Chapter 48
Lucy and Bartholomew led the horses out of the stables.
In the wide open space, there were others who had brought horses, though they didn’t participate in the hunt like Lucy did.
Some were riding their horses for a stroll, while others played polo, striking a ball with long sticks while mounted.
Unexpectedly, Elisha was there.
When she spotted Lucy, she approached.
She was on a completely different level from Lucy, who had only learned to ride a few days ago.
Once mounted, Elisha looked even more elegant, probably because her noble face gave her an air of superiority.
“Lucy. How about a game of polo together?”
Elisha pointed to the group playing polo with hockey-like sticks.
“Prince Bartholomew can join too. They’re playing a mixed game with men and women on the same team.”
Lucy looked toward where Elisha had indicated.
I’ve just barely learned to ride a horse…
And now she was expected to play a ball game on it?
Reading Lucy’s expression, Elisha said,
“Everyone’s just having fun, so take it easy. It’s not dangerous.”
A lie.
It looked dangerous to anyone.
What if she lost her balance while hitting the ball from the horse and fell?
She could be trampled or break her neck.
Of course, polo isn’t literally a life-or-death game, but to someone like Lucy who had never tried it, that’s exactly how it seemed.
If inexperienced Lucy tried it, a serious accident could happen.
And it’s Elisha suggesting it.
Elisha had teased her plenty before; there was a chance she was using this game as an excuse to trouble her again.
Then, Elisha suddenly laughed brightly.
“Lucy. You look like I just gave you a choice between life and death. Why so serious?”
There was mischief in her tone.
“Really, it’s not dangerous. Ah, yes!”
Elisha, as if she had just remembered something, pointed to a young lady.
“She’s playing for the first time today too. No need to gallop—just try gently hitting the ball while on the horse.”
The suggestion only made Lucy more reluctant.
She clambered onto her horse and said,
“Sister.”
At last, their gazes met on equal footing.
“Unlike you, I don’t have athletic skills. If I joined, the game would lose its fun. I’m content just taking my horse for a walk.”
Lucy deliberately praised Elisha, politely refusing.
Satisfied with the refusal, Elisha didn’t press further.
As Lucy relaxed, Elisha lightly tapped the ground twice with her stick.
It was a natural motion, as if brushing off dirt.
But not for Lucy’s horse.
As if the sound was a signal, it reared up violently, stomping its front legs.
“Eeeek!”
“Ah!”
Lucy was startled by the sudden frenzy of the horse.
She barely held the reins, trying not to fall.
The horse’s eyes turned red, then it kicked hard with its hind legs and started running.
“Ahhh!”
Lucy screamed instinctively.
She had never ridden a horse at such speed before.
“Lucy!”
Seeing this, Bartholomew quickly mounted his black horse and immediately chased after her.
“Oh, Lucy!”
Elisha also called after her belatedly.
But that was all she did.
She watched the two disappear into the distance, a faint smile on her lips.
The first day of the hunting competition ended.
As expected, the winner of the first day was Logan.
Patrick came in second.
The two placed the animals they had successfully hunted beside them like trophies, then turned their attention to the spectators.
Many young ladies cheered and waved handkerchiefs at them, but the people they were looking for were different.
It was Lucy.
Patrick, seeing that Lucy was not around, felt disappointed.
He had taken care to perform well in the hunting competition to maintain his dignity in front of Lucy.
Though he couldn’t beat Logan, he had achieved the most notable results with his own hunting skills.
When he glanced at Logan, he noticed Logan was still scanning the crowd for someone.
“Are you looking for Princess Lucy?”
Logan quietly looked at Patrick in response.
His expression was as stern as usual, but his eyes showed a flicker of surprise.
Patrick didn’t miss it.
Our princess is truly remarkable.
Even the normally stoic commander of the knights was showing interest.
Patrick chuckled inwardly and spoke.
“Unfortunately, Princess Lucy doesn’t seem to be enjoying the hunting games. Since she’s not here, I assume she must be resting somewhere.”
“…”
“Shall we go greet her?”
“Agreed.”
Logan finally spoke, his tightly pressed lips opening at last.
The two of them left behind the young ladies waving their handkerchiefs enthusiastically and headed to the resting area.
Cecil was there.
They approached him, glad to have a lead.
“Have you seen Princess Lucy?”
Cecil tilted his head slightly.
“Wasn’t she in the spectator stands?”
“She wasn’t.”
“Nor is she here.”
“Then perhaps she left earlier.”
Logan scanned the area.
“No. The carriage and servants that came with the princess are still here.”
The three exchanged puzzled looks.
Then where exactly was Lucy?
“Have you seen Prince Bartholomew?”
Cecil shook his head in response to Patrick’s question.
Bartholomew was always by Lucy’s side.
If Lucy had disappeared, it was highly likely she was with him.
At that moment, a young lady who had overheard their conversation approached.
“Has Princess Lucy not returned yet?”
“What do you mean?”
The three men showed interest at the same time, making the young lady flustered.
After hesitating, she said,
“I heard she rode off somewhere after talking briefly with Princess Elisha.”
“Do you mean she’s in the mountains as the sun sets?”
“I-I’m not sure.”
The three left the young lady behind and went to find Elisha.
She was talking with other young ladies.
Seeing the three approach her simultaneously, she looked puzzled.
Elisha stepped away from the group and approached them.
“Have you seen Princess Lucy?”
Ah. Again about Lucy.
Patrick was the one who asked, and Elisha’s eyes cooled.
But her lips curved slightly.
“I saw Lucy briefly earlier. Is something wrong?”
“She’s not here.”
Elisha’s eyes widened.
It was a deliberate expression.
“Lucy hasn’t returned yet?”
“What do you mean?”
Elisha looked troubled.
“Actually, I had a bit of an argument with Lucy.”
The three listened carefully.
“She wanted to play polo. I thought her riding skills weren’t yet sufficient, so I warned her not to—too dangerous.”
“…”
“It seems to have hurt her pride. She wanted to show that her riding isn’t that bad, so she rode off quickly somewhere.”
The three exchanged glances.
Logan shook his head.
“Princess Lucy would never say such a thing.”
“Excuse me?”
“She knows exactly how inexperienced she is with riding. Someone who has only just learned to handle a horse wouldn’t volunteer for a polo game.”
Logan, who had taught Lucy to ride, spoke firmly.
“So are you saying I lied?”
Logan said nothing.
“I don’t like this. It feels like you’re accusing me of lying.”
A hint of displeasure appeared on Elisha’s face.
“I’m sorry.”
Logan apologized politely, and only then did her expression soften.
“In any case, I haven’t seen Lucy since. I thought she’d come back once she calmed down.”
The three exchanged glances.
“Prince Bartholomew must have followed her. Perhaps she’s spending time with him?”
Patrick looked up at the sky.
The day was slowly fading.
“It’s getting late. She shouldn’t still be in the mountains.”
“Something dangerous might have happened.”
Cecil added in a serious tone.
Logan, as if no further explanation was needed, said,
“We must go find Princess Lucy.”
“Let’s go together.”
“I’ll come too.”
The three men declared that they would search for Lucy.
Elisha looked on, dumbfounded.
All this over a brief disappearance of Lucy?
She twisted her lips in thought.
They won’t find her anyway.
If you want, I can also make a more fluid, novel-style English version that reads naturally while keeping all dialogue and character nuances intact—it would feel less like a literal translation and more like a polished chapter.
Do you want me to do that?
