Chapter 16
The children who had arrived at the Dumfri estate quickly changed clothes and prepared to leave.
“Wait, since you’re already here, why not stay for dinner?”
The viscountess looked at the children—especially Erica and Ellen—as she offered them dinner.
“No, thank you. We’ve already played plenty.”
“Right. We had lunch here, so we really should head home now.”
Erica and Serel declined politely, sounding mature. Ellen, Roil, and Adrian eagerly nodded along. In truth, they were all trying to escape before getting scolded at home for sneaking out.
“Well then, let’s call it a day. Come visit again sometime,” the viscountess said with a kind smile, accompanying them to the gate with Santuc.
“See you again!”
“Goodbye!”
“Thank you for having us, Viscountess Dumfri.”
The children each said their goodbyes. The viscountess responded to them all individually, but Santuc only paid attention to Erica. The viscountess raised one eyebrow at that.
After sending off the children’s carriages with Santuc, the viscountess slapped his back the moment they were out of sight.
“Ah!”
“Santuc Dumfri!”
“What now!”
He rubbed his stinging back and turned around to face her.
“What kind of attitude is that to your friends?”
“What did I do?” he muttered sullenly.
“When you’re with a group, you should treat everyone with attention!”
“You’re the one who told me to be nice to the duke’s daughter. I was just doing what you said!”
Oh, you little brat.
The viscountess pressed her hand to her forehead.
“I said to be nice to her—not to ignore the others! They all come from houses higher-ranked than ours! Especially Lady Eleanor—you can’t treat her like that.”
“But she’s just a count’s daughter. Quinter’s a count family.”
“You haven’t been paying attention in your lessons, have you? I stopped checking for a while and now you’re slacking off.”
Santuc winced at that. Was it that obvious?
“If you want to get on His Majesty’s bad side, go ahead and keep treating Lady Eleanor like that.”
She smacked him again and turned to walk back inside.
What the—why bring up the emperor all of a sudden? Isn’t she just a provincial noble?
Still rubbing his smarting head, Santuc resolved to ask his tutor about the Quinter family tomorrow. Since they didn’t live in the capital, he had never paid much attention to them. But if his mother reacted that strongly, there must be a reason.
Ugh, my mother’s hand really stings.
✿ ✿ ✿
After staying a few days at the capital estate, Ellen returned to the Quinter estate, where an archery range was being built in one corner of the garden.
This house is so big, you can build anything inside it, she thought.
Even now, Ellen sometimes found it surreal that this huge estate—with vast spaces in every direction—was all considered “home.”
Since the archery range wasn’t finished yet, she decided to start with horseback riding.
“Horseback riding?”
She didn’t recall anyone saying they’d teach her that. Did I forget?
“You mean Jenny? I can ride Jenny now?”
Jenny was the white foal Gerald had given her last year for her birthday. She had been too young and untrained until now, and everyone kept telling Ellen to wait until she grew more.
Ellen had waited eagerly at first but had gradually forgotten as time passed. Realizing it had been over a month since she last saw Jenny, Ellen rushed to the stable. Jenny had grown yet again since their last meeting.
She really seemed more mature now.
Perking her ears at Ellen’s approaching footsteps, Jenny now had a sleek, glossy white coat. Unlike before, she didn’t flail around but stood calmly in her stall.
Ellen let her sniff her palm and gently stroked her, watching as Jenny blinked serenely.
“Let’s play a lot starting next week, Jenny.”
Ellen pressed her cheek to Jenny’s.
✿ ✿ ✿
“Masha, wouldn’t it feel amazing to gallop on Jenny? I want to learn fast so I can ride her soon! We can have picnics by the lake, ride on breezy days…”
That evening, while Ellen dreamily chattered away, Masha—who was brushing her hair—dropped a bombshell.
“Young Lady, noblewomen don’t gallop on horseback. Since they wear skirts, they usually ride side-saddle.”
“What? Then what’s the point of riding instead of taking a carriage?”
Ellen sounded genuinely puzzled.
“Does that mean I won’t learn to ride properly?”
“Well, that’s why most ladies use carriages. Noblewomen rarely ride horses. But since you’re the Quinter heir, you will be taught the basics—just enough to get by. Didn’t the Count and Madam forbid you from learning swordsmanship too? They said even in war, you wouldn’t be leading the charge.”
The more Masha spoke, the deeper Ellen’s frown grew. Spotting her expression in the mirror, Masha hurried to add:
“Oh, Young Lady. Even if you wore riding pants, galloping around in a dress would still be tough. The clothes themselves are heavy and uncomfortable.”
“If clothes are the problem, we can just make new ones!”
Ellen replied after a brief pause.
“Masha, bring me what I draw. Got it?”
She sketched a pair of riding pants based on what she remembered from her life as Hyesuh. Then, a sudden thought struck her and she looked up.
“Don’t men wear riding pants too?”
“Yes, they have their own special ones.”
“Then there’s no need to design anything. Just buy those and tailor them to fit me. Simple, right?”
“You’re going to wear those? Oh dear, no! Even if tailored, you still can’t wear them. Madam would never allow it.”
“We’ll worry about that later. Even if I can’t wear them, just make them for now.”
✿ ✿ ✿
It didn’t take long to tailor the pants, so Masha brought them the next day.
She had altered them to fit Ellen, but not too snugly. Normally, riding pants fit closely to the body, but that wasn’t imaginable for a girl in this world. So Masha had given them a looser fit.
“Not bad! Comfortable, and the shape’s not bad either.”
Ellen admired herself in the mirror, testing the fit. Masha sighed deeply and said,
“Are you really going to go out dressed like that?”
“Of course! Why would I have them made just to wear indoors?”
Seeing that Ellen couldn’t be stopped, Masha said,
“Then show the outfit to Madam first. If she approves, it’s fine.”
“Good heavens, Eleanor!”
But Gloria, seeing Ellen in the riding outfit, abandoned all pretense of elegance and screamed.
Ellen flinched at her unfamiliar tone.
“Is it that bad, Mom?”
“Is that even a question? How could a noble girl walk around in pants! Even commoners don’t show their knees!”
Ellen had never seen Gloria react so indignantly to anything she said.
Still, if I back down now, I’ll end up shooting arrows in a dress.
So she pushed a little further.
“But Mom, I can’t gallop in a long, heavy dress. And while noblewomen usually don’t ride, I’m the heir to the Quinter family. I think I should at least learn to ride properly. I’ll be learning archery soon too, and I’ll need to move a lot.”
She glanced at Gloria’s expression before continuing.
“I can’t wear a dress every time I need to move. It’s not like I’m showing bare skin. Please, Mom. Okay?”
Gloria rubbed her forehead like she had a headache. After a long silence, she finally said,
“If you absolutely must wear pants to ride, then wear a skirt over them. Make sure it hides your thighs and hips.”
So that’s the issue?
Ellen figured that made sense and nodded meekly.
“Okay.”
She had gotten permission to wear pants. That was enough of a victory for now, so she withdrew quietly.
A skirt over pants… sounds bulky. What’s the point of pants then?
Back in her room, Ellen rolled around hugging a cushion.
As she compared Earth’s and this world’s clothes, a new idea struck her and she clapped the cushion.
Oh! If I don’t want a skirt over it, I can just make the top longer!
She shot up and grabbed a pen.
She sketched a long tunic—mid-thigh in front and below the knee in back, asymmetrical.
Then she imagined adding a thin cloth belt around the waist, wrapped twice like a sash. It would give some back support while riding, and if the top was a bit loose, the gathered waist would make it look like a skirt anyway.
Excited, she instructed Masha to make it accordingly.
✿ ✿ ✿
Three days later, the riding outfit arrived—and it looked even better than Ellen had imagined.
She immediately put it on with the riding pants and ran to Gloria’s office.
“Mom! How about this?”
She spun once before her mother, her eyes pleading for approval.
Gloria still eyed the pants reluctantly, but finally gave a nod.
✿ ✿ ✿
Roil came to visit the Quinter estate.
He and Ellen passed through the familiar hole in the fence and entered the forest, as always.
Though it wasn’t a large forest, Ellen never ventured far alone or even with someone. If she got lost in the woods in a child’s body, it could be dangerous.
She only ever went as far as the clearing with the small lake.
When she first brought Roil there, she had decided to stop him if he tried going deeper into the forest. But he never once suggested it.
Guess he’s not that adventurous after all.
Then again, Roil wasn’t the type to cause trouble.
He didn’t act like a typical child sometimes, but at least she didn’t have to worry about convincing him. Today too, they spent time by the lake.
While Ellen proudly spoke about Jenny for the seventh time and attempted her third stone-castle build, Roil quietly said,
“Elli, don’t speak loudly, but glance over at the rock to the left.”
Pretending to pick up a stone, Ellen turned slightly—and saw a kitten sitting still in front of the rock, watching them.
Her cheeks flushed pink with delight.
