-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: A Wounded Heart
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seeing my shocked expression, Dad stepped in.
“Princess, the man has no choice. It's a loss to keep managing a horse that won't sell.”
“But, but….”
Did Damon know? What happens to a racehorse that's injured and sold back to the stables.
‘Of course, he knew.’
I let out a hollow laugh.
Riding is a sport where the bond with the owner is crucial. And Zephyr was a horse that had even won a competition like that.
He probably let that rotten owner on his back, ran with him, trusted and followed him, just because he was his master.
‘And he sells him back to his death just because of a small leg injury?’
“Dad, I want to take Zephyr. He's so pitiful.”
I said, grabbing the hem of Dad's pants.
“We don't have to enter competitions and win prizes, right?”
“Of course.”
Dad smiled.
“Let's just go with this horse. My daughter only needs to learn how to ride, so he doesn't need to be useful as a racehorse.”
“Sigh, but Your Grace. It's just…”
The owner looked distressed.
“Zephyr doesn't just have the injury problem. Perhaps because his bond with his former owner was so deep, he won't listen to anyone at all.”
“He won't listen?”
“As you can see, he's a handsome horse, so a few people have tried to take him, but he won't let anyone on his back and acts aggressively. He's too dangerous for the young lady to ride. I'll show you another fine horse.”
“Ah, is that so.”
Dad hesitated at the word “dangerous.”
“Dad! I like Zephyr. Huh? Besides, you said they cast fall prevention spells at the children's riding competition. And you can help me when I practice.”
“That's true. Do you like this horse that much?”
“Yes. I do. And if I don't take him, he'll die… Please. Huh?”
As I begged with my hands clasped together, Dad smiled as if he couldn't say no, stroking my hair.
“Oh, my little angel. Alright, then. Let's take him.”
* * *
Just as the stable owner said, Zephyr was extremely aggressive and wary.
It was quite an ordeal just to bring him to our ducal stable.
“When you ride a horse, your posture is the most important thing. Your head, waist, and heels should form a straight line with the ground. Ah, and it's best not to be too tense.”
“Yes.”
I watched Chessier get a private lesson from Dad, squatting pitifully.
Chessier, who had brought a magnificent black steed, succeeded in riding on his first try, as expected. His posture was quite good too.
“You're good at this.”
Dad, who was smiling with satisfaction, suddenly flinched and turned around.
It seemed he had felt my intense gaze.
“Uh, Princess. At first, I need to hold on from the side. Dad's just going to take Chessier for one lap around the front, okay?”
“Okay, okay. Don't worry about me. Be careful.”
Dad left the stable, holding onto Chessier's horse from the side.
“Hmm.”
Left alone, I looked at Zephyr in his stall.
He was so wary that it was difficult to even pet him, let alone ride him.
“Zephyr, don't worry. I don't want to ride on your back. You don't have to let me. I didn't bring you here to enter a competition. Chessier's going to win anyway.”
Zephyr just looked down at me with indifferent eyes.
“Do you happen to miss your owner?”
He probably did.
After all, this was Zephyr, who didn't want to let anyone but his owner on his back.
I let out a deep sigh, a bitter feeling welling up inside me.
* * *
Zephyr also seemed to have lost his will to live. He would starve himself, eating just enough fodder to not die.
“Nngh. Heave-ho.”
“Oh my, Young Lady!”
“Hi, Rico! I'm here again!”
The ducal stable hand, Rico, rushed over in a flurry and took the heavy basket of carrots from my hands.
“Why are you carrying this, Young Lady? You should have called for me or had the servants do it.”
“I came straight from the dining hall, so I didn't think of it. The chef said these carrots are super fresh! They're grade-A organic, brought in from the south just yesterday!”
Neigh, neigh!
As if they smelled the high-quality treat, all the horses in the stable neighed excitedly.
“No! These are for Zephyr!”
“Sigh, he probably won't eat them today either...”
I took a carrot from the basket and held it out inside Zephyr's stall.
“Let's eat, Zephyr.”
Zephyr only glanced down at me with his blue eyes.
“What are you going to do if you don't eat anything…”
I was so upset.
“Just one bite. Please?”
Only when my arm felt like it was about to fall off did I give up and sigh.
Rico, who had been scratching his brown beard, approached with a look of pity.
“He's not eating, is he?”
“No. He must be hungry…”
“I think Zephyr probably needs time to heal his emotional wounds.”
“Do you think Zephyr knows he was abandoned? I hope he doesn't.”
“He probably knows everything. They may be animals that can't speak, but they're not without feelings. Especially for a horse that won a competition, his bond with his former owner must have been very deep.”
“Damon Martini is a jerk.”
“The young lord of the count with brown hair, right? To be honest, I think so too. When he visited before, he just showed up at the stables and started criticizing our horses.”
Rico, after getting angry, quickly whispered to me.
“Please keep it a secret that I spoke ill of a young nobleman, Young Lady.”
“You can say worse things. He's a really bad person.”
“I know, right?”
Rico and I looked at Zephyr and let out a heavy sigh in unison, as if the ground would collapse.
“How can I get Zephyr to open up to me? I wish I could at least pet him once.”
“Well… we'll have to see after a little more time passes. But sincerity always gets through in the end, so don't be too sad.”
“Okay.”
I gazed into Zephyr's empty eyes.
My heart ached.
* * *
Ever since Zephyr arrived, the Rubinstein ducal stables were bustling with noise every single day.
“Zephyr, time to eat!”
“Rico, what's Zephyr doing?”
It was all because of the young lady who came in and out every day without fail to see her horse.
“Walter, hi! You're handsome today, just like your owner.”
“Zephyr, the weather is amazing today!”
Even though her own indifferent horse paid no mind to its owner who visited daily…
“Hey, you stole our Zephyr's carrot, didn't you? You're in trouble! I gave you your own!”
“Zephyr, what did you do today?”
Thanks to her persistent visits to the stable to make her presence known, it reached a point where the other horses were more excited to see the little lady.
Neigh, neigh!
One day, after a week and three days had passed.
Zephyr, standing idly in a corner of the still-noisy stable, peeked outside.
It was about time for her to arrive…
Neigh.
Walter, Chessier's black steed in the stall right next to Zephyr's, let out a snorting laugh.
It seemed he had noticed that Zephyr was secretly waiting for Lilis.
Zephyr pretended not to care and pulled his head back in.
“Zephyyyr! Sorry I'm late!”
…She came today, too.
“I tried to come sooner, but the Master of the Magic Tower—no, the *honorable* Master of the Magic Tower—let class out late today!”
Chatter, chatter.
“Wanna hear about it? It was so ridiculous, really. I'm only seven, and can you believe he wants me to learn about linear functions now?”
Chatter, chatter.
Since when had he started waiting for the voice he once thought was just noisy?
In any case, even though he now found himself waiting for this little child every day, Zephyr pretended not to.
* * *
It was the tenth day of my daily attendance at the stables as soon as I woke up.
“Wow, Chessier is so good…”
After making my daily appearance to Zephyr, I watched Walter and Chessier.
Chessier was skillfully circling the riding grounds.
“Princess, what are you doing here?”
I, who had been squatting pitifully with my chin in my hands, turned at the familiar voice.
“Huh? Mr. James, what's this? You look cool.”
It was Dad. Dressed in gleaming full plate armor and a blue Holy Knights' cape.
I was surprised by Dad's unusual attire, but then I realized.
‘…It must be the day of his return ceremony to the knight order.’
It seemed it was the day he was going to the Imperial Palace.
His reinstatement, which was unavoidable no matter what he did…
“Dad, was your return ceremony today?”
“Yep. I told you a few days ago, did you forget already?”
“I see. Have a good trip.”
“Whoa, is that it? Dad has to go to the Imperial Palace today and stay for two nights. The thought of not seeing my princess for two whole days makes me so, so sad.”
“I'm sad too.”
“…You could at least look sad when you say it.”
Dad pouted and plopped down next to me.
“So, what was my princess up to?”
“Watching Chessier.”
“Aha.”
Dad poked my cheek, as if to comfort my sullen self.
“Does Zephyr still not want to let our princess ride him?”
“Zephyr still needs time to heal his emotional wounds. I'm not going to force him to let me ride.”
“Haha, listen to my little angel talk. Yes, don't you worry. Zephyr will understand your heart soon enough.”
“Dad.”
“Yes?”
“You'll see His Majesty the Emperor when you go today, right?”
“……”
There was no answer. I slowly moved my gaze from watching Chessier to Dad.
“Uh, yeah, I suppose so?”
Dad seemed nervous that I had suddenly brought up the emperor.
“I heard that a long time ago, when His Majesty the Emperor told you to go to the battlefield, you wouldn't listen?”
“What? Who told you that?”
“The Master of the Magic Tower.”
“Hahaha.”
Dad laughed awkwardly and muttered, "He really tells a kid the strangest things."
“What if His Majesty the Emperor tells you to go to war again?”
“Then I'll have to go. You know your dad is super strong, right? If scary monsters invade, my princess will be in danger, so Dad will go ahead and just wipe them all out…!”
“Not a war to fight monsters.”
“Huh?”
I added, pretending to play with the dirt.
“The kind of war where you invade other countries. The kind where you steal land from people living happily, and kill them.”
“……”
“You wouldn't do something like that, would you, Dad?”
