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Chapter 15
“I already have a name.”
“My name—No, wait, that’s not what I meant. You’re lending me a horse? Your horse, Your Highness? To me?”
Abel completely forgot her plan to cozy up to the future villain and just blurted out a response.
“Why? Why would you?”
“You’re supposed to be the prince’s playmate, but showing up in a stagecoach? That doesn’t reflect well on me.”
“You really think of me as a friend, Your Highness?”
“Regardless of how I see it, that’s how others will perceive it.”
‘He dodged that pretty well.’
Though caught off guard, Abel quickly smoothed her expression and smiled brightly.
“So, you’re saying… you’re worried about me?”
If he dodges, just barrel right through.
“You don’t like it when people look down on me?”
“I never said that.”
“You mean, only you can look down on me?”
“Could you stop twisting—”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Whatever he truly felt, at the very least, it meant he cared about how she was treated.
Compared to the time when he just watched blood drip from someone’s head without batting an eye, this was remarkable progress.
‘Is this what it feels like to raise a kid?’
Feeling a strange sense of pride, Abel beamed.
“But, Your Highness… I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“Then learn.”
“From whom… Don’t tell me, you’re going to teach me?”
“Why would I?”
He gave a small shrug with his narrow shoulders.
Abel’s bright smile, which had shone like a midnight chandelier just moments ago, dimmed slightly.
“Can’t I just read a book if the estate doesn’t have one, then?”
“Oh…”
“That’s how I learned. It’s not that difficult.”
Abel furrowed her brows and asked again, “So you’re telling me to read a book and just… get on a horse?”
“Yes.”
“How does that even work?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
‘How does it not work, he says?’
If just reading a book taught you everything, why would academies and apprenticeships exist?
Abel’s lips battled between “I want to swear” and “Hold it in, don’t cuss in front of a kid.”
“The book explains everything in detail.”
“The problem isn’t that we don’t have a book…”
How do I even explain this?
Do I really have to explain that being the prince’s playmate doesn’t mean I can walk on water?
While Abel stood at the crossroads of dilemma, the prince helpfully added,
“Is it hard to understand?”
“Yes.”
“Why? That’s how I learned.”
“Learned what?”
“Everything. The library has plenty of books.”
Even if there was no librarian, a library was still a library.
And learning was still learning, even without a teacher.
“But if you lend the horse to me, what will you ride?”
“I don’t care.”
His green eyes dimmed indifferently.
His gaze stretched past the fields, but soon returned to Abel.
“Only a child like you who runs around everywhere needs a horse.”
‘Who’s calling who a child, really?’
But denying being a kid would be the most childish thing to do.
Abel put on her softest expression and said,
“I really appreciate it, but I’ll just take the gesture.”
“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it because you’re my playmate.”
“Sure, let’s go with that.”
“It’s not about ‘going with it’—”
“Then, in return, you teach me.”
She took a step closer.
A lock of pink hair fluttered in the breeze, brushing briefly against the prince’s chest.
“I can’t just read a book and follow along like you do. Life is hands-on, right?”
“So I’m lending you the horse so you can—”
“I don’t have anyone to teach me. Dad’s too busy, even on holidays. I can’t hire a tutor just for this. There’s only you, Your Highness.”
“Me?”
“Who else is there?”
Besides, they were always just sitting around on the sofa whenever they met—so boring.
‘A little exercise would be refreshing.’
Especially if it included a healthy dose of sunshine—what could be better?
‘Sunlight is essential!’
Abel stepped right up to the prince, loitering at his feet.
“Please, Your Highness?”
“Fine, just get your face out of mine.”
“Yessir.”
His tone was sharp, but his expression wasn’t all that bad. Abel quickly backed off.
‘His face looks brighter now.’
Under the clear blue sky, Prince Chesar LaGracio looked just like any other child his age.
His sun-kissed skin and slightly flushed cheeks gave him a healthy glow.
Abel was determined to push his boundaries a little further.
“Let me ride with you first.”
“What?”
“I can’t just climb on and fall right off, right?”
At her shameless request, the prince didn’t argue—he simply nodded.
Compared to their last encounter, when he practically threw gifts at her, this was progress enough to bring tears to her eyes.
“Alright. Get on.”
Chesar was already on the horse. He didn’t even show her how to use the stirrups.
‘Okay. I’ll teach him how to be considerate later.’
Abel slipped off the stirrups five times before finally climbing up, but after that, everything was great.
Riding the horse and sightseeing here and there—it was all so new.
“Woooow! Faster, faster!”
“Just sit still.”
“Isn’t this nice? The horse is great, and so is our prince!”
“Stop saying embarrassing stuff.”
Though his words were sharp, his tone was much gentler than before.
The cool wind, the clear sky, the unexpectedly cooperative prince—
“What a shame the view is ruined by a lowborn.”
The Queen. The biological mother of the second prince…
Wait a minute. This wasn’t part of the plan.
* * *
The breeze tangled in her hair felt refreshing.
Even though they were barely trotting, just riding a horse made everything feel different.
“Woooooow!”
“You’re going to fall off at this rate.”
“It’s fine! I won’t die!”
“Even if you don’t, it’s still a problem.”
Grumbling all the while, the prince rode steadily with Abel on his back.
Even if it was just a colt, a horse was still a horse—and for someone self-taught, he rode well.
The horse carrying the two of them slowly moved forward.
They left the detached palace far behind and reached open fields.
With nothing to block the view, Abel raised her voice brightly.
“What’s over there?”
“…”
“Sorry, what?”
“I don’t know. Never been there.”
His voice sounded a little deflated.
Abel would have preferred him to get annoyed—seeing him discouraged was hard to bear.
“Then let’s go now!”
“There?”
“Yes. Can’t we?”
If entry was forbidden, there would’ve been signs.
Abel’s black eyes peered past the prince’s shoulder toward the hill, then returned forward.
The slim shoulders under his black vest caught her eye.
“There’s no reason not to, I guess…”
“Then let’s go. And if we get scolded—”
“You planning to take the blame?”
“Nope. I’ll just get scolded with you.”
As she shamelessly replied, a dry sigh escaped him.
Though his eyes were focused on guiding the horse, Abel had a sense of what emotion they held.
The horse trotted and soon came to a stop.
Colorful flowers, carefully pruned trees, neat tables and chairs.
At the center of the beautifully maintained garden stood a transparent glass building.
“That’s a greenhouse.”
“So it is.”
Even outside the domed roof, late spring flowers bloomed brightly.
After tying the colt nearby, they walked slowly into the garden.
“I didn’t know there was a place like this in the palace.”
“…Yeah.”
Though he wasn’t ignoring her like before, the conversation didn’t exactly flow either.
Abel babbled on for 30 minutes like a one-woman comedy show before falling quiet.
After all, a ten-year-old’s conversation topics were pretty limited.
Whether Abel was talking or not, the prince’s green eyes wandered quietly yet restlessly.
As if seeing a garden designed by a professional landscaper for the first time.
‘Because it is the first time.’
It likely was.
The garden outside the detached palace was practically a jungle.
As silence dragged on and Abel squirmed awkwardly, the prince finally spoke.
“This is the first time I’ve come this far.”
“Really?”
“I’ve never left the detached palace.”
“Not even once?”
“…Not exactly.”
After a small cough, the boy fell silent again.
He was pretending not to care, but the unfamiliar scenery clearly fascinated him.
‘He actually looks kinda cute like this.’
Slightly flushed cheeks, a twitch of his fingers.
He just stood and watched the flowers, not even daring to touch them.
Hard to believe that this boy would one day casually cut down entire noble families.
Abel clenched her fists and stood close beside Chesar.
‘That’s not going to happen. I’m here to stop it.’
No decapitating people like you’d pluck flowers. Especially not if it’s my family!
‘Everything will be fine if we keep this up.’
Even this guarded little boy was starting to unlock his heart, little by little.
Abel truly believed she could raise Chesar to be a normal adult.
“Tsk.”
…Until five seconds ago.
“A lowborn is ruining the scenery.”
