#022. Your Highness, Please Buy This Horse for a Hundred Gold Coins
“Aha. …So, there must be quite a bit of dissatisfaction, since such a talented person ended up in this remote place.”
“He didn’t show any signs of it, though.”
“I don’t believe you. You didn’t even realize your sister-in-law was dangerous.”
He spoke as if she were some sort of beast.
“Isn’t being scary different from being dangerous?”
Of course, for a warrior, being dangerous could be accurate. But if that were the standard, then every adult would be dangerous to someone like me. Even a delicate noblewoman could choke me to death, after all.
“My sister-in-law is both scary and dangerous.”
His tone was firm. They looked so harmonious when we were dining together. Was it all a facade?
The Empress probably sees the Archduke as a spare piece, but for now, there’s no reason for her to oppress him. That’s probably why she’s treating me well too.
But how does the Archduke feel about it? Does my association with the Empress make him uncomfortable, like having a spy next to him? Or since the Crown Prince hasn’t been born yet, does he want to get closer to her?
What would be the right way for me to behave?
Just as my thoughts began to spiral, something caught my eye.
“Do you want to choose the horse’s color? What kind of—”
I let go of the Archduke’s hand and dashed toward the horse that had caught my attention.
“Hey! That’s dangerous! What if you get kicked?!”
I could hear the Archduke yelling behind me in panic, but I paid no attention.
“This horse! Is this horse for sale?!”
Clinging to the horse, I shouted. The shop owner approached me, and I sensed the Archduke arrive behind me at almost the same time.
“Oh my, such young customers. Did you come with your parents?”
He must’ve been thrown off by my young appearance and spoke casually. I could understand that, but the escort knight behind me apparently couldn’t.
“Watch your mouth! Do you even know who this is? Show some respect!”
The poor shopkeeper was scolded by a sword-wielding knight just for talking casually to children barely taller than his knees. I felt a bit sorry for him, but that wasn’t important right now.
“This horse. How much is this horse?”
I hadn’t originally intended to pick out a horse. I was planning to let the Archduke choose one, then flatter him by saying he had a good eye.
But in this moment, I changed my mind. I had to buy this one.
“This one, you say?”
The shopkeeper asked again, flustered. The knight behind me tried to dissuade me, looking troubled.
“Y-young lady, if the big horses scare you, there’s a place further in where they sell just foals. Or perhaps a smaller animal like a donkey would suit you better. This one is a bit…”
It made sense. The horse I had picked looked emaciated, like it hadn’t eaten a proper meal in ages. It looked like it could collapse at any moment.
“I like this one. Your Highness, can you buy me this horse?”
The Archduke stroked his chin as usual and answered briefly.
“If you wish it.”
“I do. I want this horse. Please buy it.”
Hearing my firm voice, the shopkeeper seemed to realize I was serious and spoke hesitantly.
“Even so… this foal looks like it might die any moment, so I hadn’t planned to sell it. Oh, how about this? Choose any other horse. If you buy one, I’ll throw this one in as a bonus.”
He was a man with a conscience. Maybe he was just afraid of the knight behind me, but it was still admirable. He had a chance to offload a worthless horse, yet he made such an honest offer.
Unfortunately, I didn’t want an honest deal. I wanted this horse.
“I don’t want another one. I only want this horse. How much is it?”
“Goodness… I’d feel guilty charging anything for this. Then just give me one silver coin.”
One silver coin. I remembered that a good can of tea for a tea party cost about the same. Compared to that, this was a ridiculously cheap price.
“How much do the other horses cost? Like that one over there?”
“Those go for about five gold coins. Usually there’s a range, but… ah, you know what? Just pick any horse, and I’ll give you this one with it. Five gold coins total, not a coin more.”
He couldn’t bring himself to sell this sorry horse at a high price. But he didn’t want to lose a customer who looked ready to buy. His offer came from those two conflicting emotions.
“It’s not a bad deal for you either. Raising one or two horses isn’t much different. It’s like needing two bales of hay instead of one.”
Not a bad deal? That’s what I should be saying. He wanted to sell this horse for just one silver coin. So I turned to the Archduke.
“Your Highness. Please buy this horse for one hundred gold coins.”
“…What?”
“…What?”
It was only the Archduke who remained calm, while the shopkeeper and knight both exclaimed in shock at the thought of paying twenty times the expected price.
“M-my lady, maybe you should go back to the carriage and think this through—”
“Sir Pluck, quiet, please.”
The Archduke waved his hand to silence the knight. It made sense. To the merchant or the knight, a hundred gold coins was not something to decide on the spot.
But I knew the budget allotted to the Archduke’s companion.
Of course, he received far more than what I got for maintaining my dignity, so if there was a reasonable explanation, a hundred gold coins was a perfectly acceptable amount to pay.
As long as there was a reasonable explanation.
“Why? Why should I pay a price even the owner isn’t asking for?”
Just because the Archduke could afford it didn’t mean he should throw that kind of money away without cause. So I needed to give him one.
“This horse is worth it.”
But at that moment, that was the only thing I could say.
I believe in treating precious things preciously. And that doesn’t just mean feeding them well or raising them kindly.
It means declaring their value. When someone doesn’t recognize something precious, you don’t just shrug and keep it to yourself. You let everyone know they’re wrong — that this thing is valuable.
That’s what His Majesty told me when he first appointed me as governor and personally held the reins of my carriage.
When I asked what use it was since no one would acknowledge me anyway, he said that even so, precious things must be treated with dignity. If you treat something valuable poorly just because others don’t see its worth, then no one will ever realize its true value.
And just as he said, over time, people came to acknowledge me. And every time, they said the same thing — that it was because His Majesty believed in me and showed it.
So I’ve lived ever since with that belief etched into my heart. When I see a pearl in the mud, I declare it before even wiping it clean.
The same goes for this horse. Even if the seller doesn’t know it’s a legendary steed, I must pay its proper worth. Only then will it grow to be a noble creature.
But how could I explain that to the Archduke, who probably couldn’t even recognize a good horse? That even if it looks like this now, it will one day be a magnificent steed — and thus, I must pay a hundred gold coins, even if the seller thinks it’s worthless?
You can’t know a legendary steed unless you’ve seen and touched one yourself. And such opportunities don’t come often.
So I could only hope the Archduke would believe me without question.
The Archduke looked at me for a moment and then asked again.
“Why don’t you want another horse?”
“Your Highness.”
“I’m listening.”
“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘Precious people must be treated preciously’?”
His shoulders twitched slightly. Had the Empress said that to him before? I didn’t know why he was so startled, but it wasn’t important. Without waiting for an answer, I continued.
“The same goes for animals and objects. Precious things must be treated with care. If you mix a jewel with glass beads and let children play with them, is it still a jewel or just another bead? If you don’t raise a valuable thing with care, it becomes ordinary. You shouldn’t keep jewels with glass beads. That’s why I don’t need another horse.”
If I had more than one stable, the situation might be different.
But right now, I don’t have the luxury to raise both a legendary steed and an ordinary one. So I must choose the more valuable one. I can always get a regular horse later. Maybe in a year, I could even buy one with my own money.
“I see.”
The Archduke lowered his hand from his chin and spoke to the shopkeeper.
“I’ll take the horse. For one hundred gold coins. Sir Pluck, bring my checkbook.”
