HSLF 05

Chapter 05

Dorothy arrived at the horse ranch, following the servant who had coordinated in advance with the Countess, and was captivated as she gazed at the horses.
Seeing the beautifully glossy golden manes glinting in the sunlight, she felt a sense of abundance, as if she were glimpsing a field of golden wheat, even though it was already warm spring.

The horses grazed leisurely near the peaceful, quiet lakeside.
The gentle breeze and the fresh, clean air gave a freedom that was hard to feel anywhere else. Dorothy felt as if a heavy weight in her heart had been cleansed.

Leaning against the chair the servant had brought, Dorothy quietly watched the horses and asked,
“This lake is beautiful and the location is perfect. What’s its name?”

The servant looked at the lakeside Dorothy was observing and replied,
“That lake was artificially created by the Count. He wanted the horses to live in a better environment, so he dug the land and pumped in the water. He even spent days thinking of a name. It’s called ‘Horse Lake.’”

Quite… a straightforward name.
A bit tacky.

“I didn’t expect Count Serin to be like that…”

Dorothy smiled warmly at the cluster of horses by the lakeside.
“He must be a very good person.”

Dorothy had a bias that anyone who treats horses well couldn’t be a bad person. What did it matter if his naming sense was a bit old-fashioned? The grass was lush and well-maintained, and the lake had been created to complete the beautiful scenery. She was simply grateful.

Then, something caught her eye.

“Huh? That horse… what’s that?”

On the other side of the lake, a horse unlike the others was looking toward Dorothy. Golden, or maybe even silver in hue, it had an almost sacred, mythic aura.

“It’s showing itself today,” the servant said, voice filled with awe.

“That horse isn’t the Count’s. I’m only taking care of it temporarily… You may have heard of it, but that is the famous ‘Sweat Blood’!”

At first glance, it looked more like a golden Pegasus or silver fairy horse, yet its name included “blood.” Dorothy realized that it wasn’t the horse’s individual name, but rather the breed. Suddenly, a memory flashed through her mind.

A legendary horse from ancient texts! That pure, shining horse is said to sweat blood instead of water?

“Amazing!”

Dorothy jumped up and leaned on the fence, stretching her head forward to get a closer look.

“It’s remarkable,” said the servant. “It’s usually so proud it doesn’t even come near the path people walk on. You’re lucky, miss.”

Dorothy wholeheartedly agreed. With such a rare breed, she never imagined she’d see one in her lifetime—and yet here it was, right before her eyes!

“Is it coming this way?”
“Seems so. It usually hates human contact.”

The servant tilted his head in confusion, but Dorothy was entirely focused on the approaching horse.

Now, she didn’t even notice the other horses. The shining white horse before her dominated the scene. Its eyelashes were long, its gait proud, and its coat radiantly brilliant.

Some animals are born with fur that glows in the sunlight, others with dull brown hair. Nature really is unfair, she thought. She lightly chuckled at herself, calming the racing heartbeat in her chest.

The radiant horse stopped politely right in front of the low fence—just steps away from Dorothy.

Could she reach out?

Horses are notoriously temperamental, but this one seemed different. It already felt… divine. And it was standing so calmly right in front of her.

Just as Dorothy hesitated and reached out her hand slightly, a voice stopped her.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

Startled, Dorothy turned around. Her heart almost leapt out of her chest. A man, much taller and bigger than Dorothy, stood there calmly, giving her a gentle warning.

“Lily is selective about people.”

Lily? Dorothy looked up in surprise as the man extended his hand to the horse. He told her not to touch, yet he could?

The horse rubbed its face against the man’s hand.

“Her name is Lily,” he said.

Her name? So this man must be—

“Excuse me, are you her owner?”

The man looked at Dorothy and nodded.
“That would be correct.”

“I see. She’s such a beautiful horse, I couldn’t help myself. Lily suits her perfectly. Ah, my apologies. I am Do—”

“You must be Miss Dorothy Sailer,” the man interrupted, clearly already knowing her. Had they met before?

“Miss Sailer?” Dorothy thought. He’s handsome.

“Are you alright?”

Dorothy had been staring at him, and perhaps it seemed strange. She shook her head to regain focus. She smiled lightly.

“It’s fine. Just call me Dorothy. And what should I call you?”

She resolved to become friends with this handsome man.

“Um… the owner of Lily?”

That way, she could at least touch the beautiful horse.

“…Call me Lyle.”

As expected of the owner of a legendary horse. Even though he gave his name, he refused to reveal his family—definitely not an easy person. But Dorothy, already determined to befriend him, boldly pressed on.

“Mr. Lyle, would it be rude to ask your surname?”

Lyle examined her face. Was there something on it? Dorothy touched her cheek but it was clean. After a long pause, he answered nonchalantly:
“Perhaps.”

“That’s fine. You can tell me when we’re closer.”

Dorothy wasn’t planning to press someone who didn’t want to reveal their status. Instead, she wanted to ask about Lily, though Lyle seemed unexpectedly… picky.

“Do you want to be friends with me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”

Dorothy thought: why ask why? If someone decent wants to be friends, just accept it. Maybe it’s just because of his looks? She let it go.

“Because you saved me.”

With confidence.

“How… did you come to that conclusion?”

Lyle looked confused, but Dorothy didn’t care. Some people simply can’t see facts clearly. She added with a smile:
“You rescued me.”

Even Lexa and Lobs agreed.
“Lily could have bitten me, but you stopped her.”

Dorothy had been quite kind.
“If you didn’t like me at all, you’d have just walked away.”

Especially to her fans.
“And we’re having this conversation now. Doesn’t that mean you like me?”

Lyle was silent. He clearly wanted to say something but pressed his lips together.

“What is it? Just ask freely,” Dorothy encouraged generously.

Lyle finally spoke:
“Do all people… like Miss Dorothy?”

A first for her.
“More or less, yes.”

Dorothy tucked her hair behind her ear, recalling the past. Compared to the Babaryn siblings, she wasn’t exceptionally beautiful but she had always been popular.

Back then, girls would follow her around to play dolls. After publishing her novel, dull boys formed a harem-like group and disappeared. She felt a little bitter. Why didn’t she have female fans? She could’ve treated them really well.

“…Impressive,” Lyle said.
“Thank you.” Dorothy shrugged.

Lyle’s gaze reminded her faintly of Lexa’s odd looks, but it was probably her imagination. She changed the subject.

“Mr. Lyle, didn’t many people like you as well, since you’re handsome?”

“…People who liked me?”

Lyle’s calm gaze met hers.
“There were those who said they liked me, but now that I think about it, maybe not entirely.”