Postponed gratitude (part 1)

"Slow down!" Larissa's giggles reverberated in an odd rhythm that was distorted by the galloping of her mare.

Adela turned around and looked at Larissa, "Hurry up!" she poured out a giggle of her own. Unbeknownst to Larissa, Adela was already riding slower since her sister's mare seemed a bit short strided since the beginning.

Opening up about her father's financial problems and the upcoming auction truly helped. The two ladies were unable to come up with any immediate solutions, but being there for each other was reassuring. Comfort evolved into peace, and with peace came the desire to feel happy and laugh, they found themselves racing like the old days shortly after that.

The joy of teasing her beautiful sister aside, Adela was in no hurry at all, every second she spent roaming her fathers' lands freely feeling the persistent northerly wind combing her long hair was invaluable, allowing her mind to wander.

The day that got off on the wrong foot improved the second Adela rode her mare and watched the earth blurring beneath her. The subtle savour of pine wood and leaves wafting all around consoled her, and the sound of the dry needle-shaped leaves breaking under her horse's hooves was a familiar tune. She felt that nature spoke to her; everything will be all right somehow. If not today, then tomorrow for sure.

Light with appreciation, she closed her eyes and tried her best to enjoy the serene moment to the fullest.

Lanark was all Adela had ever known in the entirety of Emoria. The kingdom was made up of her family's Archduchy in the east and three other dukedoms: Galondy in the south, Serta in the west, and the vast desert of Latora in the middle. Then there was the furthest and coldest part of the lands, Fevra, the King's County in the north where the capital Destan — much like the Monarch himself — was as isolated and protected as possible.

She never aspired to leave this land, not because someone in her high social structure was hindered by anything, on the contrary, means to travel to the two nearby kingdoms which together with Emoria spread over the rest of the continent were at her disposal — she could even set sail to the empire of Kolhis using one of Lanark's many troopships in the port if she so wished.

Traveling was all too easy in theory, yet in practice, it was the hardest thing in the world for her.

Adela opened her eyes looking up to Kaiser de Lanark, her father's attachment to the Archduchy was similar to roots that if dug up could be found beneath every speckle of Lanarkian soil. Her own roots followed suit, spreading around her family's legacy. The young woman who was full of life looked forward to closing her eyes and resting peacefully one day, her body becoming one with her beloved homeland and her soul soaring above, protecting it.

Arriving at the sunflower meadow that marked the end of the Archduke's estate pulled her wandering mind back into the present, she slowed her gentle gallop down before coming to a stop. The sight of the flowers that were her height and sometimes even taller brought back fond memories.

Larissa's mare stopped next to Adela's, the redheaded beauty had a healthy flush and a big smile on her face, "You used to come here whenever you wanted to hide from the rest of the world,"

Taking a deep breath, Adela mirrored her sister's smile. Those were the days that came before she was introduced to falconry.

"...You should smile more often,"

Larissa's desolate tone wiped the smile off of Adela's face, her eyes brushed over the adjacent land — von Conradie's newest investment.

"I cannot believe His Majesty... Offering that land for investment without getting the neighbor's approval first,"

"Shhh!" Larissa interrupted her sister's venting and then looked around with a panicked expression on her face, seeing how they had the meadow all to themselves, she released the breath she was holding and focused on two olive-green eyes that showed no remorse, "Do you want to be accused of slandering?!"

Adela bit her lips anxiously, unable to hold her doubts in anymore, "Sometimes I feel that he just wants to upset father,"

Larissa's mouth opened and closed then opened again, she could neither agree with what she heard nor refute it as she also felt something similar deep down inside of her. She tried to focus on the identity of the investors instead — Egon von Conradie struck her as aloof and distant, but she sensed no malice in Andreas; on the contrary, he was very kind to her, and she quite liked him too.

The sudden way Larissa's mare whined brought a premature end to that conversation. The two ladies exchanged a concerned look before both of them dismounted. Adela immediately noticed how the poor animal slightly pulled its leg up, and upon a closer look, the horse's sole revealed a red spot.

"What's wrong with Emily?" Larissa patted the back of her horse tenderly.

"I am afraid she has a bruise to the sole,"

Experiencing sympathy pains, Larissa placed a hand on her stomach, "Nothing seemed to be amiss earlier..."

"Do not worry,"

She spoke words she did not feel, for her heart worried a lot too. The ladies were a long way from the manor, and Emily required a veterinarian to take a look at her hooves as soon as possible. All that Adela could do was to continue gently stroking the pained animal's leg while her mind raced a million miles a minute.

Inside the sea of sunflowers that played soft aeolian tones, the sound of approaching horses alarmed the two ladies, both of them were surprised to see two men crossing over to the Archduke's estate on horseback from afar.

Larissa smoothed out her face and managed a polite smile while Adela knew not where to look.

With damp hair and casual pants, the von Conradie cousins rode naked from the waist up. One could not miss the peculiar swords strapped on their waists because of the unusual amount of mana stones that caught the sun rays and almost made the weapon appear to be glowing, it looked as if they were sparring at a nearby distance, which was as per usual now, both fortunate and misfortunate to a certain degree.

It is not like you have never seen a man's upper body before!

Worried about being misunderstood, Adela steeled herself and tried to imitate Larissa's composure. Her eyes settled on Andreas first because it was much easier to look at him. She found that his body type matched his elegant face; his muscles looked particularly defined as he was thin and lean, his limbs appeared on the longer side which was not a surprise for a man with his significant height. Without one's attention on his face, he did look the most masculine she had seen him up until now.

She held her breath when her eyes slid over to casually look at Egon von Conradie, her plan to continue behaving naturally fell apart with the shock of seeing his body for what it truly was.