Chapter 125: A Walk to Clear the Mind
“Who’s my best friend in this whole estate? That’s right! It’s you, my Luna!”
Armand hugged Luna like someone cuddling a puppy. Luna seemed to enjoy it too, letting out a happy snort.
As for Evelia, she stood quietly not far away, watching Armand and Luna being so close with each other.
Even though she was thinking things to herself while watching, she didn’t interrupt. After all, Armand and Luna clearly had a strong bond.
So this is the kind of horse he likes, huh.
Evelia’s eyes rested on Luna, who looked very calm and happy. Then she glanced at Armand and realized that so far the only time he ever showed that kind of expression… was when he was with Luna.
But from Armand’s point of view, it was because Luna was just a horse that he could be so open and affectionate. Horses don’t talk, they don’t judge. He could vent to her freely without worrying.
Sure, Armand had a close friend, Carle, but Carle had a family and a young daughter. Armand didn’t want to trouble him or put him in a position where he’d have to choose between his home and royal duties.
There was also his old butler, who was like a father to him. But Armand couldn’t talk to the old man about everything either. For outsiders, the less they knew, the better.
The only other person he could talk to a little more openly was the First Prince.
Armand knew that on the surface, they could be seen as friends. The ten years they’d known each other had given them many shared experiences. But still, one was a prince, and one was a knight. They could never truly stand on equal ground.
The First Prince was always focused on matters of the kingdom. As for Armand, even though he now served as the head of the Royal Knights, deep down… he only took that position to get revenge.
Becoming the commander was just one step toward that goal. If someone else had offered to help him with revenge, Armand would have taken any role to achieve it. It didn’t have to be this shiny, respectable title.
But right now, he was under the First Prince’s command, so he had no choice but to follow orders and arrangements.
If his father hadn’t died so mysteriously on the battlefield… if there had been any explanation or care from the top, and if his family hadn’t fallen apart without a male head of household… if their relatives hadn’t taken the chance to kick them out of the house, maybe the Armand who became knight commander would have been a more upright and passionate man.
“Luna, I came to see you today because I want you to take us out for a little walk. How about it? Are you full? Got some energy?”
As he said this, Armand gently stroked Luna’s smooth fur.
In this kind of world, the fact that Luna had survived until now meant she was a smart horse. After listening to Armand, she turned her gaze toward Evelia, who was silently standing behind him.
Sometimes, animals can be much more sensitive than people.
Even though Armand had never told Luna about Evelia’s hidden identity, Luna could sense that this girl wasn’t ordinary.
But still, like she always told herself, she was just a horse. An old, retired one at that. In a few more years, she might pass away from old age. So she figured this wasn’t something she needed to worry about.
In fact, if her master liked that girl, then maybe she should help him out a little.
So Luna didn’t make any fuss, she just let out a quiet snort through her nose, as if saying she wouldn’t refuse Armand’s request.
"That's good then." Armand nodded, patted Luna's head a few times, then turned around and looked at Evelia, who was standing behind him.
"Come on, Eve."
"Yes, Mr. Armand."
When Evelia heard Armand call her, she walked to his side.
But right now, more than Armand, what caught Evelia’s attention was Luna, the white horse that, in her eyes, was deeply loved by Armand.
Even though Carle and Anna had explained before that there was nothing strange between Armand and the horse, seeing how close they were still made Evelia feel a little wary.
It might sound ridiculous to be suspicious of a female horse, but Evelia, who had gone through alchemy that could change the body, didn’t think it was that impossible.
Who knows? Maybe there really is some weird technique out there that could turn this horse into a human.
If Rachel were here right now and heard Evelia's thoughts, she’d definitely shake her head. She really wasn’t interested in anything ‘non-human.’
“Eve, do you know how to ride a horse?”
“Sorry, Mr. Armand. I don’t know how to ride.”
Well… it wasn’t exactly true. She could ride a horse, just not very well. Assassins like her usually jumped across rooftops more than they rode horses. But as a member of the Second Prince’s team, she had to at least learn the basics. So technically, Evelia was able to ride just fine. But then she thought, a regular maid knowing how to ride a horse would be suspicious, so she told a little lie.
“I see.” Armand chuckled a little when he heard her answer, hiding the fact that he was testing her behind that smile. “Then let me help you up.”
He gently tugged Luna's reins and motioned for Evelia to come closer. Luna wasn’t a short horse, so to make sure Evelia could get on easily, Armand brought her to a step.
“Excuse me.”
Right after that, he simply picked Evelia up. To him, she was a light, small girl. And with Luna lowering her body to help, it took almost no effort for him to lift her onto the saddle.
After making sure Evelia was sitting sideways safely, Armand gave a small hop and easily got on behind her.
“Are you okay? Can you sit steady?”
To keep her, someone who “didn’t know how to ride,” from falling off, Armand had Evelia sit sideways in front of him while he sat normally behind her. As long as he held the reins, he could keep her safe in his arms.
Maybe it was this close contact that reminded Evelia of the night before, when the two of them had held each other while sleeping. When she heard Armand’s voice above her head, she felt her heart tighten for a second without thinking.
But even though they were close like this, her heart didn’t race like it did last night. She actually felt much calmer now.
And yet… what Evelia really wanted wasn’t this calmness.
Then why, back then, did her heart beat so fast?
Evelia still didn’t understand.
“Yes, I can sit steady, Mr. Armand.”
But no matter what, that feeling of safety was always there around her.
“That’s good.” Armand flicked the reins in his hand.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you out for a ride. Let’s clear our minds a bit and go explore the field behind the house.”