BIHNM 14

Chapter 14

Early Morning Walk (Part 1)

When morning came, I tended to Polka—checked her condition, gave her food and water, cleaned her stall, and brushed her down after she ate.

After that, I greeted Lord Margus, had my own breakfast, and went to meet the day servants when they arrived. Once they took over, my only duties were to check on Polka when she cried and receive any mail that arrived, sorting it and delivering it to Lord Margus. Between all that, I would occasionally check on Polka again while preparing tea for Lord Margus.

Aside from that, there was nothing to do.
When I offered to help Rakthis with the horses, he told me, “These are my horses.”
Myuti wouldn’t let me help in the dining hall, either.
I’ve been borrowing books from Lord Margus’s study to study on my own, but I can’t seem to stay focused for long.

Whenever I try to find something else to do, everyone tells me kindly, “Madam, please take it easy,” and won’t let me help. Or rather, they’ve already finished before I can even offer.

“…I have no work to do.”

Well, of course—there’s only one dragon here.

Thinking back, I’ve hardly ever been in a situation where I had nothing to do. That’s why it bothers me so much now. With all this free time, my thoughts turn toward Lord Margus, my family, and unpleasant worries about my own future.

With nothing better to do, I went to see Polka for the third time that day—only to find she wasn’t there.

She couldn’t have escaped. Looking around, I spotted Lord Margus riding her, taking her out for exercise.

I couldn’t make out his expression from afar. The wind carried faint hints of his voice—he was either talking to Polka or giving her instructions. That much, at least, I could tell.

And somehow, I was sure he was smiling gently. The thought made it impossible to look away. I narrowed my eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of his or Polka’s face.

Bathed in soft morning sunlight, Lord Margus and Polka looked just like a legendary knight and his steed from a fairy tale.

—Ah, he looked this way.

Noticing my stare, Polka slowly dipped her head and began walking toward me—Lord Margus coming along with her, of course.

“Enjoying a bit of sunbathing?”
“Yes, something like that. You were out exercising Polka?”
“She gets sulky if I don’t give her enough attention. Just like me.”
“Oh, surely not…”

I lifted my head to reply—but our eyes met.
And suddenly, last night’s events came rushing back, making me avert my gaze in a panic.

He must think it suspicious.

I hadn’t done anything wrong, of course, but for a man of his standing, knowing someone watched him thrash in a nightmare couldn’t be a pleasant thought.

“…Did you happen to hear me talking to Polka earlier?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head.

If I were an animal, perhaps I could have overheard. But humans can’t do that.

“I see,” he murmured, looking faintly disappointed—almost as if he wanted me to have eavesdropped.

Polka, impatient from having her ride interrupted, pawed at the ground and tilted her head away, clearly wanting to move on.

“I shouldn’t interrupt your ride. Polka probably wants to run. Excuse me, I’ll—”

“—Can you ride a dragon?”

His voice stopped me mid-turn.

“N-no, I can’t.”

I shook my head even more emphatically this time.
Riding practice had to be done in a designated place—if I could ride, it would be a problem. I had to act as though I couldn’t.

“I see.”

He was gentle, as always, yet his gaze was distant—lost in thought.

“Then, I’ll take my—”

Before I could finish, Lord Margus extended a hand to me from Polka’s back.

“…Ah.”

Even though we’d shaken hands on my first day here, I hesitated to take it now.

He meant to give me a lesson—to let me ride with him. And of course, I wanted to. But still… to take that hand meant to share a saddle with him.

After all, there’s only one dragon in this entire estate.

“Do you… want to ride?”

“It’s not that I don’t, but I would hate to trouble you, my lord…”

I fidgeted uncertainly, while Polka stomped again, clearly impatient.
If she could talk, she’d probably say, “Oh come on, Margus, forget this woman and let’s go already!”

“Polka says she wants you to get on.”
“Grrr!”

Outnumbered two to one, I couldn’t refuse.
I timidly took Lord Margus’s hand and let him pull me up.

“Ghh…”

Polka craned her neck to give me a sideways look—those amber eyes seemed to say, “Just this once.”

Once I settled into the circle of Lord Margus’s arms, Polka began walking.
Her steps were slow and deliberate, like a person tiptoeing.

“Are you afraid?”
“No, not at all.”

Of course I wasn’t. In truth, I’d ridden dragons before—secretly.
Polka, for all her pride, was being considerate, moving carefully for my sake.

She’s accepted me as her caretaker, at least, I thought, feeling a smile spread across my face.

“I always feel calm when touching a dragon,” Lord Margus said. “What about you, Algerita?”
“For me, it’s more joy than calm. I think, oh, how adorable! But yes—when they get used to you and let you touch their neck or chest, you can slip your hands in for warmth in winter. That’s comforting.”

The only things Lord Margus and I truly shared were that we were both human—and both loved dragons. I could talk about them endlessly.

“You don’t find peace with humans?”
“I like everyone here. They’re all kind, dependable, but not too formal—easy to talk to. I could learn a lot from how smoothly they handle people.”
“I see. Then perhaps I should learn from them too.”

“Ah—no, please don’t! If you started making jokes like Rakthis, I wouldn’t know how to react.”
“What kind of jokes would those be?”

Ah. I’d said too much. My good mood made me forget my place.

“I—I’m sorry, it’s nothing—”
“I’ll let it go,” he said with a faint smile. “Jealous as I am, I won’t press.”

Even when the conversation faded, Polka kept walking steadily.

“She still seems willing to carry me,” I said. “Would it be all right if we stayed like this a little longer?”

It’s not every day you get to ride such a magnificent dragon, after all.

“I’m glad you feel the same,” Lord Margus said.
He gave Polka a light cue with his foot, and she turned, beginning to circle the estate.

“When I was a boy,” he began quietly, “I thought I’d grow up to be a dragon courier.”

I listened, quietly.

“My grandfather was a soldier. There were dragons around me from the time I could walk. My parents were always busy, so I spent more time face to face with dragons than with them.”

“The courier service… dragons deliver goods, don’t they? I’ve never seen one in the city.”
“That’s right. They’re too dangerous for city streets, but across wildlands, dragons are faster than horses.”

Polka let out a proud cry, as if agreeing.

“When I grew older, my grandfather took me on trips for ‘training.’ By then I knew I couldn’t be a courier. But I learned to work with many animals—sled dogs in the cold, camels in the desert. In the end, dragons were my favorite, so becoming a knight felt right.”

Every time he spoke of such things, I realized how small my world was.
And though it felt improper to think so of a man who’d been through war, I couldn’t help feeling a little envious.

“I’ve heard there are many jobs for those who can ride dragons… I’m jealous.”
“It’s not too late. You have a good sense of balance—you’d surpass most in no time.”
“O-oh, I don’t think so…”

It wasn’t talent—I’d just had a bit of a head start. But perhaps, for him, I could talk about Welfin, that magnificent dragon from my past.

“Spreading the beauty of dragons is one of my inherited duties,” he said. “Noblewomen often avoid them, so I’d like you to try. That is, if you wish to.”

Proper training takes time, money, and space—it’s no simple hobby. But still—

“If it’s possible, I’d love to—”

“Kyuh!”

Before I could finish saying begin dragon riding lessons, Polka suddenly leapt high without warning.

 (Part 2)

“—Ah!”

Lord Margus’s arm wrapped around me, pulling me close. My weight fell against him, but his strong arms held firm—so firm that I felt no fear.

“Polka!”

He barked a sharp command, but Polka zigzagged, jumped high, then low, circling playfully.

“Polka!”

His tone grew stricter, but she ignored him.
She wasn’t trying to throw him off—if she wanted to, she easily could. No, she was probably playing… or maybe trying to toss me off, only to fail because he held me too tightly.

Perhaps irritated that I wasn’t scared—or testing me—Polka gathered strength and bounded upward, landing atop the stable roof.

“Wow…”

The view opened up before me. Beyond the garden trees, I could see the city—rooftops of every color like a field of flowers.

“…Ha… haha… ahahahaha!”

I couldn’t help it—I burst out laughing. It was simply too much fun.

“You’re not afraid?” Lord Margus asked beside my ear, sounding surprised.

“Not at all. I suppose Polka’s disappointed?”

“I see. Good. In that case, perhaps we should ride out—”

But before he could finish, Polka leapt down from the roof, landing lightly, then stopped dead.
No matter how he tugged or urged, she refused to move. Perhaps she was sulking, frustrated that her little prank hadn’t worked.

“You really are something,” Lord Margus sighed, ruffling his hair. “You never did this on the battlefield.”

Watching the nation’s hero being toyed with by a willful dragon was too funny to bear—I burst into giggles again.

“You’re laughing quite a lot today,” he said.

“I-I’m sorry! It’s just… watching you get pushed around by Polka is too funny…”

“It’s good to laugh. These past few years, people have stopped doing that around me. Even when I say nothing, they act as if they mustn’t laugh in my presence, or mustn’t make mistakes.”

Perhaps Polka’s mischief, I thought, was a blessing in disguise—drawing out his natural expressions, softening the weight on his heart.

“Thank you,” I said. “That was… really fun. I’d love to ride again someday—though Polka doesn’t seem too keen.”

“Oh? I wouldn’t say that. Maybe she doesn’t trust you yet. If you truly wish to ride, I could find a calmer dragon for you. Breeding season’s coming—I could even raise a young one for you myself.”

He smiled softly as he said it.

It took a moment for my mind to catch up—but when it did, warmth rushed through my entire body.
My very own dragon… a gentle one, raised from a hatchling, galloping together across open fields…

“Just thinking about it makes my heart race.”

My cheeks burned; I pressed my hands to them. Lord Margus quickly averted his eyes.

“…?”
“It’s nothing. I’ve said too much.”

When Polka finally let us down, she started demanding treats with extra vigor.
Having carried two people, she clearly thought she’d earned double.

“Yes, yes, an apple for you.”

I handed her one from the kitchen—gone in two bites.

“You really do seem happy when caring for dragons,” Lord Margus said.

“I was afraid of them at first. After all, if they wanted to, they could crush a human like nothing. But even if they don’t understand our words, they always respond to trust. They’re proud creatures.”

Polka rumbled her throat contentedly, clearly pleased by the praise.

“I’d heard your family had no ties to dragons,” he said. “How did a count’s daughter like you end up in a dragon village?”

A fair question.
Neither my family, the Clarences, nor even the Ashbells—my former fiancé’s family—had any connection to dragons.

“…Because I’m a failure,” I said softly. “My parents told me that since I was useless, I should at least do something to help others.”

“So you agreed to marry an old man and care for him, just because they told you to?”

“I… don’t know. Maybe because… even if it was only to use me, it felt nice to be needed by someone.”

“Then, as long as I need you,” he said quietly, “you’ll stay here, won’t you?”

I still didn’t understand why Lord Margus needed me.
But even so—I nodded.