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Chapter 102: - I want to see-

Chapter 102: - I want to see-

The stable looked less like a barn and more like a cathedral for horses.

Each stall had brass nameplates, customized for its prized occupant.

With a rough count, Max summed them to be ten in total. The horses were fine, their coats sleek and glistening. They had heavy full manes.

Occasionally releasing low snorts and lazily flinging their tails.

’Just a stomp of their hooves would probably crush someone’s skull.’ Max thought finding each of them extremely pleasing to look at.

"Midnight." Rubbing the space between the eyes of his gleaming black horse, Olivia, seeing she had gotten the attention of his silently wandering eyes, smiled.

"This belongs to Ivy." She confirmed, lightly parting the head before moving to the next after it.

Wrapping her arm around its head, her motion of smoothening the horse coat was more affectionate than she had done to the first.

"This is Valentine, my horse."

As if answering her call the horse snorted and waved its tail.

"That’s my girl." Olivia nodded before letting go of it. Pointing at the two opposite of it. A chestnut maned horse that began the opposite row and buckskin horse.

" Caspian and Ardent, they belong to Daisy and Noah."

Then a horse with a silver coat.

"That’s Silver, it belongs to Annabelle."

"King and Dorian belongs to Blake and Daniel."

Pointing at the horses with a roan and pinto coat, she moved to the next which had a palomino coat.

"That is Ava’s."

Of the ten horses eight had been claimed. Leaving just two horses, one white and the other brown. Their stall had no brass plate meaning they were yet to be named.

"Well, I guess that should be for you and Evelyn. And yours is definitely not the white one."

"I know." Throwing her a short silent look, silently expressing that he wasn’t dumb.

"Ok, I guess I went too far." Raising her hand in an apologetic manner she raised the helm of her dress and went back to the second horse.

It was surprising that the stable was especially clean except for the smell.

"Unfortunately, since you can’t ride we’ll be using my precious Valentine. How about you pass me the saddles over there." Opening the stall, she paused and pointed at rows of spotless saddles. The only thing seeming to lack a sense of hierarchy here.

" Thanks."

"Hmmm."

With one last click the mount named Valentine was ready to go.

Using the portable staircase, she folded the helm of her dress and climbed the horse back.

Motioning for him to do the same thing, Max stared at her for a few moments before deciding to follow suit.

Releasing a snort, the horse steadied its hooves. While she adjusted the reins.

"Hold tight."

Upon her words Max held her slender waist, sensing her turn tense and froze for a moment as if not expecting him to actually do it.

"Watch and learn then."

"Hmmm"

After a short pause she released a short breath and swung the reins. After that the horse began to move forward, the distinct thud of its hooves echoing as they exited the stable.

Welcoming the fresh air, she held back its rein and the horse stopped.

Staring at the green stretching land,

"Feels so nice after so long." Olivia inhaled a deep breath.

"To ride, you have to keep your two legs on the stirrup steady and flexible."

"Flex your legs and hold up the reins and you’re good to go."

Demonstrating, she swung the reins and the horse began strutting down the little pavement.

"We’ll be going south, downstream to the edge of the estate."

Saying that, the soft wind blew her hair to his face as the horse’s speed began to accelerate.

Galloping through the green field, the mane of the horse danced with the wind. Clutching steadfastly to her waist, Max studied the repeated motion of her hands holding the rein.

Maybe because of his hands, Olivia’s talkative part of her seemed to have been switched. He was expecting her to shout out loud through the wind as they rode. However, she had been strangely quiet throughout, other than the sound of her breath.

"Max! That thing earlier..." letting the wind carry her voice, she paused.

"... Is it Real?!"

’Is that what you’ve been thinking about all these while?’

Finding her words funny, his lip curled into a smile.

She probably wasn’t expecting him to answer considering his introverted way of speech. Feeling him so close to her, she just wanted to salvage her thoughts. Succumbing to her curiosity.

’... Bold.’ Max added in his thoughts. Taking a few moments to ponder his response..

"You want to see it?" His voice was brief, not loud. Alongside the speeding hooves and wind, she heard his words loud and clear. And her body froze for a moment, recovering an instant later they kept on whooshing through the landscape in silence.

Soon, at the edge of their vision, something appeared.

A Tree.

Not just any tree, but a big oak tree. It rose from the heart of the field like a guardian. Casting a shade circle area around it.

The closer they rode towards it, the more clear and serene fantasy it looked like.

And soon after they arrived beneath its imposing height. Olivia slightly pulled back the rein of the horse, causing the sound of its hooves to recede into small counts. Until it finally stopped.

"This is Mama Oak and where we hold our picnic and that’s the stream..." pointing to a silent moving body of shallow water , Olivia said after a short moment of silence, motioning for him that they should get down.

"...Also, it was the Riders family crest mark when the royal British parliament ruled a century ago." She said walking forward to feel the trunk with an emotional look.

"... Funny, the reason why we were named Rider was because two love birds usually rode all the way here on their horse every night to see each other. Eventually the male learned how to ride so we’ll because of it. Becoming a knight, he always aced through the battlefield because of his riding skills so he was termed Rider. When he ascended through the hierarchy to become a Duke he took up the title as a surname. Him and his beloved creating a new lineage."

"Is it just nice?"

’Indeed.’

Silently nodding, he admired the big tree.

However...

"I want to see it."