Chapter 37
A few seconds later, realizing the situation, he opened his eyes.
The strip show unfolding before him gave him a slight headache.
“…What are you doing?”
“You said you’d teach me horseback riding. I’m taking off the bustle. I’ll be done with the rest soon, so just wait.”
“A princess should maintain her dignity—”
“You said I could do as I liked.”
In an instant, Rachel had removed the bustle from her backside and pulled out the wire that had been shaping her skirt.
She took off all the large accessories and loosened the fluttering lace decorations on her sleeves.
Her hands moved with both delicacy and speed.
When her hands reached the outer fabric of the dress, Killian closed his eyes again, then opened them.
The layered outer garment slid to the floor with a soft sound, and her figure, stripped of a layer of fabric, was clearly revealed.
“This should be fine, right?”
Feeling much lighter, Rachel gave a small kick. The ankle-length skirt lifted slightly, revealing her white calves.
Killian quickly turned his gaze elsewhere.
“…Are you really going to ride like that?”
“We’ll only be practicing inside the stable. There’s no one else to see except Your Majesty.”
“There are imperial attendants and knights over there, but… ah, your maid and escort knight have already disappeared.”
“Oh my, and you didn’t even stop them while I was undressing? How embarrassing.”
Rachel wrapped her arms around herself as if embarrassed.
The sight made Killian let out a short, incredulous laugh.
He couldn’t very well force her to put the clothes back on from the floor, nor was it easy to go back on his word now and say he no longer wished to teach her.
Composing the corners of his mouth that had lifted, he gestured to his attendants and knights.
They had already been hesitating on the sidelines, and now they quickly slipped away.
In the stable, only Rachel and Killian remained.
“What should I do?”
As if she had never been embarrassed at all, Rachel asked in a clear, confident voice.
It was a shameless thing to say, but Killian decided to just accept the situation. For the real riding lesson to begin, he pointed toward Rahel.
“How do you open the door she’s locked in?”
“If you take out this latch here, it’ll open.”
Rachel removed the latch from the barred door.
As soon as it opened, Rahel stepped out with a steady clop of hooves.
The white beast flicked her ears leisurely as she looked around, positioning herself between Killian and Rachel.
Well-trained.
The horse was better trained than he had expected.
As Killian inspected Rahel’s condition, he recalled what he had learned long ago about horseback riding— the first step was establishing rapport.
From the look of things earlier, that rapport already seemed to be there.
Just moments ago, Rahel had accepted Rachel’s touch without resistance. A horse would never lower its head to someone it did not trust.
If rapport was sufficient, they could move straight to the next step.
The second stage of riding was mounting—after all, you couldn’t do anything until you got on the horse.
Having decided on the teaching method, Killian turned his gaze to Rachel.
“Hold the reins and put your left foot in the stirrup. I’ll be watching, so don’t be afraid—take it slow.”
“I know all the theory. I studied hard, you know.”
Rachel grasped the reins with confidence.
She gripped them so tightly that the bones on the back of her hand stood out white.
Still holding them like that, she stepped into the stirrup.
Her view rose higher, and she felt her body float up slightly.
When she froze from tension, Killian supported her waist with his palm.
Oh, his hand’s on my waist.
The warmth of that palm made Rachel tense for an entirely different reason.
Sensing the stiffness in her body, Killian spoke as gently as he could.
“Relax your back.”
“…I am.”
“More.”
“I said I am.”
“Your waist is still stiff as a board.”
Killian’s voice, which had started soft and coaxing, eventually rose in exasperation. Unable to stand it, he pressed the tight muscles in Rachel’s lower back.
The moment he did, Rachel let out a small laugh and bent forward
and as her back folded, her hips and Killian’s face—
Their faces drew closer.
Killian, flustered, felt the tips of his ears slowly flush red.
This is training. I am in the middle of riding instruction.
He tried to shake off distracting thoughts. But despite his efforts, the images in his mind only grew sharper.
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