Rubel, who had been quietly listening to Bill’s voice, chattering about how great it would be to go here and there, suddenly rested his chin on my shoulder.
A pleasant shiver ran down my spine. I found it ticklish, but I didn’t push him away.
Rubel brought his lips close to my ear and whispered in a husky voice.
“I, too, once made a similar promise.”
“Yes. If we’re going anyway, it would be good to go together at the right time.”
“What?”
“The more escorts, the better.”
He listened quietly, then nodded. Rubel, who had been clinging to my side, glared and sat up straight. How could even those sharp eyes look so cute?
Without realizing it, I reached out and gently touched the corner of Rubel’s eye, and he quickly became docile and gentle. It was quite amusing.
I knew he was a Child who liked to be alone with me, but this time it was difficult to concede, so I calmly soothed him.
“So, Your Highness was planning to leave with just me as your escort, in your status as Second Prince?”
“That’s…”
“Even two are not enough. If you don’t want to take the Knights, it’s more comfortable to go with close friends. Even if it’s not right after Bill graduates, let’s go together after he’s built up his skills in the Yuil Mountains for a few more years. If Ruben has any close friends, we can bring them along…”
“…”
“I heard that among the seniors who took advanced swordsmanship classes with you, there are people who graduated as soon as Ruben did and are now in the Yuil Mountains. Is that right?”
“That’s… Yeah. That’s right…”
“If you tell me about people you’re close to, I’ll go to the Yuil Mountains and ask them. Ruben can ask them directly, too.”
“Okay…”
It was fortunate that Bill Brown was watching. If he hadn’t been there, I would have been desperate to kiss Ruben’s cheek. The way he nodded obediently was so lovely.
It was so hard to take my hand away from Ruben’s cheek, which was three times softer than the crow doll I hadn’t bothered to bring. I put on a calm expression and coaxed Ruben, saying he was good and pretty.
Bill, who had been watching, whined in a sulky voice.
“But I also want to see the Spirit’s Spring and admire the Goddess’s Head statue.”
“You can see them all, can’t you?”
“I’m just worried that it might be a difficult journey for Your Highness.”
“Ruben is stronger than you, though.”
“Pardon?”
It was obvious.
Bill’s eyes were still too low to recognize it immediately, but if you compared Rubel and Bill, Ruben’s skills were definitely higher. I laughed out loud at Bill’s surprised face.
“Didn’t I tell you before? It will take you at least a few years to reach the realm of Sword Master.”
“But, um, Your Highness is currently a Sword Master…”
“Not yet. But it’s soon. That’s how I see it.”
“…”
“You should apologize to Ruben, Bill. You shouldn’t be arrogant in front of people.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“That’s right.”
Ruben forgave him haughtily, but immediately.
I was pleased with Ruben’s generosity towards the Child, so I gently stroked his hair and praised him. I ached in my heart as I resisted the urge to hug Ruben, who was snuggling against my shoulder.
❖ ❖ ❖
One day, we called all our friends together and hung out.
None of them were clumsy at handling horses, but no one could ride as boldly as Benjamin.
Whether it was because Benjamin had put so much effort into it, or because he had always loved to cut through the wind roughly. Victor was running as if he was mowing the sky and the earth.
If a horse could use Light Footwork, it would look like that. Marianne, determined to beat Benjamin, spurred her horse alongside him.
A herd of deer, startled by the sight of the children riding wildly, scattered far away.
I rode leisurely, watching the children’s backs become as small as fingernails.
There were many people besides me who wanted to associate with Ruben, the Second Prince. As we came out onto the wide plain, several Children whose names I didn’t recognize followed Rubel. Knowing that I shouldn’t monopolize Ruben, I gently loosened the reins and headed towards my friends.
Shayden, who had been talking to Damian, soon came over to my side and lined up his horse with mine. He knew very well how many times I had spent time alone with Rubel. In a voice barely audible to those nearby, he asked me.
“Did you tell him?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
He didn’t have to be so careful; strangers wouldn’t be able to understand anyway. I easily understood the meaning of the question, even without a subject or object. He had been watching me the whole time, seeing how I was acting like I was lovesick because Rubel was so cute and pretty.
This time, Shayden probably read my mind even before I did. That’s why he was acting like a mother duck, worried that my heart would be hurt again. The thought made me laugh.
Rubel came into view at the end of my gaze. Rubel, riding a sleek black horse that resembled him so much, looked like a painting, mingling with the boys and girls around him.
“I didn’t think it was the right time.”
“Time?”
“Yeah. After thinking about it carefully, I’ll have to go up to the Yuil Mountains soon, won’t I?”
“That’s right.”
“Ruben, well, even if he’s not naive and weak-hearted to others… You know that he easily shows his weak side in front of me and always acts pitiful, right?”
“…”
I laughed again as I watched Shayden inhale sharply.
“If Ruben says he accepts me, what then? I can’t tell him to remain chaste until I come down from the mountains, can I?”
“Why, can’t you do that?”
“I wonder…”
A warm breeze blew. The hot wind combed through my hair, revealing Shayden’s neat forehead.
Shayden and I had similar hairstyles. The coarse hair took a lot of time to style. Because I didn’t want to spend a lot of time styling my hair, I had been wearing my hair short since I was five, with my neck fully exposed.
Shayden did too. I had only recently realized, after looking in the mirror a lot, that the Child’s hair parting was similar to mine. I don’t know if the Child was copying me, or if it was just a coincidence.
But I knew that Shayden was concerned about me.
“I can’t make him waste several years without a promise. The affection I have for Ruben… is a wish for him to be happy, not a desire to hold him in my grasp. If a better relationship comes along while I’m gone, that would be good too.”
“But…”
“Shayden.”
The Child, who was about to retort, shut his mouth tightly. Because I didn’t spur my horse or pull the reins any further, the horses that Shayden and I were riding strolled leisurely. They walked slowly as they pleased, occasionally grazing on the grass.
I could hear the children’s laughter from afar, and I could feel a gaze from somewhere else. I knew very well who the owner of the gaze was. I didn’t bother to look back.
“Have I been acting so unreliably?”
“No, no. It’s not that, it’s just… I.”
Shayden took a short breath and shook his head slightly. A faint smile spread across the Child’s lips.
“I’m just… I’m just a little worried.”
“Yeah, thanks. But it’s okay. There’s no need to worry in advance.”
“Yeah. Are you having dinner alone with Your Highness again tonight?”
“Probably.”
“You can borrow a seven-hole heat emitter from the distribution center tent. You can grill marshmallows or chocolate. I’ll get some for you.”
“I will. I’ll go pick it up later.”
Shayden nodded slightly and pulled on his horse’s reins. I was about to follow him when I saw his horse, which had been leisurely, run ahead, but I waited for a moment because someone was approaching me.
Rubel’s black hair shone blue in the sky light. The hair that scattered softly on his shoulders in time with the horse’s gait was so lovely. I smiled gently at the Child.
“Have you finished your story?”
“Yeah. What about Mika?”
“Me too.”
Rubel hesitated for a moment and asked again.
“What were you talking about?”
“Just, this and that. Ah. I’ll get some marshmallows after dinner.”
“Ah… Okay, let’s do that. Should I ask the chef to bake some cookies too? It’ll be delicious if we eat them together.”
“That’s good.”
A hot wind rushed in one direction from afar. The swaying grass lay down in one direction. I put my gaze in the distance. I could see the Children who had gotten off their horses sitting somewhere on the plain, talking to each other.
They must have found flowers. Or maybe just a small, pretty bug, or even a rabbit hole.
While watching the young children who were greatly pleased by trivial things, I swallowed a breath anew. It was so difficult to put a name to this feeling that was deeply fulfilling, warm, and peaceful.
Knowing how futile it was to wish for eternity, I wished that this moment would last forever.
Whether it was my nature, my habit, or because I was anxious and afraid of the days to come.
Rubel, who had been looking in the same direction as me for a long time, gently pulled on the reins and stopped.
“Shall we, um… go over there?”
“Over there?”
“Yeah. There’s no path in the forest… I’m worried about how to get into the forest on the Hunting Festival, so I want to find a path first.”
“Yes. Let’s do that.”
If we were walking on foot, there would be no need to find a place with a path, but since it was an event where we would be riding horses and shooting arrows, it was better to have a path that the horses could pass through.
We had plenty of time and didn’t need to rush, so Rubel and I strolled around the edge of the forest.
We identified several entrances where we could push our way through the dense trees. Out of a total of six entrances, four were difficult for horses to pass through. Since it was like this even at the very beginning, we would have to cut down branches and vines with our swords to enter the forest.
When I said that, Rubel asked if we should only take one horse and walk on foot in the forest.
I hesitated for a moment whether we really needed to go into the forest that way, but I agreed because we were both fast walkers and I wanted to catch a good bear for him.