Chapter 23

When she heard the whipping sound, the carriage began to depart. The aide, who was looking at the carriage with a puzzled face, suddenly came to his senses and knocked on the door.

“No, Mister Spencer! Mister Spencer!”

Diana awkwardly couldn’t sit nor stand.

“Sit. You’ll get hurt if you stand like that.”

“I-is it alright to do this?”

“Is there anything that you aren’t allowed to do?”

“Mister Spencer! Please wait a minute! Mister Spencer!!”

The carriage’s speed gradually increased and the knocking sound was eventually cut off.

“Mister Spencerrrrrrr!”

Leaving behind the aide’s scream, the carriage slid over the open iron door.

***

Even though it was close to noon, there was a huge crowd. Diana lifted her hand to see if the mask on her face was well positioned.

“Why? Is it uncomfortable? It is indeed a little big.”

“No. It’s not that.”

“Then, is it because you’re anxious?”

Biting her lips weakly, Diana nodded. Grandfather also wore a mask covering his face.

“You don’t need to worry. As long as you don’t show your face, it’ll be okay.”

Of course, there were a few people who saw them wearing masks and found it interesting, but they quickly averted their attention because they were busy on their way.

“See. No one is interested in us.”

Grandfather shrugged.

“Well, it’s because it’s your first time that they’re not interested. But if you keep wearing the mask when going out, maybe rumors will spread quickly.”

“T-That’s why. Is it really alright to be like this?”

“Of course. I’ve already told Clement about it. It’s hard to hide your existence completely anyway. Rather than that, it’s better to go out confidently from here first. As an unidentified girl wearing a mask.”

“Ah. Grandmother too…”

If it was a matter that had already been agreed upon, then it should be okay. Diana was relieved.

“Although I’ve never talked about going out of the blue without any preparation.”

Diana’s mouth slightly opened. Grandfather laughed.

***

The large arena consisted of a total of three floors, with Diana and Grandfather heading to the third floor which had the best view.

The third floor was divided into rooms, not seats, and next to the door of the viewing room, there was a pennant symbolizing each family hung on the wall. As expected, for Ohrid, it was a bird flying with a branch on a green background.

They didn’t come to the racetrack to just watch it.

“No, don’t!”

Grandfather jumped up from the sofa.

The two horses, who were competing back and forth, passed the finish line almost at the same time.

“Which horse was it, Diana? Did you see it?”

“It’s the black horse.”

Grandfather sighed.

“I blew it again this time.”

The referee at the finish line lifted a large flag that had a red dragon with a spear on its neck on a black background.

Grandfather asked, chewing the paper that had been cut into tissue pieces. The price of that piece of paper… Diana, who was thinking of it, erased the price from her head as if she was escaping from reality.

“What happened to the horse you picked?”

Diana hid the paper so that Grandfather wouldn’t be able to see it.

Diana only picked and didn’t bet money. Her cowardice would not remain if she bet a huge amount of money like Grandfather in a place like this.

“Don’t tell me. Again?”

“….”

“Is it the last place? No way?! Really?! How many times has it been? You’ve picked only the one in last place nine times, right?”

“It’s not. It’s eight times.”

“Then, that is that!”

“….”

“How could you be so unlucky?”

“P-please don’t make fun of me. It’s possible to be like that.”

Diana shot back as if she was being wrongly accused. Grandfather laughed loudly as if he couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“Diana, it would be great if you don’t gamble.”

Grandfather put his hand on Diana’s shoulder.

“I’m not doing it. I won’t do it!”

“Well, every horse that you picked took last place, should I say that this is consistency…? Or should I say that you’re simply like Phillipa…?”

“Was Mom unlucky, too?”

Diana said, a little welcoming of it.

To be honest, it was beyond unlucky to pick last place eight times in a row.

‘But if it’s because I’m like Mom, then there’s nothing that I can do.’

It was when she was thinking so that–

“No? I mean that consistency is the thing that makes you resemble each other. Philippa was born with natural luck. Everything she picked was always first place. There were times when she lost a little, but in the end, it ended with gain. I could never win if I made a bet with Philippa.”

With a sulky face, Diana threw the paper into the trash can. Grandfather grabbed her cheeks and rubbed it as if he found she was cute.

“Hm? Look at how your lips are pouting. It’s a waste that only I can see it. Why are you so cute? Are you angry?”

When Diana shook her head, Grandfather’s hand moved as well.

“I must have used all my luck to meet Grandfather and Grandmother. Mom is… Kyaaak!”

Grandfather suddenly hugged Diana tightly and turned around.

“Oh my. Oh my. How can you be so cute? Hm?”

Diana hugged Grandfather’s neck and shouted.

“P-please put me down quickly!”

“If I don’t want to?”

“Yes? W-what is the meaning…”

The flustered Diana shouted again.

“No, I mean, I’m heavy!”

“You? That’s nonsense.”

Grandfather said firmly.

“You have to eat well.”

“But I am eating…”

“More! You have to eat twice as much as you do now. Ah, right. You’re going to decide what to eat here, too.”

Then she heard a knock on the door. Grandfather, who sighed, put Diana down. When Diana turned to grab the mask, Grandfather waved his hand.

“You don’t have to use it. I can guess who it is. Come in.”

The door opened and a large person wrapped in a dark green cape entered.

Grandfather said with a face like he was extremely reluctant.

“So, this is the end of our fun time.”

“The Count sent us to attend to you. She said that you left in a hurry without any escort.”

“You must have really come here in a hurry.”

Grandfather nodded his head.

“Greet Diana.”

The man with short, brown hair bowed his head.

“I am Paul Dominic. Please just call me Lord Dominic.”

A short-haired woman standing next to him greeted her.

“I am Serafina. You can just call me Lord Serafina. It is an honor to greet the Young Miss.”

Diana also held her skirt and greeted.

“Hello. I’m Diana.”

“They are the knights who will follow you wherever you go. You’ll have to adapt, too.”

Grandfather said as if it was tiresome.

“That is right. Young Miss, in the future, wherever you go, you have to move together with us.”

“Please refrain from running out alone like Mister Spencer.”

Lord Dominic and Lord Serafina said consecutively. Grandfather got up and picked up his cane and mask.

“Well, it’s good timing. Since I was just thinking of going out.”

Unlike the third floor, which only had employees going around occasionally, she felt the commotion as soon as she stepped foot on the second floor.

Diana, who was wandering around and watching, sniffed at the delicious smell that wafted through.

Grandfather looked at the knights. The knights averted their gaze, but at Grandfather’s persistence, Lord Dominic eventually said, “If we feed our Young Miss with bad food, the Count…” and only went to buy it after he was stabbed with a cane by Grandfather.

She hadn’t even had lunch, but she felt her stomach was about to explode when she ate the skewered sausage, butter-coated corn, thinly sliced fried potatoes, sugar-coated churros, and even cool watermelon juice.

She could also see a stable on one side of the arena that smelled of horse poop.

The horse, who had just won first place, walked into the stable while snorting in excitement that had yet to calm down.

It was the horse of the family who had a red dragon with a spear on the back of its neck on a black background.

‘So that family’s horse won again.’

Not long ago, she saw a family-specific pattern diagram in the study. The pattern was a little scary, so it remained strongly in her memory.

A family that murdered a dragon and was cursed from generation to generation.

It was the pattern of the Grand Duke of Nohibaden Family.

To think they thought of it as a curse. They only saved the people who were slaughtered by the dragon, but the reward they got in exchange was brutal.

“Diana, are you good at horseback riding?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Oh, yeah? To what extent can you ride?”

“Ah, I have never ridden a horse.”

Diana said insignificantly.

“…What did you say?”

Grandfather asked back in surprise.

“Did you just say you’ve never ridden a horse?”

“Yes.”

***

Grandfather was dressed in slender dark navy horseback riding pants and horseback riding boots.

“How did you get these clothes?”

Grandfather had his horseback riding suit ready, but of course, Diana didn’t. As a result, Lord Dominic had to wander around quickly to get comfortable pants and horseback riding boots.

“How about Lord Dominic?”

“He went to get the support.”

“Turns out the Lords are having a hard time because everyone was cleared away.”

“No, it’s alright.”

There were only the knights and Grandfather in the horseback riding course, but Diana continued to wear a mask to prevent possible mishaps.

Lord Serafina handed the reins over to Grandfather. It was a horse with white spots with pale yellow fur. The horse was so big that Diana had to raise her head for a long time.

Originally, when learning horseback riding, one would start with a horse of short stature, but because Ohrid had no children for a long time, there were no small horses and this horse was the mildest.

“Let’s go over there first.”

Diana turned her head in the direction Grandfather pointed and paused.

“Huh?”

“Why?”

“There… I think I saw a blue mane. Did I see it wrong?”

Diana rubbed her eyes and looked again. She rubbed it a few times over and over again. However, no matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, it was blue.

“Ah, that horse.”

Grandfather frowned.

“…Right. So it’s your first time seeing it.”

Grandfather handed over the reins to Lord Serafina again and said.

“Do you want to take a look?”

“Yes!”

Diana and Grandfather headed to the cage where she saw a blue mane. As they approached, it became clear.

“The mane… is really blue?”

“Yeah. It’s Nohibaden’s horse.”