Chapter 45: the first lesson

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: the first lesson

"If you can survive today..."

Miss Carter smiled warmly at the line of beginners.

"...the second lesson will already feel much easier."

Vivienne wasn’t entirely convinced.

She stood beside Maple, listening with complete concentration as Miss Carter demonstrated, once again, how to mount properly.

Left foot into the stirrup.

Hands here.

Push upward.

Swing the other leg over.

It looked simple.

Very simple.

Until it became her turn.

"Lady Beaumont."

Vivienne nodded solemnly.

She placed one foot into the stirrup.

Took a deep breath.

And pushed.

...

Nothing.

She frowned.

Perhaps she simply hadn’t pushed hard enough.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

Maple remained perfectly still, his patient brown eyes watching her with what felt suspiciously like sympathy.

A nearby stable hand cleared his throat politely.

"My lady..."

"If you’ll allow me."

Vivienne closed her eyes for the briefest second.

"...Please."

A gentle boost later...

She was finally seated atop Maple.

She looked down.

The ground suddenly seemed much farther away than she remembered.

...

Why is he so tall...?

The lesson itself proved surprisingly uneventful.

Maple behaved impeccably.

The problem, unfortunately...

Was his rider.

"Relax your hips, Lady Beaumont."

Miss Carter called gently.

"You look rather stiff."

I am relaxed...

Vivienne insisted inwardly.

Apparently...

Maple disagreed.

Every slow step made her body tense all over again.

Meanwhile, the other beginners gradually began finding their rhythm.

Vivienne felt more like an elegant statue balancing on a moving platform.

At one point, Maple lowered his head and began nibbling peacefully on a patch of grass.

Vivienne blinked.

"...Miss Carter?"

"Yes?"

"...He’s eating."

A few nearby students laughed.

Miss Carter smiled.

"That usually means he thinks you’ve stopped paying attention."

Vivienne looked down at Maple.

"...I’m paying attention."

Maple continued chewing.

"...I don’t think he believes me."

By the end of the lesson...

Vivienne had developed an entirely new appreciation for professional riders.

She carefully slid down from the saddle.

The instant both feet touched the ground—

"..."

Every muscle protested.

Especially those she hadn’t known existed.

She thanked the stable hands, gently patted Maple’s neck in farewell, and bowed politely to Miss Carter before beginning the slow journey back toward campus.

I don’t think I have the strength to stalk anyone anymore.

Anthony can wait.

Right now...

I need a hot shower.

She took another careful step.

"..."

And perhaps...

An entirely new pair of legs.

Students gradually spilled out from both the polo grounds and the equestrian arena.

Anthony had already been stopped by several senior members discussing the morning’s practice.

Evelyn walked with two other polo members, quietly talking about the next drill as they headed back toward campus.

Damian emerged a few moments later after thanking one of the stable hands.

He adjusted one riding glove as he stepped onto the shared pathway.

Then...

He noticed a familiar blonde figure a short distance ahead.

Vivienne.

She was walking...

Rather carefully.

His smile disappeared.

For a brief moment, genuine concern crossed his face.

Did she hurt herself?

Without another thought, he lengthened his stride.

"Lady Beaumont."

Vivienne stopped.

She let out the smallest sigh before turning around.

"...Damian."

He reached her a moment later.

His eyes instinctively swept over her.

No twisted ankle.

No scraped hands.

No obvious injury.

"...Are you alright?"

"Yes."

She answered almost immediately.

Then took another careful step.

"...Mostly."

Damian watched her for another second.

Understanding quietly settled across his face.

"...First riding lesson."

Vivienne let out a defeated sigh.

"...Was it really that obvious?"

"A little."

She looked toward the sky.

"I’ve discovered muscles I didn’t even know existed."

A faint smile appeared on Damian’s face.

Not teasing.

Simply understanding.

Then...

A thought from earlier quietly resurfaced.

...Perhaps I owe her an apology.

"...About this morning."

Vivienne blinked.

"...Hm?"

"I may have embarrassed you."

"...More than I intended."

She stared at him.

"...Oh."

A pause.

"...That."

Another pause.

"I’d almost forgotten."

Damian looked genuinely apologetic.

"...Sorry."

Vivienne sighed dramatically.

"And now you’ve reminded me."

For a moment...

Neither of them spoke.

Then Damian laughed softly.

Vivienne looked at him.

"...You apologized."

"I did."

"...And then laughed."

"I know."

"...You’re impossible."

"So I’ve been told."

The embarrassment no longer felt nearly as overwhelming as it had beneath the oak tree.

Somehow...

It had become something the two of them could laugh about.

Damian glanced at the way she was still walking.

"How bad is it?"

Vivienne looked at him in disbelief.

"Everything hurts."

He nodded sympathetically.

"It’ll probably be worse tomorrow."

She stopped walking altogether.

"...Tomorrow?"

"I’m afraid so."

Her expression immediately fell.

"...You’re joking."

"I wish I were."

Vivienne looked utterly defeated.

"This sport is terrifying."

"It gets easier."

"...Does it?"

"It does."

She wasn’t convinced.

Damian smiled.

"Take a warm bath tonight."

"Stretch before you go to sleep."

"And don’t stay sitting for too long."

She frowned.

"Why?"

"Because standing up afterward hurts even more."

Vivienne stared at him.

"...You sound very experienced."

"I’ve been riding since I was six."

"I’ve made every mistake you’re making now."

She looked genuinely surprised.

"You?"

"I find that difficult to imagine."

"I assure you..."

"I wasn’t born knowing how to ride."

She smiled despite herself.

"...That’s comforting."

They continued walking side by side.

Without realizing it...

Damian had unconsciously slowed his pace to match hers.

Neither of them noticed.

After a comfortable silence, he glanced at her again.

"...Although..."

"Hm?"

"I don’t remember looking quite as miserable."

Vivienne stopped.

"There it is."

"What?"

"The teasing."

"I was wondering how long it’d take."

Damian laughed.

"I lasted longer than usual."

"...By what?"

He pretended to think seriously.

"...Several minutes."

Vivienne shook her head.

"I knew you couldn’t resist."

"...Probably not."

She laughed softly.

"I suppose that’s just who you are."

"It would seem so."

Ahead of them, the university buildings gradually came into view.

Behind them...

The riding fields settled into their usual quiet.

Separated by nothing more than a white wooden fence...

Two entirely different mornings had come to an end.

On one side...

Experienced polo players had galloped effortlessly across the field.

On the other...

A certain blonde beginner had spent the morning trying to convince Maple that cooperation was a perfectly reasonable idea.

The thought made Damian smile once more.

Beside him, Lady Beaumont was still walking with exaggerated care.

Somehow...

The walk back to campus didn’t feel quite as long as usual.