Chapter 13: Princess Mia...Cheers! For the Horse, That Is...

“Nope! That’s it! That was the final straw! I’m done!” exclaimed a livid Mia as she led Kuolan none-too-gently back to the stables.

She’d wiped off as much as she could with a cloth, but her hair remained coated by a layer of stuff. Icky stuff...

“Ugh, I need a bath, pronto... But before that, I have to get Malong to find me a different horse!”

With her mind made up, she headed toward the special stable where Malong was supposed to be. Upon arriving, however, she found it empty.

“Huh? That’s strange...”

It was entirely empty, devoid of man and horses.

“This is my first time coming in here...” she murmured as she looked around.

When she walked in further, she realized that she’d been mistaken. There was a horse in there that had been hidden from view. It stood calmly toward the back of the building.

“My... What a gorgeous horse...”

Its beauty captivated her. Pure white hair adorned its form, and it exuded the regal aura of a queen. It turned and looked straight at her.

“You’re...”

“That’s Kayou. She’s a moonhare like Kuolan.”

Malong appeared behind her holding a massive pitchfork, suggesting the reason for his absence had been moving around hay for the horses.

“A moonhare... Oh, I do remember you saying there’s a horse that can’t be ridden because it’s about to give birth.”

On closer inspection, the horse’s body did seem rounder than usual.

“She’s so beautiful...”

She smiled at Kayou, who quietly studied her with a tender look in its eyes.

“She has such gentle eyes...”

“She sure does. Definitely one of the tamer moonhares. I’d have you ride her, but she can’t run right now.”

“Ah, what a terrible shame...” she said, musing on the newfound possibilities.

It won’t be ready in time for the Horsemanship Tournament, but what about later? Like the winter?

On the night of the Holy Eve Festival, Mia was prophesied to have gone out on a long ride, during which she was killed by bandits. What if the horse she’d ridden was replaced by a faster one like a moonhare? Maybe she could have survived the encounter. Kayou seemed like the kind of horse who’d listen so they could cooperate and run as one. Unlike that other stupid horse...

With glowing, expectant eyes, Mia looked at Malong.

“By the way, just out of curiosity... When exactly is this horse going to give birth? And when will she be able to run?”

“Well, let’s see. I’d give her maybe another ten days. Once she gives birth, she can start running around on her own almost immediately, but if you want her to go at full speed while carrying a rider... Eh, another week should be fine.”

“So a little more than two weeks? In that case...”

It’d be ready long before winter came. She’d have plenty of time until the Holy Eve Festival began. With renewed interest, she looked Kayou over. It kept studying her with those beautiful eyes that sparkled with intelligence.

She’s so different it’s almost funny. On the one hand, there’s Kuolan and his stupid face, and on the other, there’s Kayou. They do say moonhares are supposed to be really smart horses. Seeing this one, I totally believe it. That stupid Kuolan must be the odd one out. Maybe he was dropped on his head as a foal or something, she thought, appreciating the intelligent majesty of the ivory beast. And if she’s smart, then that must mean she’ll remember when someone does something nice for her. Kuolan might be annoying and clueless, but I bet Kayou will know how to reciprocate. Which means...

Mia’s instincts were screaming at her to get on this horse’s good side. To oblige it with so many favors it’d have no choice but to like her! With a firm nod, she turned to Malong.

“Excuse me, Malong, but I’d like to help you take care of this horse. Would that be okay?”

“Hm? Uh, I mean, sure, I guess? What kind of help are we talking about?”

“Tidying up the stable, washing the horse so she stays nice and clean, stuff like that.”

Though they belonged to the horsemanship club, members like Mia did not actually look after the horses. That was handled by academy staff. Being of high birth, they only needed to concern themselves with pursuits that befit their status, like the honing of their riding technique.

Malong, having hailed from the Equestrian Kingdom, considered the care of horses to be part and parcel with horsemanship. This attitude had rubbed off on Abel, who often involved himself in the more menial aspects of the experience such as cleaning the stable, but he was definitely the exception rather than the rule.

For the princess of a mighty empire like Tearmoon to then request to do the same was not simply exceptional but entirely unthinkable. The question therefore caught Malong completely off guard, and he failed to produce any response aside from a blank, open-mouthed stare.

“Within limits of course,” Mia added. “I’ll do what I can. I’m not sure if I can get up so early every day, but you look like you need help here, so...I mean, it’s a tough process, isn’t it? Giving birth?”

Calculated self-interest was certainly a prominent component of her motivation, but there was something else too. Until fairly recently, Mia had still been openly wondering about how exactly those large birds managed to carry babies to people’s houses. She was more worldly now, having excised such nonsense from her knowledge pool and updated it with proper facts. It was actually a very relevant issue for her, considering the history book claimed that she’d have to produce eight kids. When she’d innocently consulted Chloe about the particulars of where babies came from, her well-read friend had given her a long, silent stare before wordlessly passing her a book. When questioned about its contents, she’d answered, “It’s all explained in there. Just... Um, don’t be too shocked.”

Somewhat intimidated by this strange directive, Mia had gingerly flipped open the book and learned the truth. She was now aware that childbirth was a very very difficult process.

Am I...going to be okay? E-Eight kids?

Her eyes drifted toward Kayou’s distended belly. She rubbed it gently.

“You can do it. I’m rooting for you. I hope you have a magnificent baby.”

She smiled at the horse, feeling a strange sense of connection.