Hunter or Hunted

Chapter 3: A Forced Escape

Prince Edward's Notes

I don't know why my parents would organize this ridiculous game. Thousands and hundreds of residents signed up for the game only to get an opportunity to date me. Are people nowadays out of their minds? Don't they have any works to do?

I know my mother always wants to find me a fiancé who later can become my wife or husband and assist me in ruling the kingdom when my father ages and abdicates. Admittedly, her way of selecting a qualified person has its reasonability, considering that every candidate has a chance to win. Regardless of gender, appearance, and social status, anyone can date me as long as they become the winner of the hunting game.

All of the people are equally treated except me. I am the only one conceived as a prize rather than an independent individual whose free will shall be respected.

"Just wait patiently." Mother sensed my anxiety and tried to convince me, "I had visited the Omen Tree and it informed me of your promising future."

"I don't trust trees."

"So far it has never told wrong things. It succeeded foreseeing the drought and flood, giving us time to protect our people."

"I would be safe doesn't mean I would be happy." I retorted.

"Why not? One must be the strongest or the cleverest so that he or she can win the game. Only the best can match my dear boy." Mother looked into my eyes and gave me a comforting smile, "You know I do this for you because I love you."

That's true. I never doubt that. But I can't accept my life is arranged. It is useless to argue with my mother since the decision has been made and the game has started. So I nodded curtly and said I loved her too.

She was satisfied, and she left me alone. Once the door was closed, I put on a mask and went to the balcony. It was impossible for me to sit and watch. I didn't care what Omen Tree suggested. No one can determine my fate except me. So I climbed off the balcony along with the twining vines and walked towards the front gate. I actually greeted the guards who were counting the stars.

"Good evening, gentlemen." I nodded at them.

"Good evening, sir." They weren't alarmed about my leaving, thanks to those distractingly beautiful stars.

I left the palace behind because my journey was ahead.

Given that the only chance to protect me from being objectified was to be the winner of the game, I signed up for the competition and decided to fight for my freedom.

My initial plan was to hide my true identity and find a strong ally. We would cooperate and hunt for those items together until both of us collected 11 items. The teamwork could save us a lot of time so we could oust other competitors quickly. Then we would separate and seek the last item alone, making it a duel between us. However, I changed my mind with a second thought because this plan was efficient, yet it had a fatal flaw.

My goal is to defeat all the competitors. Therefore, I can't pick a partner who is too strong to be defeated, or I will lose on the last step. The second winner is the first loser. It would be a result I can't bear.

Thus, my ally should be a smart yet vulnerable one—someone who is cooperative yet not competitive. I tried my luck at the Evil Wood, an area that sounds scary but is known for its lower murder rate. I expected to find an ally there, and luck was on my side.

I met a girl who was trying to eat a dragon egg and stopped her impulsiveness. In return, I gave her some strawberries as a kind of compensation for my offensive interruption. She beamed at the fruits and accepted the little gifts with an amusing smile.