"I came out to ride a horse, a horse."
When she remembered where this place was, he let go of the cart without any doubt and waited for the next word.
"I found you because I couldn't see Joseph."
The other party didn't even ask, but Shioana, who was numb for no reason, became more talkative. In fact, she saw Joseph arranging the pruning in the garden, but there was no reason to explain.
Indeed, Joseph is not here.
"Yes. That's what I mean."
Joseph had told him about things quite steadily, and he immediately found Shioana's words. He was quite familiar with leading a brown pony with white fur on its chest and putting it on the saddle. After finishing his work, he dragged the pony to stand next to the footrest.
"What is this? I had no intention of riding a horse."
Remembering Martha's words, Shioana looked troubled.
"Miss, your ankle has healed less, so you should avoid walking or horseback riding for the time being."
But if she says she won't ride now, she will be ridiculous.
Shioana endured the slight pain in her ankle and struggled to get on the horse. Shioana took the reins of the horse she was riding and went around the driving range with him.
Shioana looked at him as he took the reins with a sidelong glance, not looking ahead. His black hair moves gently with the wind, and she doesn't know why he is so dazed.
'Why am I doing this?'
It must be because of the scorching sun.
"Stop walking!"
At Shioana's command, he led the horse to the place where there was a foothold in no time. She tried to stay upright until the end, and she tried to get off her horse.
She wondered if she couldn't ride a horse yet, and her body didn't listen to her.
"...Ugh."
He stared intently at Shioana's moaning face.
It was as if he knew everything about her inside and laughed at her, which made Shioana angry.
"Who would cheekily look into their master's eyes so straight!"
None of the employees looked at her like this. Normally, even if she lowered her head a little or made eye contact, they quickly avoided her eyes. However, the opponent looked at Shioana piercingly, with his head stiff.
"..."
In the end, when she saw his blazing red eyes, she turned her head first. Seeing Shioana's face in his eyes made her feel uncomfortable.
'By the way, I can't move...'
There was no such defeat either.
As she continued to sit on the horse, she didn't feel any pain in her hips, buttocks, or thighs. At that moment, something hit her knee, and Shioana's eyes widened.
"...What is it!"
Shioana's new voice covered the practice hall.
Shioana, who imagined a snake or a small beast that had fallen from a tree, was so frightened that she couldn't open her eyes. But after a long time, nothing happened.
After a while, she opened her eyes and saw his outstretched hand in front of her.
'What is it? Are you going to help me?'
Shioana, who was hesitant to make a fuss, snorted and turned away from his hand.
'Do you think I will get help from you twice?'
She had no choice but to borrow his hand on a rainy day, but now the situation is different from then.
"...Hmm."
He sighed and left immediately. As she watched him disappear, Shioana's face turned with astonishment.
"Leaving me here and just leaving?"
Shioana couldn't even get off her horse. The midday sun was still hot, and sitting on a horse without a sip of water made her feel dizzy.
"I'm crazy. Why would I bother saying thank you?"
The feelings she had when she came out earlier had long since disappeared like spring snow.
"You did something useless."
It is natural for employees to help their masters.
"I shouldn't fall down again..."
In order not to lose consciousness, Shioana gave her back a lot of strength. If brother Eli saw this, she would definitely be dragged to the basement of the outbuilding.
"As a member of the family, it is your duty and duty to take bridal lessons until you have fulfilled your role."
However, since she was sweating and moaning like this, she had nothing to say.
At that moment, it seemed as if someone was waving to Shioana from a distance.
Is it Martha? But she was dizzy and couldn't be sure.
"Miss!"
With her vision already blurred, Martha ran towards her. As soon as Martha arrived, she wiped Shioana's face with a towel soaked in water.
"Why did someone who wasn't even fully recovered go horseback riding? Didn't I tell you that if you continued like this and got seriously ill, you could be buried before you even reached adulthood?"
Martha, who was pouring the water she brought to Shioana's mouth, nagged nonstop.
"Give me that hat."
At Martha's command, the slave who had stood behind her appeared.
"...Oh."
She thought he had abandoned her, but now she sees that the slave went to call Martha.
Martha trembled and put a wide-brimmed hat on her.
"I'm hanging out the laundry, and out of nowhere, he comes and gestures. He doesn't speak, so I don't know what that means."
"..."
"But for some reason, I thought it had something to do with the young lady, so I came here in such a hurry. I feel like I'm going to die because of the young lady."
Martha grumbled endlessly as she looked around Shioana.
"What is this? You're not even a baby."
Shioana leaned her cheek on Martha's wide back and spared her words. She did something so stupid that she couldn't even say anything, even if she heard the nagging.
When Shioana glanced back, she saw him holding the reins of the foal and watching Shioana intently. His head covered more than half of his face, so she couldn't even see his eyes.
She could tell.
His red eyes must be burning as if they were going to swallow Shioana.
***
Martha, who had been ventilating the bedroom by opening the window wide, opened her mouth cheerfully.
"Still, it feels a bit hot in the summer. Right?"
It was a rare summer atmosphere that could be felt in a Regbel that doesn't get warm.
"Yes. The wind is a little different."
When it gets dark, the cold wind will blow again, but anyway, the warm breeze is vividly touching her skin.
"By the way, how are you feeling today, young lady?"
"I think everything is better now,"
It was a very special thing.
Born and raised in Regbel, Shioana was trained to climb and descend mountains like steep hills, so she was confident in her physical strength.
So she didn't get sick often, but this time she was bedridden twice in a row.
Shioana said, looking out the window.
"Get ready for a short-sleeved dress today."
"Are you already moving? Wouldn't long arms still be better?"
"If I keep lying down, I'll get sick more. And I can wear a shawl."
After confirming Shioana's stubborn face, Martha immediately opened the closet door. She looked up as she rummaged through her dress.
"By the way. I think you need to adjust your clothes anew. You can't wear all the dresses so short."
"Yes. I don't think anyone can see it..."
Few aristocrats were living in Regbel. So Eli also went on an expedition to the Highbell to gamble.
He said that there are many people in Highbell, where you have to go by carriage, and there are many markets and shops. She only heard about it in words, but she never actually saw it.
'Besides, I don't think I have enough money to buy a dress.'
The Evgenian family was an aristocrat on the outside, but in fact, their circumstances were worse than those of merchants.
"No, it is not. Our young lady should also get ready to go out into the social circle. Next time the lord comes, I'll tell him."
Social circle...
It was a word that felt somewhat distant to her.
Although she was born into an aristocratic family, she did not receive the classes that aristocrats should take.
The Count told the woman that education was useless, so Shioana taught herself to write and numbers.
"You have to learn to dance, you have to learn etiquette. You can't even guess how fast time flies. You will soon become someone's wife. It's not long before I can hold a baby who looks like a young lady in my arms."
"...Martha. What do you mean by that?"
Shioana's cheeks were as hot as ripe apples.
The middle-aged Martha, who still had a girlish corner, had too much imagination. The story she heard today was the best of them.
'It's ridiculous that I'm giving birth to a baby.'
Of course, it was common for women to marry and give birth to babies in adulthood. Shioana was sixteen years old this year, so it was only a few years later.
However, for her, things like marriage and babies seemed far away.
"Do you have any gentlemen in your heart? Why are you blushing?"
"Martha, stop talking nonsense!"
She pressed her hat deeply to hide her hot cheeks. When Shioana was ready to leave, Martha stood up from her seat, arranging the knitting stitches.
"Can I go out with you?"
"No, it's been a long time since I've been out, so I'll go alone. I'll just walk through the garden, so there's nothing dangerous."
Martha shook her head at her answer.
Wasn't she the young lady who always followed her like a duckling?
My young lady has grown up.
After recovering from the fever, she felt that her eyes had deepened.
"Then you have to come back before tea time."
"Yes. It won't take long."
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