Chapter 75
Kyle looked at Raphael quietly for a moment before nodding.
“Yes. The saintess is currently on her way to the capital.”
“What? Is everything wrapped up in the east?”
“That hasn’t been confirmed yet. I’ve left instructions with the knights still stationed there.”
“She left saying she couldn’t stand staying at the Grand Temple, and now she’s coming back? That’s quite the whim.”
“Indeed. Actually, it wasn’t just the Grand Temple. She also said being inside the Eastern Temple felt suffocating. I think she just finds temples stifling in general.”
She seemed content with the role of the saintess, yet found temples stifling—what irony. Where else would a saintess reside if not a temple?
“You don’t need to report anything else about her. Handle it as you see fit.”
“Understood. Then, my lady, I wish you a safe return.”
Louisa answered with a simple nod in place of a farewell.
“Come to think of it, the carriage might need a bit more time. Will that be alright?”
“Oh. How long?”
“Usually, we call it at least five minutes in advance, so it should be around then.”
Five minutes wasn’t long to wait. It should be fine.
“But since you must be tired, how about riding a horse instead?”
“A horse?”
Louisa blinked.
“Have you ever ridden a horse before?”
“No.”
She hadn’t even really seen one up close. Even when getting into a carriage, she only looked at the door and never paid attention to her surroundings.
Now that the idea was brought up, it was both intimidating and intriguing. Maybe because it was unfamiliar—it felt like something she should experience at least once.
“I want to try riding a horse.”
“Understood. Let’s ride mine together.”
“Huh? Your horse?”
“Yes. Since you’ve never learned, it wouldn’t be safe to ride alone.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Once you try it, if you like it, we can arrange proper riding lessons.”
Louisa nodded. The two of them headed toward the left corner instead of the main entrance.
“There’s a stable here?”
“Yes. Normally the horses wait at the entrance, but I thought it would be good to experience everything from the beginning, so we came here.”
“I like that. I’ve never seen this before.”
“But… the smell… I didn’t account for that. My apologies.”
“It’s fine. It’s natural for there to be a smell. No need to apologize for something like that.”
Louisa waved her hand dismissively. Raphael looked down at her quietly. His blue eyes, usually as cold as ice, seemed especially warm today.
“Thank you for understanding. Please wait here a moment. I’ll bring the horse.”
Raphael soon returned with a pure white horse. Except for the horn, it looked like something out of a fairytale—a unicorn. It was beautiful.
“Wow, it’s really pretty.”
“Would you like to greet it before we ride?”
“Yes!”
Despite her excited expression, Louisa approached the horse very cautiously.
“I’m not dangerous. You don’t have to be scared.”
She stopped just a step away from the horse, raised both hands to show she meant no harm, then slowly extended one hand.
“Huh?”
The horse gently rubbed its head against her hand.
Surprised, Louisa looked back and forth between her hand and Raphael. His smile deepened as he watched her.
“It must feel good energy from you.”
“Really? What’s its name?”
“Eden.”
“Eden, I’m counting on you.”
After stroking Eden’s head with both hands, Louisa accepted Raphael’s help.
Wow… he’s seriously strong.
It felt like getting on a ride at an amusement park. Despite its beauty, the horse was so tall that she wondered how she would get on, but Raphael apologized and effortlessly lifted her onto the saddle, as if she were a toy ball.
Her heart pounded from the surprise.
Soon, she felt Raphael mount behind her. She pressed her right hand over her chest, trying to calm her rapidly beating heart.
She was worried that the vibration might transmit when his chest touched her back.
“Are you scared?”
“Huh? Oh, no. I’m fine.”
“Then hold this rein tightly.”
He handed her the reins, then wrapped his own hands around hers from behind, guiding them.
At that moment, a breeze blew. Green leaves sparkled in the sunlight, dancing playfully. A pleasant scent wafted in the wind, brushing past her nose.
Maybe because it was her first time riding a horse, everything around her felt just right. But separately from that, the solid, broad chest against her back was an entirely different matter.
It wasn’t like they were clinging to each other, but she could distinctly feel the firmness of his muscles.
…Wait, is his breathing fast?
She felt a pounding rhythm against her back—something tapping like a drum. Her own heart had mostly calmed down by now, so she quickly realized it was Raphael’s.
His breath tickled the top of her head. He seemed flustered as he adjusted his grip on the reins. In doing so, his hands ended up half-covering hers.
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“…It’s not really something you need to apologize for.”
Louisa glanced down at his slowly retreating hand.
It had only been a moment, but the heat of his touch lingered. Even in midsummer, the warmth wasn’t unpleasant.
But at this rate, won’t my heart explode?
Now his heartbeat was pounding even louder against her back, as if knocking. Louisa stared at her hand with a puzzled expression for a long while.
Two days passed quickly. Between talking with Albert Rosé about sparkling wine and discussing its distribution with Countess Dalio, there had barely been any time to rest.
Thankfully, the sparkling wine project—which had been in preparation for some time—was progressing smoothly, and Albert Rosé moved up his schedule to head north.
Louisa had said he could continue using the current workspace, but Albert Rosé said he wanted to focus solely on the northern winery and quickly packed up.
“He said he’s leaving in a week, so maybe I should go with him. It feels like my brother can’t go north properly because of me…”
Louisa dipped her feet in the small lake in the manor’s garden and sighed. The late summer heat was intense enough to make sweat bead even while sitting still.
Apparently, the weather would suddenly turn autumnal one day. While it was sweltering outside, the rooms indoors—with barely any breeze—were just as bad. She found herself missing the north.
“It’s seriously hot today…”
Even for someone who didn’t mind heat, this was a lot. She clicked her tongue and leaned back on her arms, tilting her head toward the sky.
Father is probably heading north by the end of this week… I should think about going with him.
There wasn’t much reason to stay in the capital, and with the business relocating, there wasn’t much else to do.
She wouldn’t be able to see Countess Dalio as often, but they could still exchange letters now and then…
Raphael…
She could still feel the echo of Raphael’s heartbeat on her back. Louisa squirmed at the ticklish sensation running along her spine, then flopped onto her back.
“Young Lady!”
Mary’s voice rang out from a distance. Louisa turned her head toward the sound.
“Your father is looking for you.”
“…Father?”
She sat up halfway, and some grass clippings fell from her back.
“Yes! He’s in his study. Oh no, you’re covered in grass… I should’ve laid down a cloth. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. I just laid down wherever.”
“Still…”
“You can just brush it off.”
“I could never! One moment—there’s some in your hair too.”
Mary fussed anxiously, meticulously cleaning her up.
Ugh, I was resting so nicely…
Regardless, Louisa ruffled her hair dismissively and stood up. Her wet feet squelched in the grass.
“Young Lady, please hold onto my shoulder. Let me wipe your feet.”
Thanks to Mary’s foresight in bringing a towel, her feet were quickly dried. Louisa put on the shoes she’d taken off and strolled leisurely into the mansion.
What’s this about?
Their usual conversations revolved around whether or not she’d go north. Since returning from the Grand Temple, her powers hadn’t come up again.
They’d just kept up regular health checks. Even when doctors declared her healthy, her father couldn’t seem to fully relax.
“Ah, Young Lady. He’s waiting inside.”
At the entrance to the study, she bumped into Brown as he was coming out. He knocked for her and opened the door.
“Your Grace, the young lady has arrived.”
From behind his mahogany desk, the Duke looked up from the papers.
“Mhm, come in.”
Louisa nodded instead of answering aloud.
“Your Grace, shall I bring refreshments?”
“Bring something Louisa enjoys.”
With a blank expression, the Duke sat on the sofa opposite her.
His brusque tone contrasted with his considerate words, but Louisa was used to it now. She focused solely on why he had called her.
“How have you been feeling lately?”
“I’m fine. So please stop sending the physician every day. You know I’m alright now.”
