Chapter 287

My Name is Mia Luna Seamoon

Ruby laughed as she wiped the mud off her face and said, “Ha ha! It looks like Her Highness has a few tricks up her sleeve.”

She licked her lips.

“Yes... That’s it. This is what I wanted.”

Her heart was beating quickly. From exertion, yes, but she was far more excited about being able to fight for the person she loved.

Unlike that other time, when I...

She thought about the words briefly, and then they were gone. She made a face.

“That time? What...?”

She tried to find the memory. But like a dream, it disappeared upon waking. There was nothing left.

She knew for sure that this burning urge inside her was caused by regret. Suddenly she understood. Losing was painful, but not even getting the chance to fight was worse.

It was a strange realisation, but she felt like she’d known it all along, and it made her happy.

“Don’t get too cocky, Your Highness, because this duel is just getting started. Let’s go, Skyred Hare.”

At her signal, her horse took off at a fast gallop. Even though it was fast, its steps were light and smooth. This smooth gallop shows that it did not get its good name for nothing. It shot down the length of the course like a red comet, avoiding mud puddles and picking up speed as it went.

People started to look at the person riding it.

“There’s no doubt that horse is beautiful, but young Redmoon is no slouch either. That’s some nice riding.”

Voices of people who were impressed could be heard all over the place.

It wasn’t true. In the Horsemanship Tournament, it was the horse that did the running. Horses were fast runners. They knew more than she did. Then, her job was to give up control.

The one that could run well was the horse. She just had to go along with what was going on. And she should never, ever stand in the way of the horse.

So, Mia put all of her attention on trying to move like Kuolan.

It would lose speed if she moved in different ways, so she did her best to keep that from happening. This would also keep her from falling off, which was probably even more important because falling off seemed like it would hurt a lot! Using this hands-off method, she was able to finish most of the course.

She heard Ruby’s voice as she turned the last corner of the first lap.

“Your Majesty, you better watch out.”

Mia looked to the side and saw that she and Ruby were right next to her. She looked at her opponent and then back at her red horse. Skyred Hare’s face, which was now covered in mud spots, looked nothing like it did before. Its eyes were burning with anger.

“Now it’s my turn,” Ruby said in a harsh tone.

Mia knew right away what she meant by what she said.

“Ah! They’re going to ram—Eek!”

Her words ended when she screamed and felt her body tilt. After a heavy impact a split second later, she saw Kuolan craning its neck toward her and pulling its lips back in a very proud smile.

In fact, the horse knew that Skyred Hare was going to try to hit them with his body, so it hit them first.

Ruby grunted as she tried to get back on her feet.

“Hah, not bad. You’re a pretty rough player.”

The timing of the counterattack was perfect, hitting Ruby’s horse right as it moved to attack. Skyred Hare had to work hard to keep its balance after the surprise hit. In the meantime, Kuolan rushed forward and pulled away.

After the first lap, there was a two-horse-length gap between the two competitors. The second and last lap of the race began as the crowd cheered loudly.