Chapter 45
A few exercise sessions had been added to my weekly schedule.
On the first day of training, I rode with Sophie in a carriage to the riding grounds.
The riding grounds I was heading to were located on the outskirts of the capital.
There wasn’t any particular reason for going out that far, except that the stables in the city were crowded with nobles.
People came there for hobbies, aristocratic education, sometimes for show, or simply for socializing.
It was a crowded place, the stables weren’t very large, and it wasn’t possible to ride quietly.
I wanted to avoid their attention as much as possible—I wanted to learn painting in peace.
It didn’t take long to arrive. After a while, the carriage stopped.
We got out and moved into the stables, where the owner was waiting to greet us.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hello.”
While Sophie talked with the owner about various things on my behalf, I looked at a horse standing nearby.
A large, majestic white horse—it stood out more than any horse I had seen before.
“It seems the lady can recognize a good horse,” the stable owner said to me.
“I made sure to prepare a special one for you. It’s a famous horse of purest bloodline. And its coat isn’t white because of age—it was always this color.”
“I see.”
I remembered hearing this when learning about horse riding: most white horses turn white due to aging, and being born pure white is extremely rare.
“The temperament is gentle, so it gets along well with others.”
The owner looked at the horse as if it were a cherished child.
“It’s really beautiful. Is it a male?”
“A female.”
“How old?”
“About ten years old, I think.”
‘A horse in its prime,’ the owner chuckled.
A female. And at ten years old, it was roughly the same age as me in human years.
When I approached, I could feel its breath. Slowly stroking it, the horse accepted my touch.
“From now on, your name will be ‘Agatha.’”
I closed my eyes for a while, stroking the horse, and the name came to mind. When I opened my eyes, it felt as if the horse was looking right at me.
I smiled at Agatha.
“My name is Cassia. Let’s get along, okay?”
I had a good feeling about her.
I began riding in earnest with Agatha.
Since I already knew the basics of riding, no special training was needed. I came simply to exercise whenever I wanted.
Wearing my riding outfit, I mounted the horse alone.
“Cassia, you have to be careful. Okay?”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, Sophie.”
I smiled at Sophie, who was concerned about me, and set off with Agatha.
Being on the outskirts, the riding grounds were spacious and located midway up a mountain, offering a variety of riding courses.
We rode up and down hills together, sometimes galloping across the plains.
The fresh, blue air filling my lungs felt wonderful.
From the start, Agatha and I got along perfectly.
Even though I hadn’t ridden many horses, I had noticed that some horses sync well with their rider, while others don’t at all.
Agatha was clearly my perfect match.
Even after only a few hours, I felt affection for her.
We stopped briefly at a resting point in the middle of the course.
I took a sip of water Sophie had brought me and gave Agatha a sugar cube. She made a happy sound as she licked it.
I patted her fondly once more, then looked ahead.
The view was beautiful. From the mountainside, I could see the capital stretching far below.
“It’s huge.”
Although the location was far from the city center, the capital itself was so large that it didn’t feel far.
Squinting, I could even see the royal palace in the middle of the city.
“There it is—the palace.”
A massive golden building in Gothic style.
I wondered what Adolf was doing now. Thinking of him made me smile.
“I’m glad I came to the capital after all,” I murmured to Agatha.
“I met Adolf again, and I’m learning painting well.”
I had debated a long time before moving to the capital at his suggestion.
But now that I was here, I knew it was the right decision.
I was becoming more confident in learning painting, and I met many wonderful people, almost like a miracle.
“And I met you too.”
Of course, that included Agatha. I turned my head.
“Do you think so too?”
Agatha made a sound as if to answer, and I chuckled softly.
“I’m going to work really hard.”
I wanted to draw beautiful paintings, more and more, in the future. That was all I thought.
Some time passed. I got up from where I was.
I couldn’t spend much longer here. Sophie worried about me, and I had much to do learning painting. It was time to leave.
“Agatha, it’s time to go back now.”
Agatha seemed eager to run again. I patted her once more and mounted the horse.
Just as I was about to start, a loud sound came from somewhere.
What was that?
I pricked up my ears. It was the sound of a huge horse galloping toward us.
The closer it got, the more the ground trembled.
When I looked up, something flashed past in front of me.
In the blink of an eye, a horse and its rider had passed.
The tremor and sound faded into the distance. I stared blankly at the retreating horse and rider.
…Wow, really fast.
Admiring the speed, I noticed something sparkling on the ground: a small necklace.
I slowly returned to the starting point with Agatha. From afar, Sophie called out to me.
“Cassia!”
She ran toward me, looking cute. I smiled and dismounted.
“Did you wait long, Sophie? I got a bit distracted by the scenery along the way.”
“No, it’s fine. You can head back now.”
The stable owner approached to take Agatha.
“Did you enjoy your first ride at this stable?”
“Yes, it was spacious and nice. I’ll come often.”
“I’m glad you were satisfied.”
The owner took Agatha’s reins from me. She would stay there until my next visit.
It had been a very enjoyable ride. I patted Agatha.
“Today was fun, Agatha. I’ll come see you again.”
I decided I’d come exercise at the stables often, just to see her.
The owner led Agatha into the barn.
I realized I was drenched in sweat. Even after washing at home, I’d need to change from my riding outfit into a dress.
“Sophie, I’ll change my clothes.”
“Shall I help?”
“No, it’s fine. I can do it myself.”
Sophie stayed in the carriage as I went to the changing room.
I removed my sweaty riding clothes and picked up my dress.
Sliding my feet into the skirt and fastening the buttons, I adjusted my outfit.
I noticed someone nearby.
A woman in riding clothes was searching for something.
Sweaty, she rummaged through her pockets and then her whole body, looking for it.
Ah, that’s her.
I recognized her—the one who had ridden at incredible speed earlier.
Then I realized…
I rummaged through my own riding clothes pocket. It was the necklace I had picked up where she had passed earlier.
She must have dropped it. I had meant to return it as lost property to the stable owner but had forgotten.
“Excuse me.”
The pale-faced woman looked up.
“Are you looking for this?”
Her eyes widened when she saw the necklace.
She seemed to relax and sank to the ground, tears streaming.
“Uwaaah!”
She sobbed like a child. I panicked a little, but gave her a tissue and patted her back.
She must have been very startled—it was a truly precious necklace.
She soon stopped crying and stood up.
“…Sorry. I was so surprised.”
“It’s okay.”
“May I ask where you found it?”
“You dropped it while riding earlier. I picked it up, just in case. Glad I did.”
“Thank you so much.”
Sniffling, she said, “It’s really precious to me—it belonged to my late mother.”
“Next time, it might be safer not to wear unnecessary accessories while riding. You were going so fast earlier; I was worried.”
“Thank you, I really should do that.”
She looked at her watch, quickly gathered her things including the necklace, and said:
“It’s late. I need to get back quickly.”
“…”
“I’ll repay your kindness somehow next time. Really, thank you!”
She disappeared quickly before my eyes.
I tilted my head, watching her vanish.
…She looks somewhat familiar.
