Chapter 43
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Episode 43
Grace slumped across the horse's back.
She'd thought she glimpsed something club-like between the horse's legs and wanted to verify it, but her body refused to obey.
Her eyelids grew heavy, drowsiness pooling behind them. Exhaustion pressed upon her shoulders, rendering her helpless.
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The horse moved slowly, and Grace draped the robe she'd left on the rock across her shoulders, draping herself carefully over Lucky's back as it swayed like a cradle.
The horse's skin was warm where it touched her body, and it felt wonderfully comforting.
'So warm.'
Grace clung tightly to Lucky's neck as he walked at a leisurely pace, gently stroking the horse's warm skin.
The soft mane and pulsing muscles beneath her cool fingertips felt exquisite.
Thus she returned to the Estate in perfect comfort.
Of course.
"Miss! Eeeek! W-what on earth has happened to you? I can't bear this, truly! What if you catch a cold!"
She did endure Julie's relentless scolding—the maid had searched the entire Estate since dawn when the young lady vanished.
* * *
Thud... thud. Thud. Crash.
The black horse's hard forehead struck the wall repeatedly, as if determined to break through it.
Haem, standing a pace away observing this spectacle, felt his heart drop with each thud.
It was terrifying, truly terrifying to witness...
'...I mustn't laugh. I must not laugh.'
It was far too amusing.
The moment I realized why the horse—no, why his master was ramming his head like that, my lips kept twitching uncontrollably.
'I am Haem Demigrass, chief advisor to the prestigious Black Family. I shall not succumb to such trivial trials... shall not succumb, I...'
"Pfft."
The laugh escaped before I could stop it, and the black horse's head-ramming ceased. Haem quickly covered his mouth and draped the large towel he'd been holding over the horse's back.
"Y-you'll catch a cold, sir. Please, warm yourself at once."
Snort snort snort.
When a massive black horse towering over one's own frame snorted directly in one's face and pawed at the ground with its hind legs, anyone would flinch.
"Calm yourself, whoa, please calm down, sir."
Even so, Haem's foolish lips trembled with suppressed mirth.
'Say, Haem. It seems a knot in the saddle girth may have come loose—Lucky appears to have something uncomfortable attached to him. Would you mind checking?'
'Pardon?'
Lucas had set Grace down and vanished in haste.
Grace had caught up with Haem as he rushed out, whispering her concern to him.
Something uncomfortable attached to him?
Puzzled by what she meant, I hurried to find the master, but...
Only after Grace departed and Haem carefully examined his condition could the true identity of that 'uncomfortable' thing be revealed.
Along with the state of a very, very displeased black horse.
The massive black steed's brilliant blue eyes flashed with indignation, as if questioning how dare anyone look in that direction.
Neigh!
As the horse moved threateningly, scraping at the ground, Haem waved his hands in alarm.
"Eek! N-no! I didn't see anything! Well, and besides, what I see doesn't really matter, does it? The real problem is that Miss Grace saw!"
At Haem's words, Lucas found himself despairing anew.
Had I ever felt such shame in my entire life?
To be caught in such a state by Grace!
'I should just die.'
Lucas despaired and began slamming his forehead against the wall again.
Thud, thud, thud.
"Calm yourself, sir. What's already been seen cannot be undone. Besides, bigger and sturdier is always better! Perhaps Miss Grace will come to appreciate that aspect of yours..."
'...This fool opens his mouth only to infuriate me. Should I just snap his neck?'
Reading the murderous glint in Lucas's eyes, Haem let out a yelp and stumbled backward.
"...of you? Ah, w-well, I believe you mentioned liking lemon tea! I shall dash off at once and return with fresh lemon tea!"
How he intended to make fruit cordial taste fresh was beyond comprehension.
Lucas stared at Haem's fleeing form with utter bewilderment.
Ahahahahaha!
Maniacal laughter echoed from beyond the closed door.
Lucas offered up a solemn prayer to the heavens.
'...O Divine One, I make this petition in advance.'
Grant me the righteous strength to deliver a just kick to Haem upon his return.
* * *
"Haem..."
Grace didn't manage to rise from bed until late that afternoon.
My body, having spent the night awake and indulged in water play, felt like a sodden mess.
After pushing through as long as I could, I barely managed to lift myself up.
And even that was only because I forced myself to rise, fearing I wouldn't be able to sleep again that night.
"...Hmm, this won't do. I should take a walk."
I managed to gather my hazy mind and stepped outside.
Though I was delayed somewhat by the lemon tea Haem had brought.
I wandered slowly through the Garden.
Sitting on a sun-drenched bench, I began to doze off once more.
"Ahhhhh!"
Half-asleep, I thought I heard Haem's scream.
Wondering if it was a dream, I groggily lifted my head.
Right then,
Zing—!
"Ah...!"
A sharp pain grazed my forehead, and I froze, holding my breath.
What was that?
"Am I just too exhausted?"
Why did my head suddenly hurt?
I pressed my aching temple with my hand, then lowered it as I felt a stinging foreign sensation at my fingertips. It was the exact spot where the snake had bitten me not long ago.
'A mark has appeared?'
Two small dots had formed—one on each of two finger joints. They were the fang marks from the snake.
There was barely any blood, and I'd treated it well, yet such marks remained.
'What would His Excellency say if I told him I was bitten by a snake?'
I found myself actually looking forward to what words might come from his lips.
Imagining that fearsome face uttering all manner of sweet words made me smile softly.
"But I haven't heard His Excellency's voice since earlier. Your Excellency?"
-...
I called out to Lucas several times.
But no response came from him.
It was just like yesterday with me.
I could faintly sense his presence, yet it felt as though he were concealing his voice.
"Hmm, that's strange."
Tilting my head in puzzlement, I thought he must have his reasons and rose to my feet.
I remembered Lucky, who had accompanied me on a night walk last evening. Suddenly, I grew concerned about the horse's condition.
"Is Lucky alright? I wonder if I properly removed the saddle."
I searched the places where Lucky typically appeared.
But that creature, who usually materialized so suddenly and frequently, was nowhere to be seen.
She searched the Garden, scanning every corner for Lucky.
Had she been wandering for about an hour?
"Where on earth am I?"
Grace realized, belatedly, that she had stumbled into unfamiliar territory.
"What kind of Garden is large enough to get lost in?"
She muttered in bewilderment, then carefully retraced her steps.
After walking for roughly ten minutes, she arrived at a troubling realization.
"Good heavens, am I truly this directionally challenged?"
Whichever way she looked, the surroundings seemed identical, indistinguishable from the path she'd already traveled.
She faltered briefly in confusion before composing herself.
"Well, in any case, I'm still within the Garden. Someone will come looking for me."
With unhurried pragmatism, she located the largest boulder nearby.
A couple of substantial rocks, roughly waist-high, lay beneath a towering tree.
"Yes, I'll rest here and think things through."
When I reconnect with His Excellency later, I can ask him where this place is.
With serene confidence, she leaned her back against the rock and gazed skyward.
The day was pleasantly warm, and the tree's shade offered cool respite.
Breathing in the earthy scent carried on the gentle breeze, she drifted into slumber without realizing it.
-...race!
Then His Excellency's voice jolted her awake.
"Hmm?"
She thought she'd only dozed for a moment, yet the sky had already turned orange.
-Grace, can you hear me? Grace!
"...Yes, Your Excellency?"
-Ah....
At the sound of her voice, Lucas released a heavy sigh of relief.
Grace rubbed the sleep from her eyes and rose to her feet.
It seemed darkness would fall soon.
"I only closed my eyes for a moment, but I must have fallen asleep. Your Excellency, I've lost my way...."
-Where are you? Where exactly?
"Well, I entered through a side path behind the Eastern Garden Statue. I thought I was going straight, but I got lost. And right now, I'm beneath an enormous Plane Tree."
-A Plane Tree?
"Yes, there are several rocks beneath it."
-Ah. Wait a moment.
"Yes?"
His tone suggested he might come himself.
She found it puzzling, but obediently sat upon the rock and waited for him.
Yet it was not Lucas Black who came to retrieve her.
Neigh!
It was his horse, Lucky.
Lucky caught sight of Grace and galloped toward her at once.
"Lucky!"
The horse circled around her as if to verify she was unharmed, then nudged and nuzzled her with his muzzle in various places.
"That tickles! Goodness, you came looking for me? My, what a clever creature you are."
As she laughed and embraced Lucky's neck, pressing her cheek against his, the horse's previously agitated snorts softened into the gentle breathing of a docile lamb.
"The Garden is incredibly vast. But how did you get here? You arrived far too quickly for His Excellency to have sent you...?"
It was as though Lucky had been wandering nearby and simply bolted toward her the moment he sensed something.
How strange.
"Could you hear His Excellency's voice too? Your Excellency, can Lucky hear your voice as well?"
-That is, no, that's not quite it.... It's rather complicated.
Lucas found himself unwilling to tell Grace any more lies, so he circumvented the explanation.
-I'll explain everything later, Grace.
Unaware that his murmured voice was brimming with guilt, Grace answered cheerfully.
"Yes, I understand. If it's difficult to discuss, you needn't tell me."
Grace smiled softly while stroking Lucky's neck.
That crystalline, luminous smile pierced Lucas's heart like a blade.
With the setting sun at his back, Lucas pressed his forehead against the nape of Grace's neck.
Her delicate, fragrant scent tightened around his anxious heart.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org