22. Riding Lesson
“We’ve been expecting you, Lady Adelheid and Lady Leticia.”
As we arrived at the stables after leaving the guesthouse, Ciel greeted us.
“Wow… Ciel, you look so cool!”
Leticia whispered to me, leaning close.
Ciel could probably hear her, even with that level of whispering, but her expression remained as composed as ever.
As Leticia had just observed, Ciel, true to her word, looked impeccably stylish in a tailcoat instead of her usual maid uniform.
I didn’t know any other woman who could pull off the “handsome woman in men’s clothing” look so well.
However, her usual thick black hair, normally tucked into a maid’s cap, was now tied back in a ponytail, and, more importantly, the curves of her chest, pushing against the white shirt and black tie under her tailcoat, were evident, so no one would mistake her for a man.
“Ah! But Elder Sister is the coolest!”
“…Ha.”
I responded with a dry laugh, without thinking.
It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to be sarcastic; it was a genuine reaction.
It was just… too unconvincing.
“It’s true! This is the first time I’ve seen Elder Sister in trousers, but the riding outfit really suits you, and your posture is so elegant—”
I placed my hand on my sister’s head, cutting off her stream of inexplicable praise, and gently pushed her back.
“Okay, okay, I understand. Calm down.”
My sister looked up at me, her head still held down by my hand.
Her blue eyes, the same shade as mine, gazed at me intently, as if testing me.
“…Do you really understand? Really?”
…No, Ciel was definitely more handsome than me, in every way.
――My ideal woman was Ciel.
Of course, I loved my mother, but she was a delicate person.
Someone you wanted to protect… and I wanted to be the protector.
…Did my mother know about my father’s infidelity… about Leticia’s existence?
I didn’t even know if my father himself knew.
But to me, it was a clear betrayal of my mother.
…By the time I finally became an adult, there was no one close to me left to protect.
Ciel, perhaps, but she was stronger than me, and, more importantly, she seemed to consider herself my protector.
In this uncertain world, if there was anyone I could trust unconditionally, it was Ciel.
It was unlikely, but if she ever betrayed me, it would be my fault for failing to be a worthy master for her to serve and support.
…When I told her, as a child, that I wanted to be like her when I grew up, Ciel, unusually, gave a wry smile.
I’ll never forget her words as she stroked my head, “My lady, you can become someone far more wonderful than me.”
…I still didn’t think I had reached that point.
In terms of title, I was far above Ciel.
But that was all.
Unlike her, I was born into a ducal family.
That was the only difference.
“Leticia, you’re free to consider me the best, but objectively speaking, anyone would say Ciel is more handsome.”
I tried to instill this simple truth, but my sister wouldn’t budge.
“Then I’ll be the one hundred and first person to say you are!”
Had she not heard me say “anyone”?
She was challenging the premise itself.
“Then allow me to be the one hundred and second,” Ciel added with a straight face, and both Leticia and I turned to look at her. My sister beamed, as if vindicated.
“See! Even Ciel agrees!”
She puffed out her chest.
“Leticia, she’s my maid. What kind of servant would say they’re more handsome than their master?”
“Um…”
Leticia averted her gaze.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“O-okay!”
The three of us walked together to the grassy field enclosed by a wooden fence.
It was spacious and pleasant.
“Now then, Lady Leticia, you will follow my instructions here. Understood?”
“Yes!”
A good answer.
Ciel smiled.
“Excellent. However, please refrain from raising your voice too loudly. It might startle the horses and cause an accident.”
“Yes.”
Another good answer.
She had properly lowered her voice.
“I will explain everything as we go, but never stand behind a horse. Remember this above all else. If you’re kicked, the consequences could be severe.”
“Yes.”
How nostalgic.
I had been taught the same way, by Ciel, in this very place.
More than ten years had passed since then.
I never imagined this would be my fate.
Even so, this place remained unchanged.
The grassland, with its changing appearance through the seasons, the sky, the mountains in the distance—nothing had changed.
Some things remained constant.
As a noble, as the head of the Vanderwaals, there were things I had to protect.
Ciel addressed me as I reminisced, lost in thought.
“—Are you alright, Lady Adelheid?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. If Ciel says so. But I was just… lost in thought. What should I be doing?”
I nodded reflexively and tried to cover up my absentmindedness.
“Are you sure you’re alright? How are you feeling?”
She looked at me intently.
Her diagnoses were more accurate than most physicians.
After all, she had been caring for me since I was born.
Ciel was raised to be my most trusted advisor when I became the head of the family—or so she said.
She claimed it was her own volition, but Ciel was only seven when I was born.
My mother, also a Vanderwaals maid, had passed away before I was born, and Ciel was living at the mansion, doing simple tasks as a servant-in-training.
A lonely girl with no one to rely on couldn’t possibly have refused.
My family had bound her future.
With her talent, she could have become anything.
“I’m fine, Ciel. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
When I died, she would be free.
If possible, I wanted her to continue supporting the Vanderwaals… Leticia… after that.
“If you say so…”
Ciel still seemed unconvinced.
“So? What should I be doing?”
“I requested a double riding lesson for you and Lady Leticia, to help her get used to horses.”
“…Huh?”
I was momentarily confused.
“When did you arrange that?”
“Just now.”
Apparently, it was my fault for being lost in thought.
“There are various teaching methods, but I believe it’s important to first get accustomed to being on a horse, and I believe that is the correct approach.”
“Well, yes…”
I myself had learned by riding with Ciel.
The riding lesson itself was absolutely necessary.
To meet the second Capture Target today.
And for the future [Horse Riding Event].
“Riding alone can be dangerous in unexpected situations. With an experienced rider, there’s no such risk. Of course, I will also be there to assist.”
“…Wouldn’t I be enough as support?”
I tried to resist, still afraid of altering fate.
“Not that you wouldn’t be sufficient, but…”
Ciel said, glancing at Leticia.
I looked at my sister—her eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
I looked back at Ciel.
“…Bring… the horses…”
I wasn’t heartless enough to disappoint that look.
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