~CHAPTER 36~
* * *
To put it simply, it was just worry.
Even though Aizen had personally taught Jenna horseback riding and received regular reports from Nelle, his concern never faded.
Unable to help himself, he went to the competition in disguise to see her with his own eyes.
He didn’t even know exactly what he was so worried about.
“By the way, how on earth did that lady manage to tame Maximus? I could barely get near him without him going wild.”
Ralph, who had also disguised himself and followed as a guard, stared at Jenna on her horse and asked.
Aizen, arms crossed, answered indifferently.
“Horses judge by faces, too.”
“Ah, that’s why he… Wait, could you explain exactly what you mean by that?”
“No.”
“…That’s strange. I’ve never been told I’m ugly before.”
Ralph grumbled quietly but soon smiled, trying to encourage Aizen.
“Don’t worry, Your Grace. Lady Hoffman is quite skilled at riding. She’ll definitely defeat that woman.”
Aizen’s brows twitched.
The face hidden behind his mask grew subtly uncomfortable.
“That woman is quite skilled, too.”
“Eh, but still, compared to Lady Hoffman—”
“Have you seen her?”
“Huh?”
“I asked if you’ve actually seen her skills. How much she’s practiced, how hard she’s worked?”
Perhaps because the image of Jenna training diligently every day came to mind, his tone grew sharper.
Flustered by Aizen’s unexpected question, Ralph scratched his head.
“N-no, I haven’t… Are you angry, Your Grace?”
“Why would I be?”
“Well, um… You sound like you’re mad because I looked down on that woman—”
“Just shut up and watch, Ralph.”
Ralph nodded vigorously and focused on the competition.
Among the four riders, Jenna was the last to start, yet she smoothly cleared each obstacle and quickly caught up to the leading rider, Sylvia.
As Jenna drew closer, Sylvia seemed distracted, unable to focus on the race, glancing nervously over her shoulder.
“Lady Hoffman doesn’t seem to be performing well today. She might lose at this rate.” Ralph muttered.
Aizen silently watched Pingping—no, Maximus.
Something about the horse’s condition was off. Its muscles twitched slightly.
Having cared for the temperamental animal himself, he could tell with one look.
He had half expected Jenna to fail in taming the beast when he recommended it to her.
Though they surprisingly got along, she hadn’t yet bonded deeply enough to sense subtle changes like this.
That horse’s going to lose control…
The moment anxiety creased his brow, the horse went wild—just as he’d feared.
As people screamed and scattered, Aizen rushed toward the arena.
He didn’t think; his body simply moved on instinct.
In a single motion, he vaulted over the fence and dashed in.
With Jenna’s frail body, a fall could easily mean death.
She can’t die.
I won’t let her die.
Aizen reached out and caught Jenna as she was flung from the horse.
Thud.
She crashed hard into his arms.
Feeling her slender shoulders under his hands, he let out a breath of relief.
“Ugh…”
Jenna groaned softly from the shock and tried to open her eyes to see him.
Before she could, Aizen covered her eyes with his hand.
Even with a hat and mask on, she might recognize him at this distance.
“Th-thank you… Huh? Wh-what are you doing?”
“…”
“Hey? Whoever you are, are you okay?”
Without a word, Aizen took off his hat and pressed it over her face.
Darkness covered her completely, and Jenna grew even more flustered.
“I can’t see anything like this! I can’t even walk! Hey—”
When she squirmed to remove it, he gently patted her back, as if telling her to calm down.
Feeling her movements slow, he carefully lifted her into his arms.
He strode out of the arena and laid her down on an empty bed inside the medical tent.
After entrusting Jenna to Greta, he quietly slipped away.
Once he was gone, Greta removed the hat from Jenna’s face.
“My lady, are you alright?”
“Yes, but… who just saved me?”
“It was… a member of the audience—”
Jenna tilted her head, touching her chin with sharp curiosity.
Greta broke out in a silent sweat and forced a calm reply.
“You’re mistaken, my lady. It was a security officer from the competition.”
“Hmm, I see. Oh! Pingping! What happened to Pingping?”
Thankfully, Jenna’s attention shifted quickly.
She was far more worried about whether her horse was safe.
“The others are handling the aftermath in the arena. I’ll check on the horse, but you should rest first, my lady.”
“Ah… alright. Greta, if Pingping isn’t getting treated properly, please make sure someone takes care of him quickly.”
“Yes, my lady.”
As the doctor approached to examine her again, Greta left the tent with a stiff expression.
* * *
The arena was chaos.
Half the spectators had fled in shock, while the rest stayed behind, whispering and stirring up an even bigger commotion.
Ralph, trying to manage things in Aizen’s absence, was being hounded by the furious Hoffman mother and daughter.
“I almost died because of Lady Kreuz! That could have been a huge disaster!”
“That woman completely ruined the competition! She’s brought shame on our family!”
“Please, calm down—”
“Calm down? You should punish her immediately, Sir Schmidt!”
Sylvia practically grabbed Ralph by the collar, shouting.
Nearby, Nelle watched the scene with growing discomfort.
At this rate, Sylvia would drive Jenna out of society entirely.
Not just disgrace her, but destroy her standing completely.
This doesn’t concern me… but still…
She remembered the medicine Jenna had sent the day before.
Jenna had even prepared one specifically for Nelle’s husband, saying that both partners in a marriage should take care of their health.
It was an act of kindness, as if she’d never been treated coldly by Nelle at all.
…It doesn’t sit right with me.
Unable to stay still, Nelle stood up.
“Ralph.”
At the same time, Aizen returned.
Standing in the shade where few could notice him, he gestured for Ralph to come over.
“Duke Kalrad! Oh, I was so frightened!”
But before Ralph could respond, Sylvia spotted Aizen and rushed toward him, pushing Ralph aside.
She tried to lean tearfully into his arms.
Aizen sidestepped smoothly and signaled to Ralph with a small nod.
“Report.”
“Ah, yes. The horse has been taken to the veterinarian, and we’re slowly dismissing the audience to avoid panic. No other major issues so far.”
“Understood.”
Just as Aizen was about to wrap up the situation, Sylvia blocked his way again.
“Your Grace, you’re not just going to end this here, are you? Lady Kreuz must be punished severely!”
“That’s not your concern, Lady.”
“What? Of course it is! I was the victim here! The competition was hosted by our family, and that woman’s recklessness caused the accident! Right, Father?”
Sylvia turned to her father for support, and the flustered Marquis Hoffman quickly agreed with her.
Realizing they wouldn’t back down, Nelle sighed and left her seat, heading toward the medical tent.
* * *
“There are no serious injuries.”
After finishing his examination, the doctor warned that she might experience muscle pain and should avoid overexertion for a while before leaving.
Once alone, I rotated my sore shoulder, testing the stiffness.
Then a visitor appeared.
“Baroness Kreuz, it’s me. May I come in?”
“Oh, Marchioness Wagner? Yes, please, come in!”
The Marchioness stepped inside, looking slightly hesitant, and came to my side.
“How’s your body? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine. Perfectly fine!”
“I’m glad to hear that. Still, I have something to tell you. You should know in advance…”
“What is it?”
Sitting down on a small chair, the Marchioness lowered her voice and told me what had happened in the arena.
How Lady Hoffman and her father were desperately trying to blame me for the accident.
“They’re making an issue of your lack of skill in handling the horse. It’s something that could’ve been brushed off as a minor incident, but they won’t let it go. They’ll probably demand that your horse be put down…”
“No! Not Pingping!”
I hadn’t noticed it during the race, but after calming down and thinking it over, something clearly felt wrong.
Pingping would never have gone wild like that for no reason.
Something made Pingping sick.
My eyes sharpened as I threw off the blanket and climbed out of bed.
“W-wait, where are you going?”
“To the stable. I need to find out what really happened to Pingping. Do you want to come with me?”
“Huh? Oh, me? Uh… sure.”
The confused Marchioness followed me to the stables.
The place was empty now that the competition had ended.
I went straight to where Pingping had been and began to inspect the area carefully.
“B-Baroness? What are you doing…?”
“Investigating.”
Kneeling down, I dug through the hay on the ground.
It wasn’t the most dignified sight for a noblewoman, but I didn’t care.
For Pingping’s sake, I’d do anything.
As I sifted through the muddy straw, my fingers brushed against something hard.
“…?”
Pushing aside the hay, I found a small piece of chocolate wrapped in paper.
The Marchioness, peering over my shoulder, gasped.
“Oh my, why is that here? I heard chocolate is poison to horses.”
“Exactly. It makes them convulse.”
Of course, I’d never given Pingping any.
The horse’s strange behavior made perfect sense now.
Someone had fed Pingping chocolate.
On purpose.
“I don’t know which wicked person did this to him…”
Actually, I think I do.
Among everyone who had visited the stable before the competition, there was only one person who bore me malice.
“You’ll see, Lady Hoffman.”
“I’ll find out who did this and make them pay.”
As I rose to my feet, the Marchioness blinked nervously.
“Uh… but how exactly are you going to find them?”
“Hmm.”
Well, you see…
I looked at the chocolate in my hand, then slowly glanced around the stable.
A smile spread across my lips.
“I think I know how.”
