Dragged Into Another World By The Obsessive Villain

"You're doing well," Caspian said loud enough for his voice to carry over the sound of wind and the rustle of branches and leaves being crushed under thundering hooves.

"I haven't fallen off the horse yet," she replied, her tone wry.

He gave a quiet laugh.

She nodded, her gaze flicking toward the cluster of noblewomen riding a short distance away. Queen Lyanna, Lady Olivia, Lady Colina, and Lady Whittle were all together. Queen Lyanna was speaking, her tone light and conversational, but the way Lady Olivia's smile curved suggested something more pointed. Elara made a mental note to keep them in her periphery.

The forest grew denser as they rode, the sunlight filtering through the canopy in scattered patches. A rustling in the underbrush drew Elara's attention, and she guided her horse toward the sound, her crossbow at the ready. A flash of movement—a deer, its sleek form darting through the trees.

Caspian looked back at her and gestured for her to take the kill. She wasn't too pleased at the prospect of that—she'd never killed anything before—but she knew she should at least try to participate at least once. Even in the forest, everything was in the king and queen's line of sight, and there was no telling who had their eye on her right now. She raised the crossbow, steadied her breathing as Caspian had taught her, and released the bolt.

It missed, embedding itself in a nearby tree.

Caspian's stallion trotted up beside her, and he raised a brow. "Improving," he said simply.

Elara groaned. "It's literally impossible."

The sound of hoofbeats approached, and Elara turned to see Lady Olivia riding toward them. Her riding attire, deep blue with gilded golden embellishing, caught the sunlight. "A valiant attempt, Miss Elara," she said, her tone laced with sugary condescension. "Though I suppose hunting isn't for everyone."

Elara smiled back just as sweetly. "Maybe not. But in my experience, persistence often yields better results than natural talent."

Lady Olivia's smile tightened, but before she could reply, a loud cheer echoed through the forest—the signal of a successful kill.

"It would seem Her Majesty has made the first kill of the day," said Lady Colina, cutting through the underbrush to join them. "And so quickly, too. You may not take first place today, Your Grace."

"I was never hungry for first place, to begin with," Caspian replied dismissively.

Lady Colina gave a polite laugh, though the glint in her eyes suggested she was less amused and more irked by Caspian's effortless dismissal. "How noble of you, Your Grace," she said. "Though one might think your natural prowess makes first place inevitable."

Caspian said nothing, his gaze cutting through the trees in the direction of the cheering. His silence only seemed to irritate Colina further, though she masked it with a graceful turn of her horse.

Elara adjusted her grip on the reins, trying not to laugh at how easily Caspian could brush off comments that would send most people spiraling. "Her Majesty is impressive," she said, steering the conversation back toward neutral ground. "It's no wonder the people of Isyndor look up to her so much."

"Indeed," Lady Olivia agreed, her tone syrupy. "Her Majesty is a paragon of grace and strength. Quite unlike what one might expect from someone… unaccustomed to our traditions."

Elara tilted her head, feigning curiosity. "Oh? I imagine even Her Majesty had to learn her way around these traditions at some point. No one is born knowing how to navigate everything perfectly."

The subtext was clear, and Lady Olivia's smile faltered a little. Offending a member of the royal family was a crime, after all, and they were currently surrounded by knights, as well as Kyran and Caspian, two other nobles.

"True," Olivia conceded after a moment, her voice tighter than before. "Though some adapt faster than others."

"I think it's all about the company you keep," Elara murmured, eyes drifting away in clear dismissal. She was already incredibly bored with this conversation.

Lady Colina opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, a rustle in the underbrush startled their horses. Caspian's stallion reared slightly before he brought it under control with practiced ease. Elara's mare shifted uneasily, and she tightened her grip on the reins, scanning the trees for the source of the noise.

A boar charged out of the foliage, its tusks gleaming and its eyes wild. It wasn't massive, but it was fast, barreling toward their group with alarming speed.

Caspian acted immediately, raising his bow with a precision that made the movement look almost lazy. He let the arrow fly, and the boar collapsed mid-charge, skidding to a stop mere feet from Lady Colina's horse.

Lady Olivia let out a delicate gasp, her hand flying to her chest. "By the gods, Your Grace," she said, her voice breathless. "Your aim is… astonishing."

"My thanks," Caspian replied off-handedly as he dismounted to inspect the kill.

Elara watched him, her heart racing, though it was not solely from the boar's surprise attack. This was her first time seeing him use a bow, though the novel had mentioned he was especially talented at it. The graceful silhouette of him pulling back the bow, his eyes cool and focused and completely sure as he released the arrow and let it fly was, well, sexy. There was really no other word for it.

After leaving his flag near the boar's body, Caspian mounted his horse again and the group set off with Lady Olivia, Lady Colina, and their group of knights deciding to tag along, as well.

Elara cut a look at them. "Isn't it a better idea to spread out? If everyone's hunting together, there won't be enough game for each person."

Translation: fuck off.

"Lady Colina and I didn't come for hunting, Miss. Elara, we came to watch. Her Majesty is probably the only other person here who can contend with His Grace, anyway."

"Indeed," interjected Lady Colina. "I, for one, am quite curious to see the skills of the Grand Duke up close and personal."

Translation: No, bitch.

Caspian, to his credit, managed to not look as annoyed as she was sure he must have felt, because she felt it, too. "As you wish," he said, his tone as detached as ever.

The group continued deeper into the forest, the trees growing thicker and the air cooler with every step. The golden light of late afternoon filtered through the canopy in soft patches, dappling the ground with flecks of sunlight. Birds called to one another in the distance, their cries mingling with the rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Elara found herself falling into a rhythm with her horse, the steady sway of the animal's gait helping to calm her nerves. She'd been half-expecting Lady Olivia to try something bolder by now, but all her attempts to engage Caspian had been subtle enough that they could almost be ignored. Almost.

Lady Olivia sidled her horse a bit closer to Caspian's, her posture perfect as she turned to him. "Your Grace," she began, her voice soft, "it must be exhausting, always having to live up to such expectations. Does the weight of your reputation ever feel… heavy?"

Caspian didn't even glance at her. "A man should not carry what he cannot bear," he replied evenly, his eyes scanning the trees ahead.

Lady Olivia's smile faltered ever so slightly before she recovered. "How wise of you, Your Grace. I suppose that's why you carry it so well."

At this point, it was getting hard to watch this poor woman flirt with a man who was very clearly disinterested. "Some burdens aren't so heavy when you have others to share them with," Elara murmured, steering her horse closer to Caspian's. "Wouldn't you agree, Your Grace?"

Caspian's lips quirked in the barest hint of a smile. "Indeed."

Lady Olivia's gaze flicked between the two of them, her lips pressing into a thin line. Before she could comment, however, a rustling sound came from somewhere up ahead—a deeper, heavier sound than before. The group's horses immediately grew restless, their ears swiveling and their hooves stamping the ground.

Elara tightened her grip on the reins, her pulse quickening. "Another boar?" she asked, her voice low.

Caspian's expression shifted, the faint amusement vanishing as his features hardened into something sharper, more alert. Kyran, Chirovan, and Edris all exchanged quick glances, their hands moving instinctively to their weapons.

"Not a boar," Caspian said quietly, his voice like steel. "Stay close."

The rustling grew louder, closer, and then—like a hammer smashing through glass—the forest erupted. A massive creature barreled through the trees, its sheer size splitting thick trunks as though they were twigs, sending a pattering of wood and leaves raining down on them.

"Centaur!" A knight was shouting, but Elara didn't turn to see who.

"How the hell did a Centaur get into the royal hunting ground?"

"Does that matter, you oaf? Blow the horn, send the signal."

"Right. Right."

As the sound of a horn shrieked through the air, Elara's gaze was locked on the Centaur. Its lower half, massive with hooved feet, blended seamlessly with its broad human torso. Which felt as if it made no sense to Elara because surely, an animal's lower half and a human torso shouldn't blend seamlessly together. But what made it all even more surreal was its face; it was clearly a bull's head on a human's shoulders. Its eyes burned with a feral light, and its mouth opened in a deafening roar that ripped through the whole of the hunting ground and had Elara's ears ringing as fear surged its way down her spine.

Panic surged through the group. Lady Colina's horse reared, nearly throwing her off, while Lady Olivia let out a shriek, clinging to her saddle. The knights scrambled into formation, their weapons drawn, but the sheer presence of the Centaur was enough to send even the most seasoned warriors into a brief moment of hesitation.

"Elara," Caspian barked, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. "Stay behind me."

Elara barely had time to nod before Caspian was off his horse, his sword drawn in a single fluid motion. The blade gleamed, catching the dappled light that filtered through the canopy, and for a brief moment, Elara was struck by how utterly unyielding he looked. There was no hesitation in his movements—only purpose.

Kyran and Chirovan flanked him, their own weapons ready as they spread out to encircle the Centaur. Edris, ever the shadow, slipped silently into the underbrush, his figure vanishing as though he were never there to begin with. The remaining knights—two from Caspian's group, five who came with Lady Olivia, and another five who came with Lady Colina—all placed the three women in the center where they could be easily protected.

The Centaur reared up, its horns catching the sunlight as it let out another roar. Its massive hooves crashed down, splitting the earth beneath them. It swung a broken tree trunk it had picked up with deadly force, aiming to scatter its attackers.

Caspian charged, his blade meeting the beast's makeshift weapon in a clash that echoed through the forest. Sparks flew as the steel bit into the wood, forcing the Centaur to step back, its eyes flashing with fury. Caspian dodged a second swing and slashed at the monster's arm, the blade slicing through its tough hide with brutal efficiency.

Kyran took advantage of the distraction, darting in to deliver a precise blow to the Centaur's leg. His sword cut deep, and the beast let out another enraged bellow, lashing out with a kick that sent dirt and debris flying.

Elara clutched her crossbow tightly, her heart pounding as she watched. She couldn't look away, even as Chirovan leaped in next, his blade carving a wide arc through the air before biting into the Centaur's other side.

Caught up in the battle as she was, Elara didn't notice the blade flashing and flying through the air fast, headed right for her until the sound of steel on steel resounding right near her ear drew it to her attention.