Chapter 154: Basic Accomplishments
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 154: Basic Accomplishments
“Your Highness, the Grand Duke has sent a letter.”
“A letter?”
We were in the same castle; why the sudden correspondence?
As I took the letter, Cecilia approached with sparkling eyes. I opened the envelope, feeling a sense of curiosity.
「Annette,
I have a gift I would like to give you.
If it is not too much trouble, please come to the stables for a moment.
—Loik.」
To the stables, all of a sudden?
Had he already heard about the conversation between Prince Lucion and me?
Cecilia, who had sidled up next to me, looked as if her mouth was itching to say something. She couldn’t hide the smirk tugging at the corners of her lips as she giggled.
“I didn’t say much, you know?”
“Which means you definitely said something.”
“I only told Sir Perel to ask if it would be alright for Prince Lucion to become Your Highness’s riding instructor at this rate.”
I let out a hollow laugh as I looked at Cecilia, who was shamelessly blinking her bright eyes.
“I mean, honestly, isn’t it a bit much? The Grand Duke is her husband and he’s perfectly fine, so why is a Prince stepping up to teach her how to ride?”
Her small nostrils flared with excitement.
“Besides, what’s so great about winning that tiny little riding competition in Rondoris anyway?”
Cecilia huffed, claiming that most of the nobles there probably held back just to let the Prince save face.
I turned back to Whitley, who was standing by patiently.
“I’ll go right now.”
“Your Highness! You must change your clothes first,” Cecilia said urgently. “You might end up actually riding a horse.”
While the dresses Madame Ramondria made were designed for ease of movement, they were certainly not suited for horseback riding.
“Why don’t you wear a riding habit?”
“I don’t have one, though?”
Ah. Only then did Cecilia remember the state of my wardrobe and let out a sigh.
Whitley took a cautious step forward.
“The Grand Duke has already given orders. The maids are on their way with a riding habit.”
“A riding habit?”
While I blinked in surprise, Reta and several other maids appeared, carrying an armful of riding attire.
* * *
“This is a crossbreed of the Leparzan and Docher lines. She is the gentlest and most docile of all the horses here. We kept her aside because she was a bit too small to be used as a warhorse.”
Loik stroked the horse’s glossy white mane. An elegant horse, perfectly suited for Annette, stood before him.
— “The Prince offered to give Her Highness riding lessons.”
Those were the words he had heard in his office just moments ago. Loik’s hand, which had been signing a document regarding the merchant guild’s port tolls, came to a halt.
— “However, Her Highness mentioned that she… does not know how to ride.”
At that, Loik’s brow furrowed deeply. Unless they were from a minor or impoverished family, it was a given that daughters of prestigious noble houses learned to ride from a young age.
Yet, she didn’t know how to ride.
He unconsciously clenched his jaw. It wasn’t simply because Annette couldn’t ride. It was because he could easily imagine what else had been neglected if that arrogant, aristocratic Marquis hadn’t even bothered to teach his own daughter how to ride.
Perel’s next words were even more preposterous.
— “And so, the Prince stepped forward and offered to teach her himself.”
That madman.
As Loik showed signs of becoming excessively agitated, Perel hurriedly added more.
— “Of course, Her Highness declined.”
Even hearing that, Loik couldn’t cool the heat rushing to his head. Hadn’t he first learned of Lucion because of the man’s scandalous reputation? The mere thought of that damn bastard hovering around Annette made his blood boil.
— “Where is the Grand Duchess now?”
Loik curled his trembling fingertips into a fist.
— “She is likely in her room.”
Perel casually passed along the maid’s word that the Grand Duchess’s afternoon schedule was clear. And with that, Loik had headed straight for the stables.
I should have taught her sooner.
He felt the same way he did when he found out Annette didn’t have any jewelry.
— “Bring the gentlest, finest mare we have.”
At the Grand Duke’s sharp command, the stablehands turned pale. They hurriedly conferred with one another before bringing out a young white mare.
Loik was stroking the mane of the mare, who was lazily tossing her head, trying to calm his irritation when he heard his lovely Duchess’s voice.
When Loik turned around, he was momentarily speechless.
Upon hearing from Whitley that Her Highness likely lacked a riding habit, he had ordered them to bring something suitable from his mother’s wardrobe. Fortunately, the clothes kept in the magically preserved dressing room were in good condition.
Annette is much smaller than my mother was.
Annette was dressed in a beige shirt, sky-blue trousers, and boots of a slightly darker shade. The long sleeves were rolled up twice, and though the waist was cinched with a belt, the outfit was still a bit baggy. The long hems of the trousers, which hadn’t been fully tucked into the boots, were heavily wrinkled.
Nevertheless, seeing Annette in such different attire was incredibly stirring. Now that the silhouette of her legs—usually hidden beneath voluminous skirts—was fully revealed, he found himself unsure of where to look.
“The clothes seem a bit large.”
Annette gave a bashful smile. Seeing her shrug her shoulders in the loose shirt made his heart thud unexpectedly.
The stablehands, noticing her arrival, offered their greetings. Loik felt a prickle of annoyance at the lingering glances of those trying to catch a closer look at the Grand Duchess.
He strode toward her.
“I’m not sure if it’s alright for me to wear these clothes.”
“If my mother were here, she would have been the first to offer them to you.”
He felt a bit more at ease only after he reached out to firmly fasten the slightly open collar of her shirt.
“Did you call me here to teach me how to ride?” Annette asked, her face flushing slightly.
Loik’s throat felt itchy for no reason, so he simply nodded instead of answering. At his signal, a stablehand quickly grabbed the white mare’s reins and approached.
An exclamation of awe escaped Annette’s lips when she saw the snow-white horse.
“Do you like her?”
“She’s so beautiful.”
“She belongs to you now, Annette.”
“She’s mine?” Her eyes widened in surprise.
“It is a small gift from me.”
Annette’s mouth parted slightly, clearly delighted. She started to move toward the horse but hesitated, looking up at Loik.
“It’s alright. She’s a gentle creature, so she isn’t dangerous.”
At his reassurance, Annette cautiously approached the horse again.
“May I touch her?”
From the way she was acting, it seemed she had never properly touched a horse before. Instead of answering, Loik wrapped his hand around her hesitating one and placed it on the white horse’s neck.
As Annette slowly stroked the neck following Loik’s lead, the horse nuzzled its head toward her as if in greeting.
“It seems she likes you, Annette.”
Her peach-like cheeks flushed crimson in an instant.
“She’ll get used to you even faster if you feed her.”
The stablehand, who had been watching for an opening, ran over with a box of carrots. When Loik nodded, Annette took a carrot and held it up to the horse’s muzzle. After a few sniffs, the horse crunched down on the carrot and finished it in no time.
“What is her name?”
“You should name her, Annette.”
Annette narrowed her brows as if deep in thought. After a long moment of deliberation, she spoke.
“I’ll call her Snow.”
Loik pressed his lips together. Usually, horses were named after figures from myth or scripture. He had seen people with vivid imaginations name them based on personality or speed, but…
Snow.
Naming a horse after a wine…
“Why? Is it strange?”
“No. I think it suits her well.”
It was a name a horse of the Blenheim family would likely never have carried, but even that felt uniquely like Annette.
As Loik smiled, the stablehand standing nearby flinched in shock and took a step back.
“So, are you going to teach me how to ride now?”
At Annette’s question, Loik shook his head. He felt uneasy about putting Annette on a horse by herself while she was still unfamiliar with it.
“I think it would be best to learn proper riding after you’ve bonded with her a bit more.”
Her voice trailed off, sounding slightly disappointed.
“Instead, we shall ride my horse today.”
“Your horse, Loik?”
Soon, the stablehand brought out a massive black stallion whose size was clearly in a league of its own. Annette let out a gasp of admiration.
“Seeing him up close… he’s enormous.”
“His name is Pyros. He has a foul temper, so do not get too close.”
Annette, who had been about to reach out, pulled her hand back to her chest in surprise.
“Hello, Pyros,” Annette whispered.
Pyros glanced at her with a haughty air, then snorted and turned his head away.
“He’s very handsome.”
For some reason, the way Pyros stood with his neck stiffened made it look as if he were trying to look his best for Annette.
Hah. Loik stifled a laugh. Pyros was a horse notorious for his difficult personality. He was the type to lash out in disgust if a knight approached him smelling even slightly of sweat.
To think even a beast like him would be so well-behaved in front of Annette.
Loik chuckled and turned to Annette. “Are you ready?”
“Ready for what?”
Loik gently took hold of Annette’s waist and suddenly hoisted her up onto the horse.
“Eek!”
Annette let out an unintelligible sound and grabbed Loik’s arm.
“It’s alright. Now, swing your leg over… well done.”
Annette’s legs trembled as she sat atop the horse. Loik nimbly vaulted up behind her.
Wait, I didn’t anticipate this.
Once settled, Loik swallowed hard. Annette’s back and his chest were pressed much closer together than he had expected. As the sweet scent of her body wafted from her soft frame and brushed against the tip of his nose, an involuntary thirst rose within him.