Odelia stared at the hand for a moment, then silently placed her fingertips on it. The sensation of contact was unfamiliar.
As he stepped onto the ship and strength naturally flowed into his hands, Calix held Odelia's hand tightly as if he would never let go.
As Odelia disembarked, Calix never lifted his eyes. He watched her every move, keeping her balanced, and never let go until her toes touched the dock.
“Are you okay?”
His voice was low and close. Odelia nodded briefly.
Only when the wind from afar blew past her skirt did Calix finally let go of her hand.
For a brief moment, Odelia felt a pang of regret. The tips of her fingers felt a subtle tickle, and she quietly played with her hands, clenching them into fists without realizing it.
At the dock, neatly attired servants were already waiting. As Odelia silently bowed her head and followed Calix, the path ahead of them quietly opened.
They headed for a vast field with a stable. The sun was still high in the sky, and the distant neighing of horses echoed through the wind-swaying grass.
As soon as she reached the stable, Odelia stopped walking, and her eyes suddenly opened wide.
"Max...!"
A familiar name blurted out from her lips.
There was Max, the horse she'd been with on the battlefield. His shoulders and legs looked remarkably healthy, and he was staring intently in her direction, as if he still remembered her.
Odelia took a few steps forward as if led.
"How... is Max here....?"
One day, her superior suddenly brought him in and said, "From now on, this horse will be yours, Odelia." So, she accepted the horse without thinking much about it, thinking it was an orphaned horse.
When she was little, her father gave her a horse as a gift, and she thought that if that little horse had grown up to be just like that, she would have given it the same name and showered it with affection.
After returning as a hero, Max was returned to the imperial family. During the investigation into Odelia's estate, she was told, "This horse is not Odelia's property."
But the horse she encountered again now was undoubtedly that of Max.
As if it recognized her voice, the horse slowly approached her and thrust its snout into Odelia.
Odelia, as if welcoming a long-awaited companion, stroked the horse's face and smiled brightly. Calix watched her quietly.
"I thought you'd be happy."
Odelia stopped stroking Max's hair and opened her eyes wide.
"But somehow... I heard that he was sold to the Count's family..."
Calix just smiled quietly without saying anything.
At that moment, Calix's assistant, who had been standing next to him, spoke politely.
"His Highness bought it back from the Count's house with a small amount of money."
"Stop talking nonsense."
When Calix cut him off, the aide immediately bowed his head and stepped back. His expression wasn't one of embarrassment. It was subtly sullen.
Odelia had seen the aide several times on the battlefield, so she had a rough idea why he had that look on his face. The aide had secretly disliked Odelia for a long time.
Anyway, that wasn't really important right now. Odelia paused for a moment, looking at Calix with a face that was both grateful and apologetic.
"How grateful I am, Your Highness."
While greeting him with an embarrassed expression, she kept stroking Max's face with her hand.
Max quietly lowered himself as if telling her to climb on his back.
Odelia looked back at Calix with surprised eyes. Even if it had once been Odelia's horse, it was no longer hers. Calix spoke calmly.
"Should I hold your hand?"
Instead of answering, Odelia chuckled. Then, with a familiar gesture, she climbed onto Max's back.
The horse took a quick breath to match Odelia's body, then began to run toward the field as if cutting through the wind.
Without any preparation or hesitation, as if she had regained the moment she had long awaited.
Calix watched the scene silently.
Sunlight scattered like shards wherever the horseshoes passed, just as the blades of grass parted, and the silhouette of Odelia galloping on horseback passed across the field like a painting.
"Why don't you just say it out loud?"
Henry, the aide who had come up to him without me noticing, sighed and spoke.
"You were planning on dating her from the beginning, you know. What about a stand-in?"
Calix smiled slightly, the corners of his lips slightly raised.
"You speak innocently, Henry."
Henry, the Crown Prince's aide and longtime friend, shook his head in disapproval. His expression was one of incomprehension.
"You are too soft. Why are you only soft to that woman? No, you are so soft that it's almost like you're going to break down."
“When am I?”
Do you really not know that the person who is as solid as a rock becomes mushy like a soft fruit only to Odelia?
"...Anyway, she is a woman who will soon marry another man."
"I know that it's me who chooses that guy."
"..."
"Is there anything else you want to say?"
"...I was just scratching my head, I was just worried."
"I have a very strong assistant."
"Seriously," Henry said, genuinely concerned, as he looked at Calex with a puff of breath.
Calix's gaze never wavered. At this moment, it was fixed on Odelia, freely moving across the field.
As she ran, Odelia's hair, which had been tied up, gradually loosened and fluttered in the wind.
As the hair fluttering in the sunlight swayed like flames and dazzled his eyes, Calix stopped in one place and fixed his gaze on the man.
Yeah, definitely, this looks much better.
Rather than the refined hem of her dress, the shackles of etiquette and gaze, where even her every word had to be guarded, she ran, cutting through the wind with her entire body, like now.
That sight of her smiling without pretense, her eyes shining, and not being afraid, even when holding the reins in her hand.
At the same time, Calix feels guilty.
It was he who dragged Odelia into this dirty game of jealousy and envy, and it was he who moved her like a chess piece in it.
The thought of never seeing Odelia's face smiling so brightly made Calix feel a little uneasy.
It's simply the guilt of having to endure the flightless wings of a bird and then confining it in a cage. Nothing more, nothing less.
Either way, at this point, no one seemed to need permission or explanation. Odelia was simply free, and that freedom was slowly creeping into Calix's heart.
It was then.
A rustling, very faint sound came from afar. It sounded like the swaying of a hand, or perhaps the footsteps of an animal. No one else seemed to hear, but Calix immediately turned his gaze in that direction.
Where a small movement had passed, something was rippling subtly beneath the shaded water.
Calix stared at the place where the unfamiliar presence lingered for a long time without saying anything.
Calix also climbed onto his horse and rode slowly towards where Odelia was.
Although they hadn't made a separate appointment, they walked together for a while across the wide meadow, holding the reins of their horses. They rode their horses, paused for a moment, or walked side by side in silence.
Until the sun set and the evening glow began to fall, did anything more than conversation pass between them? Suddenly, Odelia noticed that Calix occasionally looked into the distance.
“Why are you doing that?”
Odelia was also about to turn her gaze towards the point where Calix was looking.
"It's nothing much. I was just thinking that maybe we should move."
He averted his gaze and turned his head as if nothing had happened. Whatever the miracle, he didn't want Odelia to notice it now.
"It's evening now, so let's go somewhere quieter, lady."
It was Calix who said that and raised the reins.
Odelia, who was still riding in the field, noticed the signal and immediately changed direction.
As he rode slowly toward the palace, a prepared carriage arrived. Calix dismounted with a familiar gesture and escorted Odelia.
Odelia entered the carriage, and Calix followed her.
The carriage arrived at a place not far from the townhouses, in front of a magnificent opera house.
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