Chapter 27

A week went by like that.

Although it was not the accurate wording, it was the words that prevented Ian, who was now able to roughly write a couple simple sentences.

“That’s how you do it.”

When they went out on an expedition, everyone rode horses, so the same situation was as difficult as last time. At that time, they only rode together to the village that was not far away, but the expedition took several days to several weeks. It was Claude, the deputy general, who was next to Ian, judging that he should at least break the news to Ian.

Didn’t you say you were busy?

He was even more puzzled because he remembered what he said back then. Schwartz, who was sitting there at the time, as if he had read Ian’s expression, said with a pleasant smile.

“It is Claude who handles horses the best among our Knights. Even those with stubborn personalities become gentle in front of Claude as if they had never been ferocious.”

“No horses are born with malice. It’s an animal that is greatly influenced by the personality of the person it deals with….”

“Look, I usually set a barrier with my rank, but only at times like this do I get talkative.”

“…..”

He immediately shut his mouth, not knowing what to say.

“Kyle is a ruthless horseman and is not suitable to teach anyone. I have already changed a few of them this year.”

Horseback riding seemed to follow his personality. Schwartz shook his head as he nodded, tapped his back lightly and smiled softly.

“I have an afternoon training session, so I’ll go. If you follow Claude’s words, it won’t be so difficult. Rather, it’s very nice to work with animals.”

Is it? I don’t know because I’ve never raised anything. To be more precise, would it be more accurate to say that I have no good memories? 

For Ian, animals were not friendly images, but the opposite.

The days when I was dragged by my father to go hunting was one of the memories I always wanted to erase. The first shotgun I heard was as heavy as a life that was disregarded, and the first memory I remember was of vomiting out of repulsion.

Maybe that’s why no animals came to my side. 

Most of the dogs raised by the clients avoided their seats or dried themselves in corners when Ian visited. He took the collar to his nose to see if it smelled like blood, but he couldn’t smell anything. Perhaps it was because he got used to it.

Schwartz patted his back again, hurried away, regardless of Ian being still with the things in mind. Perhaps because Logan hadn’t visited for weeks, he had heard that there had been some slackers lately.

“You weren’t afraid to ride, so it’s all right.”

Claud, glancing at Schwartz, who had disappeared into the training ground, spoke expressionlessly. He seemed to think that Ian, who had no response, was worried about something else.

“We have about a week to go, so I think we should start at a quick pace.”

In fact, it takes two months at the earliest to learn the fast paced canter*. It was not enough time to learn horseback riding right after the expedition was decided, but it was intentionally postponed until now.

[*T/N: To canter is to ride a horse at a speed between a trot and a gallop. Trot is the speed or movement of a horse or similar animal when it trots and Gallop is the fastest pace of a horse or other quadruped, with all the feet off the ground together in each stride.  These are all terminologies used in horseback riding mainly.]

It’s better to reduce the risk as much as possible.

It was said that if you’re not good at horseback riding, you do not need to be able to ride well.

Even without help, I stepped on the stirrup alone with my hands tied, so I think I’m quite athletic. As long as I keep my posture, there will be no problem with simple trot*. Claude made a quick decision and stepped towards the stable. The mansion was large, and there was a space for a simple test ride next to the training ground.

[*T/N: Trot – proceed or cause to proceed at a pace faster than a walk, lifting each diagonal pair of legs alternately. The difference between trot and gallop is that gallop is to run at a fast pace while trot is to walk rapidly.]

“You can ride this horse.”

As Ian followed Claude into the stable, what appeared before his eyes was a white horse, just like last time. However, he was a little smaller than he was then, but unlike the horses that seemed elegant and calm, his round eyes shone brightly.

“It’s the offspring of the white horse you rode at that time. Bella is smart and docile and will lead you well.”

He nodded his head as it was a name that somehow suited him. Claude added, picking up a carrot from a barrel beside the farm.

“The essence of horseback riding lies in communion with horses.”

It pretty much means to please its stomach.

Ian, who interpreted it in a timely manner, accepted the carrot handed to him. Bella’s sparkling eyes shined even more. It was quite cute to see her putting her nose as if it was her favorite food, so he brought a carrot to her mouth right away without a fuss. As if she was waiting, she opened her big mouth to eat.

After about half an hour, he went out.

Perhaps because he almost froze to death during his last horseback riding, Ian today was dressed in quite warm clothes. It was thanks to the fact that Ed knew that he had horseback riding practice in the morning and prepared warm clothes so as to not interfere with the ride.

Fortunately, the snow that had been pouring all last night stopped.

Ian, holding the reins and walking along with Bella, soon climbed onto the saddle under Claude’s guidance.

“Relax and straighten your back. Maintaining a correct posture is the most important thing. With your heels down a little more, yes, that’s right.”

It felt the same way as then. It felt strange to feel the horse breathing through the saddle. After correcting his posture according to Claude, she moves her right foot and left foot in order and walks forward. Ian also noticed that he was walking as he led, even though she knew that the rider was clumsy.

All the training that followed went well.

No, it wasn’t smooth, and it was a problem that he was much more talented than Claude had expected.

If he explains it step by step without rushing, it is obvious that he will always pay attention. Ian, who never forgets what he has learned once, has an upright posture, so he hardly goes off the beat like a novice*. It was to the extent that it seemed that he was accustomed to using the body to learn immediately as instructed, from the beginning.

[*T/N: Novice – a person new to and inexperienced in a job or situation.]

On those days, Claude often made eye contact with Ian. Contrary to rumors that he was confined in the deepest part of the royal palace and unable to do anything, he was at times like an idiot and at other times acting like a person who had been through a lot of things.

Three days went like that.

Ian, who was practicing horseback riding with Claude in the morning and learning to write from Kyle in the afternoon, counted the date that was just around the corner. Naturally, he never encountered that man. He is sure he is in the same space, but it was amazing that he hadn’t met him once even after a month.

“You’d better speed up a little today.”

The stern tone of speaking remained the same. Claude thought Ian was doing well, so he decided to raise the level a little and looked around. He looked at the stable not far away and thought a little, and soon opened his mouth.

“Let me bring my horse. If you ride as you are now, you won’t fall off the horse, so slowly drive your horse to the stable by yourself.”

Originally, it would have been impossible, but Bella was so gentle. Looking back, thinking of Ian, who had not fallen from the horse that had stomped his forefoot on a stonemason, Claude quickly moved toward the stable.

“….”

Ian, who was suddenly left alone with Bella, blinked. It was a little awkward because it was his first time driving a horse when no one was around. As she slowly turned around with the reins, Bella, who was kind enough to understand the words, turned her head toward the stable and groaned.

Walking along the snow-covered path, a very peaceful scenery followed. He then thought that he could understand Schwartz’s saying that it was wonderful to work with animals.

And that was the moment.

He heard the sound of hoofs running fast behind him.

The stable where Claude was heading to was in front of him. He couldn’t have teleported, so he looked back and saw the familiar purple hair.

“Good morning!”

It wasn’t until this afternoon that he should have seen him. Kyle, who was holding the reins in one hand with a needlessly lively face, waved his hand. 

Why are you so excited? 

As he got closer, it could be seen that he was riding a fairly large horse. Ian could feel Bella faltering little by little either because she felt threatened or because she was not on good terms.

“Isn’t it nice to see you soon after a long time? I was so sad that Claude took half of my time with my prince, because I’d feel the same way, you know what I mean?”

Ian had a completely different mind. Spending time with Claude, who spoke only what he needed, away from Kyle, who was talking nonstop, made him feel more like he was taking a break. Even though Ian looked at him with a face that said, ‘What a bullsh*t’. Kyle ignored him, still saying what he wanted to say.

“Listen, when I woke up this morning, I just had this thought. It’s very commendable that you’ve been studying nearly a month without taking a day off?”

The horse on which Kyle was riding, came closer.

Bella took a step back accordingly.

“So I thought about it?”

Multifaceted, multifaceted.

[T/N: Multifaceted- having many sides or faces.]

With two steps, she takes three steps back,

“What does my prince want the most now?”

Ian couldn’t understand what he was saying out of the blue. He parted from him yesterday and suddenly thought about what he wanted. Knowing that mishap would happen here and there, Ian squinted at Bella’s somewhat frightened reaction. It would be better not to get any closer.

However, Ian, who concluded so, could not even beckon.

[T/N: Beckon- make a gesture with the hand, arm, or head to encourage or instruct someone to approach or follow.]

“After thinking about it, I think I can handle it.”

With those words, Kyle’s horse, with the reins being pulled, rushed toward him.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

T/N: SO, THE THING IS… I have NO IDEA what Kyle is talking about (・∀・) and about him rushing towards Ian… he BETTER NOT hurt him…(・∀・)