“Your Highness, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“Yes, I’m glad to see you’ve recovered, Dean.”

It was Dean Lampman.

After exchanging awkward greetings with Diana, Lampman sat next to her in the VIP section.

This was the first time they’d seen each other since the day of their argument. As uncomfortable silence settled between them, Diana found herself wishing Jerome would hurry back.

“He’s never around at times like this… Did he go to make snacks or something? Why isn’t he back?”

As she grumbled in annoyance, the players finally began entering the field one by one to warm up.

“…Why is Lord Ian over there?”

Seeing Ian enter the stadium, Diana forgot her discomfort and asked Lampman.

“I heard Lord Leheits is playing as a participant today.”

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a friendly match between the polo club members?”

“It is a friendly match. As long as you’re a student, you can participate even if you’re not a member. He’s still enrolled, so there’s no problem. Why do you ask?”

“…No reason. I just thought I didn’t see Lord Ian’s name on the player list I received.”

“I understand the polo club invited him to join. He kept refusing, but for some reason, he accepted two days ago.”

“……”

Two days ago was the day Diana announced she’d be attending the match.

“In any case, it’s probably a good thing for everyone that Lord Leheits is playing.”

She wondered what Lampman meant, but when she saw the crowd’s reaction as Ian entered the field, she understood.

“…People seem to like him.”

“Yes. The more people come to watch a charity match, the better.”

No wonder there were so many female spectators.

Diana rested her chin on her hand, feigning indifference.

But even when she tried to act uninterested, Ian kept catching her eye.

The sight of him riding his proud white horse and warming up with powerful movements was enough to draw the attention of every spectator in the stadium. Diana was no exception.

“I enjoy horseback riding too. If I get the chance, I’d like to try polo someday.”

She tried to look at the other players but failed, so she spoke to Lampman instead.

“You enjoy horseback riding?”

“Yes. I’ve come to like it.”

He frowned as he asked, so Diana replied even more cheerfully on purpose.

“Then you should give it a try.”

“…Pardon?”

Lampman’s voice held both dismissal and provocation.

“If Your Highness gives a demonstration, today’s event will shine even brighter.”

He immediately raised his hand to call someone over.

“Here, prepare a horse for Her Highness.”

“Wait, suddenly…”

Just then, Diana sensed someone from the field looking at her.

When she turned her head toward that gaze, her eyes met Ian’s. He smiled at her.

It felt as if he was teasing her, saying, “Didn’t expect to meet here, did you?” She glared at him, but Ian only looked more amused.

At that moment, the horse Ian was riding, Yan, seemed to spot Diana and suddenly started running toward her. Ian’s flustered voice trying to calm Yan grew closer.

As Yan ran right up to the VIP section, Diana, delighted, stood up and reached her hand over the railing.

“Dean.”

As she stroked Yan’s head, she turned to Lampman and said,

“I don’t think you need to prepare a horse for me.”

***

“Are you really sure about this? Should I ride behind you?”

Ian asked worriedly as Diana, who had no proper uniform and wore riding clothes instead, prepared to mount.

“Haven’t you seen how I ride? Wasn’t it you who took me to the western forest, not some other man?”

At her words, Ian gave in, laughing as he stepped closer.

“I’m just worried you’ll get hurt.”

He gently tightened the strap under her chin, struggling a bit with the oversized helmet. Diana watched him quietly, then spoke.

“…I might get hurt.”

Maybe that’s what Lampman was hoping for.

She couldn’t say she understood all of Lampman’s motives, but she knew at least this much: his reason for doing this was to draw a comparison between her and Louis.

Louis was a professional-level polo player and had given demonstrations at several friendly matches. He was a highly capable crown prince, and his popularity in the kingdom was considerable.

“But backing down just because I might fail isn’t really my style.”

She grinned as she gripped the mallet, called a polo stick.

“……”

Ian gazed at Diana, who was smiling confidently, then quietly took her hand.

Diana looked at him in surprise as he gently wrapped her hand with his own without warning.

“……”

“Like this.”

He adjusted her grip on the mallet and met her eyes.

“You have to hold it long, like this.”

“……”

His subtle gaze reminded her of the last ball. No, it was even more intense than then.

She still felt nervous meeting his eyes, but this time, she didn’t look away.

Ian clearly recognized the line she had drawn. He didn’t seem ready to cross it yet, but if she showed any opening, he’d cross it without hesitation.

If she didn’t want to be dragged along in this dangerous tug-of-war, she’d have to keep her wits about her.

After a long staring contest, he was the first to step back.

“Don’t get hurt.”

“……”

Diana nodded silently.

He was a man whose true intentions were always a mystery… but the warmth he left on the back of her hand told her he was cheering her on.

***

“Y-Your Majesty! What brings you here…?”

When Queen Isabella appeared in the royal VIP section, Lampman jumped up from his seat.

“There’s no need for a fuss.”

Isabella sat in the seat Lampman hurriedly offered and looked over the green field, as if searching for someone.

“If you knew Her Majesty was coming, you should have told me in advance!”

Lampman whispered his complaint to Gilrod, who had entered with Isabella.

“Haha, I only met Her Majesty on the way here. How could I have told you in time?”

Gilrod laughed slyly and sat beside Isabella.

“I heard the princess is attending. Where is she?”

Isabella, having heard that Diana was voluntarily attending an outside event for once, stopped by the royal university since she happened to be nearby.

“Lampman, where is the princess?”

“Ahem…”

With Gilrod also pressing him, Lampman looked at Isabella with an awkward expression.

“Her Highness is over there.”

At that moment, Natasha, who was standing behind Isabella, looked toward the field where the players were warming up.

“She’s wearing riding clothes.”

“…Why is the princess over there, Lampman?”

Lampman was now sweating nervously.

“Well… She agreed to give a demonstration match, just as the crown prince used to do. Ahem…”

“A demonstration? What do you mean by that?”

Isabella’s voice grew sharper.

“You know the princess is afraid of horses. Why didn’t you stop her?”

“Her Highness said she enjoys riding! She even said she wanted to try polo if she had the chance…”

“So it wasn’t that you didn’t have time to stop her, but that you suggested it?”

Lampman’s face turned pale at Isabella’s cold tone.

“Y-Your Majesty? What brings you here…?”

Just then, Jerome returned to the VIP section, his arms loaded with snacks.

“Jerome. Why aren’t you with the princess?”

Natasha asked, looking him and his armful of snacks up and down with a disapproving gaze.

“Pardon? Her Highness is right here…”

But of course, Diana wasn’t there. As Jerome panicked and dropped his snacks, Natasha grabbed his chin and turned his head toward the field.

“W-why is she over there?!”

“That’s what I’d like to know.”

Natasha replied coldly.

Jerome’s face turned deathly pale as he saw Diana mount the horse, looking as if he might faint at any moment.

“D-Dean! What is going on? Please stop this immediately…!”

“Ahem…”

But the flag signaling the start of the demonstration had already gone up, and Lampman, looking troubled, couldn’t do anything now.

Completely unaware that everyone at the palace was worrying about her, Diana spurred Yan forward into the center of the field at the starting signal.

Holding the reins in one hand and gripping the mallet in the other, she leaned forward, pressing closer to Yan as they picked up speed.

Her form was flawless, as if she was perfectly in sync with her white horse.

A small ball had been placed at the center of the field. Diana quickly rode up to the ball, raised her right arm holding the mallet high behind her, and struck the ball with a powerful swing.

There was no way to fully describe her movements as anything less than perfect. She was strong and graceful, exuding a beauty that was both soft and unyielding.

Even though it wasn’t an official match, when Diana easily dodged the defenders and sent the ball cleanly through the goal, the crowd erupted in excitement as if it were the main event.

As Diana raised her hand to the roaring stands in a relaxed gesture, Isabella couldn’t hold back her laughter and burst out.

“Jerome!”

“Y-yes, Your Majesty!”

“When did the princess learn to ride without telling me? And she’s practically a pro at polo!”

“Well… she’s been visiting the stables a lot lately, and then suddenly…! It seems our princess is a genius…!”

Natasha, having seen this kind of reaction from Jerome before, looked at him with an exasperated face as he got all worked up.

Lampman had long since been rendered speechless by the unbelievable sight. Gilrod watched him and chuckled quietly.

Gilrod gazed at Diana with pride as she returned to the waiting area at the edge of the field. He knew that, if only given the chance, she could shine on her own at any time.

Diana slowly rode her horse back to the waiting area. She smiled softly at someone. The smile seemed almost unconscious, and Gilrod’s head turned naturally to follow her gaze.

“……”

There, Ian Leheits was waving and smiling brightly at her.

Isabella saw it too.

“Hm…”

Watching the two of them smile at each other, Isabella rubbed her chin with a curious expression.