What the hell was this man talking about?
I frowned at him, but he didn’t seem to care. He continued to smile knowingly and wrapped his arms around me tighter, so I couldn’t move an inch.
He was very quick.
I warned him in a low threatening voice.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
Lucretius continued to smile innocently, which made me even angrier.
“You have a lot of work to do, and so do I, thanks to you.”
It was true. As the emperor who was just beginning his reign, Lucretius had an incredible amount of work to accomplish everyday. I have been watching him for the past couple of months, so I knew it very well.
He often arrived at my room well after midnight. At first, I thought he liked to sneak around in the middle of the night, but that wasn’t the case.
When I realized it was because he had so much work to do, I briefly felt sorry for him, but only very briefly, because having him in the bed was frustrating and exhausting.
It also wasn’t an exaggeration when I said I myself had a lot of work too. I was the only wife to the emperor, which meant the dowager empress and I managed all castle internal affairs.
The dowager empress wanted to take the entire responsibility and, therefore, power, but the emperor wouldn’t let that happen. He used the excuse of her being very pregnant and made sure I get half the work.
I hated it, but I knew it was necessary if I wanted to grow my authority in this castle.
Recently, I got even more responsibilities due to the Marchioness Toruka situation. The dowager empress was missing some of her key personnel, so I was given more work to compensate for it.
This was all because of this guy!
My not-so-subtle complaint was ignored by the emperor.
He replied, “Perfect. We both have worked very hard for the past few months, so we need to rest. We will take a day off today. It’s an order!”
Why was he acting this way?
I tried to look normal. I sighed and replied, “Then I thank you for a day off. I will return to my room to rest…”
The emperor interrupted me quickly.
“Do you like horses?”
“Horses?”
I looked up at him with excitement. My heart began to beat fast.
***
Horses were the best animals on earth.
They were born to run. Perfectly muscled with strong bones and beautiful hair!
I almost drooled at the exquisiteness of it.
I knew what the emperor was trying to do, but I fell for it anyway.
Because I loved horses!
One of the few things I enjoyed about this world was the fact that I had an easier access to horses unlike in the 21st century Korea.
I learned how to ride when I was in Aeal, and I enjoyed it immensely. I was taught how to ride like a lady, which was done delicately with a woman’s side saddle.
However, it was a bit different in Cransia. When I let Samantha knew I was going riding, she seemed thrilled and got me dressed in the fashionable riding gear called culotte. Culotte was women’s knee-length trousers cut with very wide legs to make it look like a skirt. It was very comfortable to wear and move in it.
I didn’t remember having a culotte made as a part of my wardrobe. I had a huge wardrobe, so I didn’t know what I owned. Luckily, I had Samantha to take care of everything for me.
Samantha explained when I first became the emperor’s wife, she thought I might need a culotte someday, so she made sure I owned one.
Smart!
Riding a horse was one of the few things I enjoyed doing in this world. When I was in Aeal, I wanted to be a good adopted daughter, I didn’t ask for further riding lessons even though I desperately wanted them. When I came to this castle, I had no time to ride at all.
So when I saw the horses in front of me, I couldn’t stop exclaiming.
Beautiful black stallion and a smaller but gorgeous white horse.
I gathered my hands greedily.
The emperor seemed happy when I followed him voluntarily, but when he saw my excitement, he looked a little strange.
After a few minutes of contemplation, he finally returned to his normal expression and asked me, “Have you had any riding lessons in the past?”
I nodded emphatically. “I had basic lessons when I was in Aeal. I know how to ride!”
I only knew how to ride with a side saddle, so I didn’t know how riding straight would be, but I didn’t care. I really wanted to ride!
I didn’t know why, but at my increasing eagerness, the emperor looked even stranger.
He offered me his hand.
“Alright. Let’s get you up.”
I walked towards the one that stole my heart.
Oh my… Such beauty! I get to ride him!
When I took lessons in Aeal, the other ladies were annoyed at the uncomfortable riding dresses. However, here in Cransia, which had even more strict etiquettes, the riding clothes and the saddle were surprisingly simpler and more comfortable. This would be amazing.
When I patted the gorgeous horse with lovely black eyes, those around me gasped. Why were they surprised?
The white horse was pretty, but the black muscular beauty was definitely my type.
People seemed to hold their breathes. The emperor asked me from behind.
“Do you… want to ride that one?”
“Yes!”
I answered without turning around. I was so absorbed by the horse I didn’t even care or notice what was happening around me.
After a few minutes of silence, the emperor finally ordered the servant to help me onto the horse.
What took him so long?
My heart beat fast as I got onto the horse.
“Wow!”
I felt like I was on top of the world. Meanwhile, the emperor got onto the white horse by himself. I glanced at him briefly.
Golden-haired Lucretius in white riding gear and on a snow-white horse. He looked exactly like the prince from a fairy tale.
However, I knew the truth. He was not a prince; he was a tyrant.
When I tapped the horse’s side with my foot lightly, the black horse started to walk slowly.
Yes! It’s happening!
It had been almost a year since my riding lesson, but my body remembered it well, and I had no difficulty riding. The horse felt warm against my skin. I was seated high above the ground, but I still felt stable and safe thanks to his muscular build.
It was also easy to change directions. He must have been a very well-taught horse because it followed my orders well.
The emperor caught up with me and asked, “You seem like you’re doing okay.”
I smiled brightly. “Of course! I told you I had lessons!”
“…”
The emperor didn’t answer me. Oh well, I didn’t care.
The emperor’s personal riding field was huge. I guessed it was the size of a standard soccer field.
After trotting for a few minutes, I became more confident. After a brief hesitation, I decided to go for it.
Let’s run!
I kicked the horse a littler harder. The black horse immediately understood what I wanted and started to run.
“Wow!”
Yes! I felt the wind blowing pleasantly against my face. I loved it!
When I ordered, the horse quickly slowed down. I patted his neck gently.
Such a good horse!
Now, I wanted to go faster!
“Giddyap!”
I thought I heard people yelling behind me, but I was captivated by this moment. The sound and the feel of the hooves, the horse’s heart beat, and my heart beat! They all combined into a beautiful music and I was enthralled by it.
“Giddyap! Giddyap!”
I felt free.
I realized I had been feeling trapped inside the castle all this time. I thought I was adapting well to this new world. I thought I wasn’t as stressed as I could be considering the situation. I felt proud of my resilience.
I realized that I was very wrong.
After feeling the freedom on this horse, I learned I had been craving this. Very badly.
Hmm.
“… Bina!”
Through the loud sound of wind, I thought I heard someone screaming my name. Who was that? It sounded desperate.
“Bina!”
