One Day, My Dad Disappeared - Chapter 33

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 33
After I’d ridden the horse and taken a leisurely circuit of the grounds before returning, Melliott greeted me with a towel and ice water in hand.
“You’ve worked hard. Even a light ride in this heat must have been exhausting?”
“Oh, it wasn’t all that hot, really. The breeze kept me cool while I was moving…….”
“Is that so? Your face is quite red—I thought you must be overheated.”
“Well, now that you mention it, I suppose it is rather warm.”
I quickly wiped my face with the towel.
“Of course it is. The Western Region draws hot winds from the south. Master Aidan’s face was flushed too, and so was Cynthia’s. I really should have brought more ice!”
So Aidan was flushed as well?
I glanced at him while dabbing the sweat from my neck with the towel. Aidan, finding the fixed splint cumbersome, was awkwardly wiping the perspiration from his nape with his left hand.
No wonder he’s uncomfortable—wrapped up like that in this heat.
“Is it very inconvenient for you?”
“No, it’s nothing. Something like this is hardly…….”
With Aidan’s pride, there’s no way he’d admit to me that he can’t handle a towel properly or that he’s struggling to dry himself off.
Because I knew that all too well, I moved first.
Aidan was considerably taller than me, so I had to rise onto my toes.
…….
After his initial surprise rendered him speechless, Aidan bent his torso toward me with a composed expression, making it easy for me to wipe his neck properly.
But bent like this, his face was far too close to mine.
That pleasant fragrance I’d caught once before at Aidan’s Villa drifted on the breeze and brushed against my nose. His hair had grown noticeably longer, and as it tickled his eyes, he frowned slightly—close enough for me to see it clearly. Before I could stop myself, I set down the towel and swept his bangs back with my hand.
…….
Our eyes met.
In those crystalline green eyes, I could see my own startled face reflected.
Just as I was about to pull my hand back, Aidan looked away first.
“I’m—I’m sorry. You looked so uncomfortable.”
“No, it’s fine. It is getting in the way, though.”
Aidan straightened, smoothing his bangs back with his hand.
“I really should get it cut soon.”
The fingertips that arranged his bangs again seemed redder than before.
“I brought more ice!”
Melliott came bounding over, struggling slightly under the weight of a bucket.
“What? You both must have been terribly hot! Your faces are even redder than before. If you catch heat stroke at this rate, we’ll have a real problem!”
Melliott quickly thrust ice water toward me. Though my throat wasn’t particularly dry, I drank the offered cup out of consideration for his thoughtfulness.
When I had emptied the glass, Aidan finished his as well and set down the empty cup.
The tips of his fingers holding the cup were no longer flushed as they had been before.
It must have been his hair color playing tricks on my eyes earlier.
“You’ve rested enough. Now we practice again.”
“Already?”
“Have you forgotten there’s only two weeks until the competition? Do you expect to rest forever after a single ride?”
“Yes, yes! We should practice.”
What Aidan said made perfect sense, so I mounted Star again.
“All right, this time let’s go a bit faster than before. Try Trotting, like a leisurely pace.”
“Yes, understood.”
Even so, his shoulder is injured and yet he still helps—I’m grateful for that. Holding the reins with one hand must be quite difficult for him.
I glanced at Aidan.
If I’d learned Horseback Riding from my father as a child, would it have felt like this? This sense of security, this trustworthiness—and this guilt that I’m not able to do my part?
“What are you doing, not watching ahead?”
“Oh, yes!”
I had twisted my entire torso around to look at him, hadn’t I?
Just as I realized my mistake and hastily straightened,
Star suddenly began to thrash violently.
“Ahhhh!”
“I’ve got you.”
Aidan wrapped his left arm around my waist and gripped the reins hard with his immobilized right hand.
“Are you both all right?!”
Melliott came running over, shouting urgently.
“W-we’re fine……”
“No, we’re not.”
Aidan spoke with a stern expression.
“If you lose focus while riding, what happens? If I hadn’t been here, you’d have been thrown from the horse.”
“I’m sorry…….”
“You’re right. Horses are far more sensitive creatures than people usually think.”
“But why did you suddenly turn your body like that?”
“Well, I suppose……”
Melliott examined Star’s condition before speaking.
“When you straightened your posture, you tensed your hands and legs without realizing it, didn’t you?”
“Ah……”
Had I?
I opened my palm to look. Clear marks from the reins were visible—impressions that hadn’t been there before I mounted.
“Now that you mention it, when I turned, I must have tightened my thighs for balance and pulled the reins at the same time.”
I carefully curled and uncurled my fingers. Once I was aware of it, my palms tingled.
“Star is accustomed to this place. When you suddenly pull the reins, she can’t tell if you’re asking her to stop or change direction. And when you grip her barrel with your thighs, horses interpret that as ‘gallop.’ The commands through your body contradicted the commands from your voice—she was confused.”
“Ah……”
So horses had their own language, and I’d known nothing about it. I’d just mounted carelessly and galloped.
By Melliott’s account, I’d been quite cruel to Star.
It was like one supervisor telling you to start from A while another told you to start from Z.
“Do you want to finish the course you were on?”
“No.”
I answered as I dismounted.
“I don’t think now is the time to learn Horseback Riding.”
I’d been far too careless about this.
“What? We don’t even have two weeks left. If not Horseback Riding, what else are you going to learn?”
“The horse first.”
Aidan looked at me as if I’d said something foolish, but I took Melliott’s hand.
“Melliott!”
“Yes?”
“Please, help me!”

* * *

“So……you live here?”
The Stable was divided into stalls for each horse. Star, true to her sensitive nature, occupied the innermost spot, and Melliott spread a blanket right next to her stall.
“Yes. To befriend Star, it’s important to spend as much time together as possible. By staying beside her constantly without attacking her, you show her you’re safe.”
The more I listened, the more it made sense.
“I understand.”
“Are you really sure about this? How is a person supposed to sleep here?”
Aidan muttered, pinching his nose.
“It’s quite pleasant, actually.”
“That’s right! I clean it thoroughly every day for the horses. And our Stable is the newest in the village.”
“What did you say Star’s favorite thing is?”
“Her absolute favorite snack is an Apple.”
Melliott held out an Apple, and Star’s tail swished happily.
“See? When her ears do this, it means she’s happy right now.”
After that, Melliott explained several important things about how Star responded.
“Horses naturally distrust strangers. If someone she doesn’t trust tries to handle her body carelessly, how frustrated would that be? And if that person’s skill is terrible, it’s even worse.”
“Terrible skill……ha ha.”
I supposed Aidan had remained docile because his skill was at least decent.
“So today, don’t do anything. Just sit beside her. Don’t try to give her treats or brush her.”
“Don’t do anything at all?”
“That’s right. Since you’ll be here anyway, start with that.”
I had no choice but to nod.
After Melliott left, I lay in the stall next to Star, blinking dumbly.
So I’m really just supposed to lie here like this? When I turned onto my side, Star’s ears flicked backward.
“Melliott said that even if she can’t hear, pinning her ears back is a habit of vigilance……”
She still wasn’t comfortable being around me.
Well, how would things improve in just a few hours?
If it were that easy, everyone in the world would be a master horseman.
“Star, let’s get to know each other, even if it takes time.”
She probably couldn’t even hear me—Star had already turned away completely.
Somehow, I had a feeling the road ahead would be quite difficult.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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