Chapter 126: An Old Horse Knows the Way and When to Be Tactful
Maybe it was because sitting on horseback made her feel taller, but Evelia felt like her view of the world had become wider.
Even though the weather had been a bit hot lately, as Luna moved forward at a steady pace, Evelia could feel the cool breeze blowing across her face.
Her long pink hair danced in the wind, like the summer breeze itself come to life. She brushed her bangs aside so the pink strands wouldn’t block her view.
Behind Armand’s estate was a large flat field. While it wasn’t big enough for Luna to run wild like she used to, for an old horse who was more heart than strength now, it was more than enough.
“Breathe in the fresh air, feels a lot better, doesn’t it?”
Armand kept both hands on the reins, surrounding Evelia on either side, as if he was afraid she might fall off.
“—Yeah, much better,” Evelia replied.
She took a deep breath. The scent of sun and grass filled her nose, the smell of summer.
Every time the weather warmed up, Armand would quietly tell himself, “I made it through another winter.” But that feeling never lasted long, because soon enough, another winter would come.
Sometimes, he even joked to himself, between him and Luna, the old horse, who would leave this world first?
Truthfully, this little outing wasn’t just about taking Evelia for a ride. It was also a way for Armand and Luna to feel young again, even if just for a moment. Just like the old days, when Luna hadn’t grown old yet, and Armand hadn’t been poisoned. Back then, this pair had created one miracle after another on the battlefield.
“Eve.”
As he thought of this, Armand softly called Evelia’s name. His breath brushed her ear like a whisper, making her ear feel ticklish. She couldn’t help but tilt her head to the side, trying to avoid it. But Armand didn’t seem to mind her reaction. In fact, he leaned in again, teasingly.
“Hold on tight.”
As soon as he said that, Armand gave the reins a light tug, and Luna let out a spirited neigh. The slow walk turned into a gallop.
They had been partners for so many years, one small move was all it took for the two of them to understand each other perfectly. Luna raced freely across the open plain. Armand, sitting behind Evelia, held her with one hand and gripped the reins tightly with the other. He seemed to be enjoying it so much that he even let out a few happy shouts.
As for Evelia, she still sat properly, side-saddle on the horse. The position didn’t look very stable, but as long as Armand was behind her, there was no way she’d fall.
She ran her fingers through her now-even-messier hair as the wind blew harder against her face, stronger than the gentle breeze from earlier. But Evelia didn’t mind. In fact, it made her feel refreshed and alive.
This feeling of freedom, of running without being chased, was so much better than always hiding in dark corners and running for her life.
Until now, Evelia had only ever ridden horses to hunt someone down or to escape. She had never simply ridden for no reason, just to feel the wind.
Everything she did always had a purpose. Whatever the Second Prince wanted, that became her mission.
In a way, maybe she had it worse than a horse. At least Luna could run freely on the grass, without worry or orders.
“—!”
Just as Evelia was enjoying the wind and lost in her thoughts, Luna suddenly sped up, charging straight toward a big rock up ahead, without any sign of slowing down.
At this speed, there was no way they could turn in time. Evelia didn’t even realize what was happening at first, was the horse really about to crash into the rock with both her and Armand?
“Mr. Armand, this horse—!”
Before she could finish speaking, Evelia suddenly felt her body become light. A weightless feeling took over her, and she instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Armand’s waist, the only thing she could hold onto to stay balanced.
But Luna didn’t crash into the rock, and she didn’t turn either. Instead, she sped up and easily jumped over the large stone that stood between one and two meters tall. The force of landing made Evelia lose control and fall straight into Armand’s arms.
As Armand instinctively caught her, Luna, just like she was showing off, lifted her head proudly, raised her front legs, and let out a joyful neigh toward the sky.
But when she reared up like that, Evelia ended up pressed even more tightly against Armand. Her soft body leaned sideways into his chest, and in the movement, her slender fingers brushed down along the inside of his thigh, and accidentally grazed over little Armand.
Still trying to keep her balance, she kept holding tightly onto Armand’s waist. Her side gently rubbed against his chest, and because they were sitting so close, and because Evelia was sitting sideways while Armand was straddling the horse, her inner thigh was pressed right against a… rather sensitive area.
After landing, Luna seemed to still be having fun and began bouncing up and down slightly. Naturally, Evelia and Armand also moved with each bounce. Evelia, too nervous to let go, focused most of her attention on staying balanced and ready in case Luna sped up again. But she still noticed something strange. Something was pressing against her thigh… and the feeling was becoming more and more obvious.
So, instinctively, Evelia reached down to check, and not only that, she moved her fingers, curled them a bit… and gave a light squeeze.
“...!”
That touch made Armand jolt. He quickly grabbed Evelia’s hand to stop her.
Before Evelia even realized what she had done, Luna began speeding up again. Evelia had no choice but to grab Armand’s waist again. Feeling unsteady and lacking a sense of safety, she instinctively leaned closer, pressing against him. It really was just a horse ride, but from where Evelia couldn’t see, Armand’s face was turning redder and redder… even the back of his neck was flushed.
“—”
With a long neigh that came from tugging the reins, Luna finally stopped. She didn’t seem satisfied yet and let out two snorts, like she still wanted more action.
“You little troublemaker...”
Of course, Armand understood what Luna meant. He raised an eyebrow, wanting to be angry, but he just couldn’t. In the end, he only shook his head with a sigh, trying to cool himself down.
“Are you talking about me, Mr. Armand?” Evelia asked, just about to turn her head to look at him.
But Armand gently tapped her shoulder, turning her head back around so only the back of her head was facing him.
“Mr. Armand, what are you doing?”
“No… nothing,” Armand let out a sigh and said quietly, “Just… got a bit tired. Let’s rest for a while.”