Who Do You Like More, Mom or Dad?

ere is yours, right?”

 

“Even if it’s only one, it’s alright!”

 

Grandfather shrugged and led Diana.

 

“Yeah.
Well, you have to learn first, right?”

 

The first thing to learn was how to get close to the horses.
She had learned how to pet the mane, pat the back of its neck, and set it at ease.
The next part was how to ride it.

 

“Always mount a horse from the left.
You can grab the reins and the mane together like this, and hang your left foot on its back, kick the ground with your left foot and like this— you mount a horse.”

 

Grandfather mounted at once.

 

“The important thing is when you mount, you shouldn’t stimulate the horse’s side.
If you do something wrong, it’ll start running off like that.”

 

When Grandfather kicked the side, the horse began to walk slowly.
Again, he kicked a second time, this time with more strength, and the horse began to run fast.

 

‘It’s so cool.’

 

The figure of her body bouncing up and down while riding a horse couldn’t be that cool.

 

Grandfather slowed down the horse by pulling the reins and returned to his original position.

 

“When you get off, bend your body, remove your right foot from the back, and then grab the mane and reins equally and— you can get off like this.
Now, I’ll show you one more time.”

 

While showing it a few more times, Lord Dominic came bringing a small stair.

 

“Young Miss can mount by stepping on top of this.”

 

It was a thing that helped beginners and the elderly mount easily.
It was time for Diana to climb the stairs and grasp the reins.

 

“Ah, wait.
Diana, come here.”

 

Tilting her head, Diana headed to her grandfather’s side.
Grandfather reached out his hands and turned over her hair.

 

“You have to tie your hair.”

 

Grandfather stretched out his hand to Lord Serafina.

 

“Hair tie.”

 

“….”

 

Lord Serafina had a confused face.

 

“There’s none?”

 

“Yes.
Should I get it?”

 

“No, I mean, you don’t even have a hair tie?”

 

“About that… I can not tie my hair.”

 

Lord Serafina had bobbed hair….

 

In the end, Lord Dominic went running again to get a hair tie.

 

“But Grandfather, do you even know how to tie hair?”

 

“Sure, of course I do.”

 

Grandfather combed her hair with his big hand.
Unlike the maid’s brushing, the movement was awkward.

 

‘But it looks like you don’t know how to do it….’

 

Grandfather asked with a serious look.

 

“Tell me if it hurts.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

For some reason, her nose was tingling.

 

After a long time, Grandfather, who was barely able to tie her hair, breathed out a sigh of relief.

 

Fumbling around her hair, Diana smiled broadly and looked back at Grandfather.

 

“So Grandfather really knows how to tie hair!”

 

“Of course.
Didn’t I say I knew how to do it?”

 

“Hehe.”

 

Diana buried her face in her grandfather’s clothes.
Grandfather, who was stroking Diana’s round head, looked sulky.

 

“But I think it’s hard to stroke your hair now.
Is it because your hair is tied?”

 

“Of course it is!”

 

Diana rushed out of her grandfather’s arms just in case he would untie her hair.

 

If her hair had to be tied once again, she might not be able to ride a horse today.

 

“Then should we start again? You remember the steps, right?”

 

“Yes!”

 

Climbing the small stair, Diana grabbed the reins as she had seen.

 

Grandfather nodded seeing she had grabbed it right.

 

Lord Serafina held the back of the horse’s neck at the unexpected risk.
Grandfather spoke as if he were calming her down.

 

“If you can’t, you can just give up.
Lord Dominic or Lord Serafina can put it up, so don’t worry too much.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Try to pet it once first.”

 

She could feel the mane under her gloved hand.

 

“Now get ready.”

 

Diana gulped.

 

“One, two—”

 

Together with the sound of ‘three’, Diana kicked off the stair.

 

The horse was not excited at all and the posture was stable.

 

The thing that she was worried about most was the gentle movement that her body made.
Making her embarrassed.

 

“Did I ride it properly?”

 

“Yeah.
You did a very— good job.”

 

Grandfather replied a beat late.

 

Relieved that she rode a horse without any problems, Diana released the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.

 

‘Does this mean that blood can’t be denied…?’

 

 

***

 

 

“Come here! Start with the injured people!”

 

It had been about an hour since a half-damaged ship entered the previously quiet port.

 

With the news that the ship had entered, a man rushed to the port pulled the reins.
A large ship with smoke rising from it appeared in his eyes.

 

“This time, too?”

 

The man’s eyes quickly swept over the ship.
With how ragged and torn the ship was, one would be unable to recognize its shape, but the man had a good memory.

 

“Oh my.
To think that even a merchant ship was not spared.”

 

With the largest scale among the trading merchants on the continent, it was a place where even merchant’s had solid guards because it had enemies in the maritime country.

 

In the man’s eyes, he could see the one who left and arrived first, alike with him.
The man jumped off his horse.

 

“Thesevitz!”

 

The Grand Duke of Nohibaden, who was dressed as an ordinary traveler covered by a deep robe, looked back at him.