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CHAPTER 1 - THE HORSE-LOVING LADY
I met Master Acrod six months before the proposal incident. It was the day of the Grand Ball at the Imperial Palace in early spring.
A grand ball held in the four grand halls of the vast Imperial Palace. The chandeliers sparkled, and hundreds of Imperial nobles laughed, murmured, twirled, and danced in that glamorous venue.
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No, at that moment, I had left the hall and was strolling through the gardens of the Imperial Palace.
Reluctantly attending this grand event, urged by my father to participate in the spring and autumn rituals, I had no intention of getting married. My father probably hoped I would marry and leave the Cranbell family. Counting on my brother, Elnard, the heir apparent, to allow me to stay even if I didn't marry, I remained firm in my decision. It wasn't mere idleness; I believed my contributions to the Cranbell family were meaningful.
As a self-proclaimed "Horse-loving Lady" deemed eccentric in high society, no sensible man approached me. Safely avoided at the venue, I became a wallflower, using that as an opportunity to discreetly fade away into the garden.
I proceeded to traverse the vast garden of the imperial palace at a brisk pace. In the distance, beyond the considerable expanse, lay the stable.
It was the stable where the imperial horses were raised. Owned by His Majesty the Emperor and His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, it housed around ten horses, including those used for racing.
I entered the stables humming in my evening gown. There was no door at the entrance. Then I stared into the darkness. Some of the horses had felt my presence and were showing their faces.
“Did I wake you? Sorry."
I said and quietly proceeded into the stables. Horses are timid and wary of unfamiliar people. If I made a big move in such a flouncy dress, the horse would be startled. I moved softly and approached a black horse.
“Good evening. Do you remember me? I visited last autumn, too.”
I frequented this place every chance I got. Horses are intelligent, quickly memorizing faces.
As expected, the horse, after sniffing my scent, calmed down and snorted in relief. This particular horse was quite friendly, but approaching a spirited one recklessly could lead to trouble.
As I stroked the horse's neck, the horse next to me was scratching the ground with its paw in frustration. I went over to that horse and stroked its nose too.
“Hmm, you are all lovely. Such good boys.”
All the horses are quirky and good. The skills of the Imperial Palace's herdsmen are first-rate, and they must have a large budget and plenty of good food to eat. They were well-fed, and their hair was shiny.
I walked into the back of the stables, admiring each horse one by one. At the far end of the stable, there was a very large horse.
Unlike the other riding horses, he had a slender physique. His muscles were toned, and in the moonlight, he looked like a marble sculpture. I let out a sigh of admiration. ‘Beautiful.'
It was the Emperor's Racing Horse, a gift presented from the northern kingdom a few years ago. The northern kingdom excelled in horse racing, and although the empire was gradually refining its bloodlines through imports, seeing this horse made it clear that there was still much to catch up on.
I had to be cautious not to get too close. Being an active racing horse, it had a fierce temperament. Provoking it recklessly could lead to a rampage and injuries. While scrutinizing every inch of its majestic body, I spoke softly.
"Claria, how are you doing?"
Named by His Majesty, this horse was a mare. Though currently involved in races, she would likely be sent to a breeding farm in another two years.
... I wanted her.
Admiring Claria's well-trained physique, I couldn't help but think. To breed strong horses, a good bloodline, meaning a good mare was essential. A horse like Claria would undoubtedly produce excellent offspring. Anyone involved in racehorse breeding would desire her. And I was no exception.
I wanted her. However, Claria belonged to His Majesty, and she was a gift from a foreign country. I couldn't imagine the Emperor selling her. Most likely, she would be transferred to the royal stables or perhaps a stable belonging to a member of the imperial family.
They wouldn't sell her to a modest Counts family like ours. I sighed.
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. . . . .
I live for raising racehorses.
The Counts of Cambell have a farm and have been producing racing horses since my grandfather's time.
Nobles traditionally engage in horse breeding. Whether it's riding horses, warhorses for military campaigns, or draft horses for increasing estate productivity, breeding horses is a crucial duty for landowners. Hence, every noble owns their own stud farm, producing horses they proudly claim to be the best. Thus, horse racing emerged from these competitions.
Initially, horse enthusiasts engaged in informal horse races. Over time, to ensure fairness, rules and dedicated racetracks were established. Horses were no longer chosen from riding or military stock but were specifically bred for racing purposes.
That's where the Running Horse comes in. In the northern kingdom, known for its advanced horse racing culture, they import horses from the eastern desert, crossbreed them with their own, and through continuous competition, refine bloodlines. It's a country truly ahead in the world of horse racing.
Our empire, though belatedly, started following in the footsteps of the northern kingdoms about a hundred years ago, establishing rules for horse racing, setting up racetracks and importing running horses from the northern kingdoms to produce racehorses. My grandfather entered the horse racing industry about 30 years ago.
He started out in a small way, importing one mare from the Northern Kingdom, but soon he happened to produce a horse that was quite fast, and the Count of Cambell's family's prestige rose, so my father continued the tradition.
However, they are not exclusively for competition, but for both riding and military use. There are three broodmares. However, unlike large stud farms that might have dozens of foals born each year, ours is relatively small. Horse breeding demands significant financial investment, especially for Running Horses, which often can't be repurposed as riding horses due to their spirited nature...
So I became fascinated by the breeding of racehorses.
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I was born the third daughter of the Countess of Cambell. I wasn't born in a particularly unusual way, you see. I didn't actually have a horse tail, as people often say.
But one day, my life changed when my parents took me to the racetrack. I must have been around five years old. That experience altered my fate.
The racecourse is the social meeting place of the aristocracy. Literally, only the nobility are allowed on the bleachers. In fact, it is said that commoners also watch the races from the side of the track and gamble without permission.
From the bleachers, the nobles boast about their own horses in the viewing area, praise other people's horses, make pleasantries to each other, drink tea and eat sweets, and bet on which horse will finish first or second, or which of each other's horses will finish first.
Horse racing can be a social affair that takes up to half a day, and it can also be a big social affair, as not only the owners of the horses but also the aristocracy who simply like to gamble come to the races. So if you make a name for yourself in the racing world (there is a jockey club), you will be recognised in the whole social world. This is why aristocrats put their family names on the line to produce running horses.
While adults reveled in this glamorous social scene, I was captivated by the beauty of the Running Horses.
They were magnificent. Trained for racing, their sleek bodies, devoid of excess fat, differed vastly from ordinary riding or carriage horses. Their honed physique resembled a finely sharpened sword, and I couldn't take my eyes off them.
And unlike the friendly riding horse, the horse that is about to compete is bleary-eyed and excited. The way they leapt up and neighed as they tried to shake off their riders was brave, and I couldn't stop my heart from palpitating at the intensity of it all.
Seeing that my excitement did not subside after returning to the mansion, my father took me to our family's Ranch on the outskirts of the imperial capital (about half a day's ride by carriage).
There were not only racehorses there, but also riding horses and farm horses. I was so excited that I ran up to the horses and was stopped by Roland, the ranch manager.
After that, I asked my father to take me to the ranch every now and then, and we went there again and again. At first I was only allowed to feed and ride the horses, but gradually I began to actively help out on the ranch.
From cleaning up horse manure to changing straw bedding, feeding and watering, leading horses to graze, and returning them to the ranch, I learned to handle everything. I became capable of getting dirty and immersed in work, much to Roland's chagrin.
Roland gradually taught me how to ride a horse, and by the time I was ten years old, I could canter a horse. Then they put my horse in the stables at the mansion and I started to ride to the Ranch myself.
It was around this time that my mother lost her temper.
I was scolded severely, and there was almost a decree that I could never go to the farm again. I desperately apologized, crying, and pleaded not to ban me from the farm.
As a result, under strict orders from my mother, I was not allowed to go to the ranch more than twice a week, and I was made to promise that I would take my so-called etiquette education as a young lady seriously. If I did even the slightest bit poorly, I promised to be banned from the ranch immediately. I swore to her from the bottom of my heart.
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Since then, however, I have worked very hard on my various educations in order to get to the ranch. Study, art, dancing and other social skills. It was not so easy to become educated and not ashamed to be a countess. But I had a goal.
I continued to achieve passing marks, and as a result I was able to continue going to the ranch in a fair and honest manner.
On the days I visited the farm, I would ride my horse at dawn, with at least two guards accompanying due to potential dangers on the way. However, given that nobles, especially young countesses, didn't typically gallop on horseback through dimly lit streets, the risk of bandit attacks was negligible.
Upon arriving at the farm, I'd work until sunset, tending to the horses and participating in their training.
Horses, as expected, don't naturally allow people to ride them from birth. They must be trained to accept a rider on their back. This is called acclimatization.
The training involved "breaking" a horse, a process that taught it to accept a rider. It started by merely walking with a saddle on its back, gradually introducing more weight. The horse would get accustomed to having things placed on its back. It took about a month before anyone would ride on it. Then came a long journey, training the horse to respond to reins and stirrups, turning it into a usable riding horse.
This is not the case with racehorses. For a racehorse, the process is more rigorous. It not only needs to sprint at full speed but also obey the rider's commands. Given the often unruly nature of Running Horses, the task becomes challenging. This is where I increasingly found my responsibilities lying. According to Roland, "The young lady is kind to horses, and they listen to her." While being kind was essential, being too gentle would earn the horse's disrespect.
Wearing riding clothes, I'd gallop around, and word of the countess who rode horses started spreading through high society.
At the age of thirteen, after paying respects to His Majesty the Emperor, I made my social debut. I didn't want to, but my mother insisted. Having debuted, I had to participate in social events such as dances and tea parties.
Despite my resistance, the noble society now knew of the young countess who loved horses. The more I tried to resist the role imposed on me, the more it seemed to solidify.
It was in this state of resistance and acceptance that I found myself in the palace garden, admiring Claria, the Emperor's Racing Horse.
My dedication to education allowed me to conduct myself appropriately as a countess, so during social events, I maintained a refined appearance while my mind was filled with thoughts of horses. As I mentioned before, horse racing is a social event. Therefore, under the pretext of socializing, I frequently visited the racetrack. There, I observed the training methods of other families' horses, studied horse breeding and training techniques by visiting the racetrack stables, and gradually became involved in the training of running horses. As I continued to research, and as my body grew larger and I was able to ride rough horses. As a result, the reputation of the Count Cambell's ranch horses gradually increased.
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The word spread that our ranch's horses had a docile temperament, listened well to jockeys' instructions, and were reliable both as riding and racing horses. Thanks to this, our horses began to sell at high prices, significantly improving our family's finances. Roland assured me that this success was partly due to my efforts. My father praised me, and gradually, he entrusted me with more responsibilities related to the ranch. My mother, on the other hand, was displeased.
As I reached marriageable age, several matchmaking opportunities were arranged for me. Although we were not from an exceptionally prestigious family, I did have around ten potential suitors from earls and viscounts.
So, during those matchmaking meetings, I incessantly talked about horses, and as a result, the prospective suitors were utterly repelled, rejecting all proposals. Well, it's because I was more interested in the horses of other families. After all, wouldn't you want to know every detail about them?
As a result, I gained a reputation as the "Horse-Loving Heiress of the Cambell Count's Family." Despite occasional misconceptions that I am obsessed with gambling at the racetrack, I assure you that I don't engage in such activities.
Consequently, families stopped proposing marriage arrangements, and both my father and mother gave up entirely. I was left to my own devices, and I immersed myself further in the ranch. Now, the Roland couple at the ranch has built a room for me, and that's where I spend most of my time. Dressed in Ranch clothes, covered in straw every day, I diligently care for the horses. It's safe to say that I don't look like a countess at all.
By focusing on ranch management, the reputation of the horses produced on our ranch continued to rise, leading to a considerable increase in the Cambell Count's family status within the aristocracy. I believe I am contributing significantly to the family without the need for marriage.
Therefore, I intended to spend my life caring for the horses I love. My dream was to produce incredibly fast and strong horses and be known as the woman who raised the strongest horse in the empire.
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