Chapter 541

Princess Mia Gets Going

The next day, Mia and her group left the Forest clan’s village. Mia, the girls and Abel rode in separate carriages, each surrounded by members of the Princess Imperial Guard. Following closely behind were the members of the Forest clan, led by Malong.

In the afternoon, they stopped to take a break.

“I guess it’s about time...”

Choosing the right moment, Mia began to move quietly. Mia had a goal to accomplish.

“Abel, do you have a moment?”

“Hmm? Do you need something?”

When Abel was suddenly addressed, he tilted his head in surprise.

“Would you like to go for a little ride?”

Mia spoke softly as she gazed up at the sky, observing the vast blue expanse ahead. A smile played on her lips as she slightly squinted in the bright sunlight.

“Look, it’s such nice weather. I’m sure it’ll be refreshing, right?”

Of course, Mia didn’t just want to go on a ride for the sake of it. It most definitely wasn’t an attempt to settle her stomach from drinking too much hot milk last night. Instead, she genuinely wanted to talk to Abel. Mia wanted to know what Malong had said to him and why he was feeling so sad.

“No, but...”

Taking the initiative from Abel, who seemed hesitant, Mia called out to her own guard.

“Dion-san, I want to go for a little ride. Would that be okay?”

“You want to go for a ride?”

Dion looked shocked when he heard that.

“Didn’t you run into some trouble just the other day when you did that?”

“This one is quite the gentleman. It’s noteworthy how he put himself on the line to protect me. It’s wonderful.”

After praising the horse for a while, Mia spoke to Gorka, the Imperial guard, who was busy brushing it.

“What is the name of this horse?”

Gorka was a veteran soldier in the Princess Imperial Guard. Originally a member of the Imperial Guard, Gorka wasn’t particularly skilled with the sword, but he possessed a talent for breeding horses. Ludwig noticed this, and now Gorka was in charge of managing the horses for the Imperial Guard.

“Thank you for the praise, Your Highness. This horse is called Tofu – East Wind.”

“Tofu? I see, that’s an unusual name. What is the origin of that name?”

“ ‘Please let this horse run lightly like the wind blowing from the east.’ With that kind of wish, it was named—at least that’s how I remember it.”

“I see, that’s a really elegant name.”

Mia looked at Tofu’s face while nodding in agreement.

As usual, it seemed to be spacing out, not showing any sign of understanding the word ‘elegant’ or anything for that matter.

“Hmm. I like his majestic calmness. I’ll choose this one. Gorka-san, I would like to go for a long ride on this horse, is that okay?”

“Ah. That should be fine. I’m sure you can enjoy a leisurely long ride with this horse.”

Gorka wasn’t particularly surprised to be called by his name. It was well known among the members of the Imperial Guard that Princess Mia had already memorised their names. That’s the reason why he wasn’t surprised at all, but it did leave him with a pleasant feeling.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll put on the saddle now.”

In order to ensure a comfortable ride, Gorka was naturally meticulous when putting on the saddle. Eventually, Gorka completed his job perfectly and bowed deeply to Mia.

“Please enjoy your ride.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Then, Mia and Abel galloped into the grasslands. Maintaining a little distance, Dion and Aima served as guards, while Bel, Citrina, and Rafina, acting as curious onlookers, casually followed behind them. Mia, however, remained completely unaware of their presence.