Blair was too bewildered to say anything and simply blinked at him.

His amber eyes, filled with the deep red of the setting sun, were set against dark hair stirring in the breeze, and the contrast made it impossible not to look.

That flawless face, the kind that left no room for personal feeling to intrude, made Blair’s mouth fall open slightly before she caught herself.

“Ahem. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave—”

“There is something else.”

Who on earth taught him to talk like that.

Blair was reaching the limit of her ability to maintain a pleasant expression, but she wrung out one last effort and pulled the corners of her mouth upward.

“Please, go ahead, Your Highness.”

“It would be appreciated if you brought Fitz out from time to time. He and that one are fond of each other.”

He gestured with his chin. Following his gaze, Blair turned to find Fitz and Kalintz’s horse grazing side by side in perfect contentment.

“Nox and Fitz were raised in the same stable when they were young. So I sometimes bring Nox out to see Fitz, but he’s often not in the stable.”

He seemed to choose his words carefully.

Though, really, who could fail to love a horse like that. Jet-black, glossy coat, exceptional build, and a grace that bordered on regal.

“…… I bring Fitz out three or four times a fortnight. Taking him out more often isn’t difficult, but the chances of him actually meeting Nox seem slim.”

Nox was kept separately in the stables of the prince’s palace, so she couldn’t simply bring Fitz there whenever she liked.

The alternative was that she would have to bring Fitz out at the same time Kalintz brought Nox out, and Blair had absolutely no intention of doing that.

“Chances. That’s not such a difficult thing, is it?”

“Pardon?”

A strange smile spread across his face.

“Chances can be made.”

With those words, the last of the sunset faded from his eyes.

Kalintz turned and left, leaving Blair standing there with her mouth open.

She made her way back to her room, uneasy about whatever that unpredictable prince was planning next.

Sure enough, the chance he had spoken of came sooner than she expected.

“He’s out of his mind.”

“Pardon?”

Lucia startled at the words that flew out of Blair’s mouth as she read the invitation from the prince’s palace.

“Is there something wrong with it, Miss?”

Lucia quickly took the invitation from Blair and looked it over.

『Tomorrow, I thought we might hold a light riding competition. I do hope everyone will attend and grace the occasion.』

“I don’t see anything wrong with it……?”

“Read the postscript below!”

『Nox has been waiting desperately for Fitz, so I do hope you find yourself in good health this time, Miss Blair.』

“Oh my, oh my! This is truly something special! It’s a message meant just for you, Miss!”

Lucia stamped her feet and fussed with delight.

“Yes, special is one word for it. Using innocent horses as leverage isn’t exactly a threat, but there’s no way I can refuse this.”

“Refuse? Don’t say such a dreadful thing! This is a tremendous opportunity, Miss!”

Blair looked at Lucia’s expression of absolute horror and let out a long sigh.

After receiving an invitation like this, even she had no grounds to decline.

On top of that, the prince had seen her with Fitz just two days ago, so she couldn’t even claim she didn’t know how to ride.

He said he’d make a chance, and he meant it. Did he really have to be this thorough about it?

His persistence no longer surprised her, and she found she couldn’t even muster irritation anymore.

She had panicked at first and done nothing but avoid him, but now she was genuinely curious about his reasons. It was hard to believe he simply had something to say to her, because every time they met he did nothing but get under her skin.

Blair had come to realize that turning it over in her own head was getting her nowhere. Going to him directly and asking outright seemed like the far faster solution.

“Lucia, please have everything ready so I can arrive at the time written on the invitation tomorrow.”

Blair said it in a tone of quiet resignation.

“I knew you’d come around! I was afraid you were going to say no again!”

Lucia clapped her hands and practically bounced with joy.

Tomorrow, I’m going to get an answer no matter what.

At this rate she was going to be the death of herself. She repeated the resolution several times in her head and lay down on the bed.

The next day, Blair made her way to the location specified in the prince’s palace invitation, arriving neither early nor late. Fitz, oblivious to her feelings on the matter, was simply snorting with excitement.

“Happy about this, are you? I have a feeling you’re partly responsible for me being dragged out here, Fitz.”

To think Fitz and the prince’s horse were such close friends. It was something Blair never could have imagined.

Fitz shook his head as though he found the accusation deeply unfair.

“All right, all right. It’s not your fault, or Nox’s. This is entirely because of that man and his very dedicated brand of madness.”

“Oh my, who?”

Selina appeared out of nowhere, having been standing behind her at some point. Blair greeted her with an awkward expression.

“Just talking to myself. It’s been a while, Selina.”

Selina was dressed in an elaborate gown even for an occasion like this. Even with a sidesaddle, a dress that heavily decorated and weighty would be cumbersome and entirely impractical for riding.

“I heard you were quite ill. How sick must you have been to turn down the prince’s banquet invitation so many times?”

Selina asked with a pointed edge in her voice. It was clear she was deeply displeased that the rare opportunity of a banquet with Prince Kalintz had been postponed again and again because of Blair, and ultimately fallen apart.

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

Olivia dismounted with elegant ease and spoke. Unlike Selina, she was dressed in a perfectly fitted riding habit, and it suited her beautifully.

With good reason. Olivia had placed in numerous equestrian competitions since childhood.

“His Highness simply felt it would be unkind to enjoy the banquet without her. He has always been so fair-minded.”

That refined way of cutting someone down while sounding perfectly gracious was entirely characteristic of her.

What Olivia had said, elegantly rephrased, was that the banquet had not been delayed because of you, but because of the prince’s noble character. Having delivered that with perfect composure, she turned to stroke her horse.

Tilda had arrived first, which was unexpected. Like Selina, she was in a dress, but without the excessive ornamentation, so at least she looked comfortable enough to move.

She did not appear to be on particularly good terms with horses, however. She was gripping the reins far harder than necessary, and her knuckles had gone white.

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

Tilda spoke up, hands clasped tightly together. The effort she was making to appear calm was somehow a little sad to watch.

“It has, Tilda. Are you all right?”

Blair greeted her and asked. She looked less like someone nervous about a competition and more like someone who was genuinely frightened of the horse.

“Yes, yes. I’m perfectly fine. Something like this is nothing at all.”

She was clearly not fine, but Tilda seemed reluctant to admit she wasn’t comfortable on horseback.

Blair was about to ask whether she had much experience riding when the voice of the prince’s palace chief chamberlain rang out.

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

Queen Rhea, always carrying herself with quiet elegance, was dressed in a deep green gown.

Behind her, Kalintz appeared, seated on Nox’s back in a posture so composed it looked effortless.

Kalintz’s impassive gaze swept over the faces of the frons offering their greetings. It paused on one of them, and the corner of his eye curved slightly.

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

He said it while staring directly at Blair.

He had started needling her the moment he arrived, but she had resolved not to let him get to her anymore, so she simply pulled the corners of her mouth up as far as they would go.

Once all the participants had gathered, the area grew lively.

The second son of Count Barrel and Viscount Theodore were adjusting their saddles in preparation for the race, and Ernst Werner, Prince Kalintz’s guard knight, was already mounted. A handful of nobles staying at the palace had also come as spectators.

“The invitation said a light riding competition. This is anything but.”

Blair muttered with a look of mild displeasure.

“Isn’t this better? If it were just the four of us, it might get a little…… awkward.”

Olivia said, chin held high.

She wasn’t wrong. If the gap in skill between Blair and the other frons became too obvious, it wouldn’t reflect well on anyone.