Large manors like Lakeview Manor located outside Tobesk will have stables, but Agelina did not choose horses from the manor’s stables. Mel Stud has selected a dark horse.
When Shade walked through the lively courtyard to the starting point of the horse racing at the entrance of the manor, many gentlemen had already gathered here with their horses. Everyone has their own female companion and has prepared their own horse racing in advance. There are only a few players like Shade who decide to participate at the last minute.
Among the contestants was Baron Cobol, an acquaintance of Shade. At the banquet where Shade was knighted, this gentleman once wanted to win Shade’s [Northern City, Coldwater Port City] by playing Rhodes card game, but instead Shade won five coins from him. Among the commemorative coins are [Pirates’ Blood Money].
Shad greeted the Baron, who was wearing hunting clothes suitable for riding horses and looked quite professional:
“Knight, who is your female companion?”
The baron asked curiously, Shade pointed at Princess Agelina, who excitedly held the black horse and waited for Shade.
Baron Cobol first showed an expression of awe, and then showed an expression of surprise when Shade said that it was Miss Carina who asked him to take Princess Agelina around.
At this time, Agelina has changed out of the cumbersome skirt and is now wearing winter clothes that are convenient for riding. The appearance of the princess naturally attracted people’s attention, and when they learned that she was going to participate in this game with Shade, they all showed understanding expressions.
The rules of this game are simple. Start from the entrance of Lakeview Manor, circle along the country road and return to the starting point. Of course, since the estate is directly adjacent to Lake Schluch, it wraps around the front of the estate.
Although the last ray of sunset was still there at this time, the servant of the manor was already at the fork in the country road, holding a kerosene lamp to indicate the direction. At the same time, the servants will hold a long pole high in their hands, with long strips of colored cardboard posted on the long pole, and each piece of paper has a unified number. When riders pass by on horseback, the rider or female companion is required to reach out and pick off the piece of paper.
On the one hand, this is to make the horse racing more interesting and test the skills of the riders. On the other hand, it is also to prevent someone from taking shortcuts and cheating to win the race.
Xia De was the last contestant to arrive. After he put on simple armor, the competition was ready to begin.
Although there is no seating limit in the competition, the other gentlemen all tacitly agreed to let their female companions sit in front of them, so Agelina also sat in front of Shade.
While mounting the horse, Shade whispered worriedly:
“Your Highness, I am actually not good at riding a horse.”
Riding horses back and forth in Huntingdon made him familiar with this sport, but compared with the gentlemen around him who knew they were proficient in this skill at a glance, Shade did not have much confidence. Last time at Le Maire Racecourse, I just had better luck, but this time it was not gambling, just an ordinary banquet game, so Shade still needed to remind the little princess not to have too high hopes.
“It doesn’t matter, Mr. Hamilton, I just enjoy the process of the game.”
Agelina’s face flushed with excitement. Shade got on the horse first, and then helped the little princess sit sideways on the saddle in front of him. Her movements were flexible, but her whole body was shaking when she sat down in front of Shade. Shade originally thought she was nervous, but later thought she might be excited.
Miss Carina said that the royal heirs of Lesia’s generation are all very good at riding, and Agelina must be good at riding too.
“Gentlemen and ladies, please listen to me!”
The person responsible for organizing this competition is a middle-aged butler in Lakeview Manor. He is wearing a thick brown coat and his hair is meticulously styled. He is the kind of gentleman who can tell at a glance that he is very serious about his work:
“Safety first, please do not make any dangerous moves during the ride, as this will delay your enjoyment of the banquet at Lakeview Manor!”
His voice was high, but it still couldn’t overpower the sound of music coming from the courtyard.
Although the courtyard was very lively, there were also many onlookers at the entrance of the manor and at the horse racing scene where the starting line was raised. Shade even heard that someone was betting on the outcome of the horse race:
“The entire race normally takes ten to fifteen minutes. As long as you complete the week’s race, you will get a small gift from Mr. Eisberg. Yes, everyone has it. If you meet in the middle Please ask the nearby servants for help. You will leave under the sunset and come back here covered with stars!”
He tried his best to raise his voice, while Agelina’s maid was standing in front of the horse, holding the reins, and whispered to her master about safety. The young maid seemed worried about Agelina rashly participating in such activities, but she never stopped her from doing so:
“Mr. Hamilton, please ensure the safety of His Highness.”
Finally, he whispered to Shade, then took Shade’s cat and carefully stepped aside. Little Mia didn’t really like being held by others, but she also knew that it was inconvenient to carry Shade while riding a horse, so she whined a few times and settled down.
The middle-aged butler was showing the prize for the winner of the competition. The winning gentleman could get a gold-plated brooch, while the lady could get a silver hand mirror with a lake view on the back.
These prizes are not particularly valuable, but they can be considered good gifts. Shade’s opponents were very enthusiastic about this. Baron Brady, who looked the most professional, even jokingly boasted to his female companion that he would definitely be able to win the small mirror for her.
Although Agelina, who was sitting in front of Shade, said nothing, Shade noticed that the princess seemed to be very moved.
“The crux of the problem is that although I have learned to ride a horse, there are still some problems with horse racing.”
This time, Shade did not have the Elf Rider Amulet he made in his hand.
“Attention, gentlemen!”
The steward shouted loudly and put the copper whistle in his mouth. The people watching on both sides of the riders started discussing loudly, and even the carriages coming from the country road facing the entrance of the manor stopped to wait for the group to set off. The gentlemen and ladies on the carriage poked their heads out of the windows, smiling at the riders who had mounted their horses, and waving and cheering when they saw acquaintances.
“Three, two, one!”
The whistle blew, and Baron Brady’s maroon horse rushed out first, followed closely by the others. Shade did not rush too fast and was in second place in the second echelon.
His hands passed through the sides of Agelina’s body, holding the reins tightly, and the little princess leaning on him seemed to be smiling at this time.
He wasn’t sure whether he heard it wrong, because once the horses galloped, the wind was too loud.
“Mr. Hamilton, this feels so good!”
I heard it wrong this time, the little princess was indeed speaking, and her cheerful tone was unprecedented.
“Yes, but the wind seems a bit cold, can you still stand it?”
Xia De asked on the bumpy horseback. The black horse was extremely fast, and Shade, the rider, did not play a big role. Baron Brady, who was at the front, was approaching the corner of the path. Shade was at least four or five horses away from him. The opponent was indeed a professional.
“Of course, what I yearn for more than this temperature is the freedom at this moment!”
The princess said, and only Shade could hear her words amid the rhythmic tapping of the horse’s hooves.
“Free?”
Only then did Shade realize that the little princess’s invitation to participate in the horse racing was probably not just because she wanted to enjoy the banquet.
“Knight, did sister Lesia tell you about me?”
She asked suddenly, Shadra tightened the reins and turned in front, and the servant holding the kerosene lamp was holding the long pole high. Before Shade reached out, Agelina neatly took off the paper on it.
“Lecia mentioned it to me.”
Shad said that he couldn’t see Agelina’s expression at this time, but he knew that she must be stimulated by today’s wedding.
“Sister promises to help me, as long as I am willing to help her. Sister Lesiya is indeed the best to me among all my sisters, but I also know that she is also using me.”
The little princess’s voice was very soft.
At this time, there is a curved road ahead, but there is no fork in the road. However, the second horse in the first echelon following Baron Brady somehow failed to run along the path, and instead rushed into the harvested wheat field on the side.
“Oh, **** it!”
The rider in front was cursing loudly, trying to stop the horse that had gone the wrong way, and every rider passing by was laughing.
“Your Highness, do you want me to help you?”
Shadow asked, trying to control the horse’s path. If he just didn’t win the first place, it wouldn’t be a shame, but if he ran out of the right track and ran into the farmland, then his action to prove his strength, wisdom and charm tonight failed in the first step. .
“Of course not, why do you think so? I will not involve you in such a thing. My sister and I are different.”
Agelina asked, Shade felt her leaning sideways in his direction, placing her focus on him:
“Knight, I want to say that even so, I want to help you.”
“You help me?”
Xia De was a little confused, he didn’t think he needed help:
“Does she want to give me gold pounds? But why did she do this?”
Xia De thought, and for a moment he didn’t know how to answer. Both of them were silent, only the sound of horse hooves was still so clear. When the next fork in the road appeared again, there were three country children beside the servant holding a gas lamp in front of him, looking curiously at the people on horseback.
Agelina seemed to have mustered up the courage to finally speak out what was in her heart. The wind was very loud, and Shade even had some muscle stiffness due to excessive tension on the horse.
“Yes, Knight. I want to help you break free from the constraints and threats of Sister Lesia.”
“Help me break free from…Lesiya’s hands?”
Xia De never expected this answer. Due to the excessive shock, he actually forgot to reach out and pick up the note on the long pole in the servant’s hand. Fortunately, Agelina stretched out her hand again and got the note very accurately.
“Yes.”
The side of her face rested on Shade’s clothes:
“Sister Lesia, haven’t you been threatening you? Otherwise, why would you…do that kind of thing with her?”
————————Digression——————
ps: Find people to recommend each other’s books, “The Fruit of Killing,” a new book by a lv5 author, “Cultivation of Immortality”.
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