Free Web NovelChapter 292: Chapter 292
The palace grounds were already bustling by the time Circe and Ragnar arrived, preparations for the hunt well underway and spilling into every corner of the courtyard. Servants milled around, as they carried supplies, and provisions and loaded them into a waiting wagon. The royal hunting party had begun to assemble, composed of the princes and a host of noble families.
Horses stamped impatiently, leather tack creaking as stable hands worked quickly to secure the saddles and check the bridles. The animals snorted and tossed their heads, sensing the anticipation in the air.
The hunt had been scheduled for the second day of Queen Nheera’s festivities, and it was an old Lamoran tradition meant to honor strength, unity, and the bonds between the nobles and the crown. The prey brought down would be paraded back to the palace by evening. By nightfall, its meat would be served at the closing feast.
Most of the hunting party had already gathered by the time the king joined them. Unlike at the banquet the previous night, he had abandoned his extravagant finery in favor of practical attire suited for the cold and the terrain ahead. A thick, dark coat hung from his broad shoulders, its clasp bearing the sigil of the crown. He barely spoke to anyone as he crossed the courtyard.
With a single fluid motion, he mounted his horse, settling into the saddle with ease.
Circe’s gaze lingered on the men as they prepared to ride. They were fully armed, swords at their hips, knives strapped to their person, crossbows secured to saddles. The sight made unease coil low in her stomach. The longer she stared, the more her thoughts darkened, her imagination supplying dangerous scenarios that she could not quite banish.
Any one of them could attack her at the queen’s behest. Any one of them could slit her throat before anyone thought to intervene.
She swallowed hard, forcing the rising unease back down before it could take root. She reminded herself why she was here. She would remain cautious, but she would not allow her wariness to derail her purpose. Right now, the gathered nobles and royals were no different from vultures circling a dying animal, waiting for the smallest sign of weakness to exploit.
Her jaw tightened as she recalled how unbothered most of them had seemed by the queen’s display the night before, how easily cruelty had been dismissed when it did not touch them personally.
"Does your father often join the hunt?" Circe asked Ragnar, keeping her voice low so it wouldn’t carry. In the distance, servants loaded the supply wagon, while a second, reinforced cart was prepared nearby, no doubt intended for the animal once it had been slaughtered.
"The king often leads the hunt," Ragnar replied. "I imagine this must be very foreign to you." ƒгeewёbnovel.com
She nodded slowly. "We didn’t do things like this back home. And even if we had, I doubt the king would have involved himself so directly."
Queen Nheera arrived last, as she always did, ensuring that all eyes turned toward her the moment she appeared. Her presence shifted the air in the courtyard. She wore black trimmed in gold, the gemstone on her necklace catching the pale morning light. At her side walked Irah and several other ladies-in-waiting. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Circe’s gaze followed them from a distance, so intent that she nearly missed Ragnar’s next words.
He studied her quietly, his attention fixed on her face as though searching for something.
"You have something is on your mind," he said gently. "Care to share?"
Circe blinked. She must not have hidden her thoughts as well as she’d believed. Ragnar had always been able to see through her. If he could read her so easily, how many others might do the same now? That would not do, not with what she had planned.
"I’m just a little uneasy," she said after a moment. "I’ll have to spend time with the queen, after all."
It wasn’t a lie but it wasn’t the full truth either.
"Do you want to head back to the house?" Ragnar offered. "I could appeal to my father on your behalf. I will tell him you’re not feeling well."
Her presence there was just for show, after all. The wives of the other men would be there, seated safely away from the hunt itself. There would be little expected of her beyond mingling with the wives and sharing polite conversation. But Ragnar’s brows furrowed when Circe immediately shook her head.
"And offer the queen a chance to twist this against you?" she said firmly. "Absolutely not."
The procession soon moved through the palace gates and onto the trodden path, hooves striking the ground in a steady, echoing rhythm. The city fell away behind them, replaced by towering trees and the deep scent of damp earth, and frost. The forest loomed thick and ancient, its silence broken only by voices and the creak of wheels.
As they traveled, the men spoke easily of past hunts, of who had brought down the largest prey and whose skill had been praised most highly by the king. Laughter rose among them, along with the familiar language of camaraderie.
Ragnar was the last to mount his horse. When it was time to ride out, he urged his mount forward to join his father and brothers at the head of the procession. The distance between him and Circe stretched, but it did not last long.
Moments into the journey, Ragnar slowed his horse, guiding it away from the others until he rode alongside Circe’s carriage.
She peered out the carriage window at him with a soft smile. When he smiled back, his eyes glinted in a way that reminded her of his words from earlier that morning. Her stomach fluttered each time the memory resurfaced, like excited butterflies trapped in a jar, restless and giddy. The feeling warmed her from the inside out, lighting something deep in her chest.
He loved her.
She repeated the words quietly to herself, over and over, until it felt as though her heart might burst beneath the weight of it.
He loved her.
"Are you going to stare at me the whole way there?" she asked, her smile widening despite herself.
