LIGHTNOVELONLINE Princess Mia Gets Going
The next day, Mia and her group left the Forest clan’s village. Mia, the girls and Abel rode in separate carriages, each surrounded by members of the Princess Imperial Guard. Following closely behind were the members of the Forest clan, led by Malong.
In the afternoon, they stopped to take a break.
“I guess it’s about time…”
Choosing the right moment, Mia began to move quietly. Mia had a goal to accomplish.
“Abel, do you have a moment?”
“Hmm? Do you need something?”
When Abel was suddenly addressed, he tilted his head in surprise.
“Would you like to go for a little ride?”
Mia spoke softly as she gazed up at the sky, observing the vast blue expanse ahead. A smile played on her lips as she slightly squinted in the bright sunlight.
“Look, it’s such nice weather. I’m sure it’ll be refreshing, right?”
Of course, Mia didn’t just want to go on a ride for the sake of it. It most definitely wasn’t an attempt to settle her stomach from drinking too much hot milk last night. Instead, she genuinely wanted to talk to Abel. Mia wanted to know what Malong had said to him and why he was feeling so sad.
“No, but…”
Taking the initiative from Abel, who seemed hesitant, Mia called out to her own guard.
“Dion-san, I want to go for a little ride. Would that be okay?”
“You want to go for a ride?”
Dion looked shocked when he heard that.
“Didn’t you run into some trouble just the other day when you did that?”
Dion shrugged his shoulders, but his expression stiffened when he saw Mia’s face.
“Do you absolutely have to go?”
“Yes. It’s important.”
Mia stared back at Dion and held his attention, refusing to back down.Mia’s basic rule when speaking with Dion Alaia was to maintain eye contact and definitely not avert her gaze. Mia had predetermined her strategy in case she ran into Dion in a forest. If she took her gaze off of him even for a moment, there was a high possibility of being attacked. Therefore, keeping eye contact, she would slowly back away and then run.
“Well okay, I understand. In that case, I’ll stand guard from a little distance.”
“Ah, in that case, there’s no problem. My warrior wolf is keeping an eye on the surrounding area.”
For some reason, it was Aima who said that with a smug look on her face.
Aima, who had been treated like a bandit until they arrived at the Forest clan’s village, was now serving as the guide to the Fire clan’s location and had been released from her restraints.
“On the contrary, I have reservations about placing trust in that.”
Dion sent a sharp look at Aima but she refused to meet his gaze. Unlike Mia, Aima adopted a different strategy, attempting to get past Dion by completely avoiding eye contact. Mia looked on in admiration at Aima’s unexpected tactic.
Aima took a deep breath to calm herself and then looked intently at Mia.
“Princess Mia, I am deeply grateful to you. I was hoping to repay you, if only a little, for all that you have done for my clan.”
“Hmm, is that so? Well, if that’s the case, then okay.”
Based on their observation of Aima’s personality thus far, it seemed to be a safe bet. Aima would stand to gain nothing from having Mia and her group attacked by wolves there. Additionally, Abel’s presence was reassuring, and Mia felt everything would be fine with him there.
“So, what do you think, Abel?”
“Okay. Then with your permission, I shall accompany you.”
So, without further ado, Mira promptly looked around for a horse that she could ride.
“Hmm, that’s right. Ah, I like this one.”
Mia approached a horse that was already familiar to her— an equine version of Mia herself. Mia smiled as she approached the horse, which was leisurely munching on grass.
“This one is quite the gentleman. It’s noteworthy how he put himself on the line to protect me. It’s wonderful.”
After praising the horse for a while, Mia spoke to Gorka, the Imperial guard, who was busy brushing it.
“What is the name of this horse?”
Gorka was a veteran soldier in the Princess Imperial Guard. Originally a member of the Imperial Guard, Gorka wasn’t particularly skilled with the sword, but he possessed a talent for breeding horses. Ludwig noticed this, and now Gorka was in charge of managing the horses for the Imperial Guard.
“Thank you for the praise, Your Highness. This horse is called Tofu – East Wind.”
“Tofu? I see, that’s an unusual name. What is the origin of that name?”
“ ‘Please let this horse run lightly like the wind blowing from the east.’ With that kind of wish, it was named—at least that’s how I remember it.”
“I see, that’s a really elegant name.”
Mia looked at Tofu’s face while nodding in agreement.
As usual, it seemed to be spacing out, not showing any sign of understanding the word ‘elegant’ or anything for that matter.
“Hmm. I like his majestic calmness. I’ll choose this one. Gorka-san, I would like to go for a long ride on this horse, is that okay?”
“Ah. That should be fine. I’m sure you can enjoy a leisurely long ride with this horse.”
Gorka wasn’t particularly surprised to be called by his name. It was well known among the members of the Imperial Guard that Princess Mia had already memorised their names. That’s the reason why he wasn’t surprised at all, but it did leave him with a pleasant feeling.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll put on the saddle now.”
In order to ensure a comfortable ride, Gorka was naturally meticulous when putting on the saddle. Eventually, Gorka completed his job perfectly and bowed deeply to Mia.
“Please enjoy your ride.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Then, Mia and Abel galloped into the grasslands. Maintaining a little distance, Dion and Aima served as guards, while Bel, Citrina, and Rafina, acting as curious onlookers, casually followed behind them. Mia, however, remained completely unaware of their presence.