Several moments later, Aster could be seen tightening the boots on his feet.

Then he took a deep breath and stepped out of the castle with Sara by his side.

Behind them was Lily, who was leaning out of the doorway with her cheeks still puffed up like a cute hamster before she deflated them and formed a pout.

"Mamaaa, can't I go too?"

Vivian chuckled and gently tapped her daughter's forehead. "Ufufufu~ Not today, my little dragon. You still have presents waiting for you inside, remember?"

The moment Vivian mentioned the presents, Lily's eyes instantly shimmered with excitement. "Oh!! That's true, I still have my presents!! I'm coming, presents!!!" Lily sprinted back into the castle with Cara running after her.

Their laughter and giggles echoed loudly throughout the corridor, while Vivian smiled as she watched the two of them before bringing her gaze toward Aster.

"Be safe, dear. And try to make sure the Jackalope doesn't bite you while you are trying to catch it."

"Huh? They bite?" Aster asked with a shocked look on his face. From what he knew about Jackalopes, Aster had assumed that the creature wasn't too different from a regular bunny, so he had expected the Jackalope to be a harmless creature, or more precisely, a herbivore.

However, with what Vivian had just said, it sounded as though the creature might be a carnivore and this worried the dragon prince a little. So he needed to know whether the Jackalope was dangerous or not.

"Ufufufu~ I guess Mama shouldn't spoil the fun."

"Come on, tell me. Do they really bite?"

"Um," Vivian placed a finger on her lips while pretending to think deeply. "You'll have to find out on your own, dear." She giggled cutely as she tried but failed to hide her smile with her hands.

Then she winked at him and playfully stuck out her tongue in a mocking gesture, causing Aster to roll his eyes at her usual teasing while Sara grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the steps.

"Come on, Your Highness~ Let's go catch you your first bunny."

After some time, the two of them finally arrived at their destination.

They both walked across a stone bridge and through a grassy valley until the trees thickened around them.

Luckily for them, Aster hadn't encountered any dangerous beasts yet and neither was the forest filled with fog like in the scary movies back home.

It was just a normal forest filled with the sounds of birds.

"Your Highness?"

"Hmm?"

"This place is called the Lower Wilderness and it's one of the safest areas near the castle," Sara explained in a cute baby-like voice as she stepped over a root. "Oh, watch your steps too, Your Highness."

Meanwhile, Aster narrowed his eyes as he trailed behind her. "Why are you talking like that?" He asked.

"Like what, Your Highness?" Sara asked innocently in that same babyish voice.

"You sound like you're talking to a toddler."

"Oh, but you are my adorable little beginner, Your Highness. And it's my job to ensure your safety."

Aster scoffed but he didn't counter her words.

Instead, he kept walking behind her.

"Your Highness, you would like to hunt the Jackalope on your own right?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. Please listen, a jackalope is fast, like extremely fast and it zigzags like crazy. Also, be mindful of its killer kicks and tenacious bites, so if you want to be able to hold it, you'll have to kill it cleanly."

"Got it."

"Alright. Oh, there's one more thing you need to…" Sara started to say, but she paused mid-sentence when she suddenly heard a rustling sound nearby.

Aster and Sara swiftly turned around and right there, standing among the tall bushes, was the Jackalope.

It was exactly the way Aster had imagined it to be.

The Jackalope had tawny-brown fur that could help it blend easily with the ground.

It also had short antler prongs with chipped tips and a pair of long ears.

Its eyes were amber in color and it had really short hind limbs.

The Jackalope froze when it noticed Aster slowly stepping closer to it, then it bolted as it zigzagged away like a scared squirrel.

Aster swiftly chased after it as he directed his aura toward his legs, making the aura veins in his feet glow brightly as his speed increased like never before.

Now he was running really fast and his legs began to blur, but he wasn't able to find a steady rhythm as he skipped over a bush, tripped over a rock, deflected a tree trunk, and finally, somersaulted straight into another bush.

THUD—!!

Luckily for Sara, she caught it all on camera and the beautiful banshee laughed out loud as she dropped to the ground with tears in her eyes.

"O-Oh, Y-Your Highness!! That was so funny. You ran past the jackalope and almost exited the continent while you were at it!!" Sara joked, while laughing even louder.

"S-Shut up." Aster's face turned red with embarrassment as he spat out a few leaves from his mouth.

He tried to calm his mind before closing his eyes in utter concentration.

Then Aster opened them and activated his dragon eye trait, causing a slit to appear in his eyes.

Due to this, the view of the world around him changed significantly.

Aster swiftly turned his attention to the departing Jackalope and the little monster's frantic zig-zagging movement slowed down.

Well, it didn't exactly slow down to a crawl, but it was still enough for Aster to be able to keep up with the Jackalope's movements.

However, the Jackalope was still very fast.

And so, the chase continued with Aster dodging trees and the Jackalope sprinting through the bushes.

It took a while, but in the end, Aster was finally able to catch it.

His hands clamped around its body and the Jackalope wriggled violently, refusing to give up.

Then, Aster exhaled deeply before tightening his grip, and its struggles reduced, before it finally became motionless.

Seeing this, Sara swiftly pulled out her hand. But Aster noticed a certain object on her finger, and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Oh, is that a ring? I didn't know you were married."

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