CH 33

Chapter 33 Miles Grant and his Horse

Translator: Tseirp

I continue to run early in the morning every other day.

That was because I realized that cleaning at Bernard-sama’s house would gradually decrease my physical strength. When I started running, I realized that not only my leg muscles but also my heart and lungs were unexpectedly weakened.

I start running before dawn, run for about an hour, and return home at dawn. The servants of Mrs. Yorana’s house would wake up at that time, so I have to climb over the wall before that.

Once I started running, I noticed that a man in his sixties lives in a small house built directly behind and connected to Mrs. Yorana’s house. I was a little interested in the man.

The man had a large horse with glossy black hair at his house, and I saw him riding the black horse several times. The way they rode was admiringly beautiful, and it even looked like the man and horse were one.

The rider has short gray hair and a magnificent build. Was he ex-military?

Some time ago, that man was resting his horse by the creek in the woods that I usually pass by. The man and I met each other’s eyes as I slowed down before the forest and entered. I thought it would be bad if I turned around and left, so I called out to him.

“Good morning.”

“Oh, good morning. Are you running?”

“Yes.”

“It’s rare to see a woman do so.”

“Perhaps.”

From there, the two of us talked a little about the weather and seasons, and I bowed my head and started running again. That happened several times. The man seemed to be looking forward to greeting me. Actually, I was too.

One day, the man finally talked to me about matters other than the weather and seasons.

“What do you do?”

“I’m a commoner who works to raise my child.”

“Ho”

The man made an amused face. I approached the horse and called out to him, then gently stroked the bridge of his nose.

“He’s a fine horse.”

“He’s already old. Just like me.”

The man introduced himself.

His name is Miles Grant. He was ex-military and said he was in active duty until he retired with his favorite horse.

“I’m sure you were active for your country.”

“No. As you know, this country rarely goes to war. I didn’t do much. Even so, I am grateful that they give me a pension just enough to live on my own.

Mr. Miles smiled as he stroked the horse’s neck. The horse gleefully rubbed the tip of his nose against Mr. Miles.

“A horse, that’s nice. I want to ride too, but I’m living in a landlord’s detached house. She’s a very nice landlord, but bringing a horse in would be too much.”

Miles’ light blue eyes flickered as he heard me talk.

“If it’s a horse, I can take care of it for you? If you want to rear one, I’m guessing you can ride too?”

“I can ride a horse. I was trained by my older brothers who were soldiers. Are you sure? Of course, I’m willing to pay you for taking care of the horse.”

“I  could even choose a fine horse for you. I’m probably better at picking horses than you. First, would you like to ride this guy and show me? I’ll choose a horse according to your skill.”

I mounted Mr. Miles’ horse and trotted and galloped around the area.

“I see. You’re pretty good at it. Any traits you want in particular?”

“A horse that can run long distances.”

“All right.”

The conversation progressed without a hitch, and I decided to ask Mr. Miles to purchase a horse, take care of it, and pay for its care.

A few days later, two horses and Mr. Miles were waiting for me in the woods.

“Mr. Miles, that horse, could it be?”

“It’s your horse. It runs well. It’s smart. The price was also lower than the upper limit you mentioned. He’s called Aleg. Take him for a ride.”

Aleg’s gaze followed me as it observed me for the first time, but he allowed me to hop on and obediently listened to what I said. He walked around slowly, running lightly around the area as a test. Good. Very nice.

“I like it! Thank you very much.”

“Then leave it to me to take care of it for you.”

“Thank you. I will take it for a run every other day.”

“At dawn?”

“Yes.”

It was decided that Mr. Miles would take care of him almost at no profit. He said he doesn’t charge for labor.

“I know it’s hard to take care of horses.”

“All I have is free time after all. Besides, if I have that horse, my horse will be energetic and think, ‘I can’t lose to a young’un,’ so it’s just right.”

He said and laughed.

I wanted a horse because I wanted a way to escape with Nonna in case of an emergency. As expected, I couldn’t flee stealing Mrs. Yorana’s horses and carriage.

I went home and made breakfast.

I woke up Nonna and talked about horses as we ate together.

“Nonna, would you like to practice riding a horse? Of course, you would be riding with me.”

“A horse? I want to ride with Vicky!”

Nonna’s eyes widened and she breathed in excitement as she ate her bread and got up from her chair.

“Because of my job, we have to get up early to ride a horse.”

“I’ll get up! I’ll get up early!”

“Okay, then from tomorrow morning, we’ll be riding every other day.”

“All right!”

“Oh, and also. Can you not tell everyone at the main house that you’re riding a horse yet?”

“Why?”

“Until Nonna can ride it well, they might tell you to stop because it’s dangerous.”

“I see. I understand. When I said I liked climbing trees, a lot of people told me to stop.”

So she did say. I see. I guess she would.

“Because they will worry until you can ride a horse well.”

“Okay. Can I tell them after I can ride better?”

“Yes. After I say it’s okay.”

“Okay.”

That day, Nonna was restless even at Mr. Bernard’s house. She seemed to be looking forward to it a lot. When I observed her to see how she took my warning, she said to Mr. Bernard.

“You know, you know, it’s a secret!”

She whispered and acted mysteriously by running away and escaping.

Mr. Bernard was in the middle of his research, so I quietly closed the door and asked Nonna to polish the silverware, which she likes, and had her stay in front of me. I did my translation work at the same kitchen table. As Nonna polished the silver spoons, forks, and knives, she occasionally looked at me and laughed, “Mufuuu.”

“You’re looking forward to it. Let’s take a bath early tonight and go to bed early.”

“Yeah! What kind of food do horses like?”

“He eats grass like we eat meat and bread, but he loves apples and carrots like we eat sweets.”

“Wow! Hey, Vicky, I want to buy carrots and apples on the way home.”

“Yeah. That will be great. We’ll buy them on the way back.”

“Foooooo”. Involuntarily, “Fufufu”, her laughter leaked out.

If Nonna doesn’t open her mouth, doesn’t kick roundhouses or kick her knees, and sits quietly, she looks like a noble lady, but inside she’s very lively and interesting. I’m the one who taught her martial arts, so I rated her highly there as well.

That night, as soon as Nonna finished eating dinner, she took a bath on her own, brushed her teeth, and went straight to bed. I was looking forward to tomorrow morning too.