Chapter 6
Thanks to that, news had arrived two weeks ago that Fernandez’s horse had passed away in the West. It seemed to be riding any random horse now, but following Sara’s advice that leaving it like that would tarnish the prestige of the ducal family, orders had been given to send stable hands to the horse market to bring in new warhorses.
The ground was muddy from the morning dew, but Titania didn’t seem to care.
It was Sara who grimaced at the mud splattering Titania’s pristine white riding outfit.
“Oh, heavens! This is not good!”
For the sake of the Titania fanatics living in the mansion, she always needed to maintain a neat and dignified appearance. This was entirely a matter of Sara’s pride.
Sara’s thoughts sank into the mud that had splashed onto Titania’s legs.
“Is this the horse?”
“Yes. Would you like to try riding it, milady?”
“No! That’s not necessary! There’s someone else who should be the owner. How could I—!”
The stable hand, aware of Titania’s refusal to exercise, nodded awkwardly. Titania didn’t like physical activity.
“How is the horse?”
“The hay intake is appropriate, the teeth and coat are in excellent condition, and its stamina is far superior to any warhorse we’ve had before. It hasn’t been named yet…”
The other stable hands listening to him silently shook their heads vigorously. Seeing his colleagues form an X with their bodies, the stable hand added,
“Surely it’s best if the name is given by His Grace, the Duke, the rightful owner?”
Titania gave a casual nod of approval.
Even though Titania was almost completely ignorant about horses, it was clearly a magnificent horse at a glance. She had heard that Duke Fernandez adored his previous horse, so this one would also receive plenty of affection for the rest of its life.
Titania absentmindedly stroked the horse’s cheek.
“Shall we go see the stallion now?”
The stable hand emphasized the name, “the stallion.”
The stallion was the name of Titania’s only pony. It had been deliberately brought for Titania, who feared riding. And, of course, Titania herself had named the pony.
At first, she had thought it meant “bull.”
Why would anyone name a horse that…?
No stable hand would dare voice that doubt to the duchess.
It was only later, after Titania had left, that Sara sighed deeply and explained the reasoning. That day, the stable hands learned for the first time that there existed an element called “hydrogen.”
Hydrogen was Titania’s favorite element.
She thought it was an independent element because it existed without neutrons. Moreover, hydrogen was one of the elements that composed water, making it one of the most fundamental elements sustaining the world. For all these reasons, Titania found hydrogen charming—and that was why her pony was named “Hydrogen.”
After hearing the explanation, the stable hands were left thinking…
Why on earth name a horse that…?
Regardless, Sara was satisfied that she had cleared up any misunderstandings about Titania and revealed her knowledge to others.
“No, it’s fine! I’m not feeling well today.”
Titania waved her hands, but Sara gently pushed her forward. Her gaze remained fixed on the lower part of Titania’s trousers.
“About your pants… no, never mind. Just go ride for an hour or so. I cleared your schedule for that purpose.”
“Why?”
Again, the question “why” seemed to go unheard. Sara muttered to herself,
“How do I get this mud out? Before she returns to the mansion? Maybe I should pour water… No, that won’t work. I just need to make it clean…”
Titania gave up expecting a normal answer from Sara.
Eventually, after being unable to resist the stable hands’ urging, Titania rode for about an hour, and afterward, she declared that she would never look in the direction of the stables again.
At the Agaphelia Ducal Mansion, there were two ladies of the house.
One was Titania Psysia Agaphelia, proudly registered in the family records and supported by all the mansion’s servants.
The other was Ludmila Viola Perun, a princess of the Perun Kingdom, staying at the mansion solely under the favor of Madame Victoria, yet treated by all as a lady without respect.
The servants never wavered between the two—they were absolutely loyal to Titania.
Just as Titania was about to change from her mud-stained shoes into indoor slippers and head to change her outfit, Ludmila blocked their path.
Behind Ludmila stood Madame Victoria.
Dressed elaborately for whatever plans they had for the morning, they held the small fans that were currently all the rage in the Empire.
“Can they even really fan with those…?”
Titania stared at the tiny fan in vain wonder. Seeing this, Madame Victoria frowned and spoke.
“You don’t even greet me?”
“Good morning, Madame Victoria.”
Titania made a polite greeting and added,
“Before I greet, I was taught that the guest standing before me should greet first. And since you were standing behind her, I thought it proper to wait.”
Still speaking her mind freely.
‘I need to get a divorce quickly.’
This troublesome situation was unbearable.
Ludmila, glaring at Titania, turned red in the face. She quickly scuttled behind Madame Victoria, leaving Victoria in front, trembling as she opened her fan.
“Why won’t this open properly?!”
Knowing she could not win through words, she tried to avoid confrontation, yet fatefully ran straight into Titania.
Only after hiding her face behind the fan did Madame Victoria regain a bit of composure. She cleared her throat and spoke:
“Understand that Ludmila is still young.”
“Princess Ludmila isn’t young. Usually, youth is defined relatively, but Ludmila is a year older than me, so she cannot be considered young. Rather, I am the younger one.”
Titania snickered. It made sense.
“Eek!”
Madame Victoria, lost for words, puffed up, realizing she was in front of Ludmila. She took a deep breath and then, scanning Titania up and down, spoke sharply:
“What are you wearing?”
The sudden drizzle had made Titania’s outfit even worse.
“Indeed. How can the lady of the duke’s house walk around in such attire!”
Ludmila took this chance to chime in, chattering like a sparrow.
But Titania merely wiped the splashed water off her face with a towel. Sara didn’t worry in the slightest. Titania calmly replied:
“It’s because His Grace’s horse passed away, and I had to go to the stables since new warhorses arrived at the horse market. That’s why my outfit is like this.”
Titania’s calm response, untouched by their criticism, only infuriated Ludmila further.
“That’s not it!”
Ludmila stepped forward again, in front of Madame Victoria.
“Aren’t you ashamed to roam around like that?”
Titania rubbed her forehead tiredly, speaking in a voice mixed with a sigh. She was frustrated to have to argue with such a woman for a husband she hadn’t even met.
‘Marriage is really impossible.’
She had no luck in marriage. Her husbands had far too many women—even in this life.
“Then speak as you wish. I am not ashamed. Ah, though I stepped in horse dung, so perhaps there’s a slight smell.”
Titania’s calm words made Ludmila and Madame Victoria pale and retreat.
“How dare she! How could she be so shameless! Not elegant at all, not noble in the least!”
Even Madame Victoria’s scolding didn’t faze Titania, and she watched them leave at a distance.
“Walking like that is more noble, isn’t it?”
“Milady! Mother-in-law! Mother-in-law!”
Sara shook Titania’s arm, as if to deny that.
“Ah, did you hear that? I didn’t say it for you to hear.”
Madame Victoria’s face turned bright red. Whether Titania noticed or not, she tugged on her tight riding outfit and spoke:
“Madame Victoria.”
“Uh, uh?”
The flustered Madame Victoria bit her lips.
‘What is this!’
As she struggled to regain her lost dignity, Titania casually spoke:
“Next month, your budget will be cut. I noticed you made extra expenditures this month.”
