Episode 6
A Horseback Riding Match
Inside the neatly kept stables, not only were horses standing inside the fenced area, but two horses had already been prepared and tied to posts.
“Prrrr!”
The spotted horse snorted happily the moment it saw Theodore.
“Good boy, Ray.”
Theodore lightly patted the spotted horse’s head a few times, then skillfully took the reins and led him outside.
Next, it was Angela’s turn.
After Theodore chose his horse, the one left behind was a striking black horse.
Its entire body was jet-black like polished ebony, its coat glossy and clearly well cared for at a glance.
Raising a horse like this must have taken a lot of effort from the stable keeper.
Angela slowly reached out for the reins, careful not to startle it.
At that moment.
“Neeeigh!”
The horse suddenly reared up, lifting its front legs high.
It looked as if it were wary of a stranger it had never seen before.
“W-whoa?”
Startled by its sudden agitation, Angela took a step back.
“Whoa, whoa! What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”
The stable keeper panicked, pulling the reins short and trying hard to calm the horse down.
That was when Sylph spoke.
[That horse looks the same on the outside, but it probably noticed that something about its owner is different.]
Animals born with pure souls were far more sensitive than humans when it came to subtle changes in people.
So animals really do have some kind of instinct.’
[I think its name is Shade. I’ll help calm it down, so try calling its name and gently stroking it.]
Creatures with pure souls could also communicate with spirits.
“Shade, it’s okay.”
Following Sylph’s advice, Angela carefully stroked Shade’s long bridge of the nose.
The horse’s eyes gradually softened, and it slowly lowered its head.
“Pffrr.”
Now calm, Shade let out a warm snort through its nose.
“Thank goodness it settled down so quickly. If you’d gotten hurt, miss, my head would’ve rolled for sure.”
The stable keeper said something terrifying in the most casual tone, then handed the reins over to Angela.
Holding Shade’s reins, Angela lifted her gaze to look up at the saddle.
Now that she was facing it, she had no idea how she was supposed to climb onto such a huge black horse.
With her small, weak body, the horse’s back felt impossibly high.
In her previous life, she could count on one hand how many times she’d ridden a horse.
And since she could move quickly using wind spirits, she’d never needed to ride one in the first place.
“Noona, what’s wrong?”
Noticing her hesitation, Theodore felt puzzled. This didn’t look like his sister at all.
She loved animals so much that even if she struggled with sword training, she’d always been eager when it came to horseback riding.
‘No way… there’s no way she’s scared of riding a horse.’
“It’s nothing. I was just thinking for a second.”
Before Theodore’s doubts could grow, Angela smiled naturally and grabbed the reins again, acting like everything was fine.
If she wanted to avoid being suspected, she’d have to be more careful.
‘Hoo…’
After taking a short, steady breath, Angela recalled the few times she’d ridden a horse long ago and awkwardly climbed onto the saddle.
Once she was up, her view suddenly felt much higher.
She managed to get on somehow, but the height was dizzying enough that her grip on the reins tightened without her realizing it.
[Don’t worry! I’ll keep the wind steady so you won’t fall!]
Sylph flew around above Angela’s head, clenching her tiny fists like she was saying leave it to me.
Watching her cute display, Angela’s tension melted away, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Copying Theodore, Angela gave Shade the signal to move.
Understanding the cue, Shade began walking forward with long, steady strides.
Perhaps because it was well-trained, the horse entered the circular riding arena on its own without needing extra commands.
“Today we’ll review trotting. Hold the reins firmly—it can be dangerous if you lose focus—”
At some point, Vincent had followed them in and was now demonstrating riding techniques in front of Angela and Theodore.
He already looked like a seasoned knight, but seeing him ride so smoothly with a sword at his waist made that impression even stronger.
With this body, reaching that level won’t be easy…, but if I keep training properly, I’ll eventually have enough stamina to use spirit arts freely again.’
Not wanting to miss a single detail, Angela carefully observed Vincent’s movements and etched them into her mind.
“Young Master Theo, take a few laps.”
Now it was the siblings’ turn.
But strangely, Vincent didn’t call Angela’s name.
Just as her expression began to stiffen, Vincent spoke again.
“And Lady Angela… you don’t need to push yourself. Until you’re fully comfortable on horseback, just take it easy and warm up.”
No matter how much she liked riding, her body was extremely weak, and he was simply trying to prevent any accidents.
“Thank you for your concern, but I’d like to train together with Theo.”
“Miss, I heard your condition has worsened recently. You even missed training. Moving this much all of a sudden could be dangerous.”
“I’m fine now. I can handle this level of training.”
Normally, she would’ve lowered her voice and quietly agreed.
But today, she was different.
Seeing Angela firmly assert herself, Vincent couldn’t bring himself to stop her any further.
“…Alright. But if it feels dangerous at any point, pull the reins and stop immediately.”
Meanwhile, Theodore had already taken the lead, riding Ray the spotted horse confidently ahead.
Only then did Angela start to worry slightly—could this fragile body really endure riding at full speed?
But there was no time to hesitate.
More than anything, Sylph was always right there beside her.
Trusting the small spirit, Angela gathered her courage and followed.
“Yah!”
Pulling the reins firmly just like she’d learned, Angela urged Shade forward.
The horse immediately picked up speed—far faster than when it had first entered the arena.
Seeing how fast she was going, Theodore stopped and stared at her with concern.
Angela, however, was too focused on staying upright to notice much else.
[Angela, hold on tight!]
Sylph’s voice came from right behind her.
Afraid Angela might fall, Sylph constantly stirred the wind to help her keep her balance.
Thanks to that, Angela gradually stabilized herself on the galloping horse.
With Sylph’s wind and the headwind crashing together, the rushing air grew stronger, and before she realized it, Angela was no longer afraid—she was enjoying the ride.
Shade responded perfectly to her cues, moving exactly as she wanted, as if they were one.
Just as she was fully immersed in that feeling—almost like becoming the wind itself.
“Noona, you and Shade look amazing today. Want to have a match with me?”
Theodore, watching her ride steadily with wide eyes, suddenly made a suggestion.
“A match? What kind?”
“From there to the arena gate—whoever gets back first wins.”
Theodore pointed toward the wide training grounds.
“What do you say?”
To him, Angela must have looked unusually energetic today.
The sudden challenge caught her off guard, but Angela had no real reason to refuse.
If anything, it felt like a perfect chance to test how far this body could go.
“Alright.”
Angela agreed without hesitation.
Grinning, Theodore added a condition.
“Then the loser has to give their dessert to the winner today!”
‘That’s such a kid thing to say.’
Between the childish bet and his bright, innocent smile, Theodore looked incredibly cute.
Angela almost slipped into a motherly smile, but quickly held it back.
‘I’m not Julia right now. I’m fifteen-year-old Angela,’ she reminded herself.
At the exit of the circular arena, Angela and Theodore lined up side by side on horseback.
Their master, Vincent, stood in front of them to watch the match.
It was just a lighthearted sibling bet, but the atmosphere felt as tense as a real competition.
“Go!”
At Vincent’s strong signal, both horses burst forward at the same time.
Clop-clop-clop.
The sound of hooves echoed across the entire training ground.
The one who took the lead first was Theodore, who had been riding horses since childhood.
[Wow! Theodore is really fast!]
Sylph fluttered along beside Angela, exclaiming in admiration as Theodore pulled ahead.
Of course, if a wind spirit really tried, that speed would be nothing—but even to Sylph, Theodore was genuinely fast.
Angela urged Shade onward, and before she knew it, she’d passed more than half of the training grounds.
But what started as just a one-horse difference between them slowly grew wider and wider as time went on.
