“Just, I was thinking of getting some fresh air.”
That was the answer she came up with after racking her brain. Pristin, trying to compose her blushing cheeks, asked,
“Your Majesty, could it be that you really…”
“Yeah. To see you.”
“Well, now that you’ve seen me, you can leave.”
“Why do you have to send me away like this?”
“Because it bothers me. Someone else’s eyes.”
Pristin said it in a casual way, but Jerald looked quite serious as he listened. He was silent for a while, and Pristin became anxious.
And a moment later, Jerald asked, staring straight at Pristin,
“Should I kick them out?”
“…What?”
Pristin asked, doubting her ears, but Jerald seemed very serious.
“Should I chase them all away so that there’s only the two of us?”
“…What?”
Pristin asked back with a look of disbelief.
“…Are you joking?”
“…”
Jerald looked at Pristin with a mischievous smile, and he raised his hand to smooth out the wrinkles between Pristin’s eyebrows. Puzzled, Pristin looked up at Jerald.
“Yes. I’m just kidding.”
It wasn’t a joke, actually.
‘Looking at her reaction, it’s going to be a big deal if I do that.’
As soon as Jerald arrived at the Summer Palace, he had to give up the plan he had in mind, and Pristin felt somewhat uneasy as Jerald’s words didn’t seem like a joke to him.
“Anyway, please go now. I’m going to go inside too.”
“You said you were going for a walk.”
“I changed my mind. I’m going back inside.”
“Fickle.”
“…It’s my mood.”
After leaving on those words, Pristin walked toward her room as if she were running away again. Looking at Pristin’s moving back, Jerald muttered with a joyful look,
“Cute.”
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
She fled as if she were running away, but it didn’t last very long. They had to meet for lunch anyway.
“Countess.”
Aruvina called Pristin, who was reading a book, with a slightly refreshed face after finishing lunch. Pristin instinctively realized it was time to leave. She got up from her seat after closing the book.
“Is His Majesty here?”
“Yes…”
Aruvina, looking somewhat delighted, pushed Pristin forward.
“Go take a look. His Majesty came riding a very splendid horse.”
Because they were supposed to ride a horse today. Pristin went out, seemingly indifferent, but as soon as she stepped out, she was unexpectedly taken aback.
“…Your Majesty.”
“Pristin.”
Jerald, riding on the horse, made eye contact with Pristin with a laid-back smile.
“You came?”
“…Yes.”
Jerald, riding a white horse, was showing off a very attractive atmosphere, and Pristin, who wasn’t immune to such a sight, could only be struck by the impact. She felt a hit to her heart that was beyond her control.
She was perplexed as her heart raced unexpectedly fast, and she bit her lips to suppress it, trying to control her expression, unsure if it was properly managed.
“Can you ride a horse?”
“No, I can’t.”
Jerald immediately jumped off his horse at Pristin’s answer. Even that image looked so cool that Pristin thought for a moment that she might be crazy.
A few moments later, Jerald, who had approached Pristin, politely extended his hand. When Pristin cautiously took his hand, Jerald unexpectedly pulled her toward him.
“Oh…”
“Don’t worry, it’s not too difficult.”
“…Yes.”
“Now, step on here…”
As the distance between them decreased, their breaths also became closer. Pristin felt her body tensing unintentionally with the warm breath tickling her skin. Eventually, unable to endure it, she said to Jerald,
“I understand now.”
Though in reality, she didn’t quite comprehend. Jerald looked at Pristin with a puzzled expression.
“Do you really understand?”
“…Yes.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“…I understand.”
When she insisted, she left Jerald no choice. He mounted the horse with a very cool movement and then extended his hand toward Pristin. And with a very reliable voice, he said,
“If you’re not confident, just take my hand and come up.”
Initially, Pristin attempted to ride alone, but no matter how she struggled, it wasn’t an easy task.
Eventually, Pristin had no choice but to take Jerald’s hand. His hand, with many calluses, firmly gripped Pristin’s hand. Then, with a strong force, he pulled Pristin toward him. Thanks to that, Pristin was able to get on the horse much more easily than before.
Jerald, who showed no signs of exhaustion, turned around and looked at Pristin.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
But even after that question, Jerald didn’t turn back around. Pristin felt something strange and was about to ask why Jerald was acting this way.
“Hold on.”
“Yes?”
“Hold on to me.”
Pristin made a puzzled expression at the abrupt request. However, she soon understood and was flustered.
“Ah…”
“You don’t want to fall, do you? No matter how talented I am, I don’t have the skill to save you in such a situation.”
While playfully asking, Jerald looked at Pristin, who cautiously held onto Jerald’s waist. However, it seemed that he wasn’t satisfied with her grip.
“You need to hold on tighter.”
Pristin did as she was told. But Jerald still didn’t seem pleased.
“Even tighter.”
“Like this?”
“Do you want to fall off?”
Jerald said with a stern expression.
“Wrap your arms around my waist.”
Feeling a bit uneasy about the strange request, Pristin did as Jerald instructed. There was a somewhat awkward moment, as she felt the firm muscles of his abdomen where their hands touched. After a brief moment of embarrassment, Jerald, satisfied, looked forward again.
“Shall we go?”
Leaving behind that hopeful remark, Jerald set the horse in motion. Initially moving slowly, the horse soon started to run faster. Pristin called out to Jerald with a surprised voice.
“Your Majesty.”
“What?”
“Isn’t it too fast?”
“Oh, really?”
Jerald quickly calmed down the horse when she said it. The horse seemed to want to speed up more, but he acted as the owner told him to, in a loyal manner. After the speed had dropped a little, Pristin spoke in a slightly relieved voice,
“Thank you.”
“We can’t have the passenger feeling scared.”
Jerald turned back momentarily and asked,
“Should I slow down more?”
“No, it’s okay.”
Now was just right. Pristin felt the right amount of speed and surrendered herself to the blowing wind. The wind brushing her hair behind her ears and even hitting her face all felt pleasant.
‘…A nice scent.’
And the scent emanating from Jerald, who was riding with her, felt good too. Pristin’s cheeks blushed slightly.
Meanwhile, Jerald’s situation wasn’t much different. The moment Pristin got on behind him and held onto his waist, it felt so good. Though they soon entered the forest, having her behind him made everything seem okay.
Both of them were wrapped in a joyful mood, and they didn’t exchange any words. Despite the lack of conversation, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward. However, after a while, Pristin felt a bit awkward realizing she hadn’t spoken for a long time.
‘…But it’s okay.’
The only memory Pristin had of riding a horse was when Christine had carried her behind. Riding a horse wasn’t something she was used to, but this moment brought her unparalleled joy and freedom. While enjoying the cool breeze, Pristin, almost unknowingly, leaned her body against Jerald’s back.
“…”
Jerald couldn’t help but notice it. Although he was surprised by the sudden physical contact, he didn’t show any signs of discomfort. He refrained from doing so because he feared that Pristin might immediately pull away, given her personality.
He didn’t know when she would return to her usual posture, but Jerald decided to savor this moment.
His heart was beating much faster than before, and Pristin soon realized this fact.
‘Oh, this…’
Only now did she realize that she had been leaning against Jerald’s back all this time, and Pristin felt embarrassed. However, she didn’t want to lift herself up from there for some reason, so she decided to stay still with her mouth shut.
For breaking the current atmosphere, the moment was too precious. The refreshing wind, the scent of an old lover, and most importantly, the fact that his heart was beating so fast and strongly because of her made Pristin both sad and happy.
With her body leaning against Jerald’s back, Pristin slowly closed her eyes.
After a while, another scent began to mix in. The fragrance of fresh and dense grass, the smell of earth, and an inexplicably refreshing scent. Pristin opened her eyes again after enjoying the moment.
‘Ah.’
Finally, they reached the forest.
Pristin cautiously glanced at Jerald, even though his expression wasn’t entirely visible due to their current position. However, his body seemed more tense than before. Pristin couldn’t help but wear an awkward expression.
‘If he’s like this even now, it might not be good in a real situation…’
Pristin felt the speed of the horse, which seemed to have fallen more than before, and slowly opened her mouth.
“Your Majesty, are you all right?”
“…I’m fine.”
However, his voice didn’t sound entirely convincing. Pristin sighed inwardly.
‘Well, resolving it in one go might be too much to expect.’
In that case, it might not be a simple trauma. It couldn’t be that easy.
‘How about creating a good memory in the forest…’
But was it possible in a place filled only with trees and grass? While pondering, Pristin soon came to a conclusion.
‘I’ll think about how to create a good memory later; for now, let’s address the current situation.’
Pristin slowly released her hand from Jerald’s waist. Jerald, who was still tense, didn’t seem to notice. Then, Pristin bent her body as much as possible, reached out her hand slowly, and held hands with Jerald, who was holding the reins.
Only then did Jerald startle and turn to look at Pristin.
“Pri…”
“If you’re nervous, shall we go like this?”
While asking, Pristin made a trusting expression towards Jerald, who seemed to be deep in thought. Without understanding what Jerald was thinking, he slowly opened his mouth.
“…No.”
Surprised by the unexpected answer, Pristin’s eyes widened a bit.
