Hunt the Prince

Chapter Three: 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.  

"You are very generous." said the girl who was trying to sting me with her sword half an hour ago.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Of course, of course, I can give you endless praises if you keep giving me strawberries." She ate all the strawberries and eventually noticed my mask and asked, "Why do you wear this?"

"To hide an ugly scar." I lied. The truth was that many hunters had seen me on the royal meetings, and I didn't want to be recognized during the competition.

"Oh." She blinked and frowned, "I am sorry. What happened? Were you bullied by some jerks？"

I couldn't help but smile. Imagination and empathy are the merits I valued, so I decided not to lie to this girl unless I have to.

"No. Can we stop talking about this, please?" I avoided the question.

"Sorry." She apologized again, making me feel guilty for a second.

"You haven't answered the question I asked." I managed to lighten her mood by shifting her attention.

"What do you want to know? You've asked me more than one question." She made a face and started to list all the questions I've asked, "You asked who I am, you asked where I come from, you asked why I am here. By the way I'm surprised to know this forest is called Evil Wood by outsiders. To be record, I've never met any evils here. It's unfair for the forest to bear this name."

"All right. So how locals call it?"

"Silver Wood."

"You think this is a fairer name?" I looked up and observed the green leaves rustling in the wind. The color of the leaves reminded me of the girl's eyes. I glanced at her to testify my theory and found the color of her eyes is between hazel and emerald, a unique shade of green.

"Prophecy says they will turn silver one day." the girl promised me as if she had witnessed the scene.

"I'm looking forward to that day."

"So do I." she shrugged and looked genuinely upset, "I'm afraid the day may come when I am already away. It will be a tragedy if I miss the splendid scene."

"Why not stay then?" I thought she would talk about her ambition to be the winner or something, yet the answer she gave me was totally beyond my expectations.

"I need to write a diary and the professor who assigned this task is very strict. She won't let me pass if I simply write down my waiting experiences. She thinks they are boring. That's why I must go outside and explore the world, or rather, to gain some writing materials", the girl paused for a while and reached out her hand, "Forget to mention, I'm Alice. It is a pleasure to meet you. Hope I've answered all the questions you want to know."

"You did." I took her hand and shook it politely. It was hard to believe what she had said. She can't be serious. Her statement was not convincing enough, even as an excuse.

"What about you? You haven't introduced yourself, either." She c****d her head and waited for an answer.

A lie for a lie. So I lied.

"I'd rather not to reveal my name. I am on a special mission. "I glanced at her from the corner of my eyes, checking whether she was suspicious about what I've said.

"Like what?" she was curious and lowered her voice.

"The royals sent me to draw a map pinpointing all the locations of the listed items."

"Wait a minute, so you are not a player in the Scavenger Hunter game." she was surprised, "you come here to draw a map as required."

"Yes." To a certain extent, I didn't lie. I am the prize of the game.

"That's amazing. Can you show me your previous work? Where have you been? Have you seen any mysterious creatures? Like mermaids, sirens, werewolves or vampires? Do they even exist in reality? What about mountains and lakes and mires? Are they really stunningly beautiful or just poets' exaggerations?" she threw a bunch of questions and became very excited.

I wish I could answer her. I would hate to see the light in her eyes fade because of disappointment.

But lying is one thing, while making up a story is another thing. Since I couldn't make up so many details to answer her questions, I had to admit my ignorance.

"I don't know. I haven't been outside of the p— house until yesterday."

"Pity for you. But I can understand. Sometimes parents can be very protective." She didn't sound disappointed, which was a comfort to me. Then she gave me another comfort by giving me a pep talk, "Don't worry. You would be a good painter."

"How do you know?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know." She laughed and shrugged, "But it cost me a birthday wish, so you'd better be."