Eun Seol felt awkward in her first time wearing martial arts attire, continuously adjusting her clothes as she walked.

She wanted to ask why she was told to come to the training ground in martial arts attire, but she hadn’t seen the Prince’s face since yesterday until now.

According to Eom Sang Gung, who brought the morning meal, he had arrived at the palace residence only at dawn.

Given that he had even stayed out overnight, which he rarely did unless for something special, it must have been a very important matter.

Perhaps due to the time spent with him?

Even hearing the news of the Prince’s overnight absence, she wasn’t anxious or restless like before.

It seemed that over the past few days, as they conversed, her trust in him had become as solid as a fortress wall.

She came out on time, but inwardly hoped he wouldn’t appear.

Upon arriving at the training ground, Seo Yeom, standing at the entrance, bowed his head in greeting.

“You’ve arrived. The Prince is waiting. Please go in.”

“I heard he came to the palace residence at dawn. Did you come with him?”

“Yes, he spent the entire night at Taeseong Trading Company finishing urgent business before coming.”

“He must be tired from not getting proper sleep. Is he training in the practice yard?”

Hearing her worried tone, Seo Yeom burst into laughter as if he’d heard something he shouldn’t have.

“You’ll see when you go in, but worrying about the Prince’s physical strength is the most needless concern in this world. He’s probably flying around by now. Go and see for yourself.”

Leaving Seo Yeom behind, she entered the training ground but stopped after just a few steps.

Not far away, she saw the Prince training with a sword.

Unlike the heavy sword cutting through the air, his movements seemed lighter than leaves blown by the wind.

Each step he took was as light as a butterfly, and his gaze was sharp yet solemn.

Even his smallest movements were so splendid and beautiful that she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

How long had she been standing like that?

He noticed her standing there in a daze and stopped his movements.

“You’re still sneaking peeks at people.”

“Th-that’s not it.”

“Your body seems to be better now, but seeing you appear so boldly before me, it seems you still don’t remember that drunken night.”

“I really don’t remember. Please, tell me what happened.”

“If I tell you, will you be able to handle it?”

“……”

Eun Seol pondered for a moment on how to answer.

It seemed better to hear and deal with it than to go crazy with curiosity.

Isn’t there a saying that it’s better to take the beating first?

“I’ll handle it… Please tell me.”

“You’ll regret it.”

“It’s alright. Even if I regret it, I’ll do so myself. So…”

“Don’t come to me after embracing another woman. I don’t like it. I don’t like you having another woman in your heart or embracing another. I wish you would love only me. The person I love is you, Prince Jin Heon.”

Ah, I shouldn’t have asked.

It wasn’t just being out of her mind, she was crazy.

How could she have said such drunken nonsense in front of the Prince, of all people?

She couldn’t deny it as a lie because it was an outright expression of her usual feelings.

Out of embarrassment, she wanted to find a mouse hole to hide in.

“And that night, there was also this whisper.”

She looked at the Prince’s face with a resigned heart.

“The moment I first saw you, I fell in love at first sight. Even when you were right in front of me, I missed you, and when you were out of sight, I missed you maddeningly. You were my small world and the only happiness in my life. It will be the same from now on. I will love only you for the rest of my life, until I die, no, even after death. I love you.”

Her breath caught and her heart pounded loudly.

Her racing heart simply wouldn’t calm down.

Eun Seol instinctively knew. The words just now were not what she had said while drunk.

That night, it was his answer to her confession.

She heard his confession.

He said she was his small world and the only happiness in his life.

He confessed that he would love her for life and even after death, conveying his heart to her.

She heard his true feelings, which she thought she would never hear.

Why were tears coming?

She tried to hold them back, but she couldn’t stop the tears flowing down her cheeks.

Had her true feelings reached him?

His gaze was kinder than ever before.

As he wiped away her tears, he spoke with a sincere voice.

“I’m sorry for hurting you with harsh words all this time. My heart wasn’t like that… I didn’t trust and spoke carelessly, making you cry a lot. I won’t make you cry like this again.”

“…Prince.”

“But why are you showing tears like this? Are you crying now because you’re upset and feel wronged?”

“It’s not… like that.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“I cried because I was angry that I couldn’t remember no matter how hard I tried.”

Even though it was an absurd excuse that anyone who wasn’t a fool would see through, he didn’t ask any further.

The two stood looking at each other, each composing themselves in their own way.

“Since you don’t remember, I won’t mention that incident anymore. The reason I called you here today was for a different purpose.”

He gestured to Seo Yeom standing outside the training ground.

Following his gaze, she saw a dark brown horse entering the training ground with Seo Yeom.

After handing the reins to the Prince, Seo Yeom quickly left.

“I heard you wanted to ride a horse. Today, I’ll start by teaching you the basics of horseback riding.”

“P-Prince. Did you really call me here to teach me how to ride a horse?”

“Why else would I have called you here?”

She couldn’t have imagined that he would teach her how to ride a horse.

“Is that why you prepared these clothes too?”

“I prepared them to fit your physique as much as possible. Are they not uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s just unfamiliar since it’s my first time, but it’s not uncomfortable.”

“That’s good. Now, first greet this fellow. His name is Seol.”

“…Seol?”

“It happens to be the same as your name, but don’t misunderstand. It’s been his name for ten years.”

Judging by his expression, it didn’t seem to be a made-up story.

Since it’s been his name for ten years, perhaps this too is a kind of fate.

“Well then, shall we begin?”

Eun Seol watched nervously as he approached, holding the reins.

Suddenly, she felt scared.

“Don’t be nervous. If you’re scared, this fellow will get anxious too. Don’t worry, he’s well-trained.”

The horse shook its head as if responding to him as he stroked its neck and head, asking it to take care of her.

“Try petting him once.”

“M-me?”

“That’s how you become friends. Come over here.”

As she cautiously approached, he first taught her how to befriend the horse.

“When approaching a horse, you should approach from the side, not from the front, as that might startle him. Then gently stroke from the top of the neck downwards, then touch the mouth, nose bridge, and ears like this. Try it.”

Taking a deep breath, she carefully reached out and slowly stroked the horse’s neck.

Grateful that it stayed still despite the touch of a stranger, she gathered courage and stroked its cheek.

“This fellow seems to like you. Now I’ll teach you how to mount a horse. You should mount from the left side and be careful not to kick the horse’s rump with your right foot. If you do it wrong, you might fall off.”

She nodded repeatedly, listening intently to his explanation. This time with him felt like a dream.

Although she didn’t know why or for what reason his heart had changed, she felt that she had gotten a little closer to him.

“Are you not listening to me and thinking of something else? Your learning attitude is quite poor.”

“No, I was listening to everything.”

“Then what did I just say?”

“Uh? Well, that is…”

“Step on my knee and try mounting the horse.”

Only then did she notice him kneeling on one knee in front of her.

“Do I have to get on the horse already?”

“Are you going to keep touching it? You’re unexpectedly lecherous.”

“That’s not it, I’m just not mentally prepared yet.”

“Save your mental preparation for when we’re alone. Now, get on the horse.”

Her face, which had been tense and stiff, flushed at his casual joke.

Seeing her hesitate, he gestured with his chin for her to hurry and mount.

As she stepped on his knee and mounted the horse, she closed her eyes at the suddenly elevated view.

“Open your eyes and look straight ahead. I won’t let you fall, so hold the reins tightly and open your eyes.”

“You have to stay beside me.”

“Don’t worry. I’m about to tell you the most important things, so listen carefully and remember. Always keep your center of gravity towards the back, and never let go of the reins under any circumstances. Also, if you pull the reins hard when the horse is standing still, it will rear up. It’s very dangerous, so be careful.”

She nodded like an obedient child, listening attentively to his words.

The tension had eased, but she couldn’t help feeling scared. At that moment, he mounted behind her.

“Today, let’s ride together. Sit up straight and align your body. If you don’t, you’ll fall off.”

His arm holding the reins wrapped around her waist. She couldn’t focus due to his hot breath on her nape.

“P-Prince. Please let me get down.”

“We’ve just started, why would you get down? How can someone who wanted to learn horseback riding be afraid of horses? Don’t be scared, keep your eyes forward, and gently kick the horse’s belly with your foot.”

It wasn’t that she was scared, but rather that this posture was embarrassing and awkward. Unlike her shyness, he seemed to rather enjoy this situation.

“What are you doing? Are you going to stay like this all night? Well, I don’t mind staying like this.”

She gently kicked the horse’s belly with her foot. Instantly, the horse started moving slowly.

“It’s moving!”

“Since it’s your first time, let’s just go around the training ground once without going too far.”

The two slowly circled the training ground.

Unlike the fearful beginning, she gradually found stability, but the heat felt from behind remained constant.

“Why did you want to learn horseback riding?”

He asked quietly, matching the slow pace of the horse.

There wasn’t really a reason.

She had just vaguely dreamed.

She imagined that if no one came to save her, she would escape from that hellish house by herself.

She wanted to ride a horse and gallop to a place where no one knew her.

Her desperate wish appeared even in her dreams.

In the dream, she was a very young child, and a boy who looked older than her would put her on a horse and gallop somewhere.

The boy always said the same thing at the end.

− Don’t cry and wait. I’ll come for you. Understand?

It felt empty when she woke up, but on days when she had that dream, she was happy all day long.

Unable to speak honestly, she answered indifferently, deflecting the question.

“I just wanted to try riding a horse and galloping once. By the way… is there nothing you wish from me, Prince?”

“If I tell you, will you grant it?”

Instead of answering, Eun Seol nodded. With her current feelings, she felt like she could grant any request he made.

However, after hearing his words, she immediately regretted it.