Chapter 50: My Beloved Horse!
“I’m telling you, don’t tell anyone else.”
Alman leaned tiredly against the large tree, looking as though Evelia’s rejection had hit him hard.
“I got rejected.”
He rubbed his temples, looking very distressed.
“I was planning to apologize but ended up getting rejected, ah—so frustrating, why was I rejected? Do you think I wasn’t sincere enough? I only knew she liked tomato sauce, so I bought it. She should have liked it, right!”
Alman complained about yesterday’s experience, sounding increasingly hyped as his tone rose, finally standing up and hugging the neck of the horse across from him.
“What did I do wrong? Just give me a hint—”
Of course, no matter how much Alman shouted, there wouldn’t be any voice answering him.
Because what he faced wasn’t a person, but a white warhorse.
“Luna—why, oh why—”
This white horse’s name was Luna, Alman’s beloved steed, who had fought alongside him for many years, bearing countless scars. Now, in her old age, she could no longer charge into battle beside him, so Alman had specially built her a large stable, allowing her to run freely whenever she felt happy, even if she couldn’t go to the battlefield.
Yet most of the time, this old friend acted as a “listener.” Alman was not a perfect, kind-hearted saint; he certainly had some grievances. There were things he didn’t know whom to talk to about, like being rejected when he brought the tomato sauce. He couldn’t say it to anyone and could only come to the stable to vent his feelings to Luna.
“Sigh… You all being females, can’t you give me some guidance…”
Alman gently stroked Luna’s forehead. He knew horses couldn’t answer his questions, but still, he vented and asked a lot, most of it just to himself.
“Luna, you’ll be 20 in the second half of the year, and I’ll be 30 in a few years. Thinking about it, time really flies.”
Yes, at 26, Alman felt that time sometimes passed quickly, just like Luna, who had once been a fierce warhorse but was now retired and living in the stables.
This horse was one Alman had redeemed from a merchant at a hefty price. Just by looking at her, Alman recognized she was a rare gem, and the merchant saw that too, noticing Alman had taken a liking to her right away. Thus, he hiked up the price to a level that would challenge Alman.
At that time, he was just a little knight and couldn’t afford such a high price, but he happened to be in a small team with Carly. Although Carly’s family was not as large as it was now, they could easily afford to buy a horse. With the merchant’s son’s unique bargaining skills, Alman eventually bought Luna at a very fair price, most of which was actually covered by Carly, leading them to become friends, and to this day, they remained close.
Occasionally, Carly reminisced about that time, saying his investment was spot on.
“Sigh… If only you could talk, Luna… If you could turn into a horse girl and strategize for me. In this manor, besides the old butler, you probably know my secrets the best.”
Alman tenderly hugged Luna, this old friend who always provided a sense of security and could gently stand by his side anytime.
“Mr. Alman?”
While he was still stroking Luna’s fur, Evelia’s voice reached his ears. Alman turned towards the sound, and Luna glanced as well. Both horse and man watched Evelia walk over from a distance. Given the basket she was holding, she must have come to deliver lunch.
After yesterday’s incident, Alman found himself in an awkward situation with Evelia. However, she still treated him the same as before, making it hard for Alman to know what she really wanted.
“I brought your lunch. Are you eating here?”
Generally, ordinary girls would be afraid to get too close to a horse, fearing that this tall creature might get angry and hurt them. But Evelia wasn’t afraid; she knew a bit about riding, and just by looking, she realized that even though the horse was old, it was definitely a good one.
“Ah, Eve, let me introduce you. This is Luna.”
Seeing Evelia staring intently at the white horse next to him, Alman proudly introduced his old friend, as anyone who had a remarkable battle-hardened horse enjoying a peaceful retirement would. He had to introduce her properly and was even eager to share their heroic experiences together for others to admire.
Luna’s current life was exactly the kind of life Alman truly wanted—having lived carefree in youth, now finding a place to retire and live peacefully. He hoped that when everything ended, he could also spend his remaining years like that—stable, even if not long, but pursuing tranquility.
“Luna, this is Eve, Evelia, the one I mentioned before.”
While introducing Evelia to Luna, Alman gently elbowed the white horse. This scene resembled a parent introducing their child to someone, secretly whispering, “This is the girl I mentioned before.”
“Hello, I’m Evelia Kroyer.”
Although Evelia knew Luna was a horse and wouldn’t speak, she still bowed respectfully, and Luna returned the courtesy by lowering her head.
“What a fine horse, Mr. Alman.”
“Right, right.” Hearing such words made Alman excited like a child who found a common topic “Luna is a once-in-a-century good horse. She has been with me for so many years without a single defeat.”
“Can I touch her?”
Evelia looked at the shiny white fur gleaming in the sunlight, feeling an inexplicable longing.
Used to staying under dark conditions, she sometimes wanted to touch something so pure and white.
“Is it okay, Luna?”
Alman’s relationship with Luna was clearly not that of a master and servant but of friends who respected each other’s will. Although she was just a horse, Alman chose to let Luna decide for herself.
Luna didn’t refuse but also didn’t clearly agree; she just stood there watching Evelia’s slightly lifted hand. She didn’t comply but gave Evelia a chance to gently stroke her body.
Afterwards, Evelia mimicked how Alman hugged Luna earlier, gently embracing the white horse. Perhaps because the previous princess carry left a deep impression, as he watched Evelia, Alman found himself wondering if she would give Luna a shoulder throw.
“I’ll go get something for Luna to eat. You two stay here for a bit.”
Seeing that Luna didn’t resist Evelia, Alman felt relieved. He turned and left, heading to the stable to get some water and feed, while Evelia quietly rested against Luna, softly patting her body.
She sighed, thinking about the intimate, chatty manner Alman had with Luna just moments ago.
“If only I could turn into a horse…”
Luna heard this and flicked her tail.
If she could talk, she would definitely grumble:
—These two, one wants me to turn into a horse girl, and the other wants to directly become a horse. What’s wrong with them?
