Although Duke Charles Sadie was not an equestrian enthusiast, he enjoyed horseback riding as a hobby.
So, in his huge stables, there were about ten horses, including military horses, racehorses, and horses for light walks.
As soon as Lenave arrived, he approached a tall, black horse with a magnificent mane. It was a fine horse, its fur shining like a sable.
“Larry, you better not ride recklessly.”
At Charles's warning, Lenave stepped back awkwardly and asked.
“Is this something Your Excellency treasures?”
Then the butler standing behind pointed to another stable and explained.
“The lord’s horse, Sapphire, is under special care in a separate stable.”
“Then why can’t I ride this horse?”
“That... is such a violent horse that it’s dangerous to ride it recklessly.”
Larry, brought from the Eastern Continent at a high price, was a very violent horse, difficult to handle. Charles tried to train him several times, but all attempts ended in failure.
When Lenave heard the explanation, he was embarrassed and tried to find something else to say.
“If no one rides this horse, I’ll ride it.”
Killian, who had already taken a quick tour of the interior, stood before Larry. Larry, already excited by the sight of someone approaching him, raised his front paws and let out a "Hmph!"
"There's no need to push yourself so hard. What shame would it be if you fell off your horse?"
As Lenave spoke with a mocking laugh, Enoch quietly interjected.
“Then, if Marquis Starr were to win first place with this child, wouldn’t it be a disgrace to you?”
“Haa, Count Blois, please...”
The words, "Please shut up," were just about to escape his throat.
'This won't work. Where should I put this man?'
Lenave suppressed his anger and approached Enoch.
“By the way, has the Count chosen a horse?”
“Hmm, I thought about it before going to bed last night, but I felt a bit awkward riding on someone else’s horse.”
In fact, horses are very sensitive animals, so giving them your back means that you have strong faith in the other person.
In other words, no matter how well-trained a horse is, it is dangerous to ride a horse with which you have not established a trusting relationship.
“Then the Count can watch it with the ladies from up on that terrace.”
“Yes, that’s right. If I go now, will the seat next to Young Lady Huppert still be empty?”
“Haha, well.”
“Then I guess I should go quickly.”
Enoch hummed and walked back to the castle.
Lenave felt drained already. He trudged back to where the Duke and Killian were.
“Then Your Excellency, you will take Sapphire, I will take Valley, and the Marquis... will you really take Larry?”
Killian didn't respond to Lenave's words, but maintained eye contact with Larry. He then placed both hands gently on his horse, as if trying to calm him down.
It was as if the sight was saying something with its eyes.
Just as Lenave was about to tell him to give up, Larry, surprisingly, leaned his face against Killian's hand and calmed down.
“Interesting.”
Charles felt sorry for Larry, who had been the first to give his side to a human, but he also thought that Killian's abilities were worthy of recognition.
It would be difficult for Lenave to defeat Killian. Someone with that much skill in speaking could easily be considered a skilled fighter, but Larry himself was a master of the art.
Lenave looked at Killian with an indignant face and brought the horse he had chosen.
Now the three of them each rode their horses and stood at the starting line.
“Wow, the scale of the North is truly amazing.”
Lenave didn't miss the opportunity to flatter him again.
“So many obstacles in such a large private riding arena!”
“Be careful not to get hurt. It’s much higher than it looks.”
“Yes, I enjoy horseback riding quite a bit, Your Excellency, but you don’t have to worry.”
Lenave shouted confidently.
"Now, let's begin the match. Get ready and go, one, two, let's go!"
At the referee's signal, the three men rode off at a gallop. At first, they were neck and neck, but Charles began to gain a slight lead.
Killian and Lenave, who were behind him, were struggling when suddenly Larry growled and threatened Valley that Lenave was riding.
“Eww!”
Lenave had not run very far when he suddenly lost control of the reins and fell from the horse.
“Euuuuuuu.”
As Lenave was carried by his attendants, three people who had been watching their match came running down.
“Sir Touche, what is going on?”
Enoch's jaws of terror opened again.
“You’re the only one who’s scared and falls! How can you lose so shamefully?”
Enoch clicked his tongue.
Lenave fell from his horse, dangling from the hurdle beneath him. The shame was greater than the pain, and he refused to open his eyes.
“By the way, look over there!”
Marlene shook Emily's shoulder and pointed somewhere.
“Your husband has almost caught up with His Excellency the Duke!”
Enoch, who had been following Marlene's hand, also clapped his hands loudly.
“That’s truly amazing! The Marquis is a master of horsemanship!”
Emily stared at Killian, momentarily entranced. She knew he was handsome, but the sight of him sweating as he cut through the wind was so captivating that it was hard to look away.
Before they knew it, the three of them had forgotten about Lenave and were concentrating on the game.
Because the course wasn't particularly long, the winner was quickly decided. Enoch and Marlene, who were watching the race from afar, offered words of comfort to Emily.
“Oh, Madam Starr. I’m so sorry to hear about your husband.”
“But it was a great game, Emily.”
The winner of the match was Charles, but that didn't mean that anyone thought Killian was inferior to him.
The fact that the two, who had never worked together before, were able to almost catch up with Charles as he crossed the finish line proved their skills.
The only one who suffered a loss in this confrontation was Lenave. Enoch approached Lenave, who was lying down, to say something else.
"Sir Touche, you mustn't speak carelessly from now on. Look, you've become a mess."
"Count..."
Lenave came closer to Enoch and gestured for him to listen.
“Do you have anything to say?”
Enoch hurriedly came close to Lenave and put his ear to her.
“Please... shut your mouth...”
With those words, Lenave lost consciousness.
Lenave was resting in his room due to his injury, and the rest of the group decided to have dinner.
"Your Excellency."
The butler quietly told Charles the news.
As everyone looked at his face, wondering what was going on, Charles's mouth opened heavily.
“It looks like we’ll have one more guest for dinner.”
If there was one person who could freely come and go here without being invited by the head of the household, it was none other than Charles' mother, Madame Deborah Christine de Sadie.
Unlike Charles, she was very sociable and talkative.
“I just got back from my trip, and what the heck? The sun really does rise in the west.”
The woman, having changed into her dress, greeted each person seated at the table. She seemed surprised that Charles, unlike her, was so reserved and unsociable, had invited so many people.
"Starr? That's a family I've never heard of."
Deborah tilted her face at Killian.
If Lenave had been there, he would have seized this opportunity to merrily trample on Killian, but fortunately, he was ill.
Killian explained calmly.
“I was given a title two years ago, so I’m sure Madame doesn’t know me.”
“Hmm, I see. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”
It's common for commoners who become rich overnight to buy titles. Even the grand dame, who initially resisted such a move, gradually came to embrace the change after a year of travel.
“Then, everyone, eat comfortably.”
She wished it had been a comfortable meal, but the combination of the lady and Enoch was beyond imagination.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve seen Madame Starr’s face somewhere before.”
The lady tapped her chin and examined Emily's face.
"Perhaps we've met once at a banquet. My maiden name is Sinope."
“Oh my goodness, that’s the girl my son almost married!”
Fortunately, since they had already experienced this level of difficulty once, everyone was able to manage their expressions without difficulty this time.
“That’s why we really enjoyed this combination.”
However, Enoch was a man who could not adapt, regardless of how much he experienced.
Charles swallowed a sigh. He'd invited a few others, thinking that if he invited only Emily, she wouldn't come, but he hadn't anticipated such a surprise.
He decided to remove Enoch Blois from all future invitation lists.
After a particularly difficult mealtime for Charles, Marlene and Emily had to have an unwanted tea with the Grand Duchess, who had insisted on a conversation with her.
The lady moved her mouth nonstop, as if she was determined to tell all the episodes from her travels in one day.
“It was so cold in that country that they even had to dress the chickens in clothes.”
“Oh my, really?”
“But the chicken was wearing clothes, but it was too small, so it cried out, ‘Kkkkkio!’”
"Ha ha ha..."
Unfortunately, although she loved to talk, she had no talent for making it entertaining.
“Miss Huppert looks a little tired, but am I mistaken?”
Marlene, caught swallowing a yawn, flinched and waved her hand.
“I’m so tired! The lady’s words are so interesting that I don’t even realize how much time has passed.”
The lady nodded with a satisfied expression, then turned to Emily.
“Then what about Madam Starr?”
“I’m really enjoying listening to it too.”
As Emily spoke, she deliberately spilled tea on her skirt. Marlene, sensing what she was about to do, moved her lips across her.
'Where did you get the nonsense?'
Emily turned her body completely towards the old lady, without making eye contact with her until the very end.
“Madam, I’m really sorry, but may I go and change my clothes?”
“Oh, you’re not hurt?”
“Yes, fortunately, the tea water isn’t hot, so it’s okay.”
“Then, go quickly. I’ll be talking to Miss Huppert.”
Emily stood up with an apologetic expression.
“Then I’ll be off.”
Emily, walking down the hallway, glanced back.
Marlene was mouthing profanities with great effort.
So, in his huge stables, there were about ten horses, including military horses, racehorses, and horses for light walks.
As soon as Lenave arrived, he approached a tall, black horse with a magnificent mane. It was a fine horse, its fur shining like a sable.
“Larry, you better not ride recklessly.”
At Charles's warning, Lenave stepped back awkwardly and asked.
“Is this something Your Excellency treasures?”
Then the butler standing behind pointed to another stable and explained.
“The lord’s horse, Sapphire, is under special care in a separate stable.”
“Then why can’t I ride this horse?”
“That... is such a violent horse that it’s dangerous to ride it recklessly.”
Larry, brought from the Eastern Continent at a high price, was a very violent horse, difficult to handle. Charles tried to train him several times, but all attempts ended in failure.
When Lenave heard the explanation, he was embarrassed and tried to find something else to say.
“If no one rides this horse, I’ll ride it.”
Killian, who had already taken a quick tour of the interior, stood before Larry. Larry, already excited by the sight of someone approaching him, raised his front paws and let out a "Hmph!"
"There's no need to push yourself so hard. What shame would it be if you fell off your horse?"
As Lenave spoke with a mocking laugh, Enoch quietly interjected.
“Then, if Marquis Starr were to win first place with this child, wouldn’t it be a disgrace to you?”
“Haa, Count Blois, please...”
The words, "Please shut up," were just about to escape his throat.
'This won't work. Where should I put this man?'
Lenave suppressed his anger and approached Enoch.
“By the way, has the Count chosen a horse?”
“Hmm, I thought about it before going to bed last night, but I felt a bit awkward riding on someone else’s horse.”
In fact, horses are very sensitive animals, so giving them your back means that you have strong faith in the other person.
In other words, no matter how well-trained a horse is, it is dangerous to ride a horse with which you have not established a trusting relationship.
“Then the Count can watch it with the ladies from up on that terrace.”
“Yes, that’s right. If I go now, will the seat next to Young Lady Huppert still be empty?”
“Haha, well.”
“Then I guess I should go quickly.”
Enoch hummed and walked back to the castle.
Lenave felt drained already. He trudged back to where the Duke and Killian were.
“Then Your Excellency, you will take Sapphire, I will take Valley, and the Marquis... will you really take Larry?”
Killian didn't respond to Lenave's words, but maintained eye contact with Larry. He then placed both hands gently on his horse, as if trying to calm him down.
It was as if the sight was saying something with its eyes.
Just as Lenave was about to tell him to give up, Larry, surprisingly, leaned his face against Killian's hand and calmed down.
“Interesting.”
Charles felt sorry for Larry, who had been the first to give his side to a human, but he also thought that Killian's abilities were worthy of recognition.
It would be difficult for Lenave to defeat Killian. Someone with that much skill in speaking could easily be considered a skilled fighter, but Larry himself was a master of the art.
Lenave looked at Killian with an indignant face and brought the horse he had chosen.
Now the three of them each rode their horses and stood at the starting line.
“Wow, the scale of the North is truly amazing.”
Lenave didn't miss the opportunity to flatter him again.
“So many obstacles in such a large private riding arena!”
“Be careful not to get hurt. It’s much higher than it looks.”
“Yes, I enjoy horseback riding quite a bit, Your Excellency, but you don’t have to worry.”
Lenave shouted confidently.
"Now, let's begin the match. Get ready and go, one, two, let's go!"
At the referee's signal, the three men rode off at a gallop. At first, they were neck and neck, but Charles began to gain a slight lead.
Killian and Lenave, who were behind him, were struggling when suddenly Larry growled and threatened Valley that Lenave was riding.
“Eww!”
Lenave had not run very far when he suddenly lost control of the reins and fell from the horse.
“Euuuuuuu.”
As Lenave was carried by his attendants, three people who had been watching their match came running down.
“Sir Touche, what is going on?”
Enoch's jaws of terror opened again.
“You’re the only one who’s scared and falls! How can you lose so shamefully?”
Enoch clicked his tongue.
Lenave fell from his horse, dangling from the hurdle beneath him. The shame was greater than the pain, and he refused to open his eyes.
“By the way, look over there!”
Marlene shook Emily's shoulder and pointed somewhere.
“Your husband has almost caught up with His Excellency the Duke!”
Enoch, who had been following Marlene's hand, also clapped his hands loudly.
“That’s truly amazing! The Marquis is a master of horsemanship!”
Emily stared at Killian, momentarily entranced. She knew he was handsome, but the sight of him sweating as he cut through the wind was so captivating that it was hard to look away.
Before they knew it, the three of them had forgotten about Lenave and were concentrating on the game.
Because the course wasn't particularly long, the winner was quickly decided. Enoch and Marlene, who were watching the race from afar, offered words of comfort to Emily.
“Oh, Madam Starr. I’m so sorry to hear about your husband.”
“But it was a great game, Emily.”
The winner of the match was Charles, but that didn't mean that anyone thought Killian was inferior to him.
The fact that the two, who had never worked together before, were able to almost catch up with Charles as he crossed the finish line proved their skills.
The only one who suffered a loss in this confrontation was Lenave. Enoch approached Lenave, who was lying down, to say something else.
"Sir Touche, you mustn't speak carelessly from now on. Look, you've become a mess."
"Count..."
Lenave came closer to Enoch and gestured for him to listen.
“Do you have anything to say?”
Enoch hurriedly came close to Lenave and put his ear to her.
“Please... shut your mouth...”
With those words, Lenave lost consciousness.
***
Lenave was resting in his room due to his injury, and the rest of the group decided to have dinner.
"Your Excellency."
The butler quietly told Charles the news.
As everyone looked at his face, wondering what was going on, Charles's mouth opened heavily.
“It looks like we’ll have one more guest for dinner.”
If there was one person who could freely come and go here without being invited by the head of the household, it was none other than Charles' mother, Madame Deborah Christine de Sadie.
Unlike Charles, she was very sociable and talkative.
“I just got back from my trip, and what the heck? The sun really does rise in the west.”
The woman, having changed into her dress, greeted each person seated at the table. She seemed surprised that Charles, unlike her, was so reserved and unsociable, had invited so many people.
"Starr? That's a family I've never heard of."
Deborah tilted her face at Killian.
If Lenave had been there, he would have seized this opportunity to merrily trample on Killian, but fortunately, he was ill.
Killian explained calmly.
“I was given a title two years ago, so I’m sure Madame doesn’t know me.”
“Hmm, I see. Anyway, it’s nice to meet you.”
It's common for commoners who become rich overnight to buy titles. Even the grand dame, who initially resisted such a move, gradually came to embrace the change after a year of travel.
“Then, everyone, eat comfortably.”
She wished it had been a comfortable meal, but the combination of the lady and Enoch was beyond imagination.
“Now that I think about it, I’ve seen Madame Starr’s face somewhere before.”
The lady tapped her chin and examined Emily's face.
"Perhaps we've met once at a banquet. My maiden name is Sinope."
“Oh my goodness, that’s the girl my son almost married!”
Fortunately, since they had already experienced this level of difficulty once, everyone was able to manage their expressions without difficulty this time.
“That’s why we really enjoyed this combination.”
However, Enoch was a man who could not adapt, regardless of how much he experienced.
Charles swallowed a sigh. He'd invited a few others, thinking that if he invited only Emily, she wouldn't come, but he hadn't anticipated such a surprise.
He decided to remove Enoch Blois from all future invitation lists.
After a particularly difficult mealtime for Charles, Marlene and Emily had to have an unwanted tea with the Grand Duchess, who had insisted on a conversation with her.
The lady moved her mouth nonstop, as if she was determined to tell all the episodes from her travels in one day.
“It was so cold in that country that they even had to dress the chickens in clothes.”
“Oh my, really?”
“But the chicken was wearing clothes, but it was too small, so it cried out, ‘Kkkkkio!’”
"Ha ha ha..."
Unfortunately, although she loved to talk, she had no talent for making it entertaining.
“Miss Huppert looks a little tired, but am I mistaken?”
Marlene, caught swallowing a yawn, flinched and waved her hand.
“I’m so tired! The lady’s words are so interesting that I don’t even realize how much time has passed.”
The lady nodded with a satisfied expression, then turned to Emily.
“Then what about Madam Starr?”
“I’m really enjoying listening to it too.”
As Emily spoke, she deliberately spilled tea on her skirt. Marlene, sensing what she was about to do, moved her lips across her.
'Where did you get the nonsense?'
Emily turned her body completely towards the old lady, without making eye contact with her until the very end.
“Madam, I’m really sorry, but may I go and change my clothes?”
“Oh, you’re not hurt?”
“Yes, fortunately, the tea water isn’t hot, so it’s okay.”
“Then, go quickly. I’ll be talking to Miss Huppert.”
Emily stood up with an apologetic expression.
“Then I’ll be off.”
Emily, walking down the hallway, glanced back.
Marlene was mouthing profanities with great effort.
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