Chapter 3

Astein pulled me lightly. It was so easy for me to get on the horse when I took the front seat of Astein.

“Th, thank you.”

I was so nervous because it was my first time riding a horse. I was scared of the high view, and I felt the life under me wriggled. In particular, I felt the breathing of the horse and my heart was beating.

At that moment, I thought I had done something wrong.

“You can just sit comfortably while holding the horse’s mane or my arm.”

If I held the horse’s mane, the guy behind my back wouldn’t feel my heart that beating fast.

Wouldn’t it be so frivolous to see me fluttering like this?

“You’re nervous.”

“It’s my first time riding a horse.”

“I didn’t consider it. Sorry.”

It was good that he thought that I was just being nervous. Thankfully, he was a little far from my body.

The horse’s mane seemed to hurt when I held it, and I had no courage to hold his arm. Eventually, I grabbed the front part of the horse’s saddle.

“We’ll leave.”

I couldn’t tell Astein that I wanted to go to the slums. I was too nervous to do that.

When he reached the saddle, his foot stimulated the horse. Then, the horse slowly moved forward. My body was hardened by the movement.

“If you are so nervous, you will have a hard time.”

“Yes? Yes… But I think I’m going to fall….”

Was it too much?

I got on the horse because of my desire, but I and Astein remained far away without touched each other.

“It’s comfortable if you lean on me.”

Suddenly, Astein’s words made my heart pounded more.

“Lean on my chest. If you are so tense, you will suffer from muscular pain tomorrow.”

But I couldn’t lean on him. I felt like people around me were watching. I was afraid that a strange scandal would occur. I grew up hearing that I shouldn’t do it all my life, so I was afraid of people’s eyes.

“Ha…”

Then I could hear a small sigh. I felt stuffy. Then, the horse became faster, and off the street.

“Where are we going?”

Because I believed in Astein, I didn’t think that he had a bad intention. I was just wondering why he was doing this out of the blue. However, he didn’t answer me and kept silent.

After a while, we were in the woods of light purple forest full of lilac scent resembled him.

“This place…”

“I actually saw you in the temple.”

“…”

“I’ve been feeling it since then, but I was worried about the shade on your face.”

I almost cried at the remark. He used to always carefully checked my condition before he left me.

On my father’s last day, he recognized my face which looked like a ghost and brought me a warm, sweet milk tea. He always suggested walking, looking at flowers, if I looked a little stretched.

I never asked why. Just as he was then, he gave me time to organize my thoughts and waited.

“Thank you.”

I got off the horse for a while. I closed my eyes for a long time and was drunk with lilac scent. It was sweet, but it smelled good and refreshing at the end. Enough to put down my heavy heart for a while.

Maybe it was a familiar moment. The warm feeling that warmly wrapped me in the depths of memory. It bloomed in my heart and gave me a little courage.