CH 24

The dinner for the two families held at Kael’s mansion was completed in a much more progressing atmosphere than their first meeting, and the wedding date was set for three weeks later.

She wanted to have the wedding in the capital so that Simeon, who couldn’t move away from the temple, could be with her.

Before Kael left for the north, and before Enoch and Leo left for the eastern province, the time to hold a wedding was running out.

As a result, everything was being done in a hurry.

Choosing a wedding dress, choosing accessories, and organizing an invitation list for a wedding were all done with great urgency.

Adeline was on the verge of going crazy as the wedding preparations swirled so quickly.

“Dear heavens…”

Exactly one week had passed since the dinner at Kael’s mansion, and, thinking that things couldn’t go on like this, she took a horse and went to a large open field, her favorite.

However, Kael was there.

“I didn’t expect at all to meet you here.”

“Me neither.”

It was like that day in the battlegrounds.

Adeline looked at Kael with an expression as if she couldn’t believe this situation at all.

Since they were so busy, it had also been a week since they had faced each other like this.

“How do you know this place?”

“I found it by accident. What about you?”

“Brother Leo told me about it. He said this is the only place in the capital to ride a horse.”

It was a field that spread out beyond a small mountain behind the imperial palace.

It was a place that not many people found, as it was quite far from where the nobles’ mansions were gathered, so it was a hidden spot.

“I didn’t know you could ride a horse.”

“I told you before. Not all plants in a greenhouse are weak.”

Adeline climbed onto the horse in skillful motion.

Seeing that, Kael raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.

He could measure her skill just by looking at her posture when riding the horse. Adeline was no ordinary expert.

“Can I ride better than Your Grace?”

“Are you suggesting we compete?”

“Well, if you want. I’ll accept it. We’re starting now, right? Giddy up!”

Adeline, who came up with the competition and accepted it right away, quickly rode her horse.

Kael hadn’t even climbed on his horse yet.

After watching her with a ridiculous face, Kael grinned and quickly climbed on top of the horse.

The gap that had long since widened began to narrow.

“Giddy up!”

Adeline glanced back at the sound of Kael’s yell. She also smiled slightly and sped up right away.

Kael was catching up at a noticeable pace, but Adeline’s skills were not normal either.

Proof of that was that she was keeping a gap with Kael even now.

Eventually, however, Kael caught up with Adeline.

He crossed in front of her and blocked Adeline’s way, and she smiled brightly while admitting defeat.

“Did you ride horses every day in the east?”

“A compliment, isn’t it? My family has always been good at horseback riding.”

The sound of heavy breathing permeated every part of their conversation.

It had been a really long time since they galloped as fast as they wanted without thinking about anything, like this.

Both for Adeline and Kael.

“What prize does the winner of the competition get?”

“Competition? I departed first, so how is that a competition? We were just riding. You shouldn’t formally acknowledge a competition that involves cheating.”

“… What on earth are you?”

Seeing Kael’s bewildered reaction, Adeline giggled.

It had been a long time since she had ridden a horse so excitedly, and she felt free from all the weight that had been weighing on her for a week.

Her smile spread easily.

Adeline got off the horse first, and Kael followed her.

With the reins well tied, the two sat side by side under a large horse-chestnut tree.

“… How did you know I didn’t bring water?”

“You kept looking at my water canteen from the moment I took it out until I sat here. How could I not know?”

“Ah…”

Embarrassed, Adeline accepted the water canteen Kael gave her.

She felt like her whole body was relieved of fatigue after wetting her throat.

Then, suddenly wondering if she wasn’t drinking too much of someone else’s water, she added one thing or another for no reason.

“I had no intention of riding the horse like this. If I got thirsty, I was thinking of solving it with that stream down there. Do you know? The water is very clear.”

Kael grinned and nodded, as if he already knew why Adeline was talking so much.

Only Adeline scowled again at the fact that she had been caught once more.

“But I haven’t seen you in a long time. Though we were very busy, I thought we would run into each other at least once amid all that.”

Kael’s face darkened at her words, as if she was asking what he had been doing in the meantime.

It flashed and disappeared in an instant, so quickly that Adeline couldn’t even notice it, but a clear shadow lingered on his face.

“… Something happened in the north. I had to move around for a while to solve it.”

“Ahh.”

Adeline nodded in understanding.

“What about you? Did you run away to this place because you couldn’t bear such chaotic preparations?”

“Yes. I don’t think I can get married twice.”

Kael smirked again at the extreme statement.

Whenever she had the chance, Adeline used unimaginable expressions or brought out conversations that made Kael laugh.

Kael laughed, but Adeline was really dying from all the hard work.

The marriage between the two was such a big issue that not one thing was easy to decide.

All the merchants in the capital rushed in at the slightest chance, so it was hard.

“It would be nice if I could just live in the plains and ride a horse like this all the time.”

Adeline, who was capturing the peaceful landscape, muttered in a slightly weary voice.

“Is there such a place in the north?”

Lost in thought for a moment, Adeline quickly changed the topic of the conversation.

She didn’t want to come here to think about the wedding preparations.

“The north is a harsh land. There is no such thing as a green open field like this.”

“Ah…”

“The vast expanse of land is all wilderness. Well. But it’s also fun to ride a horse there.”

The north was a dry place. Such green scenery was not easily found there.

“What about your land?”

“There are no plains in the east either. In particular, the Tien family’s land is on the coast that embraces the easternmost border.”

The conversation naturally moved to the east.

“Have you ever been to the east?”

“Only for a moment when I was very young. To be honest, it’s a bit faint. I can barely remember anything.”

“It’s a really beautiful place. The color of the sea is really pretty.”

Adeline smiled and described the place where she had grown up.

“There is a really blue sea, and there is also an emerald-colored sea. The sea and the beach at sunset are absolutely breathtaking.”

“…”

“But what I loved the most was the sunrise.”

Kael stared quietly at Adeline, who continued her description.

Her expression, which seemed like she was picturing the eastern territory in her mind, seemed exceptionally happy, so he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“The east is the end. It has the pleasure of enjoying the rising sun first in the entire empire.

Adeline smiled happily as she recalled the moment when she was facing the eastern sun.

It was the brightest appearance of Adeline that Kael had ever seen, and it was also the most comfortable-looking appearance.

Kael quietly engraved the present Adeline in his eyes.

Watching her like this, he thought that she looked exactly like the east.

The rumors about the bright and warm sunlight in the east spread throughout the empire.

‘She’s the type of person who can never live in the north.’

He had no intention of taking her to the north, but watching her like this made him suddenly think that she was someone who didn’t really suit that place.

He imagined Adeline whither the moment she faced the cold blizzards there.

“Just hearing about it makes you think it’s a great place, right?”

“That’s right. Do you miss it?”

“A little. But it’s not like I can’t go there at all. It’s not too bad because I can stay there as long as I want.”

“You can stay in the east if you want to. You don’t have to be in the capital.”

“It’s impossible to stay in my brother’s land after getting married and gaining the title of Grand Duchess Inver. Though of course, my brothers will insist that it is fine and that it doesn’t matter.”

Adeline shook her head slightly as if she was imagining it.

“Then stay in the capital and go there for a while to get some fresh air. No one has anything to say about that.”

“That’s true, but…”

Adeline frowned slightly, as if something was off, and blurted.

“Am I perhaps mistaken?”

“About what?”

“Are you staying in the capital after the wedding?”

“No. I’m going back to the north. Me, that is.”

Kael drew a clear line. Only Kael was obliged to leave for the north.

“As I said before, you can stay in the capital as long as you want…”

“No.”

However, Adeline gave an answer that Kael never expected.

“I’m going to the north, too.”