Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139844414118669/episodes/822139846635292888
Elisia stood with her head bowed, her hands clasped around the railing.
There was none of her usual dignified demeanor; the expression on her face was so fragile I couldn’t bear to look at her.
Silence hung heavy in the air as the night breeze drifted quietly between us.
Gazing blankly down at the moonlit garden, I spoke softly.
“…Elisia. Do you remember? Back when our engagement was just announced, the riding arena at your estate. The day we rode horses together for the first time there.”
Elisia’s shoulders, still bowed, shifted slightly.
Her deep purple eyes glanced briefly in my direction.
She stared at me in silence for a moment, then let out a small sigh.
“……Of course I remember. I’d learned the basics as part of a noble’s education, but back then, I still had trouble getting in sync with the horse.”
With a touch of self-deprecation, Elisia gave a small laugh.
“……I lost to you.”
“And by quite a margin, too.”
“……You didn’t have to say that.”
Her voice sounded a bit sulky, and I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
Back then, Elisia wasn’t the flawless person she is today.
It was a time when our engagement had just been announced, and we were both still trying to figure out how to navigate our relationship. It happened at the riding arena set up behind the Duke of Ravenhart’s mansion, which we were visiting for the first time.
Once we were shown to the arena, the conversation naturally turned to horseback riding—
[Well then, shall we give it a try?]
From that single remark by Elisia, before we knew it, we were talking about a race.
Back then, we were still holding back a bit around each other.
Perhaps that’s why taking the form of such a straightforward contest actually made us feel more at ease.
“‘—!!’”
Without even agreeing on a signal, we spurred our horses into a gallop almost simultaneously.
It was a simple contest—just a lap around the riding arena that stretched out behind the mansion—and that time, I won… while Elisia suffered a crushing defeat.
I remember when I stopped my horse at the finish line, Elisia, who had caught up from behind, furrowing her brows in frustration as she sat in the saddle.
[……I guess I lost.]
She stood there for a while, clutching the reins in a daze, before finally muttering under her breath.
[But next time, I’ll win.]
With that, she pulled on the reins and spun her horse around.
Her deep purple eyes, turned back toward me, were narrowed slightly with frustration—but deep within them lay a resolute fighting spirit. It wasn’t the face of someone who would simply accept defeat and walk away.
Her eyes shone with a light that seemed to say, “Next time, I will definitely win,” and she opened her mouth.
[You’ll play along, won’t you? My fiancé.]
Elisia was smiling.
Proud, a little competitive—and yet, somehow, she looked as if she were enjoying herself.
“Ever since that day, every time I visited the House of Duke Ravenhart, you’d say, ‘Let’s have a match’…”
Elisia’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Her deep purple eyes narrowed as if gazing into the distance.
After a moment, the corners of her mouth turned up ever so slightly.
It was a nostalgic smile, different from the fragile expression she’d worn just moments ago.
“…That’s right.”
Elisia nodded slightly.
“At first, it was just a matter of pride.”
Saying that, she shrugged her shoulders.
“I just couldn’t stand the idea of staying defeated. So, I remember saying ‘Let’s have a match’ every time you came by and dragging you off to fight.”
“There were days when I couldn’t even get a proper greeting out of you.”
“Fufu. I couldn’t wait to fight you—more than I could wait to say hello.”
The night breeze blew gently, caressing Elisia’s and my cheeks.
Recalling those days, we both smiled.
“At first, I was always winning—”
“…Yeah.”
“But with each match, the gap narrowed… Your handling of the reins changed. You started to move in sync with the horse. Your riding style itself changed visibly.”
With each race, Elisia closed the gap little by little.
I remember that, even back then, I wasn’t exactly at ease with her astonishing growth.
Determined not to lose, I started practicing riding at the Duke of Arkberg’s estate.
I borrowed the estate’s stables and spent every spare moment on horseback, striving to keep up with Elisia’s progress.
――But.
“It didn’t take long for you to catch up.”
I still remember the scene from that day clearly.
Under a clear sky, in the same riding arena as always, the match began—and I lost. It was a complete defeat, with no room for excuses.
The distance between us, which should have been even, slowly widened.
No matter how desperately I tried to catch up, the gap wouldn’t close. And so, I lost.
(I really thought she’d be smiling with joy…)
When I stopped my horse at the finish line, she—who had crossed the line first and turned back while still in the saddle—was smiling contentedly, even though she was out of breath.
It wasn’t a smug, triumphant smile.
It was more like she couldn’t quite hide the joy welling up from deep within her heart; her deep purple eyes sparkled, and her cheeks were faintly flushed.
[…I won.]
The voice that slipped out seemed almost as if she couldn’t quite believe it herself.
And yet, she looked utterly delighted.
From that day on, the outcome of our matches was no longer one-sided.
The next time we met, I’d win. The time after that, Elisia would win—we went back and forth, winning and losing in turn.
We’d race around the riding arena for lap after lap, then stop the horses, breathless.
No matter who won, we’d promise another match.
It became a routine part of our daily lives, and eventually—
“Before I knew it, I’ve been losing more than winning.”
Elisia blinked slightly.
For just a moment, a look of surprise flashed across her face—
Then she let out a wry smile.
“…That’s probably because you stopped taking it seriously partway through.”
“No, I’m serious. And I haven’t given up on beating you yet.”
“I see. —But I can’t just let you win that easily.”
Her immediate retort made me laugh involuntarily.
The night breeze quietly swept between us once more. Just as a gentleness not present moments ago returned to Elisia’s expression, I quietly spoke up.
“……It’s true, your current skill level might not have caught up to mine yet. But that’s only ‘for now.’ It won’t necessarily be that way in the future, will it?”
Her deep purple eyes, fixed on me, flickered intensely.
“I don’t think for a second that this is the end for you. I’m sure you’ll put in more effort than I could ever imagine, and before I know it, you’ll be standing right beside me. And eventually—”
I paused for a moment, then smiled and said clearly,
“Just like when we were riding, you’ll have left me in the dust.”
A strong night breeze blew, ruffling her lapis lazuli hair.
Her eyes were just as unsettled, flickering with a mix of emotions deep within their deep purple depths. Surprise, confusion—and a tiny glimmer of hope…
The tips of her fingers, clenched around the railing, slowly relaxed their grip.
Elisia remained silent for a while. Under the moonlight, she lowered her eyes as if savoring my words, then eventually murmured softly.
“…You really are sly.”
Her hesitation still lingered.
But the light in her eyes hadn’t faded.
“If you say something like that, I can’t just stand here, can I?”
Elisia slowly let go of the railing.
Then she took a step toward me. Under the moonlight, her deep purple eyes fixed directly on me.
“…Let’s make a promise. It might not be possible right now… but someday, I’ll definitely stand by your side.”
Elisia said this in a quiet, unwavering voice.
“And when that time comes—”
She paused there, then let the corners of her mouth curve up ever so slightly.
“I’ll put on a nonchalant face and show you how I’ll pass you by.”
I gave a small smile at her as she regained her dignified air as student council president and looked at me with eyes that held a hint of defiance.
“I’m looking forward to that.”
“Hehe. You better be looking forward to it.”
After saying that, Elisia lowered her gaze for just a moment.
Then she looked at me again. Her deep purple eyes held a certain intensity.
She stared at me for a while, then furrowed her brow slightly, as if troubled.
“—That said, I’m a bit selfish right now.”
Saying that, she slowly closed the distance between us.
When we were close enough for me to hear her breath, Elisia gently pinched my tie with her slender fingertips.
As she gave it a light tug, a scene from right after we’d cleared the labyrinth flashed through my mind.
“Unless there’s a reward, I won’t feel like trying my best.”
Her deep purple eyes narrowed mischievously.
Then, as if continuing from that day, she slowly stood on tiptoe.
“――……Mmm.”
Just as a small, sweet sound escaped her, a soft sensation touched my lips.
A quiet kiss, just a touch. The fingers pinching my tie tightened ever so slightly, and her body leaned ever so slightly toward me.
Eventually, Elisia slowly pulled her lips away.
Her deep purple eyes looked up at me, right in front of my face.
“……Hmm.”
She exhaled softly and nodded, looking satisfied.
“With this, I think I can keep going a little longer.”
“That’s a pretty cheap reward.”
“Is that so?”
Elisia chuckled softly.
“Not really, not for me.”
She hadn’t let go of my tie yet.
Her fingertips tugged gently, and the distance between us closed once more.
This kiss lasted longer than the last.
—The second kiss.
As the night breeze blew quietly through, we remained motionless for a while.
Eventually, lips parted. Elisia took a small breath to steady herself and looked up at me, her cheeks still faintly flushed.
“…I knew it.”
She muttered quietly.
“This alone isn’t enough.”
“Hmph, you’re not very efficient, are you?”
“Maybe so.”
Elisia shrugged her shoulders and smiled.
“After all, standing by your side requires a certain amount of strength.”
Saying that, I pulled her toward me for the third time.
The third kiss was deeper and longer than the last.
Her fingers gripped my chest through my tie, applying just a touch of pressure. I hugged her back just as tightly, as if to welcome her.
Time flowed slowly in the silence of the night.
Eventually, Elisia finally pulled her lips away and let out a small sigh.
“…If it’s like this…”
She nodded contentedly.
“I’m sure I can do it.”
Saying that, she chuckled softly.
There was no trace of the vulnerability she had shown moments ago left in her expression.
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