Chapter 28
028.
She couldn’t go see Riad with her face drenched in sweat and completely pale.
They were about to return to the count’s territory, and it was obvious she looked a mess.
Turning away, Henesstia left Igni, who was calling out to her, and moved off in search of a place where she could wipe her face.
Igni called her a few more times, but when it became clear she was desperately trying to get away from him, he didn’t follow.
“This is really a disaster.”
She muttered to herself, catching sight of her reflection in the well water she’d finally found.
She wiped away the sweat and took a deep breath.
“That… knight. I’ll have to keep seeing him from now on…”
Her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Pressing them to her forehead, she stood there trembling for quite a while.
Saying he should just hit her instead—that impulsive comment had already become a regret, even though it was too late to take it back.
“…Let’s go.”
From what she saw earlier, it looked like everyone was ready to depart. She couldn’t be the one to hold them up.
She checked her outfit one last time and looked at her reflection again. Her appearance was neat, no problems.
Whatever had happened between her and Igni just now—if he didn’t speak of it, no one would ever know.
The way back was long.
Very long.
She walked and walked and walked some more until, in the distance, she spotted knights in uniform checking their horses.
And of course, right in the middle of them was Riad.
‘Sir Igni isn’t there.’
She felt a moment of relief and slowly resumed walking.
Not only was Igni nowhere to be seen, but neither was the carriage she’d been riding. Henesstia, who had hoped to go directly to the carriage, looked a little flustered.
And the moment she appeared, the knights chatting amongst themselves all fell silent.
Riad, who had been speaking with another knight, turned his head upon noticing her.
“Henesstia.”
He called her calmly.
His face showed no change from the day before. That plain, steady expression. Henesstia had to fight the urge to sink to the ground.
“Where’s Igni? Why are you alone?”
His tone, as if nothing had happened the night before, gave her a sense of relief first and foremost.
Good.
So nothing must have happened during the time she couldn’t remember.
If she had said anything, even a sliver of the truth she was hiding, Riad wouldn’t be speaking to her like this now.
Relief washed over her, but the name “Igni” stirred a new wave of unease. Still, knowing the secret she desperately needed to keep hadn’t been exposed allowed her to smother the burning anxiety in her heart—just a little.
Only just a little.
“I went to wash up for a bit… Are we leaving already?”
Since he didn’t seem any different, Henesstia answered him as usual.
The knights standing nearby offered short bows before stepping away. Soon, no one remained near Riad and Henesstia.
“We’ll be leaving soon.”
“My carriage…?”
No matter where she looked, she couldn’t see the carriage she’d been riding, though the luggage cart was still there.
She was beginning to imagine all sorts of things—had something happened to the carriage? Would she have to ride in the supply cart?—when Riad, adjusting his horse’s saddle, spoke.
“Today, you’ll be going with me.”
“…Pardon?”
“You’ll be riding with me on horseback.”
Henesstia’s tongue felt stiff. It was as if someone had turned it to stone, and she stumbled over her own response.
“Sorry… what?”
Instead of getting irritated at her dazed reply, Riad simply led her directly to the horse.
“It’s only a five- or six-hour ride. We’ll move quickly on horseback.”
“But… I’m not used to riding…”
“Just do what you did the last time we rode together.”
Why was he suddenly insisting they ride on horseback? Had something really gone wrong with the carriage?
As soon as they entered the count’s territory, crowds of residents and vassals would be there to welcome the knights and their lord.
Her plan had been to stay quietly hidden inside the carriage when they arrived. She didn’t want anyone even realizing she was inside.
She hoped no one would spare her a glance, that all the praise and cheers would be for the returning heroes.
“Why… suddenly? Did something happen?”
And yet, he wanted her to ride into the territory right beside him, on the lead horse—the one decorated with the most flowers and glory?
She couldn’t even imagine what would happen.
She’d even started picturing the cheering streets turning dead silent with discomfort when they saw her—when Riad answered casually.
“Why would anything have happened?”
“Then… I really think I should take the carriage…”
“No. You’re coming with me.”
There was no room for argument in his tone.
As he stroked his horse’s jaw, he bent slightly to meet Henesstia’s eyes as she hesitated.
Golden eyes, reminiscent of a full moon, locked onto her.
“Is there a reason you can’t come with me?”
“……”
“If going as my wife would be such a disgrace to your honor, I won’t stop you from refusing.”
Henesstia flinched.
“What kind of thing is that to say…!”
“Then it’s not true?”
“Of course not!”
No matter how many misunderstandings clung to her, this was one she absolutely refused.
“It’s just… I’m still a little scared of horses…”
“He’s a fierce one, but he’s gentle with people I approve of.”
Whether her excuse had worked or not, Riad handed her the reins.
She couldn’t tell if she should be thankful he didn’t misunderstand, or despair at the fact that she now actually had to ride a horse with him and cross the city walls.
In the end, caught off guard, she accepted the reins without even thinking.
“Her name’s Victrix. Try calling her.”
The red mare, whose name was far too pretty for her sharp gaze, stared intensely at Henesstia.
It seemed she didn’t even remember the half-day ride they had shared previously. Her expression was nothing short of hostile.
“…Victrix.”
The horse simply continued to stare at her without reacting.
Was it possible she didn’t even recognize her own name? Henesstia looked up at Riad, who was glancing between his horse and Henesstia with a faint smile on his lips.
“You standing there all stiff like that makes it seem like my horse eats people.”
A small joke slipped from his mouth.
“If she senses you’re scared, she’ll ignore you more. But she’s fine when I’m around, so go on, try petting her.”
No, she absolutely did not want to touch her.
But when she stood there like a statue, gripping the reins without moving, Riad gently pried open her fingers one by one.
Before she could resist, he placed a carrot in her hand.
“Give it to her.”
“…What if she eats my hand with it—”
“The chances of that are lower than you hitting a spectator by accident with your darts, so don’t worry.”
At the sudden mention of darts, Henesstia’s face flushed bright red. The memory of wildly missing the mark on that tree trunk yesterday came rushing back like it had just happened moments ago.
She had completely forgotten about it thanks to the wine and the lost time afterward.
“I had your portrait loaded onto the luggage cart. We can hang it in your room as a souvenir.”
Riad looked genuinely pleased.
Only then did she remember the unexpected prize she had won. She even imagined what it would look like hung up in her room.
Once they arrived at the count’s estate, it would be full of real portraits painted by actual artists. There would be no need to hang up that mass-produced likeness.
It would probably just remind her of the humiliation of missing every dart throw every time she saw it.
Still, she had landed one proper hit. Maybe she could forgive herself that much. Thinking that, her lips trembled as if she were about to speak, but before she could say anything, she let out a noise more like a yelp.
“Eep…!”
Something hot and squishy had touched the hand holding the unpeeled carrot.
Victrix, seeing that Henesstia was too hesitant to offer it, had taken the carrot straight from her hand herself. Her hand was now damp with saliva.
Crunch, crunch.
Victrix chomped on the carrot, never once breaking eye contact with Henesstia.
Like her owner, she devoured the large carrot in seconds and licked her lips.
While Henesstia stood frozen with her spit-soaked hand, Riad pulled out a black handkerchief.
“Want to give her another?”
He carefully wiped her hand.
Henesstia quickly shook her head as if to say “absolutely not.”
“I’m fine.”
How he could suggest giving the horse another treat after seeing those eyes was beyond her.
Victrix had the eyes of a vicious predator masquerading as a herbivore.
She even snorted and stamped the ground occasionally, glaring at Henesstia like she was prey.
…Still, they’d gotten along a little better last time, hadn’t they?
No—back then, too, Victrix had eyed her with equal disdain.
She’d even bared the whites of her eyes and snorted as if disapproving of having Henesstia on her back.
“She seems to like you. Victrix might be—hey, what the—”
At that moment, the handkerchief Riad had been using to wipe her hand dropped to the ground.
While Henesstia was still caught off guard, Riad turned her hand palm up without warning.
“What’s wrong with your hand?”
