Chapter 9

C...!!!!!!!!!!

Sophiria swallowed the words that were about to come out at the last moment.

Okay. Sophiria has lived as a lady for 15 years. Hmph. Leave it to me. I can swallow any words or emotions. Even a cake covered in plenty of chocolate sauce, which I wanted to spit out, I managed to swallow. Yes, it was very delicious. Well, it wasn't at all. Sophiria doesn't really like sweet things.

But at every tea party, there's always a parade of cakes, cookies, and muffins, and she has smiled through it all.

So it's fine.

Sophiria tightened her grip on the reins she was holding.

"Are you alright?"

A soft voice spoke from behind.

Ah, that beautiful voice! Yes, yes. Yes, I'm fine. Even if I'm not, I'll make myself fine. Sophiria nodded.

"Yes."

"Please let me know if you get tired."

A concerned voice wrapped around Sophiria, not metaphorically but physically.

Sophiria's thin body was snugly nestled in the strong knight's body.

The horse galloped down the overgrown path, not with a clop-clop-clop, but with a thunderous thud-thud-thud. It was moving at an incredible speed, galloping, running.

The one controlling the horse was Livionis Warian, a knight known for his beauty, who had captivated both the young and the old.

Led by his beauty, which made one question if he was an angel or a fairy, Sophiria had escaped from her resigned daily life.

Livionis, who had taken her hand, first helped Sophiria onto a beautiful black horse. A horse. Yes, a horse.

For Sophiria, who had always been told not to do certain things, this was a first-time experience. Not knowing how to ride, Sophiria was lifted and placed on the horse with a single smile by Livionis, who then gracefully mounted behind her. So light. So close. I need to distract myself.

Sophiria, trying not to be a hindrance, struggled to straddle the horse. She placed her feet together, as if sitting on a chair, thinking it would make it harder for the horse to run. Though she had no knowledge of horses, she tried her best to think.

The horse, which Livionis had raised at home, was very calm and waited patiently even as the inexperienced Sophiria fidgeted. What a good boy.

And then,

Sophiria thought.

C...!!!

Scary! High! Terrifying!! Oh...! High places are scary!!!!!

A new discovery after 15 years of living.

High places are scary. Well, it's quite educational. The world is full of things Sophiria doesn't know. Ahaha, let's laugh.

Sophiria, who had just gone through the motions of her role, had never had the opportunity to experience this, but it seems she has acrophobia. Probably. She just found out. She's excited to meet this new side of herself. Ah, maybe it's just the excitement of fear.

Because the fact that her feet aren't touching the ground is scary. She's floating. Floating from the ground. Her body. Isn't it? Just riding a horse, right? But if you're a fool, you'd say your feet aren't touching the ground, so you're floating. It doesn't make sense.

Wait, do horses make you this high??

No, no. Sophiria told herself.

It's because it's the first time. It must be. I'll get used to it. It's fine. Look, it's night. You can't see the scenery.

That's right, Sophiria convinced herself. This is the ground. This isn't high. The slight swaying is just in your head. The trees passing by at high speed is just in your head.

Sophiria tried to convince herself, to believe it.

But it didn't work. It was scary. It was terrifying. Of course it was. Sophiria's self-hypnosis, which she had never done before, was like a baby reading a newspaper and saying "Ah!" and the parents saying, "Oh, you can read!" Can you do that?!

If that counted as reading, we wouldn't need teachers, classes, or schools. If she could get rid of her fear with that, she could become a hypnotist right away. She could create the strongest soldier who has lost their fear! Enrich the country! Strengthen the army! No, that's ridiculous. She's against war.

Wow, fear is amazing.

It's not logical. It's violence. Just plain violence. You naturally think it's scary. It's like love, ha. But it's not funny.

Seriously.

Sophiria couldn't laugh at all. And she felt sick. She felt like she was getting motion sickness. Horse sickness. Is that even a thing? Sophiria gripped the reins tightly. The large hand that enveloped hers gently stroked it, as if to comfort her.

"Sophiria, are you really okay?"

"I'm fine."

What a good voice.

Sophiria thought. She was scared and felt sick, and if she were to weigh whether she was fine or not, she would be digging into the ground with how not fine she was, but more than that, his voice was good. And it was very warm.

Livionis, who was about three heads taller than Sophiria, had a large, warm body that smelled good and didn't budge. Despite the considerable speed, it was very stable. She wouldn't have felt sick if it hadn't been bouncing up and down.

She wished she had learned how to ride, but her parents would never have allowed it, Sophiria realized.

If her parents had been the type to say, "Sure, you can learn to ride!" Sophiria would be in her mansion bed, sleeping soundly.

"Hmm."

Sophiria let out a small breath.

She wanted to escape this nausea.

Incidentally, closing her eyes didn't help. The floating sensation and swaying were emphasized, and her fear and nausea increased. She shouldn't have done that.

Strange. It's actually quite amusing. No, it's not. Not at all.

Because, the protagonists in the stories Sophiria knew would always say, "Wow, it's wonderful!" when they flew or climbed to high places. They would exclaim, "I feel like the wind!" when they rode horses and quickly become friends with them. So, a little, just a little, Sophiria was excited to ride a horse. But.

Sophiria thought.

This is not the story.

Yes, this is not the story.

This is not a thick, well-crafted story written by a knowledgeable and talented author. This is Sophiria's life. Reality. It's only natural that it's different.

Ah, high places are not wonderful at all, and if she could become the wind, she would. Horses are cool, but she doesn't have the luxury to say, "Nice to meet you." She wants to apologize immediately for adding to the burden and for not making a mess.

Haaaaa.

Sophiria let out a thin, long, and quiet breath. Oh, no, she's about to vomit.

She gripped the reins tightly. Now, they were her lifeline. She tried to distract herself by holding onto them. And then,

The horse suddenly slowed down.

And then, it stopped slowly.

Looking back in surprise, she could see the white face, which was surprisingly close, blushing even in the dark. So cute.

"Sophiria."

"Y-Yes."

Sophiria managed to speak. She almost let out something else.

"I want to get away from the capital as quickly as possible, but I also didn't want to make you camp in the wild. ...But, I didn't consult you at all."

Sophiria blinked at the knight's downcast face.

Consult.

The knight, who had far more experience and knowledge than Sophiria, who was on her first journey, was consulting her. About what?

"Would you prefer to camp or to ride through the night and arrive in town by morning?"

"Eh?"

For a moment, Sophiria forgot her fear and nausea in surprise.

Eh, what, what?

"Eh, well,"

"I'm not alone. We are two, and it's odd for me to decide everything. I'm sorry..."

Huh.

Huh? Ah? Eh???

Sophiria was thoroughly confused. She was surprised. Even if the stupid prince suddenly became serious, she wouldn't be this surprised. Ah, he finally realized it, huh. Or something like that.

So? So, this handsome knight, who was born into a prestigious family and carried the hopes of the royal knight corps, the pinnacle of the country, was consulting... Sophiria.

The people Sophiria knew always tested, mocked, ridiculed, or ignored her, and when she made a suggestion, it required thorough research and a lot of words. But now, this knight was consulting her, who was hanging in mid-air, with nothing in her hands.

Consulting, right?

Sophiria flipped through the dictionary in her head. It means asking for an opinion, right? Is that it?

"...Eh, well, I'm, to be honest, I have almost no experience leaving the mansion or the castle. ...I don't have the knowledge to give an opinion..."

Sophiria mumbled, and Livionis smiled. So cute.

"Just because you lack knowledge or experience doesn't mean you can't express your hopes. This isn't a job, a mission, or a public duty. I just want to know about you."

He blushed and smiled.

So cute. He wants to know about her. He says he wants to know about her. With that cute face.

Sophiria, filled with disbelief, blinked.

This isn't a public duty.

Sophiria repeated Livionis's words in her head.

"Could you tell me what you're thinking right now?"

"Such... abstract things?"

Can she say such abstract things?

Can she say such vague, irresponsible, and presumptuous things without any proof, theory, or basis?

Because, even though the kind Livionis says so, whether it's a public duty or not, Sophiria is a laywoman, a woman, and a burden who can't do anything if she's left here.

So, the optimal solution here is, "Don't worry. Let's head for the town as quickly as possible. The forest at night is dangerous." Yes, that's it. There's nothing else. Even though Sophiria has never experienced a journey in her life, she understands that they need to lose their pursuers.

Determined, she opened her mouth, and Livionis smiled. Wow, what a beautiful smile. Ah, it's amazing. Is it glowing??

Like, paah, sparkling. It's as if Sophiria is about to speak. She can't lie. But she has to give the optimal solution. The correct answer. But what is the correct answer in this case?

Sophiria thought and thought.

She thought and thought. And then, Sophiria's small brain, at that moment,

Short-circuited. Bang.

"U"

"U?"

"U, uuuuuuuuuuun"

"!!!!!!!!!!!!"

And then, she cried.

Uuuun, like a child. It's laughable. But this isn't a lie.

Sophiria cried and cried, deflating and crushing the hopeful Livionis. A perfect counterpunch.

If this were a ring, the bell would have rung, and if it were a fight, she would have heard a decisive line. Unfortunately, this was supposed to be a love escape in the middle of the night in the forest, and neither of them intended to fight.

Well, life is really not like a story.

Things don't go smoothly.

New chapter.

I hope to post without much delay...!

I would be very happy if you could support me with evaluations and encouragement to finish it.

Thank you very much!!