As the Duke said, even though a hundred gold coins was an amount that could be paid, it wasn’t something to be thrown away without reason on the street. So, I had to provide that reason.

“This horse is worth that much.”

But really, at this moment, that was all I could say.

I believe in treating precious things with the respect they deserve. Not just by feeding them well or taking good care of them.

Precious things should be widely recognized as precious. One should not ignore them just because others fail to acknowledge their value. Everyone should be informed that this is a precious thing.

This was something the Emperor told me when he first appointed me as a minister, pulling the reins of the carriage I was riding.

Even if others don’t recognize me now, what’s the use, I asked him. He told me that a precious person should be treated preciously. If you treat a precious person casually just because others don’t recognize them, eventually no one will know that they are precious.

And as the Emperor said, as time passed, everyone began to recognize me, and they all said the same thing. Because the Emperor trusted and showed me off, everyone else at least considered me.

So, from then on, I took the Emperor’s words to heart. Whenever I found a pearl in the mud, I announced it widely, even before cleaning off the mud.

The same goes for this horse. Even if the owner doesn’t realize this horse is a steed of a thousand miles, I must pay its true value. Only then will this horse grow up to be precious.

But how could I explain this to the Duke, who doesn’t even know how to judge a horse properly? That this horse, despite its current appearance, will become a steed of a thousand miles, and therefore, even if the owner thinks it’s unnecessary, we should start paying a hundred gold coins for it and treat it accordingly?
This is something you can’t know unless you’ve seen, touched, and ridden a real steed of a thousand miles, and such a steed is not easily found.

So, I had no choice but to hope that the Duke would accept it without reason.

The Duke looked at me intently, then asked again.

“Why do you insist on not needing another horse?”

“Your Highness.”

“I’m listening.”

“Have you ever heard that precious people should be treated preciously?”

The Duke’s shoulders twitched slightly. Maybe the Empress said that? I didn’t understand why he was so startled by such a commonplace saying, but that wasn’t important. I didn’t wait for an answer and continued speaking.

“The same goes for animals and objects. Precious things must be treated as such. If you mix gems with glass beads and let children play with them, will they be gems or glass beads? If you don’t nurture precious things with care, they become ordinary. Gems shouldn’t be kept with glass beads. That’s why I don’t need another horse.”

It might be a different story if I had more than one stable.

But right now, I don’t have the luxury to keep a steed of a thousand miles and an ordinary horse separately. So, I should choose the more valuable one. Ordinary horses can be obtained anytime. In about a year, I could even afford one with my own money.

“I see.”

The Duke lowered his hand from his chin and spoke to the owner.

“Purchase this horse. Pay a hundred gold coins for it. Lieutenant Fluke, bring the checkbook.”