Chapter 8 – Danger Quietly Under Happiness (Part 7)

At that moment, she felt a big flinch beside her. Only then did Ria snap out of her thoughts and turn her head. Kahin was fidgeting nervously.

“Kahin? What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s just…….”

He couldn’t even look at her properly, as if he felt guilty about something, and hesitated to answer. After a moment of lip-biting and glancing around, he finally spoke.

“Are you very…, frustrated?”

For a moment, Ria wondered if she had said something she shouldn’t have. Then Kahin looked at her with desperate eyes, as if seeking an answer.

“Uh, um…, yes.”

So Ria honestly expressed her feelings. Kahin’s broad shoulders drooped instantly.

“I knew it.”

Ria tilted her head, puzzled by his dejected demeanor. She couldn’t understand why he was so downcast. She probably never would. 

He was feeling guilty all on his own because of what Serena had said to the three men in the palace a while ago, and Ria’s words had acted as a growth stimulant for that misunderstanding.

As a result, he concluded that everything—from Ria’s first words of reassurance to them, her blankly staring out the window, to her muttering in frustration—was because they hadn’t let her go out.

“Kahin?”

As she looked at him intently, memories of her chattering happily about becoming friends with Lady Peune and how the tea party had gone overlapped with her current appearance.

This only intensified his guilt.

“My lady!”

Unable to bear the guilt, Kahin knelt at her feet and held her hands.

“I will make sure you can go on an outing tomorrow. The weather is nice, so how about going to the forest owned by the Duke’s family nearby? The lake there is beautiful. If we bring some sweet cakes and simple foods you like, I’m sure it will be pleasant.”

“What? Oh… Sure.”

Ria, still tilting her head in confusion, watched Kahin, who was unusually talkative.

The next day, the mansion was slightly more bustling than usual with busy servants from early morning. Even the owner of the mansion, who would normally have been irritated by such commotion, was at the center of it, giving various instructions. But no one found it strange.

“Luckily, the weather is nice.”

Today was the first day the lady was going on an outing.

Though she had gone to the shopping district to buy clothes before, that was purely for purchasing something, so this outing had a different purpose. The last time had ended abruptly due to Katrina’s interference.

She had also gone out for royal banquets and tea parties, but those were not free outings, each having its own purpose. Watching the scenery quickly pass by the window was all the freedom she had.

So this was indeed her first truly free outing.

“But Kahin, are we riding horses?”

Ria, who had checked the clear weather by looking up at the bright sky, turned her attention to the neighing sound. Two horses were waiting in front of the central gate.

“Yes. Since it’s a forest, it’s more convenient to ride horses than a carriage. The carriage can’t go too deep inside.”

Kahin, noticing her interest, approached the horses, patted them, and took the reins. Then he extended his hand to Ria.

“Would you like to touch them?”

“Yes!”

He hadn’t intended to suggest it, considering the potential danger, but seeing her curious eyes, he couldn’t help but offer. Well, it was good for her to get familiar since they would ride to the forest anyway.

Ria, her eyes sparkling, quickly and carefully grabbed his hand and approached. She had only seen horses during a school trip to Jeju Island in high school, so she was curious. At that time, she hadn’t even ridden one due to a schedule mishap.

Kahin, keeping her close just in case, slowly explained the precautions and how to handle the horses. Then something quite surprising happened.

“Ah.”

The horse lowered its head towards Ria, moving as if to seek affection. Even Rune’s horse slowly approached, bowing its head slightly as if asking to be petted.

Kahin and the surrounding servants couldn’t hide their astonishment at the unbelievable sight. Both horses were usually sensitive and only calm around their masters, Rune and Kahin.

“They must like people.”

Ria said, looking back at Kahin as she petted the affectionate horses. Knowing the truth, Kahin could only smile awkwardly.

Soon, Rune came out with the butler, having finished preparing the items to take. He seemed a bit surprised by the scene, but he only raised one eyebrow slightly and didn’t say anything.

Actually, he had something more important to do.

“Ria, let’s ride together on my horse.”

It was about who would take Ria on their horse. 

To be honest, he was Kahin’s master and had a higher status, so if he mentioned that, it would have been easily concluded. But he wanted to receive only the choice made by Ria’s heart, excluding all other factors.

Moreover, if you think about it, background was useless. To Ria, who didn’t care about things like status, he and Kahin were always on equal footing.

“My lady, I will escort you.”

“Kahin, just bring the luggage.”

“We can carry the luggage on the side.”

Kahin knew this well, so he didn’t back down easily. His usually silent knight, who had never shown any rebellion, was not silent at all when it came to matters related to Ria.

Rune, who had grown up almost together with him since childhood, was both pleased and annoyed by this change. No, if he acted like that while working, he would have scolded him, but since it was only about Ria, it was hard to argue. It would just make him look petty.

The servants gathered to see them off shook their heads inwardly at the started bickering between the two. They had seen it so often that they were used to it. The head butler passed by them lightly and handed Ria a parasol.

“My lady, the sun is strong today, so it would be good to use a parasol. And if you feel cold because of the wind, I have put a soft blanket in the luggage, so please cover yourself with it.”

“Do you think it will be cold? It feels like the weather is getting warmer.”

“You never know. It might suddenly rain. My knee has been hurting since last night, which makes me uneasy.”

“Oh, my grandfather also said it would rain when his knee hurt, so it might be true. Thank you.”

Ria sometimes thought of her grandfather, who was always warm to her, when she saw the head butler and the family doctor. It was probably because they seemed to be around the same age.

Her grandfather, who loved her as his granddaughter without fearing her abilities, had gone to heaven early, and she missed him every day. That longing was still the same.

Suddenly, she wondered. Would her grandfather, who used to comfort her silently and give her candy when she was a hurt and crying child, be happy to see her living here?

The answer came quicker than expected. He would surely smile, relieved that she was not in pain.

“Then, take care on your way.”

Ria smiled back at the head butler, who bowed with a warm smile. At that moment, Kahin and Rune approached.

“Ria, who do you want to go with?”

“My lady, who do you want to go with?”

Seeing that they still hadn’t reached a conclusion, Ria felt that if she didn’t answer, they would be here until sunset. The head butler shook his head slightly and stepped back. Only the lady could stop those two.

“Let’s play rock-paper-scissors.”

And Ria, with a clear smile, suggested the game she had taught them before. There was no better way to fairly mediate the four who bickered over her every day. Indeed, the fairest game, rock-paper-scissors, was the best.