Orbis sprinkled spicy sauce on the fried dish that Litania hadn’t touched.

Pepper had said she only made things she had eaten more than twice at previous banquets, but now it seemed that while it was delicious, it wasn’t a taste she craved often.

Orbis stood up with the plate and approached Litania.

“Orbis? If you leave it there, I’ll……”

“Come on, open your mouth.”

Orbis came right next to Litania, picked up a piece of fried food, and held it up to her lips.

“Orbis, the servants are watching.”

“That’s why we should show them. Isn’t this a dish carefully prepared for you?”

“……Is that so?”

Litania tilted her head, blinked with a flushed face, then opened her mouth to receive the fried food Orbis offered.

The red tongue that emerged between her small lips licked the batter, then white teeth bit into it and pulled it inside.

The red lips closed completely, and her white cheeks puffed out slightly. Orbis watched intently as Litania chewed and swallowed the fried food.

“Wow, it’s delicious!”

“I’m glad.”

“When I ate it before, it was a bit greasy, but is it because of the sauce? It’s not greasy and it’s good.”

“Next time, I’ll feed you something moderately spicy even when you’re sick.”

When it sounded like he would feed her again next time, Litania’s eyes widened, and Orbis tilted his head and asked with an innocent face.

“Is that not allowed?”

“……Of course it is.”

Litania answered honestly despite her reddened face. Orbis smiled.

The servants watching also smiled.

‘This is nice and heartwarming……’

‘This is the mood for reading a romance novel.’

‘If you have any good ones, lend me some too.’

‘Hey, didn’t you say you couldn’t read the book I recommended before because it wasn’t to your taste?’

‘Ah. That was your recommendation? Then pass.’

‘Tsk. This guy, he doesn’t know how to appreciate things.’

Amidst the servants’ eye conversations that still easily went off-topic, Orbis and Litania continued their meal in a warm atmosphere.

“Pepper’s skills are so good. People in the capital probably don’t know what kind of meals I have in the dragon castle.”

“If you want to show off, shall we bring Pepper to the spring festival?”

“What? No. Pepper would be tired too, how could we inconvenience him like that?”

“Indeed.”

Pepper probably wouldn’t be tired, but if he came along, it would interfere with their time alone, so it would be inconvenient.

“Then let’s invite people to a banquet held here next time.”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

“But I don’t have anyone to invite…… Hmm. I’ll think about it.”

Under the soft light coming down from the chandelier on the ceiling, Litania nodding and smiling was truly innocent and lovable. Orbis gazed at her intently, as if etching that image in his eyes.

‘It was right to make eye contact together after all.’

Outside the window, the falling snow was turning the castle’s winter garden white. Orbis’s heart also seemed to be filled with a fluffy white color.

‘May this winter pass warmly.’

For the first time, Orbis offered a romantic prayer in his heart that he didn’t understand.

And so, the horseback riding practice continued for several days. On the first day, Litania quickly became accustomed to the horse and hoped she might be talented, but she was unable to become proficient at riding.

Although Sonipes was clearly a gentle horse, perhaps because of its large size, she struggled to balance every time she mounted. She had to put her foot in the stirrup, straighten her back stiffly, and take several deep breaths before she could barely stabilize her posture properly.

“Whew, maybe because Sonipes is big, it’s a bit overwhelming for me.”

“If you find this overwhelming, how do you intend to embrace me later?”

“No, I’m telling you I have no intention of riding Orbis and flying through the sky.”

“If you went up to the sky, you might change your mind.”

“No thanks?”

Riding a dragon and flying through the sky is a fantasy that ended in childhood. Now I’m an adult who knows reality.

Litania imagined herself falling from a dragon’s back and skydiving without safety equipment, and shuddered, ugh.

“It’s hard enough to balance on a horse walking on the ground, how could I balance on a dragon flying through the sky.”

“You could ride on the belly instead of the back.”

“That’s even stranger.”

She had never imagined an upside-down flying dragon.

‘Let’s focus on riding this horse well first.’

Litania gripped Sonipes’ reins as if they were her lifeline.

“Knights are really amazing. To be able to ride such horses and gallop so fast.”

“And I’m the one leading those knights.”

“That’s right. Now they’re people loyal to Orbis.”

Not knowing what kind of training Orbis was giving the knights of the dragon castle, Litania only thought that he was just watching over their training as a divine dragon, or giving advice.

‘We wish the lady would stop the divine dragon from mercilessly wielding his sword and sending the elite knights to the border between life and death,’ the knights were always crying out in their hearts, but being knights, they couldn’t bring themselves to come to Litania and complain.

Whenever she heard their desperate screams mixed with shouts from afar, Litania simply thought, ‘Indeed, morale rises when the divine dragon is present.’

So she could say things like this.

“I want to become more gallant too, and lead the knights when Orbis is absent.”

“It would be difficult for you.”

“The era when women couldn’t become knights is over. I can do it too.”

“Pfft.”

“What? Are you laughing at me?”

“No. Well then, let’s start by getting used to riding a horse first, and then nurture your dream, Litania.”

When Orbis soothed her with a voice mixed with laughter, Litania felt her tension ease a little. She took another deep breath, opened her eyes wide, and stared straight ahead. Now it’s time to sync with Sonipes.

“Alright, I’ll try again. Orbis, help me.”

“Gladly.”

As he tapped Sonipes’ sides with his spurs, the horse started walking at a slightly faster pace. Feeling the thumping below her waist, Litania took deep breaths in and out as she worked on her posture.

The impact that had been shaking her body like kneading dough gradually subsided as the rhythm aligned. Orbis carefully observed her condition and gave meticulous advice.

“Good, you’re maintaining balance quite well now. Keep it up, Litania.”

“Thank you, Orbis. Thanks to you, I think I can ride a horse a bit more comfortably now.”

Orbis said with a smile.

“That’s why I told you I could teach you anything. Remember that.”

“Yes. When the weather gets better, teach me how to swim too.”

“I’ll let you see all the way to the bottom of the lake.”

“That expression is usually used to mean making someone a corpse and sinking them, so if you’re going to joke, change your wording.”

The two burst into laughter as they rode their horses side by side. Their laughter and the sound of hooves echoed warmly through the winter riding ground.

And so time passed. They couldn’t practice on days when it snowed heavily, but when the weather cleared, the two would come out to the riding ground for horseback riding practice.

Meanwhile, the knights seemed to train every day, as figures could be seen hanging limp like laundry on the fence of the distant training ground, exhausted.

‘The knights are training so hard, I should work hard too.’

At first, just maintaining balance was overwhelming, but whether it’s because humans are animals of adaptation or because horses are animals that communicate with humans, now Litania could even ride at a certain speed.

“Shall we try a full gallop today?”

“A full gallop? I’ll fall off.”

“Surprisingly, it’s easier to stabilize your body when riding fast rather than slowly.”

Orbis encouraged her to try, saying he had imparted all the necessary knowledge and skills to Litania.

“Litania, my timid friend. You need to be a bit braver.”

“Did I seem like such a coward to you?”

“You always make a scared expression first.”

As Orbis smiled, Litania felt a little hurt in her pride.

‘Have I only shown a scared appearance?’

There’s nothing wrong with being cautious, but if you’re overly wary and only show a passive attitude, it’s hard to move forward. Litania took a deep breath and leaned her waist slightly forward.

‘Orbis has been teaching me diligently all this time. He must want to see results too. Let’s do it.’

Litania was a little afraid at first, but decided to trust Orbis’s words. His efforts to teach her horseback riding were not empty words. He truly was a good teacher.

She decided to trust Orbis and attempt a full gallop. As Litania stomped her feet forcefully, the spurs tapped Sonipes’ sides, and Sonipes began to run at a rapid pace.