Chapter 31
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Chapter 31
"That is... well...."
I shook my head slightly at Leopold's enigmatic words. Did he mean he wanted to share the last fragment of the night with me?
"...."
Yet Leopold merely gazed at me intently, maintaining his silence. It seemed he had no intention of helping me escape my bewildered thoughts. Though he remained motionless, his dark hair rippled gently in the autumn night breeze.
He spoke again.
"How about we leave this forest together tonight?"
"Pardon?"
I asked in surprise at Leopold's sudden proposal. Tonight, I found his actions difficult to predict. Leopold tilted his head slightly, his hair catching the moonlight with a faint blue shimmer.
"Since you mentioned the concert, I've suddenly longed to hear music again. Would you join me for a midnight concert, Charlotte?"
A concert at nearly midnight? My expression betrayed my bewilderment.
"A midnight concert? Surely no concert would be held at such a late hour?"
Yet even as I offered the rational answer Helena would have given, curiosity began to bloom quietly in my heart.
"...And even if such a place existed, there would be no way to reach it. We couldn't call for a carriage...."
Then Leopold extended his hand toward me without a word, a playful smile gracing his lips—the same sort of smile I wore when hatching some reckless scheme. Of course, his smile possessed something irresistibly alluring. I hesitated, but ultimately took the hand he offered.
Following Leopold's hand, I arrived at the Stables located in the Augusta Family Grounds.
"Your Highness Leopold, surely you don't intend to ride Charles to a midnight concert?"
I shook my head firmly, gripping Leopold's forearm tightly. The Augusta Family owned a chestnut horse called Charles, and though he was healthy and handsome, my father George had purchased him at a bargain price because the horse lacked proper training.
"That won't do. Charles isn't merely untrained—he's absolutely vicious. He throws a tantrum the moment anyone tries to raise the harness, and he's even kicked Father before!"
I shook my head, recalling the times Father and Sydney had suffered at the horse's temperament.
There was a reason for the cheap price, as they say. The horse George had purchased for his daughters to use at social gatherings was supposedly merely "untrained," but in truth, it possessed a vicious disposition and stubborn will. Consequently, no one in the Augusta Family dared approach the animal except when feeding it, let alone harness it to a carriage.
Yet despite my concerns, Leopold strode purposefully toward Charles. I remained rooted in place, trembling with anxiety, and whispered urgently.
"Oh no, Your Highness. That horse is truly dangerous...."
But before I could finish, Leopold had already approached the glossy chestnut horse and begun gently stroking its mane.
"What...? He's not kicking?"
I gasped at the extraordinary sight. Charles, who would snort at the very maids bringing his feed, was accepting Leopold's touch as docilely as a lamb.
Leopold spoke in a soft, low voice so as not to startle Charles.
"It seems Charles can see me the way you do, Charlotte."
Leopold expertly caressed Charles's face as he spoke. The horse gazed at him with a contented whicker, his breathing soft and satisfied.
I murmured again, my expression one of disbelief.
"But how could you possibly handle such a vicious horse...."
"Wasn't it the case that whenever people approached the horse, their hands carried tack and harnesses like shackles?"
"Well, yes. We bought him to pull the carriage, after all...."
As I replied, Leopold spoke slowly.
"This horse doesn't prefer pulling a carriage—he prefers being ridden. You can tell from his lean frame and narrow hooves."
Leopold gazed at me and then at Charles with understanding. Charles, pleased by that gaze, whickered contentedly once more.
"Horses like this may have somewhat difficult temperaments, but the more you build a bond with them, the gentler and more capable they become."
Having finished speaking, Leopold set aside the heavy harness that had been placed beside Charles and instead retrieved the saddle hanging on the stable wall. The moment Charles saw this, his affectionate demeanor vanished entirely—his expression became proud and dignified as he lifted his head with a spirited toss.
"Charlotte, do you know how to ride?"
I widened my eyes at Leopold's sudden question. Even without the fierce Charles, as a lady, I naturally had no idea how to ride a horse. At best, I knew how to board a carriage driven by a coachman with proper decorum.
"Oh, no?"
As I responded with a bewildered expression, Leopold's smile deepened. He raised one dark eyebrow and whispered with a playful spin.
"Very well then. You shall learn from me today."
***
About half an hour's ride from the Augusta Family Grounds, I sat atop Charles with Leopold. At first, I was frightened by the height and the jolting sensation, but learning to ride in the prince's embrace was far from an unpleasant experience for me.
"Goodness, he's like a completely different horse. All this time I've only scolded him for being ill-tempered and stubborn, never knowing the truth..."
I gently stroked Charles's mane, still unable to believe I was actually sitting on a horse. Charles walked with firm, dignified strides that rivaled those of the royal stables, carrying us both.
The glossy brown hair on Charles's neck gleamed in the moonlight. As I caressed his mane, I suddenly spoke.
"Your Highness, do you know why this horse is named Charles?"
"Charles... Could it be that you named him after yourself?"
(*Charles is the masculine form of Charlotte.)
Leopold leaned closer and answered. I felt his scent near the nape of my neck and nodded shyly.
"That's right. This horse's coat color resembles my hair color—the only brown hair in the Augusta Family. In fact, I asked Father to name the horse that way. I said I wished there were another person with brown hair in the Augusta Family. Haha."
I let out an embarrassed laugh. Later, when people learned that Charles possessed a peculiar and stubborn temperament unsuited to the Augusta Family, they would tease me about how fitting the name was. After all, I too was a troublemaker, unlike my other sisters in the Augusta Family who were proper and well-behaved.
"In any case, I came to regret asking Father to name the horse after me. Every time I saw this stubborn horse that people feared, it felt like seeing myself—someone who doesn't fit the Augusta Family—and it made me feel small."
I spoke with a somewhat sad smile.
"But... seeing Charles obey Your Highness so well today has changed my mind."
Charles let out a low whinny, as if he understood we were talking about him. His breath dissipated into the deep indigo night air.
"When you really look at it, Charles is such a swift, gentle, and intelligent horse... How much must his heart have ached every time he was scolded for being merely stubborn?"
Apology toward Charles permeated my voice. Indeed, Charles was carrying us forward with steps far more graceful and precise than any carriage horse I had ever seen.
Leopold, who had been listening to me in silence, finally spoke.
"Sometimes, depending on what perspective is given, the evaluation of something changes. A supreme riding horse can become the worst carriage horse, just as...."
Leopold paused for a moment, then whispered to me in a voice infinitely tender, unlike his usual manner.
"...Charlotte, might you also be trapped within a single perspective and accepting that evaluation as truth?"
My cheeks flushed deeply at Leopold's warm words. Now that he mentioned it, I became acutely aware of his body pressed close behind me, radiating an unusual warmth.
"Do you truly believe that, Your Highness? That perhaps I am not a troublemaker, but...."
I trailed off, offering an embarrassed smile. As Leopold had said, I was accustomed to viewing myself as a problem, so it felt strange to believe that I, like Charles, possessed hidden potential.
Sensing my hesitation, Leopold spoke slowly, yet with unmistakable clarity.
"Charlotte, you are absolutely not a troublemaker. Rather, you are someone who can preserve your own worth in any circumstance...."
Leopold's hands overlapped with mine as I held the reins.
"...intelligent and courageous."
With these words, Leopold gently pulled the reins taut while cradling my hands, bringing Charles to a halt. We had arrived at the location of the 'midnight concert' he had intended to show me.
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