61 — Chapter 61

Summer Detached Palace: Horses Are Huge!

The King only stayed at the Summer Detached Palace for about two weeks. The Queen looked lonely as she saw him off—at the Royal Capital he’s so busy they rarely get time together. As for me, the tension finally broke and a wave of relief washed over me.

Also, I’m supposed to receive a reward for helping produce salt from seawater. Score! I hope it’s money. That might sound greedy, but honestly, being without money is like being without a head. In that regard, I’m very different from the self-sacrificing original Patience.

No sooner had I started greedily imagining my reward than karma struck.

“That’s right—I promised I would teach Patience how to ride.”

Prince Keith hadn’t forgotten the riding lessons, even though I wished he had. I cursed him silently; with a memory like that, he should be focusing on the Classics instead.

Princess Margaret, meanwhile, had been caught by the heartbroken Queen Victoria after the King left and was being personally tutored in needlework.

“I thought you’d be fine since you can calm horses down so easily, but… shall we start with a pony?”

Up close, horses are huge. If one kicks you, you’re dead. Even if I can use Lifestyle Magic to calm them, scary is still scary. It’s impossible for Nasius to ride something like this, right? I wonder if boys can take Home Economics. Though I bet Henry would be thrilled to ride.

The groom brought out the ponies belonging to Princess Jane and Prince Marcus. Ah—so Princess Jane gets the horse originally prepared for me.

“Wait, am I not supposed to ride astride?”

“Of course not. You are a woman, after all. Have some self-awareness.”

Prince Keith absolutely trashed me. I’ll have to find a way to get back at him during our Classics lessons.

Princess Jane hopped onto the large horse sidesaddle with practiced ease. Usually a groom supports your foot or you use a mounting block, but she didn’t need either. As expected of the physical-enhancement types.

The groom taught me how to ride. Apparently a lady never rides astride. I used the mounting block and somehow managed to get onto the pony.

“Riding sidesaddle is more stable than it looks.”

If there’s any eye candy at riding practice, it’s Lord Eugene. He’s wonderful—he has that eternal-boy vibe.

Oh—he’s accompanying energetic Princess Jane on a long ride? Even Lord Eugene’s back looks cool as he rides away.

Prince Keith should have gone with them, but instead he stayed to nitpick my clumsy pony riding. Honestly, I’d have been perfectly satisfied just walking slowly while a groom led me and adorable Prince Marcus by the reins. I was content.

“Come on, try holding the reins and making it walk yourself,” he said. Talk about meddling.

Since it’s the Prince and Princess’s pony, it’s very gentle. With the groom right by my side, it just followed behind Prince Marcus’s pony anyway—shouldn’t that be enough for today?

“Make it trot,” he commanded. Don’t say that! The groom does whatever Prince Keith says.

“Look, keep your back straight!”

Trotting is terrifying, so whenever I instinctively hugged the pony a reprimand flew my way.

“If you’re this bad on a pony, you’ll never be able to ride a horse.”

I never said I wanted to ride a horse, did I? I’m nearly in tears remembering my past life with cars. Horses are only for people who ride them because they like them.

“I’m tired already,” I told the groom. I had him lead the pony back to the mounting block and finally managed to get off. What a relief.

Every step the pony took made me bounce. Even falling off a pony can cause injury, right?

“Patience, you can’t just study all the time. You need to train your body more.”

He’s right, but it’s annoying. It really stings when someone points out the truth.

“Starting tomorrow, it’s sea bathing and riding drills.”

I wish he wouldn’t decide things on his own. Go practice swordsmanship with Prince Richard! But Prince Richard is obsessed with salt production right now—he’s even having equipment from the diagrams I drew manufactured in a nearby town. Take Prince Keith to town with you!

“Brother Keith, are we riding tomorrow too?”

“Are we riding the ponies together?”

Princess Jane and Prince Marcus seem happy to play with Prince Keith. In this different world, children under ten are left entirely to their nannies—it’s surprising. Ah, but I suppose commoners are different. I don’t know commoner life; all I know is the life of a poor noble.

“That’s right. It won’t just be riding; since we’ve come all the way to the Summer Detached Palace, we must go sea bathing as well.”

“Yay! I get to play with Brother Keith tomorrow too!”

Prince Marcus’s smile is my only healing. Prince Keith? He’s only good for his looks. Inside, he’s just a neighborhood bully.

When I returned to the palace exhausted from Prince Keith’s “Tomorrow is sea bathing!” proclamation, Princess Margaret was half-dead.

She really hates sewing that much, huh? And now it’s spreading to me.

“Tomorrow, Patience shall do needlework as well. I want you to be an example for Margaret.”

Maybe sea bathing would’ve been better. Still, needlework is preferable to riding—especially under the Queen’s supervision; I’m practically pro.

“That’s right—Jane will be at the Academy the year after next. I can’t imagine that girl being able to sew. This is perfect; we shall have Patience teach her. Her nannies and maids pamper her too much, which is why she never improves at needlework.”

Your Majesty, are you just dumping this all on me? Ah—you got fed up with teaching Princess Margaret in a single day, didn’t you? How cruel.