Second Arc: Fifteenth Chapter

A wind swept across the grassland.

The clear autumn sky was perfectly transparent, a blue you could fall straight into. I drew a long breath, and there was a strange scent particular to autumn — osmanthus, perhaps.

"How wonderful this feels... I'm so glad we came!"

From the saddle I looked around me and drank in the autumn air.

Ever since I'd come up with riding boots, I'd secretly been practicing on horseback.

The first time I got on, the view from up top was higher than I'd expected, and it took me a good while to get used to it — but once I had, there was nothing so much fun.

A carriage is easier to travel by, no question — but the joy of feeling the wind as you put a horse to a run was something else entirely.

Today I'd invited Remias along too, and for the first time in a while we'd all come out for a picnic.

Remias had at least sat the end-of-term exams, so it made for a fitting little celebration.

"Perhaps I should learn to ride too. It looks so lovely."

Lady Julia, stepping down from the carriage, murmured it enviously as she watched me, and Lady Emilia and Lady Marietta nodded along.

"Truly! Those boots are so lovely too — they make me want to take up riding just for the boots!"

"Hee hee — oh, Lady Emilia."

The three of them can't ride, so they'd come by carriage — but at this rate the day when everyone could come on horseback might not be far off.

"Riding really does feel wonderful. I'd teach you myself if I could, but I'm still not all that good at it."

I'd only just gotten to where I could ride on my own, so I wasn't good enough to teach anyone.

"What's this? You want to take up riding?"

As the four of us were talking, Georg and the others, who'd gone off to run their horses a lap, came back.

"In that case, shall we teach you? Right, Georg?"

Remias said it with a gentle smile as he dismounted, softly stroking his own beloved horse's cheek.

"L-Lord Remias would...?"

The three of them lit up, delighted. But the instant her eyes met Remias's, Lady Julia went red in a flash and dropped her gaze.

"If Lord Remias isn't too busy, then please, by all means..."

"Then I simply must have a pair of the riding boots Lady Cosette designed. I'll put in an order with Signora!"

"Oh, me too, please!"

"Matching boots — how delightful!"

"Oh my! Thank you, everyone! I'm so glad you like them."

As we were all laughing together, His Highness's voice cut in, sounding rather sulky.

"Cosette, isn't there a men's version? I want to wear boots you designed too."

"That's right! It's not fair, just the girls getting them!"

"The boots you're wearing, Cosette — it's the look, sure, but they seem well made too."

I looked, and the men all had envious looks on their faces.

Now that they mentioned it, I realized I hadn't put much effort into men's riding boots.

I looked down at their feet and gave it a little thought. Hmm.

On the whole, men's riding boots were made pretty roughly.

Not much in the way of decoration — all function and nothing else.

If even the crown prince's riding boots were like that, then perhaps the men of this world simply weren't much interested in stylish shoes.

What a waste that was.

Put on a pretty pair of shoes and your very mood turns bright and cheerful.

Being a woman, I hadn't noticed, but maybe that held true not just for women but for men as well.

"Understood! I'll design a men's version too!"

I'd only been making products for women, but from now on I'd expand the men's lineup too.

A fashion revolution — that's what I'd start!

While we chatted away happily, lunchtime rolled around, and my stomach growled out its complaint.

"Oh dear—"

"Come to think of it, I'm hungry too. Shall we make it lunch?"

The lady's maid who'd come along set about getting lunch ready.

Today's lunch was onigiri and nukazuke, with chicken karaage as the main dish. An outing means karaage, I'd thought, and I'd been preparing it since the night before.

For form's sake, to keep it suitably noble, the head cook had also made sandwiches, a pumpkin tart, a sweet-potato pudding, and the like.

"This karaage — it's so good! I love this stuff!"

"I've never had it before! The meat's so juicy, and the spices really come through — it's truly delicious."

Tasting karaage for the first time, the traffic-light ladies had their eyes wide as saucers — but it seemed they'd taken to it.

There's no soy sauce here, but karaage seasoned well with salt and pepper, sake, garlic, and ginger is very good.

And eating it outdoors is something special.

With every bite the juices burst hot in your mouth and the scent of the spices spread softly.

The nukazuke, which had been ripening nicely of late, was pickled just right too.

It made the rice go down a treat.

The young ladies, thrown at first by onigiri wrapped in bamboo leaves, were now stuffing their cheeks with them, all smiles.

His Highness and the other two, old hands at it by now, enjoyed the side dishes with an onigiri in one hand, and in no time the lunch boxes were empty.