Chapter 23

Lirika woke up a little later than usual. For some reason, all the fatigue from yesterday had vanished. However, another thought quickly seized her attention.

'Gold coin!'

She sprang out of bed and rushed to the glass bottle by the window.

"Wow!"

The gold coin was sparkling. Of course, it was shining because it was under the sun, but it seemed to shine more than an ordinary gold coin.

She carefully put her hand into the glass bottle and took out the gold coin. The gold coin had a dragon engraved on it.

Even when she touched it gently, the luster did not fade at all.

'Indeed, magic is amazing.'

She knew there were magicians who could breathe fire or make coins appear behind ears, but she had never seen one in person. She had only heard children talking about them. But to learn magic like this.

Lirika wanted to show it to Brin quickly.

"Brin, Brin."

"Yes, Princess. Oh, you're still in your nightgown."

He chuckled and quickly draped a triangular shawl over her shoulders. Ignoring this, Lirika extended her hand.

"Look at this."

The gold coin caught Brin's attention, who loved shiny things. He had seen countless ordinary gold coins, but this one was different.

It shone much more.

"This gold coin really sparkles beautifully, doesn't it?"

"It's because the Moon Fairy gave you her power."

While Brin answered, "That's right," he couldn't take his eyes off the gold coin.

Lirika giggled.

"Sure, I'll make one for Brin too."

"Really?"

Her purple eyes sparkled as she looked at Lirika.

"Yes, of course. I intended to make one for Brin from the beginning. Now, all I need to do is wrap this gold coin in a white handkerchief to complete it."

"It would come off too easily if you just wrap it. Fold the handkerchief into a square and sew the edges with a blue thread."

"That's a good idea."

Lirika wanted to finish quickly, but Brin said breakfast should come first.

After quickly eating breakfast, she received a soft linen handkerchief.

She folded it once horizontally and once vertically into a neat square, placed the gold coin inside, and sewed the edges with a blue thread.

Under Brin's guidance, Lirika carefully stitched the edges with her delicate hands.

"Done."

"Neat and beautiful. The gold coin won't fall out at all."

"Yep."

Lirika gazed at the amulet quietly.

Please protect Attil.

She prayed deeply in her heart.

Brin cleared his throat lightly and said softly.

"Princess."

"Yes?"

"Could you make it a silver coin instead of a gold coin for me?"

"A silver coin?"

"Yes, I like silver coins much more than gold coins."

"Really? Hmm... Would the Moon Fairy like it?"

"A kind fairy would surely help with a silver coin too. And the crescent moon is silver, isn't it?"

Convinced by Brin's earnest words, Lirika nodded. It made sense.

"I think a gold coin would be fine for Brin, but I'll try a silver coin first."

"Just a silver coin, not this one."

Brin quickly took out a newly minted silver coin. The new silver coin was shining without a single blemish.

A side profile of a person was engraved on it...

"Is this your mother?"

Surprised, Lirika asked, and Brin nodded with a smile.

"Isn't it beautiful? The side profile of Her Majesty the Queen is engraved on every silver coin. This one came out really beautifully."

"Yes, it's really beautiful."

The flowing hair was beautifully engraved. Brin smiled.

"Would you like one too, Princess?"

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I'll get you a newly minted silver coin. The ones just out of the mold are so beautiful."

Her face lit up with delight, then Brin quickly corrected his expression.

"Don't worry. I'll find you a beautiful one."

"Okay."

Lirika nodded with a smile. She fiddled with the amulet and said,

"Is Attil still angry?"

"He'll calm down when he sees the amulet."

"I hope so."

Lirika got up from her seat.

At that moment, a maid approached cautiously and said,

"His Highness the Crown Prince has sent a servant."

"Let him in."

Attil? A servant?

What could be going on?

As Lirika wondered, Bran entered. Lirika got up and greeted him.

"Bran!"

"Good morning, Princess."

"What's going on?"

In response to Lirika's question, he smiled and said,

"His Highness the Crown Prince has invited you to the stables."

"The stables?"

Why the stables all of a sudden?

Surprised, Lirika asked, and Bran whispered,

"His Highness is reflecting on what happened yesterday."

"Attil?"

The idea of Attil reflecting was hard to imagine, but she soon nodded, thinking positively.

After all, she had something to pass on to him.

"Got it. When?"

"Right now."

With a troubled expression, he added, and Lirika laughed.

"Typical Attil."

"And please change into comfortable clothes."

Brin, who seemed to have caught on, smiled and said,

"Understood. Princess, come this way."

A short while later, Lirika, dressed in a rather splendid riding outfit, chattered excitedly.

"Is Attil going to let me ride a horse? What do you think? It's my first time riding a horse."

"You can look forward to it."

Bran answered with a gentle smile, and Lirika's expectations soared even higher.

Maybe she would ride alone. That would be a bit scary, wouldn't it?

No, someone might hold the reins and lead her.

The stables were quite far from the Sun Palace. As they approached, the smell of animals and fresh hay filled the air, explaining why they were built so far away.

At the stable entrance, Attil stood with a riding outfit, leaning slightly.

"Attil."

She ran up to him but hesitated. He might still be angry.

She tilted her head and looked up at him, but Attil remained silent. Pai, who was standing next to him, nudged his side.

"Ah, a bit."

Attil glared at him and then sighed deeply. He turned his gaze and said,

"Sorry about yesterday."

Surprised, Lirika's eyes widened, and then she laughed.

"I've already forgiven you. But thank you for apologizing."

Attil looked at Lirika in surprise. Pai exclaimed, "Oh," and Brin nodded.

It wasn't a simple "It's okay" or "No, it's not."

Yes, what you did was rude, but I forgive you. And I still like you.

Lirika was saying that. She quickly took out the amulet from her pocket.

"And this is a gift for you."

"A gift?"

As Pai leaned in, Attil turned his body.

"Can I open it?"

"No, you can't. It's a protective amulet. I worked hard on it, so please keep it with you."

"An amulet?"

"Yes. It's a protective amulet for someone you love."

Attil's eyebrows furrowed, and his lips pressed tightly together at Lirika's words.

'Is he angry...?'

Feeling flustered, she realized that he was just suppressing a shy emotion or a laugh.

'He could just laugh.'

Lirika laughed and playfully clung to him.

"I worked hard on it. If you don't need it, give it back."

Seeing his sister's playful smile, Attil replied,

"You worked hard on it. I'll take it for your effort."

Lirika didn't tease him further and stood beside him with a smile. Attil took her hand and led her.

"Since you've received a gift, how about I return the favor?"

He whistled, and a stable boy quickly brought out a small horse.

Lirika's eyes widened as much as they could.

It was a beautiful brown pony.

Its coat was as soft as velvet, and its mane was a very light cream color, almost platinum.

There was a small star-shaped mark on its forehead.

"It's yours."

Attil looked at Lirika's face with a proud expression.

"Mine, mine?"

Stammering, Lirika asked, and Attil nodded, saying, "Yes."

"How about you give it a name?"

Pai suggested from the side.

"Sure, sure."

Lirika tentatively reached out her hand. Unlike a large horse, the pony wasn't intimidating.

As she extended her hand, the pony seemed to inspect what she was holding with its nose.

Then it snorted.

Lirika laughed heartily.

"I'll name it 'Morning Star.' Because it has a star on its forehead."

"Morning Star. That's a great name. It sounds like it will be remembered for ages."

Pai smiled and said. Attil, pointing at him, said to Lirika,

"Now, try riding it."

"Ride it?"

How do I ride it?

Even though it's a pony, it's still bigger than Lirika. She couldn't just climb on.

"Like this."

Attil lifted her up and placed her easily on the saddle.

Lirika didn't have time to be surprised.

"I'll hold it, so put your feet in the stirrups. There you go."

He even adjusted the stirrup length for her.

"Then, what do I do now?"

"Keep your back straight and don't bend. Put your weight on the stirrups."

As Attil explained, he lightly tapped the horse's hindquarters.

"You'll understand once you start riding."

"Kyaa?!"

"Your Highness!"

"Princess!"

On the gently trotting horse, Lirika tried her best to keep her back straight.

'You, you, you, are shaking too much.'

Is this how horses naturally move?

The horse stopped. Lirika was breathing heavily.

Lauv was standing there, holding the reins.

"Lauv, Lauv."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

Lirika nodded. She smiled.

"I wasn't scared, but it was hard to keep my back straight because of the shaking."

"You did a good job keeping it straight."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Lauv answered with a gentle smile. The group that followed added in turn,

"What, you're riding well."

"Attil, please."

"Princess, you didn't look like a beginner at all."

"I was worried you might fall."

Lirika rode the horse diligently under Lauv's guidance. Later, she said she wanted to go a bit faster.

When Lauv made the horse trot, Lirika steadied her shaking body again.

After a few times, her face turned as red as an apple, and sweat dripped down.

Brin stopped Lirika.

"If you push yourself like this, you won't be able to move tomorrow."

"Really?"

"Yes, you can ride anytime in the future, so let's stop for today."

"Okay. Morning Star must be tired too."

Lauv helped Lirika dismount. Lirika decided she would make a step to help her mount next time.

"My legs are wobbly."

As soon as she stepped down, her knees buckled without her realizing it, and Lirika was startled.

Brin laughed.

"See? You'll feel better after a short rest."

"I've prepared a light meal and drink a little away from here. Let's go there."

Bran said softly. Lirika was impressed by his efficiency.

The servants had set up a makeshift dining area with chairs, a table, and a parasol.

Feeling thirsty, she drank cold lemonade endlessly.

How could it be so cold in this summer?

"We have an ice house."

"An ice house?"

"Yes, let's explore it together next time. It's very cool inside."

Lirika nodded at Brin's words. The word 'explore' always brought excitement.

After drinking the cold drink to her heart's content, Lirika ended up with a stomachache that evening.

The doctor diagnosed it as, "It's because you drank too much cold drink," and Brin was surprised.

"Because of the cold drink?"

"Yes, that's right. Usually, children get stomachaches when they drink too much cold drink on a hot day."

The doctor kindly informed Brin. It was something she hadn't thought of, and Brin's face turned serious.

She had told Lirika that the royal family was unusually robust, but she hadn't realized Lirika's limitations.

"What should we do?"

Warm her stomach and have her drink warm ginger tea.

"I'll also make some medicine for her."

Brin nodded and worked diligently. He made a lot of warm ginger tea and a warm bag of roasted oats.

Placing it on Lirika's stomach, Brin asked,

"Is it too heavy? Is it too hot?"

"It's okay..."

Lirika answered with a strained voice. Despite frequent trips to the bathroom, her stomach continued to hurt.

Hearing the news, Rudia rushed over. She was dressed elaborately, as if she had been at a salon.

"Lirika."

"Mommy..."

Because she was in pain, her voice came out weak. Rudia climbed onto the bed without caring about her clothes.

"Does it hurt a lot?"

"Yes."

As she was held close, the faint scent of powder and her mother's familiar smell filled the air. Rudia placed her hand on the oat bag, warming it, and began to rub Lirika's stomach.

Round and round

As her palm rubbed her stomach, the pain began to subside strangely.

Rudia said softly,

"I'll stay by your side, so take a nap."

The gentle rubbing of her stomach and the lullaby she hummed, along with the scent of her mother, slowly pulled Lirika into sleep.