Episode 46

Episode 46. Why Is Everyone So Firm?

From the next day forward, there was one more person added to the horseback riding practice.

The new addition was none other than Cedric.

Leonard watched Cedric’s arrival with a displeased expression and immediately called over another knight.

The reason was clear.

“It will be difficult to teach someone else while attending to Her Majesty the Empress.”

The knight Leonard called was Conrad.

He seemed to respect Leonard deeply and exemplified the typical image of a knight.

“Keep your back straight. Eyes on the distant horizon. Focus! Are you whining just because you fell off the horse? Eyes! Can’t you concentrate?”

Endless nagging, scolding, and sharp corrections came without pause.

The strict training, as if it were boot camp, left me barely able to keep quiet.

“Isn’t this a bit too harsh?” I asked.

Leonard shook his head slightly.

“Conrad’s softened a lot since I stopped paying attention for a while. He’s teaching with much more care now.”

“…!”

Soft and gentle, he says?

His expression was so poker-faced I doubt a needle could draw a drop of blood from him.

And the nonstop verbal lashings?

“No whining. Are you holding the reins properly? Treat the horse like your lover. Does Cedric treat his lover like a brute? Straighten your back. Eyes! You won’t die if the horse kicks your rear.”

I felt sorry for Cedric, who was being tormented by Conrad.

Falling off a horse hurts, yet he couldn’t say a word of complaint and had no breaks during the intense training.

I knew he was only doing it reluctantly because of my request, so I felt bad.

Unable to just watch quietly, I carefully spoke up.

“Sir Leonard, why don’t you do it yourself instead?”

“Me… with the horse?”

“Like you did for me—riding behind me and helping out directly.”

Leonard’s expression stiffened instantly.

Why?

It wasn’t only Leonard whose expression changed.

Cedric, who had just fallen from the horse for the thirty-sixth time, looked strangely unsettled too.

Cedric asked me,

“Your Majesty, what do you mean by riding behind to assist?”

“It’s the method Sir Leonard used to teach me—riding together on the saddle and explaining in detail.”

“So, Your Majesty, you mean that Sir Leonard and I would ride together on the horse…”

“Yes. Learning that way would be much easier.”

“…!”

“…!”

Leonard and Cedric’s eyes met at my words.

What conversation could have passed in that brief glance?

“Cedric doesn’t need such close training.”

“That’s right. I can manage well on my own, Your Majesty.”

Leonard and Cedric shook their heads simultaneously.

“But…”

It was really helpful, though.

At first, it was embarrassing and nothing stuck in my head, but—

In the end, it helped a lot.

Since they were both men, it shouldn’t have been awkward for them.

I thought it was a pretty good method, but it seemed the two had different opinions.

They resisted strongly as if it just wasn’t possible.

“Cedric absolutely doesn’t need the same close training as Your Majesty!”

“I really can do well on my own. Please trust me, Your Majesty.”

I nodded with a reluctant expression.

“Ah, alright then. If that’s the case.”

No, I was just offering an opinion.

…Why is everyone so firm?

I feel like this is the first time I’ve ever seen two people get along so well.

In the end, Cedric continued to endure Conrad’s harsh training.

Exactly three days later, with Cedric’s declaration of surrender, the dangerously intense horseback riding lessons came to an end.

After the eventful horseback riding practice finally ended, the preparations to resolve the drought issue were nearly complete.

Now, only the most important task remained.

Having changed from my riding outfit into a simple dress, I headed to Jerome’s office, to get his permission to go out.

To solve the drought problem, I had to leave the palace—but as the Empress, I couldn’t just go out on a whim.

Of course, I had been away before.

But this time, the journey would be much longer than before.

So this time, I needed Jerome’s permission.

When I arrived at Jerome’s office, a knight guarding the door announced my visit.

“Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress has arrived.”

“Send her in.”

With that brief permission, the knight opened the door.

As I stepped inside, a very different atmosphere from my own office surrounded me.

The overall feel was neat and orderly.

Red and gold wallpaper harmonized beautifully.

Antique furniture was arranged just right—not too much, not too little.

Everything seemed meticulously calculated… somehow, the place reminded me of Jerome.

He set down the documents he’d been reading and asked,

“What is it?”

“I think I’ll be away for a few days.”

I got straight to the point.

Jerome raised one eyebrow and asked,

“Away? You mean outside the palace?”

“Yes. I plan to visit the duchy for a while.”

“Why?”

“There’s been a lot going on lately. I thought I’d go and rest a bit.”

“If you just want to rest, why not go to the villa? And the duchy…”

Jerome suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

Hmm? Sensing something odd, I tilted my head.

“What about the duchy?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

Jerome shook his head.

“Still, why go to the duchy instead of the villa?”

“Because I want to rest there. And besides, I have urgent matters to discuss with my father.”

“…”

Jerome paused for a moment, then suddenly made a strange suggestion.

“Then I’ll assign some knights to escort you.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I want to go quietly this time.”

“The Empress wants to travel a long way without an escort?”

His voice was cold.

“Do you really think I’d agree to such an unreasonable request?”

I had expected he wouldn’t easily grant permission.

So I pulled out my prepared card.

“You remember the Empress’s ring incident last time, right? You agreed to my request then.”

“…That’s true.”

Jerome reluctantly agreed.

I had even tried to use that ring incident as an excuse to ask for a divorce before.

Though Jerome never acknowledged it.

“Then please grant this request. I want to keep this trip simple.”

Instead of answering, he furrowed his brows deeper.

His eyes looked full of things he wanted to say.

But I didn’t want to drag this out.

Before he could say anything else, I cut it off.

“Then I’ll take this as permission and head back now.”

I quickly turned and headed for the door.

When it opened, I unexpectedly met someone.

“…Your Majesty the Empress.”

It was Fay, the Empress.

Was she here because she couldn’t get in before?

I thought she used to come in even during meals without hesitation.

It was strange.

Well, I wasn’t interested in understanding her behavior patterns.

There was no need to exchange lengthy greetings here.

I just nodded briefly to acknowledge her greeting and moved on.

The day of our departure to resolve the drought issue had finally arrived.

I was on my way to the main palace gate with Cedric.

More precisely, I was riding in a carriage he was driving.

He’d struggled so much with horseback riding, yet he handled the carriage with surprising steadiness.

We chatted about various things along the way: whether we’d packed everything, what we should do first upon arrival.

It was our final check.

In the middle of it, Cedric glanced at my left ring finger and asked,

“That seems like a ring I haven’t seen before. Am I right?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

“I see. But why are you wearing it today? It seems rather flashy for a long journey…”

“True.”

I looked down at the ring briefly as I answered.

It was an ornate piece—obviously expensive at a glance.

A dark blue gemstone was set into finely worked platinum.

“Why not remove it for now? Since it’s a long journey, I imagine it will be uncomfortable to wear the whole time.”

“I’d like to, but there’s a reason I have to keep it on.”

“A reason?”

“Yes. Because…”

I was just about to explain.

“Your Majesty the Empress.”

Did he somehow know we were talking about him?

At that exact moment, the giver of the ring himself appeared.