Chapter 55
While Pony crunched on the carrot, Rosen sat back on the bench and fiddled with a neatly ironed decorative ribbon. It was an embroidered piece with gold thread initials clumsily sewn on the edges, made to wrap around a sword handle, and she had put great effort into making it as a gift for Iscarion.
“Pony, what do you think? Do you think Brother will like it?”
“Neeeigh!”
Pony neighed energetically as if to say yes.
It was an old tradition in Kylon to give handmade embroidered items to knights either before they went to a hunting competition or a tournament, or to welcome them back. Most gifts came from wives, lovers, or fiancées, but unmarried men without partners relied on their older sisters or younger sisters. Some bold and forward-thinking “modern ladies” even used this opportunity to confess their feelings to men they fancied.
Though still young, Rosen was his fiancée, so she learned how to embroider for the first time to make something for Iscarion. With the nanny’s help, she embroidered his initials on one side and the family crest on the other, pricking her small fingers countless times with the sharp needle. Despite the crooked initials and the family crest looking more like a failed pie crust, Rosen was proud that she had prepared something for him for the first time.
Rosen carefully folded the satin ribbon and put it back in her inner pocket. She was playing hide and seek with Pony when someone approached her.
“Lady Dana, right?”
“Who are you?”
“I am Camilla Petra, the eldest daughter of Count Petra.”
Lifting her head, Rosen saw a lady in a pretty riding outfit smiling at her. Several teenage noblewomen, presumably her friends, stood beside her. Rosen instinctively showed signs of wariness towards strangers, but they waved their hands with friendly smiles.
“Oh, don’t be scared. We just want to get to know you better.”
“The Grand Duke of Lutèce made a great contribution in the war at a young age before even becoming an adult. We’ve always admired him for protecting the empire, so naturally, we wanted to befriend you as well.”
“Ah, hello…”
At the time, Rosen was too young to suspect others’ goodwill. Although she was being cared for diligently at the grand ducal house, the wounds from losing her entire family overnight had not yet healed. The pretty ladies who approached her with kind words seemed like angels.
Moreover, hearing continuous praises for Iscarion, who was like everything to her, gradually dissolved her wariness.
“Why don’t we all go riding in the forest? There’s a perfect place to run a bit further inside.”
“But I promised to wait here for Brother… I mean, the Grand Duke.”
“Hmm. Surely, you can ride, right? The men of the Grand Duchy of Lutèce, and even the former Grand Duchess, were known for their excellent riding skills.”
“Lady, you are the future Grand Duchess, even if you are still young. You will debut in high society in a few years, and if you don’t socialize with others beforehand, it will be a disadvantage to the grand duchy.”
Rosen’s heart sank at the thought of being a burden to Iscarion. She didn’t yet understand the gossip or feelings towards the opposite s*x, but even then, he was her only family and the most important person in her life. She knew that he often attended events alone because she was too young to be his partner. Riding alone in the forest for the first time was scary, but she didn’t want to cause any trouble for him.
Rosen cautiously looked around. The forest seemed to have gentle terrain and no significant obstacles.
The riding instructor said she was now capable of riding on flat ground alone. And Pony was a gentle horse, so it should be fine as long as she didn’t go too fast…
When Rosen nodded, the lady who first spoke to her approached with a kind face. She took Pony’s reins with gloved hands, skillfully handling the horse, and even fed it some hay from a small pouch.
“Don’t worry, we’ll help you.”
“How about we all take a stroll in the forest until the competition starts?”
“Let’s go!”
Rosen urged Pony to move at a relatively slow pace. As they entered the lush forest, the breeze filled with fresh greenery pleasantly brushed her cheeks.
‘It was a good idea to ride.’
But soon enough, the normally docile pony, Pony, began to breathe heavily and behave erratically. Rosen, flustered, tried to calm the pony by pulling on the reins, but it only bucked harder as if trying to throw her off.
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