Chapter 86: Emma Rosset (2)
"So, that must be my elusive fiancée," Lior mumbled, placing the language book down and picking up the cooled cup of tea.
Not long after that, a servant came to guide him to the dining room. He found the Duke and Duchess arriving there as well. They greeted him first and he returned it. His fiancée, Emma Rosset, was not with her parents. She wasn’t there at all.
It was only after the three of them had sat down and the first course of food was brought that Emma came into the large, colorfully decorated dining room. She was wearing trousers that flared around the knees and that same white blouse with the low dipping neckline. Her hair now hung loose, wrapping around her shoulders like an obsidian waterfall in the mid-day sun. Hanging from her face was a white veil with black floral patterns.
But even with the veil she looked just as free as she did when she had been on her horse. Lior suddenly had the feeling that he needed to rethink how he was going to approach his fiancée.
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Two days. Lior had been staying with the Rossets for two days. And in those two days, he had been unable to speak to Emma Rosset.
And it wasn’t that the lack of conversation was from his lack of trying. The only time he had been able to see Emma Rosset was during dinner. Not breakfast. Not lunch. Dinner. And she absolutely refused to talk to him during that time.
During that time, he respected her wishes and did not actively look for her, even if he really wanted to.
Lior left his room, Edgar trailing not far behind him. He had been given a tour of the manor and the grounds the day before and had pretty much memorized the layout of the place.
"Where are we going, your highness?" Edgar asked once the two of them left the manor.
"I thought it would be nice to go on a ride." Lior had sent a letter to Duke Rosset through a maid earlier that day to ask for permission to use one of their horses. It was something he had wanted to try ever since he saw Emma Rosset riding back on that very first day.
"A ride, your highness?"
Lior nodded. "That’s correct. I haven’t ridden on a horse in a while."
Edgar’s face twisted upon hearing Lior’s words. Edgar, who tried to follow Lior everywhere, was not fond of horses. He could ride in carriages pulled by them, but he could not ride on top of one. It was a fear that had stemmed from the time he had been kicked by one when he was seven and was learning to ride a horse for the first time.
"Your highness, may I sit this one out?" Edgar asked, his face slightly pale.
"You may." Lior turned back to Edgar as an afterthought came to him. "Have the kitchen prepare a light snack for us and have it set up by the pond on the east side. Say. . . in forty minutes?"
"Yes, your highness," Edgar commented with a bow. Edgar rushed off after that, leaving Lior to his own devices.
Lior made his way to the stables, taking in the large structure. He had thought there were quite a few horses running freely out in the fence, but there were probably four times that many in the stables.
"Greetings, Your Highness," the stable master greeted, speaking slowly enough for Lior to understand.
"Is there a horse I can ride?" Lior asked. He unfortunately stumbled over his words and made gestures with his hands to make sure his meaning got across.
The stable master nodded then led Lior over to a well-groomed, muscular looking brown horse with a long black mane and tail.
Lior walked up to the horse slowly while staying in its line of sight. He then held his hand up close to the horse to allow him to sniff his hand and check Lior out. The horse nuzzled its nose to Lior’s hand before giving a snort. A smile formed on Lior’s lips.
Just then, the stable master handed a carrot to Lior. He gestured for Lior, signaling that Lior should try giving the carrot to the horse.
Lior did just that. The horse moved quickly when he saw the carrot in Lior’s hand, and if it weren’t for Lior’s quick reflexes, the horse would have more and likely taken a bite out of Lior. The stable master laughed good-naturally, causing Lior to laugh as well. He knew it was natural for some horses to act that way when sewing a delicious treat they weren’t allowed to have all the time.
Not long after that, the stable master put a Sadler and reins on the horse and allowed Lior to guide it out to the field. Once in the field, Lior mounted the horse and allowed for the creature to walk around to get used to Lior. After a few minutes, Lior tightened his grip on the horse’s reins then led the animal over to the riding path in the woods, the one that he knew led to the pond on the east side according to Duke Rosset.
The gentle gallop soon turned into something faster. The wind ripped through Lior’s red hair. His red eyes sparkled as he took in the surroundings that were speeding past him, his eyesight easily catching it all. The horse weighed from below him, happy and eager to be out of the stables.
The fresh air helped to free something that had been locked inside of Lior. He had stayed inside the manor, trying to learn more about the Rossts. During that time, he had not allowed himself to do the things he truly loved. Maybe he should start riding again? He should also pick up his morning training again. Just because he was a Spellsword did not mean that he could slack off on his training.
Lior guided the horse without much effort. He wanted to ride more but he knew it was slowly approaching the time that he had promised to meet Edgar. With a sigh, Lior led the horse to the end of the riding path, coming to a stop in front of a wide open field with marble benches lining a pond. Edgar was already there with two maids. A soft blanket was laid out underneath a tree, containers of food placed atop.
Lior tied the horse around the tree and unceremoniously plopped down onto the blanket, making sure not to rattle the food placed on it.
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