86 Winter Hun (2/2)

Afterward, the young man chugged down his wine and stood up, slamming the cup down with a thud.

”Where are you going?” Manchu asked the man leaving the tent.

An Sun turned his gaze around slowly, his gray eyes looking at the man with a calm expression.

”Just for a little fresh air.”

Without waiting for a response, An Sun walked out of the tent and headed toward his black horse. Watching his departing figure, Manchu sighed and continued to read through the papers in his hand.

...

For the next few days, Rin requested to see An Sun, yet each time she was denied. After the fourth day of being denied, Rin sat at the table in her pen with an indecipherable expression.

Rin propped her chin on her palm while softly tapping her spare hand on the short wooden table. Instead of being irritated and enraged as most would after being denied so many times, Rin hadn't shown an ounce of annoyance.

If anything, she was slightly entertained by An Sun's behavior.

It seemed no matter how many times she asked, he was simply going to deny her the chance to seek an audience with him. It was as if he enjoyed seeing her beg to see him.

Lightly sighing, Rin stands up and walks toward the pen's entrance. Without a change in expression, Rin walks out of to feel a gust of cold air press against her face. Coughing, Rin walks forward.

If he wasn't going to agree to meet with her, she had no choice but to meet An Sun himself.

Approaching a tent, her eyes examine the area. Taking notice of two soldiers chatting to one another by a bonfire, Rin quietly walks over but halts her steps upon overhearing their conversation.

”The winter hunt is tomorrow, huh? I wonder who'll win this year.”

”Idiot, Lord An wins every year! No one can ever beat him so what's the point of wondering who'll win. If anything, I'm more curious to know how much we can collect.”

”You're right. We collected twenty deer, and fifteen boars last year, do you think it'll double this year?”

”Ah, I don't know! Stop asking me questions, you fool. Come try this wine, I heard the northerners wine is outstanding!

The two Tuhan men continued to chat and chug wine, unaware of the small figure listening in on their conversation.

The winter hunt?

When she was younger, Rin had recalled hearing about certain clans and other countries competing each year with an event called the winter hunt.

It seemed every year during the winter, the men would go out to hunt for beasts in the wild. Whoever collected the most would win and was granted a prize.

Although she was wise in most areas, as a child she didn't try too hard to pay attention to the thing that had no use to her.

Lowering her eyes, Rin becomes silent, her thoughts slowly gathering together.

Shifting her eyes to the side, Rin takes notice of the herd of horses gathered beside a pole where they were securely tied. A shadow passed over Rin's eyes while an unreadable smile formed on her pale lips.