Chapter 43

“…….”

Dad, who had been silent, called me.

“Hey, Lili.”

“Just like Dad used to, tell His Majesty the Emperor that you don’t want to fight such wars. Such wars are bad wars….”

“…….”

“Mr. James, why aren’t you answering?”

I shook the dirt off my palms and turned to look at Dad.

Dad stared at me for a moment, then smiled.

“Okay, I will.”

“Dad.”

“Yeah, Princess.”

I stood up and hugged Dad.

“I’m fine.”

“What’s fine?”

Dad, holding me in his arms, gently stroked my head and asked.

“I don’t want you to go off to a bad war because of me.”

“…….”

“Promise me. Got it?”

Dad’s arms, which were holding me, trembled slightly.

“I promise.”

“…Yeah, okay. I promise.”

His voice was bitter as he lied.

* * *

In the deep of night, when even the moon was asleep.

At the Rubinstein Manor stables.

Only Walter, Cheshire’s black horse, and Zephir, Lili’s white horse, were awake.

“Hey, Prince.”

Walter called out to Zephir.

Prince… It was a nickname the other horses had given Zephir since the days in Masa, mocking his beautiful appearance and haughty demeanor.

As always, Zephir didn’t respond.

“Why don’t you let the princess ride you once in a while?”

[…….]

Princess was Lili’s nickname.

It was because Lili’s father, the human owner of this house, always called his daughter “Princess.”

“Are you listening?!”

[Shut up. Go away.]

[You are listening. Hey, the princess always sits in the stable and watches our owner ride me with envious eyes. Isn’t that pitiful?]

[…….]

[Our owner hasn’t been able to concentrate lately, worrying about the princess.]

Zephir knew all of this, with his eyes and ears.

He knew that Lili watched Cheshire ride Walter with envious eyes.

Then.

A small sound came from the darkness.

The ears of the two horses perked up.

“Hey, what’s this? You guys weren’t sleeping?”

[Oh, Princess? What are you doing here at this hour?!]

Lili, holding a lantern in one hand and a small basket under her arm, was there.

“Shh, shh. Walter, be quiet. You’ll wake everyone up.”

[Give me a carrot!]

“Be quiet, I said?”

To Lili, it sounded like a whinny, but Walter was repeatedly asking for a carrot.

Lili hesitated as she looked into the basket she had brought.

“Do you want this? It’s heavy, so I could only bring four. This is all for Zephir….”

[Don’t favor him!]

“What should I do…. Then just one?”

Lili, who had placed the lantern in a corner of the stable, fed a carrot to Walter.

“Hee, hee, you’re eating well. You’re so cute.”

[The princess is even cuter.]

Walter, who had quickly finished the carrot, blew his nose and gently nudged Lili’s hand.

Lili stroked Walter a few times and then poured the remaining carrots from the basket into Zephir’s feed bin.

[Jealous brat….]

Walter muttered.

“Zephir, I thought you were sleeping. I could only sneak out at dawn today because Dad isn’t here…. Oh, Dad went to the palace. He said he’ll be back in two days.”

As always, Lili chattered away as if talking to Zephir and carefully lay down.

Zephir was startled.

To his surprise, she pushed her small body into the stall.

Fearlessly.

“This, Zephir, is a really good medicine that was left over from what I gave Riko yesterday. I soaked it in warm water. Oh, Riko is my friend.”

Lili took out a wet cloth from her bosom.

Then, as if she was suddenly afraid, she stood a little distance away, hesitating.

“I’ll tie it to your sore leg. I was going to do it while you were sleeping, but…. You have to keep your leg still, okay? It will hurt me if you move.”

Zephir still had an indifferent look. Lili carefully wrapped the cloth around Zephir’s right front leg.

“You’re good…. I asked Flynn. Oh, Flynn is our family doctor. This is a really good medicine, but it only works on humans, not animals. So it might not help, but just in case….”

Lili sighed and added.

“Uncle Rick said that maybe you’re still in pain, so you’re not moving your leg.”

[No, Princess. This brat, Prince, has been healed for a long time.]

“Walter, be quiet? Anyway, I saw an article in the newspaper last year when you won the riding competition. It said you practiced for ten hours a day without even taking a ten-minute break, right?”

Muttering, Lili added very softly, “Demon Daemon Martini….”

“I hope you get better soon.”

Then she gasped.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not asking you to carry me. It’s fine even if you don’t.”

[Dump that Prince brat! I’ll carry you, Princess!]

“Walter, no. That’s enough carrots for today. I’ll give you more tomorrow.”

Lili, who had calmed Walter, gently stroked Zephir’s leg.

“I’ve said it before, but I don’t have to compete. Cheshire will win anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

[That’s right, I and my owner will win!]

After the clumsy treatment, Lili, not even noticing how dirty she was, plopped down in a corner and pulled her knees up.

Zephir looked down at her quietly.

“So, you don’t have to run if you don’t want to. You can run when you want to, that’s all.”

Lili said with a smile.

For some reason, the face of the former owner overlapped, and Zephir couldn’t take his eyes off Lili.

“Rest! Don’t sleep! Run! The competition is just around the corner!”

“Why are you getting slower and slower? Run faster! Faster! What are you going to do with such a slow speed?!”

“It might be sad that your leg isn’t as fast as before because it’s injured…. But being fast isn’t always good. There are things you can only see when you’re slow.”

“You were born to run. The only way to prove your value as a racehorse is to win the competition! Win! Be the best!”

“Aren’t racehorses a bit strange? Born to run…. Well, there are many enjoyable things and delicious foods in the world.”

“Oh, this horse? I brought it in new. I thought you had no hope after seeing your condition. If you want to ride and run again, find your original form. I don’t need a slow horse.”

“You don’t have to run fast to be loved or win the competition to be cherished. So, really, it’s okay even if you can’t run as fast as before, like in the old days.”

[…….]

“I just hope you get better…. Both your leg and your heart….”

Muttering, Lili yawned and, forgetting to leave, started dozing off right there.

Zephir watched her for a while, then carefully bent his leg and sat down.

Soon, the small body of the child was buried in the soft neck of the white horse.

* * *

“What are you doing here?”

Blink, blink.

A stern voice that I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality hit my ears.

Rubbing my eyes and getting up, I saw the sky was dimly lit, indicating it was dawn.

I was startled.

‘What, what! I fell asleep here?’

Next to me was Zephir. It seemed I had fearlessly leaned on Zephir and fallen asleep.

And the one who woke me up was….

“G, G, Grandpa?”

It was Grandpa, dressed in a black uniform, exuding an imposing presence.

I hurriedly got up.

‘Grandpa was supposed to go to the welcome ceremony with Dad yesterday, right?’

Why was he here? And in the stables?

My head was spinning, but I had to apologize first.

Sitting on the dirty stable floor and even falling asleep. It was an action that showed no dignity of a noble.

“Grandpa, I…. I came out to feed the horses yesterday and accidentally fell asleep. I’m sorry.”

“…….”

Grandpa didn’t say anything. I, not knowing what to do, crawled out of the stall as I had come in.

…I’m done for. I did everything Grandpa hates.

“I’m sorry….”

Trying to hide my dirty skirt and shoes, I took a few steps back.

“Is this the horse you brought to compete in the riding competition?”

“Oh, Zephir? Yes.”

“I heard he doesn’t let anyone ride him.”

How did Grandpa know that? It was strange, but I nodded.

“Then you should change the horse.”

“No!”

I was startled and waved my hands.

“Zephir… has a… mental wound. If I give up on him and find another horse, Zephir might be disappointed and close his heart completely…. So I’m waiting for Zephir….”

“…….”

“Grandpa, I don’t think I can compete in the riding competition. I’m sorry, I was supposed to win an award….”

“When did I ever tell you to compete and win an award?”

“Well, not exactly….”

“So you’ve never ridden a horse before.”

“Yes.”

I hesitated, then slightly raised my eyes to look at Grandpa’s expression.

Grandpa, who had been staring at me, suddenly knelt down and brushed the dirt off my skirt and shoes with his own hands.

“Eh, Grandpa…?”

Then he stood up and opened the stall opposite Zephir.

Grandpa, leading a muscular brown horse out, lifted me up and sat me on it.

“……?”

Then he got on behind me and started to ride slowly.