why are you following me?"
"At least answer me."
"I don't know where he is," Haniul said coldly. "And he won't need it. He has a sword."
Jinhu snapped.
"He won't need it? You threw one at me seconds ago—thinking I was prey. And you still say he won't need it?"
>
Haniul found Jinho's words reasonable,
so he chose to remain silent, having nothing to argue against him.
He swore to himself—five times already—that Jinho's stubbornness and sharp replies were identical to his sister's.
They shared the same gaze, despite growing up among princes.
Fearlessness. Rebellion. Confidence.
Bold answers without hesitation.
Traits that made him suspect they did not belong to this world at all.
He muttered to himself, noticing the other still following him, boredom absent from his face.
"Why are you still following me?"
The other replied innocently,
"The forest is scary, and walking through it is dangerous. You might run into Seongjin soon."
"Could you stop trying to make me sympathize with you?"
He snapped, clearly fed up.
The calm, gentle tone, the soft voice, even those wide, pleading eyes
set off alarms in his mind—
As if the other were invading his personal space.
Jinho stopped, a sad frown settling on his face.
Yet he couldn't separate from him.
If a bear appeared, who would save him?
Begging for life was something he had grown used to.
As he took another step to follow, a sharp sting pierced his foot.
He ignored it and hurried on, matching his pace once more.
A heavy silence fell between them, exchanged glances from time to time—
As if both were trying to understand the other without words.
More time passed than Rora had expected.
Mariana began to suspect Jinho.
Rora had excused herself, claiming she went to the restroom—just as she said he told her.
But how could she believe that?
Did Rora really go to the restroom?
She crossed her arms, her expression cold yet respectful, and said,
"He told me to tell you that."
She was lying—but saving herself.
In the end, she didn't need to sacrifice her secure life in the palace for him.
Mariana said angrily,
"He deceived us. He's inside the forest, without a doubt."
Rora replied calmly,
"Miss, there's a chance he'll return. If anything happens, Seongjin will help him stay safe."
Mariana hesitated.
"But what if—"
"He'll be fine. And if he's late, we'll send knights to look for him."
Rora sighed quietly, falling silent, hoping he would return before Mariana lost her temper.
Meanwhile, Raphael had gathered his points:
three rabbits, four snakes, and a deer.
He was fast for the first two hours.
Seongjin, on the other hand, realized he had forgotten his dagger and relied on his sword to cut the two banners he found.
He cursed himself for forgetting it, hoping the other wouldn't come looking for him.
His collection so far:
two rabbits and five snakes.
When would he encounter prey like a wolf—or even a bear?
He continued searching for animals, while also trying to detect any changes in scent.
The competition was fierce.
A silent, cold war between them.
Both were trying to prove themselves to everyone.
Jinho began to feel hot, even though the sun wasn't strong and it wasn't past ten yet.
He leaned his arm against every tree he passed.
The other noticed—but chose not to bother himself with it.
Jinho felt like he was burning.
His heart raced, his limbs suddenly turned cold.
Even his stomach clenched, as if something inside had malfunctioned.
His breathing grew tighter.
Haniul stopped, lifting his bow and arrow to aim at a deer resting before him.
He steadied himself carefully—
But the sense that the other had disappeared beside him made him lower the bow.
He searched for him.
He saw him standing, hands on his hips, staring at the ground, breathing heavily.
A mocking click of the tongue escaped him.
The other's behavior made him look spoiled—loved for no reason.
He approached, intending to make him move.
But as he got closer, something felt wrong.
The distance they had walked wasn't enough to exhaust a man like him.
He placed a hand on Jinho's arm, suspicion written across his face—
Only to see him trembling, clutching his clothes as he collapsed to the ground.
"What's wrong with you?"
Haniul's heart pounded in panic for a few seconds before he forced himself to calm down.
He laid him on the ground and began checking him.
When he reached his ankle, Jinho's pale face tightened further.
He was struggling to breathe, rubbing at his neck in a failed attempt to draw air into his lungs.
Haniul lifted the fabric around the painful area and saw two bite marks—
not deep, but unmistakably a snake bite.
And judging by the reaction, it had to be venomous.
"Damn it."
He bent down immediately, acting before thinking, trying to draw out what he could.
It was dangerous—but instinct took over.
Jinho felt liquid leaving his ankle, like something sharp being pulled from inside him.
The pain was overwhelming—enough to feel like dying.
Something warm began flowing from his nose.
The fear hurt more than the pain.
Why is this happening?
I just wanted to stay alive.
His throat tightened, choking him further.
Haniul finished what he could, pulling out a cloth from his pocket and tying it above the wound—
Trying to slow the venom.
The sight of tears mixed with blood was enough to soften stone.
Haniul thought he was crying from pain—
But Jinho was truly crying because he wanted to live.
His broken gasps filled the air.
Haniul's heart raced as he saw him struggling to breathe.
Jinho began to thrash weakly.
What do I do?
He forced himself to think.
His sister would grieve.
Yes—she would grieve so deeply she might end up like this if he died.
"Where does it hurt?"
He asked in panic.
Jinho pointed weakly to his neck,
as if saying he couldn't breathe.
Haniul grimaced, disturbed by the sight.
He pulled him against his left arm, rubbing his back as he said:
"Stop crying, idiot. I know it hurts, but you'll suffocate yourself.
Just try—try to stay calm."
Then—
The sound of breaking branches echoed.
Something big.
Big enough to shatter what little hope remained.
A massive brown bear emerged, staring at them as if it couldn't believe it had found such an easy meal.
"Damn it. Damn it. Damn it."
...