Chapter 38

Leophris immediately handed the reins to Adelina with a gentle smile.

‘She must be surprised. With Duke Lexion and Marquis Stephan gone, she’ll have no one to rely on.’

If Adelina leaned on him because of yesterday’s incident, it would be an ideal situation. Seeing her smile at him so brightly today, he thought he could expect good things.

“Thank you for your kindness. But it’s alright. Hailyn will be sleeping with me every night from now on.”

“Is that so…”

Adelina clapped her hands, genuinely relieved. Leophris squinted his eyes as if dazzled by the morning sunlight, hiding his annoyance.

“Sir Leophris, thank you so much for teaching me to ride. So… I prepared a small gift for you.”

Adelina took out a flat, small box from the inner pocket of her riding jacket.

“A gift? How touching.”

“Go ahead, open it.”

As Adelina urged him, staring intently, his lips twitched.

‘So, she finally realizes my charm.’

He felt the people around pretending not to watch but stealing glances in their direction.

“This is…”

Leophris hurriedly closed the box and tried to put it in his jacket pocket.

“They’re riding gloves. Try them on.”

Adelina quickly grabbed his hand to prevent him from putting the box away.

“No, no. I will treasure this precious gift and wear it on an important day.”

“Still, try them on now. I want to see if they fit.”

Adelina smiled brightly, squeezing his hand tightly.

“Ugh.”

“Oh dear… Did I grip too hard?”

Leophris, who wouldn’t even flinch when pinched, gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

“No, not at all.”

“That’s a relief.”

Adelina clasped his hand tightly with both of hers, precisely where she had bitten him.

+++

The maids assigned to monitor Adelina seemed to grow bored with the task, reducing their comings and goings significantly.

“Miss, just sleep comfortably.”

Jaeyon watched Adelina, who was dozing off while standing, with curiosity. Occasionally, her knees would buckle, but she would then open her eyes wide and straighten her legs.

“Haha, was I dozing?”

Adelina stretched her arms upwards. She was indeed sleep-deprived from sneaking in physical training every night.

‘Well, with Hailyn in the room, he won’t dare try anything strange.’

Adelina sank into the sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest.

“Just go to bed and sleep comfortably.”

At Jaeyon’s words, Adelina glanced between him and the bed. Her body wanted to lie down on the bed, but…

“Sir Jaeyon!”

Jaeyon suddenly approached and slipped his hands under her back and thighs.

“Struggling would be dangerous.”

Lifting Adelina into his arms, Jaeyon placed her on the bed, snatched the cushion, and tossed it aside.

“Sleep well.”

He then went back to his drawing.

+++

‘Really, you.’

Jaeyon sat gently on the edge of Adelina’s bed, watching her sleep.

He had already bribed a significant number of the maids in the Silver Palace, so there would be no maids to interrupt his time with Adelina.

‘Leophris, you should have done better.’

Foolish guy. Running away despite being an Imperial Knight. He ruined the chance to heroically save Adelina from danger.

‘But it doesn’t matter. I can make her rely on me in other ways.’

Jaeyon’s hand slowly reached Adelina’s face, touching her cheek.

“Jaeyon, I told you I know self-defense.”

Adelina jerked upright, twisting Jaeyon’s wrist that touched her cheek. She simultaneously twisted his arm.

“I also know that self-defense is useless.”

“Ouch!”

When Jaeyon straightened his twisted arm, Adelina ended up face down on the bed. Jaeyon pressed his torso against her back, bringing his lips close to her ear.

“Oh dear. With arm strength like this, we need to double the training.”

“I have two hands!”

Adelina aimed a punch with all her might at the vital spot pulsing in Jaeyon’s neck.

+++

‘Ah, I’m sleepy. Hailyn really made me double the training.’

Last night, after Jaeyon briefly fainted, Adelina underwent intense physical training with Hailyn, leaving her body aching and extremely sleepy.

“So, Miss, in our Petrus Empire, noble ladies traditionally…”

The Empress’s words didn’t register in her ears.

During a brief break, Adelina washed her hands in cold water to chase away sleep and looked at her tired eyes in the mirror.

‘That guy?’

For a moment, Adelina surveyed her surroundings. Fortunately, no one was paying attention to her.

Adelina continued washing her hands slowly, examining the mirror more closely.

“Adelina, I don’t know how it is in Ernst, but in Petrus, noble women always pray for their husbands at dawn.”

With the Empress starting her speech with “I don’t know how it is in Ernst,” Adelina smiled brightly. In response, the Empress wore an expression as if she had swallowed something bitter.

“Your Majesty, the women of the Empire are truly dedicated to their husbands. I’m deeply impressed.”

“Is that so, Adelina?”

“Then, naturally, husbands should also be devoted to their wives, both physically and emotionally.”

“Lady Adelina! Always use elegant and refined words!”

The Empress shook her head slightly, as if weary.

‘Hey! Now the real fun begins!’

Adelina felt more invigorated. The thought of teasing the refined Empress chased away her sleepiness.

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will try my best. But Your Majesty.”

“Miss, stop it.”

“If my man were to leave me and marry another woman… what should I do then? After doing everything…”

Adelina spoke as if she was genuinely worried, looking at the maid standing behind the Empress as if asking what she would do if Lexion discarded her like trash.

“Well, you could report it.”

“Even if you report it, if the man is a high-ranking noble or an influential person, it could be turned against you as defamation, couldn’t it? There are so many such cases.”

The maid gritted her teeth and glared at Adelina.

“Miss, usually a noble lady wouldn’t behave recklessly before marriage… ahem.”

The Empress, annoyed by Adelina’s words, quickly finished with a cough.

“I would seek revenge.”

“Lady Adelina.”

“Isn’t there a saying? Those who rise by the sword, fall by the sword.”

“Miss!”

As the Empress shouted inelegantly, Adelina smiled brightly and elegantly lifted her teacup.

+++

“Damn it!”

A few days later, the horse carrying Adelina suddenly bolted out of the indoor riding arena, excited for some reason.

“Miss! Let me help you!”

Leophris followed closely, trying to grab the reins of Adelina’s horse. The other knights watched from a distance, slowly following.

“Don’t worry! Miss, trust only me!”

Even in the midst of it, Leophris wore a gentle smile on his face as if trying to show off to someone. He didn’t even think to erase the glint in his eyes.

“Stop! It’s dangerous!”

The horse carrying Adelina galloped faster towards a high wall. The guards stationed there shouted loudly to warn them, causing the horse to become even more agitated.

“Crazy! It’s really dangerous! Slow down the horse!”

Leophris’s urgent voice was heard. Finally, the other knights realized something was wrong and sped up their horses to rescue Adelina.

‘If I crash like this, I’ll die with the horse!’

Adelina clung to the reins with all her might to avoid falling off. As the knights chased from behind, the horse became even more agitated. The wall ahead was several times higher than the training obstacles.

‘Why is it so excited! Leophris, what did you feed it!’

The excited horse didn’t seem likely to stop suddenly. In that case…

“Run faster!”

Adelina gripped the reins tightly and leaned forward as much as possible.

+++

The horse carrying Adelina saw the high wall ahead and leaped with a great stride from afar.

“Damn it!”

The horse carrying Leophris was startled by the height of the wall and didn’t even think to jump over it, instead slowing down. The horses carrying the other knights did the same, slowing down before reaching the wall.

“Find the gate quickly!”

At Leophris’s sharp voice, the knights spread out to find the gate in the wall.

“We found it! This way!”

Fortunately, they found a small gate used by the servants not far away, and everyone entered the forest to find Adelina.

‘Damn it! Adelina!’

Leophris gritted his teeth as he rode at the forefront.

‘Why did she insist on changing the horse!’

Until this morning, it was a perfect plan. She ruined the opportunity to create a plausible love story.

-“Sir Leophris. Doesn’t this horse seem to be in bad condition today?”-

To his suggestion of riding together and taking a stroll in the royal garden, Adelina suddenly acted like she knew about horses.

-“Lady Adelina. If you’re uneasy, ride with me. I’ll take you.”-

At first, he thought it was a good thing. It was an opportunity to ride closely with Adelina and have some skinship.

-“No, but… look. The horse keeps pawing the ground. It seems to be in pain.”-

How did she know? Did she already have knowledge about horses? She clearly said it was her first time riding.

-“Oh dear. Look here. There’s a lot of burr stuck. Where did it come from?”-

Adelina found the burr seeds she had instructed the stable keeper to stick on the saddle and tilted her head.

‘So, she knew because she was from a commoner background.’

The method he used to seduce the maids of the Empress’s palace didn’t work on this fox-like Adelina.

-“Sir Leophris! That horse is cherished by Prince Evans! It’s been given a stimulant for breeding!”-

The royal veterinarian hurried to Leophris. By then, Adelina had already changed horses and taken a lap around the riding arena.

-“Hahaha. Don’t worry. I will take full responsibility for the lady’s safety.”-

Leophris laughed loudly in response, unaware that things would go so awry!

+++

‘Wow! I almost died of a heart attack!’

Adelina clung tightly to the back of the horse that had jumped over the high wall. Branches quickly brushed past her arms and legs.

‘I shouldn’t have changed horses!’

She should have just ridden that horse. The note secretly delivered by a maid from the Empress’s palace, titled <Leophris’s 11 Tricks.>

To avoid falling for this trivial trick, she changed horses, only to find herself in greater danger.

“A lake!”

Seeing a small lake ahead, Adelina pulled the reins hard, steering the horse towards the lake.

Splash! The horse calmed down as it entered the lake, gradually coming to a stop.

+++

“I see the horse!”

Leophris and the knights, seemingly exhausted, found the horse drinking water in a small lake in the middle of the forest.

“Search this forest thoroughly! Bring more of the Imperial Guard!”

However, Adelina was nowhere to be seen there.