“The little sun of the empire, Prince Herald Rudenheim, I greet you.”
Retina greeted her lover in front of her. Instead of adjusting her dress, Retina placed her hand on her chest and bowed her head, then turned her gaze straight to the arena. Instead of Retina, who greeted Herald and turned away, Sat struck up a friendly conversation with him.
“Why would His Highness the Prince come here rather than to the jousting arena?” “I came to see something better than the jousting tournament.”
“That’s just talk.”
“It’s a friend’s talk, my friend.”
Herald, who couldn’t take his eyes off Retina since her arrival, quickly stepped forward as soon as she stood in front of the jousting arena with Sat. Ignoring the notion of friendship, Sat shrugged off Herald’s heavy arm and brushed his shoulders, muttering under his breath. It was clear who he had come to see, using himself as an excuse.
“Since we’re not going anywhere, let’s have a conversation at least.”
Feeling a bit annoyed that they couldn’t meet properly, Sat stood with his arms crossed. As Herald pretended to converse with Sat, he looked in the same direction as Retina, who stood beside him.
“Have you been well in my absence?”
“I should be asking you that question. But you seem to be doing better than last time. Your complexion has improved.”
“Hmm, really? It was tough not seeing you, but you look good. Is it because your beauty has blossomed from being in love?”
Herald stroked his chin and let out a sigh. He wanted to push his face closer to Retina’s and take a closer look. He held her head, trying to prevent her from turning away.
“Have you tried the method I told you back then? Are you still not feeling well?”
“I tried it thinking about the care you showed, but it didn’t work at all without you. Instead of that, I’d rather hug you one more time.”
Even just holding hands would be nice. Her fingers itched to grab the hand that brushed against hers so closely. It was frustrating not being able to look directly at him, even though he was right in front of her.
“I regretted holding back right after you left. If I knew we wouldn’t be able to meet like this, I would have hugged you tightly.”
“But you couldn’t leave from there.”
“Why do you think there’s a curtain in front of the stage during an opera?”
Herald casually spat out those words without a hint of change in his expression. Thanks to him, Retina, her cheeks flushed, couldn’t even make a retort and instead lowered her head, pretending to look at the ground to hide her embarrassed face. It was fortunate that they were distant from others, so no one could hear their conversation.
“…… You two haven’t forgotten I’m here, are you?”
Ah, right. There was one more person. Retina, reminded of him by Sat’s voice, which was obscured by Herald’s presence, cleared her throat.
“No, I didn’t forget about you because of the prince.” Even if I try to explain, Sat, who was already raising an eyebrow, seemed to think so.
“If I hadn’t been here, you two wouldn’t have been able to talk. You know that, right?”
“Of course I know. How could I not?”
While Retina and Herald’s conversation dominated, on the surface, it was about the prince coming down to see his friend watch the equestrian event. Thanks to that, even though he couldn’t stay long, he could have a brief conversation with Retina.
“The equestrian outfit suits you well.”
“I know. That’s why I wore it despite Lina’s opposition.”
“For whom are you trying to look good? I’m resisting the urge to pluck out all the eyes that are still glancing at you.”
“Who else would I want to look pretty for?”
Retina turned her head and looked up at Herald. As their eyes met, Herald was momentarily entranced, as if time had stopped. It was just a fleeting moment, but the image of Retina with her hair tied up high stayed in his mind.
“Can you ride as well?”
“I can only run. I learned a little from my brothers here and there.”
“I don’t doubt your riding skills, but I’m worried you might get hurt. Won’t it be better to ride with Sat or Haint?”
“Don’t underestimate my riding skills.”
Turning her head back to where the competition was about to resume, Retina lifted her chin enthusiastically. After Haint’s turn was over, they were planning to go to the woods with Rodrigo.
“Looking forward to it.”
Whispering quietly, Herald patted Sat’s shoulder twice before heading back to the dais.
He wanted to stay closer to Retina, but he knew that insisting on it would only be detrimental to her, as she was uncomfortable with his proximity.
Retina nonchalantly watched the horses and riders overcome obstacles as if they were playing tricks, without exchanging a word with Herald. Circling around the arena and jumping over obstacles of various heights, they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“How was it?”
After finishing the race, Haint approached with the reins of Theo in hand. Even to himself, his performance seemed satisfactory, as evidenced by his proud posture, and Theo’s strides were equally confident.
Waiting for Haint while patting Rodrigo at the edge of the woods, Retina subtly stepped back as the two bulky figures approached. She looked at them and quietly retreated.
“I thought Theo’s size might be a hindrance, but he jumped well.”
“Haha, that’s the skill of the rider. Who would have thought Theo would clear a 5-foot obstacle!”
“Maybe Theo just has good physical abilities?”
“Yeah, right. Theo! Do you think so too?”
Haint spoke while placing his hand on the black horse’s face. Although animals couldn’t understand human speech, Theo raised his head slightly as if he had heard their conversation, tilting his face.
“What, so you’re saying Theo succeeded because of your abilities?”
“See, even Theo thinks so.”
“Hey, partner. Who are you listening to?”
Annoyed by Haint’s scolding, Theo shook his head. It was clear he wasn’t listening to Haint, not even with his ears. Seeing this, Retina and Sat burst into laughter, applauding. Meanwhile, the Deneuve siblings chatted away while the coachman brought Rodrigo over. Retina, sandwiched between the attention-grabbing Deneuve brothers, ended up leaning against the ladies’ shoulders. “My ears are ticklish.”
“I’d rather go to the woods. Who knows what we’ll hear if we stay here.” “It would be nice if Sat could come with us.”
“Very unfortunate, but I have to deal with Father and those old foxes. I’ll catch up later. Haint knows some good spots.”
“Haha! I know all the good spots.”
With his hand on his hip, Haint puffed out his chest proudly. Retina glanced at Rodrigo, following the coachman , then adjusted the leather strap on her wrist.
“Rodrigo, it’s been a while since we ran together, hasn’t it?”
Greeting Rodrigo, who walked proudly, Retina welcomed him warmly and took out snacks from the saddlebag. Seeing the treats, Rodrigo flipped his lips to show his teeth, eagerly chewing on the snacks as Retina mounted the saddle.
Gracefully mounting Rodrigo’s back, Retina smiled as she ascended to a higher vantage point. She gently brushed Rodrigo’s mane, signaling that they would soon depart.
“Before we depart, I’ll just do a quick check,” said the coachman who had come holding Rodrigo’s reins, approaching him.
“A check? I would have done that before bringing him out of the stable,” replied Retina.
“The Empress specifically requested extra attention due to the news of an inexperienced rider participating in the riding. Feel free to check if you’re not satisfied.”
Sat, who had blocked the coachman approaching Rodrigo ridden by Retina, glanced towards where the Empress was seated. Sitting beside the Crown Prince, she had been watching Retina attentively, overseeing this area.
“You’re not going to make a fuss, are you?”.
“In an open space like this, what could we possibly do? I’ll check quickly and step back.”
With careful hands, the coachman checked the bridle, reins, and saddle in succession. His movements were those of a skilled individual preparing for any unforeseen accidents.
Feeling reassured, Sat momentarily glanced at the coachman ‘s ring, oblivious to the needle protruding from it, which had pricked Rodrigo. After completing the inspection, the coachman inserted a jewel into the spot where the needle was and rubbed his hand.
“It’s securely fixed. Everything seems fine.”
The coachman , taking a step back with a lowered head, raised the corners of his mouth.
‘Why am I feeling so uneasy? Is it just my imagination?’
Feeling a chill down his spine, Sat glanced at the Empress, but she remained motionless, sitting quietly.
As Sat slowly turned his head back to look at Retina, who was waiting for Haint, his expression began to distort.
Retina seemed to have also noticed Rodrigo’s unusual behavior, as she continuously stroked his neck, trying to calm him down.
“Retina, get off the horse right now!”
As Sat realized the coachman who had inspected the riding gear had disappeared, he shouted like a scream. At that moment, Rodrigo, with Retina on his back, raised his front hooves high.
