I was on my way back to the stable after a good gallop, facing the pleasant wind blowing across the grasslands.
Marengo, who had been walking in a smooth lateral gait, came to a very natural halt as he approached the entrance of his large stable.
Then, without anyone ordering him to, he slightly lowered his head, smoothly wheeled around, and reversed backward into his own stall.
I let out a hollow laugh as I sat quietly on the horse's back.
“……These days, not even a horse reversing while I'm riding it surprises me.”
At my absurd muttering, Count Gross, who had been watching the scene from a distance, clicked his tongue and muttered.
“……To teach a horse to back up, the rider and the horse must pour out every ounce of effort until they cough up blood. Horses are beasts that instinctively fear moving backward where their vision cannot reach. It is a movement impossible without perfect trust in the rider…… That crazy bastard—there's no understanding what's inside him.”
When I lightly tugged the reins to dismount, Marengo sweetly bent the left knee, lowering the height for me to get off, just as he had when I first mounted.
After lightly setting foot on the ground, I tightly hugged Marengo's thick neck and affectionately stroked his head and mane.
“Thank you, Marengo. You were really the best. Thanks to you today, I think I had the most thrilling ride of my life.”
At my praise, Marengo snorted as if very pleased, then rubbed that massive face against my chest and made nasal sounds.
However, that was as far as this guy's good behavior went.
“…E-easy, good boy, Marengo, let's get your tack off…”
The groom who had been waiting approached cautiously with a pale face, trembling, to remove the tack—and the situation changed drastically.
The moment he saw the groom, Marengo pinned his ears flat back as if he had never shown affection at all, bared his teeth, and began to threaten him.
“Grrrr-!”
“Eek! S-save me!”
As Marengo pawed the ground with his front hooves, bared his teeth, and threw a tantrum, the groom collapsed on the spot and clutched his head.
Thinking the groom might get hurt if left like this, I quickly stepped in front of him and reached out to gently stroke Marengo's nose.
“Whoa, whoa. Good boy, Marengo. It's okay.”
Patting his neck, I whispered in a very small and affectionate voice into his perked ears.
“Marengo, thank you so much for treating me so well today. You really are the coolest and most wonderful horse in the world.”
“Prrrr…….”
“But, to those people who wash you clean every day and feed you delicious food, I wish you would hold back your temper just a little. They're not trying to hurt you. If you behave quietly, I think I would be really happy. Got it?”
The moment my whisper, delivered as if soothing a child, ended, Marengo—who had been acting as if he would bite the groom to death just moments ago—nodded his head.
“…What, you understand what that means?”
Having nodded, Marengo became eerily docile, lowered his head deeply, and began blinking his eyes quietly.
Thanks to that, the groom, who had been sitting on the ground, rose up sniffling. Though he was still extremely cautious, he was able to remove all the tack and the saddle.
Count Gross, who had been quietly watching that absurd scene, nodded his head, unable to hide his admiration.
“……Truly magnificent, Your Highness the Prince.”
I knew this person was fond of me, but he had always been rather dramatic—this time, however, it was a quiet and weighty praise filled with genuine respect.
“Seeing you tame such a ferocious and savage mare in an instant, you are a man among men down to the bone. I sincerely apologize for calling you frail at the social gathering.”
“Not at all, Count. It is true that I must still build up my body more.”
The Count stroked his chin and gave a bitter yet regretful smile.
“Had Your Highness been born of this Empire's bloodline, you would surely have risen with me to the highest ranks of the military and commanded the cavalry…… It is truly a shame, and yet again a shame.”
Behind the Count, who was quietly admiring, the Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at me with a satisfied expression.
I quickly bowed my head politely toward the Emperor and Count Gross.
“Your Majesty, and Count. Thank you so very much for gifting me the finest steed of my life that I will never forget. I will cherish and care for him well.”
“Keke, seeing that you truly like him puts me in quite a good mood as well. Today you must be tired from syncing your breath with the horse for the first time, so withdraw now and rest well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Your grace is immeasurably deep.”
After bowing deeply once more, I shook out my sweat-soaked clothes and turned my steps toward my quarters, carrying a pleasant fatigue.
#
And the next morning.
The moment I opened my eyes and tried to rise from bed, I let out a sharp scream.
“Argh, shit……! My thighs!”
My first ride with Marengo yesterday had certainly been fantastic, but my thighs hurt like hell.
In my attempt not to fall from the horse's back, I had unconsciously clenched my inner thigh muscles heavily and ridden for an hour, so now my legs trembled and I could barely walk properly.
‘This won't do. I really need to improve my riding skills.’
Honestly, I'm just a beginner.
Right now, Marengo is willingly matching my pace, but what if some sudden situation causes him to sprint at full speed someday?
I'd be bucked right off the saddle and break my neck.
Getting a good car means the next step is to properly get a driver's license.
‘Then who should I ask to teach me riding?’
Among the people close to me, the one who rides the best is obviously her.
The face of the Empire's Sword Demon, the First Princess Victoria, flashed through my mind.
‘If it's Victoria, her riding skill is probably the best in the Empire.’
Besides, I had some degree of acquaintance with others, but with her, there hadn't been much interaction beyond having tea together.
Thinking that this would be an opportunity to naturally become involved with the Imperial Princess and build a rapport under the pretext of learning to ride, I steeled my resolve and unhesitatingly made my way to the detached palace where the First Princess resided.
#
At the Imperial Princess's detached palace, loud sounds of slicing through the air rang out incessantly, loud enough to be heard from outside.
“…….”
Entering the training ground, I couldn't help but flinch and stop in my tracks.
In the training ground built in place of a garden in the detached palace, Princess Victoria was devotedly training, swinging a wooden sword like a madwoman all by herself.
Despite the chilly November weather, her whole body was drenched in sweat—the problem was her attire.
‘…I don't know where to look.’
All Victoria was wearing were thick leather straps tightly binding her ample chest, and thin, loose training pants comfortable for leg movement.
Sweat beaded on her sun-kissed, glowing bronze skin, rivulets of perspiration streaming down the abdominal muscles lining her stomach.
Every time she brought the wooden sword down, the delicate separation of the muscles in her back and arms—there was simply no way to describe it other than beautiful.
A strong woman, a beautiful body…… Keuh, this is it.
Holding my breath, I quietly averted my gaze from her defined abs and stared at some point between the ground and the empty air.
“Your Highness. It is Ian Sterling.”
At my call, delivered from an appropriate distance, the wooden sword that had been fiercely cleaving the air came to a dead halt.
Victoria turned to look at me, exhaling roughly.
Between her black hair, soaked and plastered to her face, her signature purple eyes turned toward me.
“……Ian. What brings you here?”
Fortunately, she didn't seem particularly angry about me interrupting her training.
“I apologize for intruding and disturbing your training. It's just that yesterday, His Majesty the Emperor bestowed upon me a truly excellent steed.”
“I know.”
Victoria answered indifferently.
“Rumors have spread throughout the imperial palace that you tamed in an instant that ferocious mare which Count Gross had been struggling to control, flying into rages. You have quite the talent.”
“Thank you for the praise, but rather than me taming her, it is closer to the beast taking pity on me and accommodating me. So that is why…….”
I gave a slightly awkward smile and brought up the main point as politely as possible.
“I am ashamed to admit it, but I am quite poor at riding. Since His Majesty has bestowed such a precious steed upon me, I wish to raise my skill to match. Among those I know, Your Highness the Imperial Princess is the best rider, so if it is all right…… might I learn how to ride?”
I laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of my head.
“I know well that Your Highness is busy—”
“Very well.”
“……Pardon?”
Victoria grinned, flicking away the beaded sweat with the towel draped around her neck.
“I shall teach you. When shall we begin?”