Chapter 20: Princess Mia Will Stay True to Herself, No Matter the Situation

The remaining time sped by, and before she knew it, the day of the Horsemanship Tournament had arrived. The event would take place in the same riding grounds Mia had always used to practice. The sky was clear, and the gentle autumn wind was cool and refreshing.

Mia threw her arms up and stretched. Then she glanced around the venue.

“I have to say...”

The riding grounds that would function as the arena for the tournament occupied a vast expanse of land. It was so big that it would probably take Mia half a day to walk around the whole perimeter. And that was assuming she didn’t give up halfway. According to Malong, each lap of the racing course was a thousand moontales in length, and the first to finish two laps would win.

Some distance away from the course was an encircling ring of countless tents. A number of shop stalls had been put up too, from which drifted appetizing aromas that made Mia’s nose twitch restlessly. They weren’t all food stalls either. Some sold equestrian clothing. One of the odder ones she’d seen had been selling stuffed horse toys.

“My, it’s very lively here...”

The excitement in the air was infectious, and she couldn’t help but smile. Nevertheless, she remained puzzled by one thought.

It’s so strange. How come I have no recollection of this? she thought as she thumbed through the reports sent to the student council by the tournament’s organizers. Was this...always a thing?

She scratched her head. During her life in the previous timeline, she should have witnessed this tournament on at least two separate occasions. Sure, it might have been canceled later on when the empire started falling apart, but there were those first two years when it should have happened. Instead, she drew a complete blank; there were no memories of this event whatsoever. Perplexed, she poked Anne, who was standing beside her. Unable to ask the question directly, what with it involving a different timeline, she framed it in a roundabout manner.

“Say, Anne, did this tournament happen last year around this time too?”

“Last year, I believe you were busy dealing with the trouble in Remno around this time.”

“Ah.” Mia nodded. “I see. I left for Remno right after the summer vacation ended, so I guess the timing does line up... The tournament probably took place when I came back and was dealing with the aftermath.”

More specifically, it would have taken place while she was rolling around in bed all day, having been exhausted by the ordeal she’d delegated all the cleanup work to Ludwig.

I could barely even muster the energy to go to class, so I suppose it makes sense that I missed the tournament. Abel and Sion were both tied up with the fallout in their respective kingdoms, so they probably didn’t participate either.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

“That’s not the only reason it feels different. It’s extra lively this year, and it’s because of none other than yourself, miss.”

“My, Malong,” she said, turning to find him standing behind her. “You— Huh. You’re dressed rather nicely today.”

Taking a step back to get a better look at his entire outfit, she crossed her arms and hummed in appraisal for a while. The most prominent feature on his clothing was a large horse, embroidered with a dazzling array of colors. Threads of naturally pure hues criss-crossed in intricate fashion, blacks, golds, and reds intertwining with blues, yellows, and greens. He wore a robe-like shirt folded across itself at the front in the eastern style with long trousers that reached his ankles. On his head was a small round hat. It was almost certainly a form of traditional dress in the Equestrian Kingdom.

“This is formal wear for our clan,” he said with a hearty laugh. “Of all the days, this is one where I definitely have to dress up.”

He looked out across the large arena, eyes filling with emotion.

“Look at this crowd... It’s like the whole academy is here. And for what? A horsemanship tournament. Didn’t think I’d ever see the day... Talk about bucket lists...”

“Um, I’m not sure I follow. You said this was...because of me?”

He grinned at her befuddled face.

“What, didn’t you know? There’s been a bit of a horse riding boom at Saint-Noel lately.”

She blinked.

“Is that so? I had no idea.”

While it was true that she’d noticed some new faces in the horsemanship club recently and the topic of horses had been coming up more often in classroom conversations, she’d assumed it to be the effect of the approaching tournament.

“Why is that because of me though?”

“Don’t you remember? When you were campaigning for student council president, you went around riding a horse.”

“Ah, true. I do remember doing that.”

It had happened too long ago for her goldfish-spanned memory to recall without external prompting.

I remember thinking “What in the moons am I doing with my life?” while I rode around the academy...

The thought made her eyes grow distant.

“I’ve got people saying they joined because the new president rides horses as a hobby,” continued Malong, “so they wanted to give it a try themselves. The girls, especially, really seem to have taken a liking to you. A lot of them tell me about how they really admire the way you stayed true to yourself despite the pressures of the campaign.”

He didn’t lie. The sight of Mia sitting tall and proud on horseback had indeed left a strong impression on her peers.

“Huh. So that’s what’s going on...” she said in a contemplative tone.

The hitherto unknown influence she’d inadvertently had on the academy was certainly food for thought.

“Those pastries with skewers through them... They look so good...”

...Of course, food for thought wasn’t nearly as interesting as thoughts of food, and since Mia always stayed true to herself, it was the latter that occupied her mind.