I Reincarnated As My Waifu, What Do? 14 (Patreon)

Am I a slut?

A stark reminder of the truth was thrown right on my face as myself, my father, a good half dozen guards, and a group of nobles from the Kingdom all set out on a hunting trip. Though I was hardly the only noble daughter among them, I was the only one not riding sidesaddle, alongside their father or brother.

I was also the only one armed.

But this wasn't what reminded me of the sort of woman I've become in service of my Kingdom, but the fact that my father had picked six of his guards, and each and every one of them was loyal to me. Godwin, Sherman, Brock, Rolf, Gaston and Luigi, each of them from different corners of the country, different in shape, size, ethnicity, and even in their combat styles, and yet, here they were, joined not in their loyalty to their King, but in their shared lust for his daughter.

Well, they were strong, they were loyal and they were quiet. What else could someone ask for?

The thundering noise of our horses' hooves carried across the plains, and the weight of the quiver belted to my waist reminded me that I couldn't dwell on what else I asked of them when we had private time, and instead, I focused on the escaping prey.

Father did not do Hunts by half, and the Macian Boar we were tracking was proving quite the challenge.

About the size of a house, the creature was normally peaceful, relying on its immense size and strength to keep predators off of it. Unfortunately, they were also pests that tended to disturb the ecosystem whenever they migrated anywhere other than the Macian Peninsula.

Omnivorous and strong, a single Macian Boar could and frequently would cause an environmental emergency.

Which was why when he'd heard of one in the Great Dark Forest, just a hop and a skip away from the capital, Father had immediately called for a hunt, to put the Nobility to work, and show the population that he was, indeed, their protector.

Father had always thought that it was his duty as King to protect the Common Man, and that the Nobility should do so as well... I feared that without their skills forcing them to do so, many a noble would let their people suffer...

The Gods' wisdom, as Sister Amalia had explained, foresaw human greed getting in the way of cooperation.

I nocked an arrow, as I had been shown and taught, and the short bow's string was pulled taut. It was heavy, hard and difficult to pull, Father's weapons were all high quality but heavy, but the moment I loosed the arrow, I had to admit, it was worth it. The string pulled and I almost panicked for a moment that it'd hit my wrist, but letting the bow move protected me as I was told it would.

The arrow cut through the air almost with a scream, though I missed, the boar changed path as the arrow struck the ground before it.

Taking the opportunity, father and several of the nobles following behind us loosed their own arrows, five arrows striking the boar, embedding themselves on its hide, and father's Iron Bow allowing him to just punch right through the boar, the arrow carving a small furrow on the ground behind the boar.

In pain and faced with the sudden force delivered to its side, the boar crashed, rolling on the ground, painting the grass under it as it rolled red. It managed to make its way back to a standing position, turning towards us, its overly large tusks almost glinting as it got ready to charge.

As it did, Father leaped off of his horse, tossing his bow aside and drawing the massive golden hilted sword on his back, its black steel blade so dark it seemed to almost swallow the blazing sunlight as he brought it down on the Boar's head... only for the boar to block it with a tusk that shattered, flying off.

Father was about to be gored by the surviving tusk, I had to-

Do nothing, because father's fist shattered the other tusk, as he landed right in front of the boar, then I followed the noble scions and lords beside me as they drew their arrows.

The moment Father moved out of the way, we loosed, and the boar took many an arrow to the face, one even striking and burying itself in one of the boar's large eyes.

It squealed, the high pitched, ear shattering noise causing our horses great pain, even as they slowed down, and some of them even bolted, causing one of the noblemen to be thrown off his horse, though he caught himself, and the rest to try to soothe their rides.

Father ended the beast with a mighty swing, chopping the creature's head off with a brutal attack from his weapon that was bigger than me.

I gulped.

I thought myself strong, but this was a sharp reminder that compared to a true Warrior, like Father or the One Armed Beast, I was but a fledgling. It was more than strength or skill, but father had a killer instinct that I lacked, he saw an opportunity and took it, where I have to admit, it might've been a part of me that didn't want to hurt the boar that made me miss when I fired earlier.

"SUCCESS!" Father crowed, throwing his head back and laughing, the booming sound resounding across the empty plains that we'd chased the boar over. 

Luckily we'd arrived before it could do more than knock down a few trees, these things devoured forests if left alone for too long, leaving only dead trees in their wake.

I let a deep breath out, getting off my horse and rushing towards father, who was covered in blood and sweat from the heat. I raised my hands to stop him from hugging me. "Shower first!" I said, pointing a finger at him.

Father was huge, and I was short, and it was an almost comical image even for me to scold him like this.

"Father, that was incredible," I said, giving him a smile. "I always hear about how strong you are, but seeing it in person is something else!"

"Ah, indeed, my daughter! I never get an opportunity to show you how your dear old dad became the King he is today!" he said, boasting, stabbing his sword on the ground and putting his hands on his waist, balled fists, laughing boisterously. "But every once in a while I do like flexing these!" he said, as he struck a pose that showed off the bulging muscles of his arms.

"I still don't understand why you took off your shirt but... okay," I said, shrugging. "Wow, these really are huge huh? I didn't get a good look... you hunted these when you were my age?" I asked, turning to the decapitated boar.

The nobility was congratulating each other for the succesful hunt, where no one had been hurt. This was such a safe hunt that you even brought your daughters, you fools, what are you boasting for? Father was the only one who took any risk!

"Oh yeah, that I did," he said, reaching for his abdominals, and the old, almost faded scar that was over where his kidneys would've been, patting it a little. It sounded like steel on steel, more than skin on skin, as he did so. "I've seen what happens when they become enraged, too," he said. "Don't recommend it, the Archbishop at the time had to save my organs himself!" he roared in laughter once more.

There was a moment of silence as he suddenly stopped.

"Don't," he said, crouching, "okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. 

"Good. Great. Amazing," he said, nodding. "If you want to do something stupid you always come to me first, okay? Always do stupid things with someone you can trust by your side."

I nodded. Right... Fortunately... I had a leg up on most with that.

"My Liege," one of the younger nobles said, approaching, "we've discussed, and this place is good enough as a campsite. If it would please your majesty, then-"

"Drop that nonsense, we are all part of the same hunt, lad!" Father said, slamming his hand on the boy's back, almost bowling him over, "we've shed blood together! And yes, this is a mighty  fine place, we shall pitch our tents and reap the rewards of our hunt!"

I smiled, then faced the boy myself, there was a hint of red to his cheeks. I realized, then, that my own white hunting dress was clinging to me quite provocatively, due to the blazing sun's heat that was causing me to sweat profusely, along with the exercise.

Whoever said riding a horse isn't exercise needs to get punched.

"Please; lead me to the women's tent, I shall join in the preparations."

Father's hand landed on my shoulder. "Sweetie," he said, "leave that to those that did not participate in the hunt. It is their right and privilege," he said, "it's not right for you to interfere in their affairs. Our guards shall aid them if they require help."

I blinked. "But father... I am a woman, I should-"

"Bah!" he swung his hand. "Outdated customs!" he said. "Find me a man among them who could best you in combat, you'll find none!" he said, clenching his fist, "what importance does your sex have in the face of your might! None, I say!"

I giggled. "You're just saying that because I'm your favorite daughter," I said, winking at him.

He cleared his throat. "Well yes, but also, Lord Mussel made an impassioned speech recently, I thought he raised good points," he said. "I am not so blind as to not realize your strength. You've become quite the symbol for noble daughters, Noire, many are following in your footsteps and enlisting."

The boy that'd come to talk to us seemed quite uncomfortable. "May-"

"You may leave if you wish," Father said, "or you may join us for tea, however you prefer!" he said, laughing. "Guards, Luigi stop looking for a way out of work, and fetch the equipment, we've got set up to do men!" he commanded. "We shall have the most splendid camp set up before the sun even starts to go down, and then we shall feast, as the Warriors of Old did, my companions!"

There were cheers as father made his proclamation, his boisterous demeanor was infectious, and soon enough, he roped both myself and the young lad into work, setting up the tents, as well as the portable furniture. 

It was amazing what the craftsmen cold do with cloth and sticks, and though we would not have much in the way of the luxury the nobility was accustomed to, we were closer to a properly organized army camp than to roughing it out.

Father's experience at work, no doubt, though more than one of the nobles gathered I realized had been, or currently were, officers in the military.

"I'm Noire," I said, as I stretched my tired arms, to the lad who'd been roped into tea with father and his inner circle.

"I'm- I'm Leon, Leon Finn," he said.

I frowned, not recognizing his name. "Are you from the surrounding lands?"

"Ah- no, I'm no noble of the Kingdom, my Lady," he said, "I am cousin to Lord Campanella," he explained, "and the Lord and his wife were gracious enough to take me in after my parents were unjustly accused of Treason by King Oliver from Saxony."

I hummed.

"Such a sad tale," I said, "please, forgive me, I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories."

"Ah, no, worry not, your highness, I-"

"Getting cozy, huh?" Father said, as his arm swung over my shoulders, as well as Leon's own, "I've heard of you, you're Campanella's cousin, yes?" he asked.

Leon nodded, looking a bit faint.

"Good, good- now, my lad, please do forgive a father, but I must steal my lovely daughter from you..." he said, though his smile suggested he wasn't entirely feeling bad about that. "Now come, Noire, I believe it's about time that you introduced yourself to the huntsment as one of their own, rather than a young girl!"

I hummed. "Alright. I'll talk to you later, Leon, perhaps we may meet again," I said, giving him a smile.

Father led me away, and to a smaller campfire, not the one meant for cooking up the Boar's meat, but instead, one for the huntsmen to gather, swapping stories. Some of the more important nobles of the capital and the surrounding lands, and of course, some of the most important people in the country. Some of them, of course, I knew. 

Work is never over...

I plastered a smile on my face as I looked at them. The nobles of the Kingdom were corrupt, from the lowliest Baron to the most exalted Duke, each and every one of them had at least one skeleton hidden in their closet.

"Everyone- hail Noire, today not as Princess of Trom, but as an equal among us!" Father said, as my eyes scanned the reactions of the crowd he introduced me to.

I could work with that, as more than one pair of eyes glinted with lust as they looked at my exposed figure.

Yes... I definitely had work to do.