One Day, My Dad Disappeared - Chapter 34

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

Episode 34
“No, what I mean is, the horse gets frightened too.”
Meliot exhaled deeply. She wasn’t the type to sigh like this normally—I must be doing something truly terrible.
“But my body tenses up reflexively.”
“Come on, try again. Don’t be afraid.”
Meliot said I shouldn’t ride Star if I wanted to bond with her.
A rigid body would only make Star uncomfortable, or so she claimed.
So I was now mounted on what locals swore was the gentlest horse in the village, thanks to Meliot’s recommendation.
Aiden had insisted I learn Horsemanship before the competition drew any closer—bonding with Star could wait.
“Look, she’s this docile. What’s there to be frightened of?”
Meliot stroked the horse’s face with practiced ease. It looked so simple when she did it. Why was I finding this so difficult?
“Go ahead, try once more.”
“Ugh, all right. Again!”
I settled into the saddle, holding the reins lightly. My spine stayed straight but not rigid, and as the horse moved, I swayed my hips gently in time with her rhythm, slowly….
“Well? How was it?”
“Better than yesterday.”
Aiden sipped his tea leisurely from beneath a canvas shade.
“But I don’t think you’re ready to practice Obstacles on this horse. She’s not a racer.”
“That’s true, but Star and I have a ways to go before we’re ready for Obstacles.”
“Does spending time in the same space really build familiarity?”
“Of course. Once Star realizes she’s safe around Cynthia, she’ll drop her guard quickly enough.”
At Meliot’s certainty, Aiden fell silent. When it came to horses, she was undoubtedly the expert, so I had little choice but to defer to her judgment.

But the next day brought no real change. Nor the day after that.
I’d grown skilled enough to canter the gentle mare, but without being able to ride Star, I couldn’t practice Obstacles.
“Ow, every muscle aches.”
So this was what it meant to ride—a full-body workout. And this horse wasn’t even a Superior Horse, just a gentle trot, yet here I was falling apart. What would it be like to ride Star at speed?
“Come on, when will you trust me?”
I muttered to Star alone in the Stables, though she offered no reply.
“Wait, now that I think of it…”
Before, she’d turn completely away from me. Now she was only half-turned.
She used to nip at me every time I approached. Now she didn’t.
“Cynthia, what are you doing lying around?”
“Oh, Meliot! Don’t you think Star has stopped being wary of me?”
“Hmm…”
“Look, when I approach like this—”
The moment I sat up to show her properly, Star snapped at me and wheeled her entire body away.
“Haha, I suppose I should observe a bit longer.”
Meliot laughed awkwardly as she tidied Star’s stall. Wherever Meliot moved, Star’s head followed her. Like a foal chasing its mother. If the gate had been unlatched, Star would surely have trotted right over and nuzzled against Meliot’s side, begging for affection.
“Well, that seems to be the case.”
Moments ago she wouldn’t nip at all.
Was it because Meliot, whom she was closer to, had arrived?
“Don’t rush things. If we rush, Star will feel it too.”
With those words, Meliot pressed an extra Blanket into my hands.
“It looks like rain tonight—there’s a lot of wind.”
“Thank you.”
I glanced outside to find the sky heavy with dark clouds. Just as Meliot said, a downpour seemed imminent.

“Well, whatever. I’ll sleep.”
I closed my eyes, thinking I should rest before the rain began.

* * *

“Wow, it’s really coming down.”
Jolted awake by the deafening drum of rain hammering the Stables’ roof, I glanced around. Fortunately, there were no leaks, and the horses hadn’t startled awake.
I lay back down intending to sleep again, then immediately sat up once more.
“I need to use the privy.”
Whether from the noise or the water I’d drunk before bed, I suddenly felt the urgent need. In any case, I needed to go.
“The Stables are fine otherwise, but the privy is inconveniently far.”
I grabbed the Umbrella I’d thought to bring and headed outside into the rain.
“…….”
Some kind of sound seemed to drift through the darkness.
At this hour? No one would be at the Stables. I must be imagining things.
Or perhaps I’d mistaken the rain for something else.
I was about to move on when two large shadows slipped through the Stables’ entrance.
I ducked behind a tree on instinct.
‘Bandits?’
The thought struck me as absurd the moment it formed. What in the world would thieves steal from a Stables? A horse, perhaps—but what else?
A chill ran through me. I pressed my ear against the Stables’ wall.
“Is this the one?”
A faint voice, barely audible.
“Yeah, that’s right. The black one.”
A harsh, grating voice—like metal scraping. Two of them, at least?
I held my breath, straining to listen.
“This is insane. When did that girl Meliot decide to enter with the young lord Winslow?”
“How should I know?”
“Either way, you know the Breeding Right goes to me this time, right? You got it last time.”
“Right, so I’m helping you out. I was nervous about going up against a nobleman, but without escorts? It’s actually easier. And Star’s deaf, so it’ll be even simpler.”
What were they saying?
“I thought it’d be a clean victory this year since the old man can’t ride anymore, but now his daughter’s entered the race.”
“She probably thinks they need a Superior Horse’s Breeding Right to rebuild the family. They’ve only got mares left.”
“But I heard the nobleman who used to ride—his shoulder’s injured, so he can’t race. Shouldn’t you win anyway?”
“That girl Meliot rides well, though. Grew up with horses like they were friends.”
A sound of disapproval.
“Regardless, she handles horses beautifully. All the ones she’s bred have been Superior Horses.”
“Exactly. So what do we do?”
A sinister laugh pierced through the rain.
“Make it look like an accident, you know?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve done this before. She can still race, but we’ll make sure she can’t clear the obstacles—just barely.”
This couldn’t happen. I had to do something.
But how? What if they had weapons?
‘No, there’s nothing to be afraid of.’
They were the ones who broke in here illegally.
I steadied my voice and stepped out.
“Oh! Young lord! Did you come to check on Star too? I got worried with all this rain, so I thought I’d come by to make sure she was all right. It’s windy enough that I was thinking of putting a Blanket on her!”
Please, let them believe me. Please.
My prayer worked. The door burst open, and the two shadows bolted out.
“Run! Now!”
“Let’s go!”
Their footsteps faded into the distance. If the weather had been clear, I might have tracked their footprints, but the downpour had long since washed them away.
Still, it seemed no one else was nearby.
I glanced around cautiously and hurried into the Stables.
It was fortunate I’d woken up in the middle of the night.
“Star, are you all right?”
I unlatched her stall and stepped closer. She turned her head slowly toward me.
She was awake. Normally she would have made a sound at the sight of a stranger, but something seemed off.
I checked Star carefully from head to tail. Thankfully, there were no injuries.
I couldn’t keep this to myself. I had to tell Aiden and Meliot right away.
It was then.
Tap.
Star’s muzzle brushed my hand. Through the rain and the cold predawn air, I felt the warmth of her breath.
I slowly extended my palm. Star, who’d always turned away and avoided my touch, now pressed her head against my hand for the first time. Had she been frightened too?
I stroked her neck gently. For the first time, I felt truly connected to her.

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