Chapter 91: The little red fox
Hazel didn’t want to think too much about the issue that kept bothering her, so she suppressed the thoughts in her mind and decided to focus on the present.
When she freed herself from his embrace, she did not notice the trace of loss that flashed in Damien’s eyes as he stared at his empty arms. But those rare emotions only lingered for less than a second, before it disappeared.
There was an odd silence between them as they continued following the crowd and neither of them said a word.
They soon noticed a noisy gathering far ahead of them, with numerous people standing in excitement as they formed a circle around something, Hazel's curiosity grew even more and she moved closer with Damien following closely behind her.
When they reached the crowd, Hazel finally saw what had attracted the crowd.
It was a game stall, probably one that had just opened. There were red ribbons tied around the stall, signifying something festive, so the owner definitely just opened the stall and was doing something related to first discounted sales.
A wooden plate that seemed like a board had been erected in front of the stall, painted in rings of black and red, with red being the dominating color at the center of the board. Close to the red ring, a few knives were stuck at odd angles, showing the attempt of the previous players.
Behind this black and red board was another board of the same color, but this one had a row of bows and arrows placed on a small table close to it. No one attempted this, probably because it required more skills.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a bald head and a thick grey beard, was all smiles seeing the large crowd in front of his stall. He stood proudly beside a few boxes, each having different sizes.
“Step up right now!” The stall owner began shouting enthusiastically. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win prizes with just two gold coins. Test your skills and luck with these two games, knife throwing and archery. You will never see this anywhere. Win either one with five knives and five arrows and you get a point that makes you eligible to win a price from these boxes. Try your luck now.”
Hazel applauded the stall owner’s wits. He was killing two birds with one stone by doing this. First, he was promoting his stall and secondly, he would be earning hundreds of gold coins considering how games like this interests people.
He even has prizes for those who win, so people would be even more eager to partake in playing the game. The stall owner must have put a lot of thought into it and it was a good plan.
Even Hazel was eager to see how the entire thing unfolds, not to talk of the others.
The stall owner continues, “The person who wins both games will be called the ultimate winner and he must do so by finishing all the arrows and knives in the racks. Then, he or she would win the biggest prize of them all.”
Saying that, the stall owner pointed to the largest box beside him. It was covered by a white cloth that attracted the attention of the others, making them want to know what was kept inside.
Was it some sort of weapon? Or a rare artifact? Or some jewelry from abroad?
The stall owner didn’t leave the people in suspense for long as he reached out and pulled away the cloth covering the box.
When Hazel saw what was inside, her eyes lit up.
It turned out that it wasn’t a box in the slightest, but a medium-sized cell. Inside it laid a small, white furry creature with drooping ears. It had a hint of red on its fur and its eyes were fiery-red, the kind that shows that it was hot-tempered.
The creature was a fox.
Almost every individual in the crowd gasped in surprise, especially the women who had their eyes literally shining. Seeing that he had gotten the reaction he wanted, the stall owner smiled happily.
“This is a red fox I got accidentally on my adventure outside. As you can see, it is healthy and has no health issues because it was just born yesterday. Its mother had been killed by another predator animal while protecting it. This is the stall’s biggest prize for today’s game. However, only men can partake in this game.”
With that, several men were itching to try. They wanted to impress the women around them and some women even pushed their lovers to try the game.
Even Hazel was no different. She glanced at Damien and smiled.
Damien didn’t even have to ask to know what was going through the mind of his little flame, and he smiled helplessly. He, the Alpha of this land, was reduced to playing petty street games and yet, he couldn’t even refuse it.
“Let’s wait and see first.” He told her and she nodded, her smile not diminishing as she turned to stare at the red fox again.
She had to admit, it was love at first sight for her.
It was uncertain what happened, but as she glanced at the fox, it raised its head coincidentally and stared in her direction. When Hazel saw the red and somewhat wet eyes of the fox, an arrow pierced through her heart and it melted.
She must get this fox no matter what, it must belong to her!
If she couldn’t win it, she would pay whoever does and get it.
Actually, Hazel was never a person who liked keeping pets like other young mistresses, but for some reason, this little fox cub suited her taste completely.
Damien also had the same thought, the cub’s fiery eyes were just like Hazel's fiery temper. So even if Hazel didn’t say anything, he would still get it for her.