IRTP 8

Chapter 8

 The Invitation

“Is there something wrong with the contents, my lady?”

Lucia quickly took the invitation from Blair and checked it.

『Tomorrow, I am planning to hold a lighthearted horse-riding competition. I would be delighted if everyone could attend and honor us with their presence.』

“There’s nothing strange about it, though…?”

“Read the postscript underneath!”

『Knox is eagerly waiting for Fitz, so I sincerely hope you won’t be unwell this time, Lady Blair.』

“Oh my, oh my! This is truly special, isn’t it? It’s a message meant only for you, my lady!”

Lucia exclaimed excitedly, even bouncing on her feet.

“Yes, it’s special. He’s not even bothering to threaten me by using innocent horses this time. Well, now I have no excuse not to go.”

“Not go? What are you talking about? This is a wonderful opportunity, my lady!”

Seeing Lucia’s expression as though she had just heard some terrible news, Blair let out a deep sigh.

After receiving an invitation with such a message, even she had no valid reason to refuse it.

Besides, the prince had seen her with Fitz just two days ago. She couldn’t exactly lie and claim that she didn’t know how to ride a horse.

‘He said he was going to create an opportunity and all that. Does he really have to be this persistent?’

She was no longer even surprised by his obsession. Blair wasn’t particularly annoyed by it anymore, either.

At first, she had been so flustered that she simply tried to avoid him. But now, she was genuinely curious about why he was acting this way. It was hard to believe that he was doing all this just because he had something to say to her. Whenever they met, he always said things that got under her skin.

Blair had finally realized that there was no point in continuing to worry about it by herself. It seemed much easier to simply ask him directly.

“Lucia, please prepare everything so that we can arrive at the time stated in the invitation tomorrow.”

Blair spoke in a resigned tone.

“That’s exactly what you should do! I was so worried you were going to refuse again!”

Lucia was so delighted that she even clapped her hands.

‘Tomorrow, I must find out the reason no matter what.’

At this rate, she would die before her time from all this stress. Repeating her determination to herself several times, Blair lay down on her bed.

The following day, Blair headed to the location specified by the prince’s palace at a reasonable time—not too early and not too late.

Whether Fitz knew how she felt or not, he was simply excited, snorting happily.

“Are you happy? I think you had a hand in dragging me out here, too, Fitz.”

She had never imagined that Fitz would be such good friends with the horse the prince usually rode.

Fitz seemed to understand her complaint and snorted as if he were protesting his innocence.

“Sigh. Fine. Neither you nor Knox is at fault. This is all because of that diligently insane man.”

“Oh my, who are you talking about?”

Selina suddenly appeared. Blair had no idea how long she had been standing behind her.

Blair greeted her with an awkward expression.

“I was just talking to myself. It’s been a while, Selina.”

Even on a day like this, Selina was dressed in a splendid gown. Even if she used a sidesaddle, a dress with so many decorations and so much weight would only get in the way. It was hardly suitable for horseback riding.

“I heard you’ve been quite ill lately. Just how sick were you to refuse the dinner invitations His Highness proposed so many times?”

Selina asked in a sharp tone.

It seemed she was extremely displeased that the perfect opportunity to have dinner with Prince Kalint had been postponed several times because of Blair, only to eventually fall through altogether.

“It’s not as though Lady Blair did it on purpose.”

Olivia spoke as she elegantly dismounted her horse.

Unlike Selina, she was dressed in a perfectly fitted riding outfit, which suited her very well.

That was only natural. Olivia was talented and had won several prizes in various horse-riding competitions since childhood.

“His Highness simply felt bad about enjoying the dinner without her. After all, he is such a fair and honorable person.”

Her characteristic way of criticizing others indirectly, while maintaining an elegant tone, was just as unchanged as ever.

Olivia had elegantly rephrased the words, ‘The dinner wasn’t postponed because of someone like you. It was postponed because of the prince’s noble character.’

As she spoke, she continued stroking her beloved horse.

Surprisingly, Tilda had arrived first.

Like Selina, she was wearing a dress, but it had no excessive decorations and looked comfortable enough to move around in.

However, she didn’t seem particularly familiar with horses. She was gripping the reins unnecessarily tightly, so tightly that her hands had turned white.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all gathered like this.”

Tilda spoke while holding her trembling hands together. Somehow, her attempt to appear calm made her look rather pitiful.

“It’s been a while, Tilda. But are you all right?”

Blair greeted her and asked.

Rather than simply being nervous, Tilda looked as though she was afraid of horses.

“Y-Yes. I’m fine. Something like this is nothing at all!”

Anyone could see that she wasn’t fine, but Tilda seemed unwilling to admit that she wasn’t good at horseback riding.

Blair was just about to ask whether she had ever properly ridden a horse before when the voice of the chief attendant from the prince’s palace rang out.

“Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness the Prince have arrived.”

Queen Rea, who always carried herself with an elegant grace, was wearing a deep green dress.

And behind her appeared Kalint, sitting on Knox with a flawless posture that lacked even the slightest imperfection.

Kalint’s indifferent eyes passed over the faces of the Fronses who bowed to greet him. Then his gaze stopped somewhere, and the corners of his eyes curved slightly.

“Thank you all for accepting my sudden invitation. Ah, of course, I mean everyone.”

He spoke while staring directly at Blair.

He had started getting under her skin the moment he arrived. But Blair had resolved not to let him get the better of her anymore, so she simply forced the corners of her mouth upward as much as she could.

Once everyone participating in the riding competition had gathered, the surroundings became quite lively.

The second son of Count Varel and Viscount Theodore were also preparing their saddles, apparently intending to participate. Sir Ernst Werner, Prince Kalint’s escort knight, was already mounted on his horse.

A few nobles staying at the royal palace also seemed to have come as spectators.

“The invitation said it would be a ‘lighthearted riding competition.’ This doesn’t look lighthearted at all.”

Blair muttered in an unhappy tone.

“Isn’t this better? If it were just the few of us, it might have been… a little embarrassing.”

Olivia spoke with her chin held high.

She wasn’t wrong. There was a considerable difference between her riding skills and those of the other Fronses. It wouldn’t look particularly good if that difference became too obvious.

“His Highness Prince Kalint must have invited the others to prevent such an awkward situation. You can tell just by looking at the other young noblemen participating. They don’t seem particularly talented at horseback riding.”

At Olivia’s additional remark, Selina and Tilda appeared impressed by the prince’s thoughtfulness.

‘Thoughtfulness, my foot. Couldn’t he have simply avoided holding this ridiculous competition in the first place?’

Of course, as always, Blair was the exception.

“Now that everyone has gathered, I will explain the rules of the competition!”

As though mocking Blair’s inner thoughts, the chief attendant of the prince’s palace began explaining the rules in a loud voice.

“The winner will be the person who reaches the finish line at the far end of Lake Reden first, starting from this starting line.”

Perhaps because this wasn’t an official horse-riding competition, there were none of the complicated rules usually associated with such events.

“Furthermore, Her Majesty the Queen has prepared a special prize for the Frons who achieves the highest ranking. She will personally bestow upon that person a bracelet made with the ‘Leaves of Tamira.’”

“T-The Leaves of Tamira?”

Selina’s eyes widened.

The Leaves of Tamira was a famous emerald that even Blair had heard of before.

According to an old legend in the Kingdom of Eiron, a gigantic Robur oak tree had grown where Tamira, the goddess of the forest, died.

The gemstones were said to possess a mysterious glow resembling the leaves of that sacred tree, which was why they had been given the name ‘Leaves of Tamira.’

These enormous emeralds had been crafted into three pieces of jewelry: a bracelet, a pair of earrings, and a necklace.

According to rumors, they were the queen’s most treasured jewels.

Soon afterward, the chief attendant opened a gold-crafted jewelry box, revealing the bracelet adorned with the famous gemstone.

“My goodness, I can’t believe I’m seeing it in person…”

Selina, who had extensive knowledge of gemstones, murmured as though entranced.

The other Fronses also stared in fascination at the emerald bracelet, which was shining with a brilliant, mysterious light.

Even Blair had to admit that it was an extraordinary gemstone, far more beautiful than any other jewel she had ever seen.

“That is certainly tempting.”

Olivia also remarked in admiration of the gemstone’s beauty.

She already had an expression as though the bracelet belonged to her.

‘If it’s the first place among the Fronses, Olivia obviously has a huge advantage.’

Blair had enjoyed horseback riding since childhood, too, but she had never participated in competitions like Olivia.

As a result, she couldn’t accurately judge her own riding ability.

But one thing was certain: she wasn’t skilled enough to defeat Olivia, who had received systematic training for so many years.

‘Well, the gemstone is pretty, but it’s not something I particularly need right now. Besides, I can’t even sell it later.’

If she tried to sell a jewel bestowed by the queen, she would undoubtedly be dragged off to prison for insulting the royal family.

Besides, there was something much more important to Blair than the gemstone.

It was the opportunity to talk to Prince Kalint.

She had to somehow find a chance to be alone with him and figure out exactly what he wanted from her.

Blair shifted her eyes and glanced toward Kalint.

He was sitting on Knox with an expressionless face.

Both the horse and its rider looked so perfect that they seemed to have stepped straight out of a painting.

‘He certainly looks perfectly normal on the outside…’

Without realizing it, Blair found herself staring at him absentmindedly.

And that was why she failed to avoid his gaze when Kalint suddenly turned his head toward her.

At that moment, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

That ominous smile immediately made Blair worry that he might be plotting some other bizarre scheme.

‘What on earth is he planning this time?’