Reincarnated Princess Wishes To Avoid Death
chapter-589

Long-Awaited Personal Connections

After safely completing the horse match-up, Mia dismounted and was approached by someone just as she landed.

“Princess Mia, that was a splendid horse match-up.”

It was San Fuuma, the Mountain Clan Chief.

Mia blinked, looking a little taken aback by the straightforward compliment. Fuuma smiled wryly, seemingly understanding her reaction.

He himself had not expected to feel so light hearted.

‘I always thought I would choose death over giving up Rakuro, but to think I would be okay with it…’

As he quietly closed his eyes, a certain scene came to mind: a picture of his daughters having fun.

At first, he was displeased to see Rakuro’s coat getting dirty in the mud. Then, his anger grew as he watched her running around, despite the care he had taken to raise her and maintain her beautiful coat.

However, seeing Xiaolei riding Rakuro with such joy and Rakuro racing vibrantly across the plains, looking so lively, a certain feeling began to blossom in Fuuma’s heart. It was…

That’s what it was!

Of course, it was natural that seeing his own daughter, Xiaolei, happily riding a horse, and his adopted daughter, Rakuro, joyfully running with Xiaolei on her back, had touched his heart. But what welled up even more were the emotions he felt as a citizen of the Equestrian Kingdom.

‘I also want to ride a horse and have a thrilling competition like that. How long has it been since I last experienced the joy of riding a horse? It doesn’t really matter if the horse is fast or slow. Just riding a horse without a care, any horse at all, would make my heart race and fill me with joy. I can’t believe I had forgotten such a simple and obvious pleasure. I too want to experience a blood-pumping, exciting horse race like that—something that pushes me to my limits.’

The pure and genuine sportsmanship of the competition between Mia and Xiaolei had rekindled those feelings in Fuuma’s heart.

It was the impulse he had felt as a child: to ride endlessly, far and wide, with a horse—faster than the birds, faster than the wind.

Suppressing his urge to ride a horse immediately, Fuuma bowed deeply to Mia. It was a gesture of heartfelt gratitude to his benefactor, who had reminded him of the joys of life he had long forgotten.

“It’s painful, but it seems that you are the most suitable rider for a swift horse like Rakuro, Princess Mia. I will gracefully yield Rakuro to you.”

Fuuma spoke, feeling somewhat refreshed.

‘Ah, it’s the agreement we made.’

Mia’s eyes widened in surprise, flustered by Fuuma’s commendable attitude, but she quickly discerned his true intention—or at least she thought she did.

‘I see. Fuuma-san is thinking the same thing as me.’

Once the horse match-up was completed, it was time to set aside competition and display sportsmanship. It was best for both sides to harbour no hard feelings for the sake of the future. Fuuma was appealing to this sentiment to avoid letting go of Rakuro. That was how Mia interpreted his intentions.

People have a set of glasses in their hearts that shape how they view others through the lens of their own values.

‘Even if I took Rakuro now, it might lead to future misfortune. It’s best to refrain from accepting his offer and instead have him owe me a favour.’

After doing some quick mental calculations, Mia gave a gentle smile.

“Yes, I am aware of that agreement. If requested, the loser must give up their horse. However, if I, as the rival opponent, do not ask for it…”

“Does that mean … you have no use for my Rakuro?”

Fuuma’s voice suddenly dropped to a low tone. When Mia looked up, she saw that his expression had drastically changed, and he was glaring at her.

‘Ah, this is going to be troublesome! If I accept Rakuro, he will hold a grudge against me for taking his horse. If I don’t, he will still hold a grudge for refusing his offer.’

Mia felt trapped in a no-win situation and was at her wit’s end.

To begin with, Mia did not particularly want Rakuro. If she needed to flee, she could borrow Kuolan. Tofu had also proven to be dependable. There was no need to take Rakuro and risk breeding resentment.

Mia’s preferred horse types were egotistical, oresama-types or reliable older brother, oniisan-types!

Rakuro was more of a young lady, ojou-sama-type, and didn’t seem particularly reliable to Mia.

‘I have a feeling that if I ride her without putting in thought, she probably won’t help me escape properly. However, if I refuse her now, it might seem like I am not acknowledging the horse’s value. And that would upset him. This has become a rather bothersome situation and puts me in a tough spot. I cannot say I’m not interested simply because I don’t ride horses, especially now that I’ve proven myself to be an excellent horse rider, on par with even the best riders of the Equestrian Kingdom.’

Mia, the founder of the jellyfish-style horse riding technique, was getting a little too carried away.

She carefully thought about how to decline his offer without hurting his pride.

‘Basically, I need to express that I really want Rakuro but still decline firmly. Hmm… In that case…’

After a moment of consideration, Mia spoke.

“There is no doubt that Rakuro is a wonderful horse. I understand this better than anyone, having competed against her.”

‘First came the flattery. That was basic. And on top of that,’

“However, that excellence is possible only with Xiaolei-san riding her. Don’t you think so?”

‘Add a good reason for the refusal.’

Rakuro’s excellence was the result of the ‘unity between the rider and the horse’. Thus, Mia argued that its effectiveness would be halved the moment it came into her hands.

Mia skilfully intertwined cunning and flattery to refuse the offer.

Fuuma’s eyes widened in shock!

“What? You mean, you want me to give up Xiaolei as well, along with Rakuro?”

Fuuma said something preposterous, and Xiaolei quietly nodded in response.

“Father, I also competed against Princess Mia. As someone who was defeated, I have no right to say otherwise. If Princess Mia desires it, I will humbly…”

“You’re both completely wrong! I am the Princess of the Tearmoon Empire. I would never say something like that, as if I were some slave trader!”

Mia denied it with lightning speed, so fast it seemed she had transcended time itself, much like the legendary Princess Mia.

‘What are they saying, this father-daughter duo!’

Mia looked around nervously, keen to avoid giving Saint Rafina the impression that she was casually discussing the purchase of slaves.

‘That would definitely be my last remark before the guillotine squad came after me.’

However, surprisingly, Rafina was nowhere to be seen. Strangely, neither were Ludwig, Anne or Bel.

‘I wonder what happened.’

Mia shook her head, choosing to focus on the problem at hand.

“That’s not it, Chief Fuuma. I was deeply moved by the bond between Xiaolei-san and Rakuro. I also believe I have built a bond with Tofu. Perhaps not to the same extent as all of you, but I understand the significance of the bond between a rider and their horse.”

A group of riders who had accompanied Mia on the second day of the match-up became deeply emotional and nodded in agreement at her statement.

They were the ones who had witnessed Mia frantically speaking to Tofu, offering it vegetable cakes and other treats to get it to run faster, and had been deeply moved by the sight.

“Princess Mia, you are too modest. We have seen how you encouraged and cared for your tired horse. No one can deny the strong bond that you‘ve formed with it.”

“…Okay. I’m happy to hear that.”

For a moment, Mia wondered, ‘What on earth are they talking about?’

But she decided to go along with it, nodded, cleared her throat, and continued.

“Well, in any case, that bond is very precious. People and their horses are inseparable. The bond between a rider and their beloved horse should never be severed by anyone. That is what I believe. That is why…”

At that point, Mia looked around and noticed that many people from the Equestrian Kingdom had gathered around her, listening intently. All of them looked at her with kind and gentle eyes, like those of a horse.

‘Right now… I feel like no matter what I say, they’ll listen to me!’

Mia took a step forward.

“What I seek is not to break apart the existing bonds, but to create new ones.”

Mia looked towards Xiaolei.

“I seek wonderful friends who will help me in times of trouble.”

What Mia sought was slightly different from a formal alliance. While she understood the necessity of forming alliances based on mutual interests, she found it honestly too tiresome to use her brain for such strategies.

‘I want to leave those kinds of matters for Ludwig to handle.’

Mia was looking for something a little more convenient: pure friendship, free from complicated interests.

‘Now that I think of it, the southern capital of the Equestrian Kingdom is an excellent location. Should something happen in the Tearmoon Empire, it would be an ideal place to stop by on my escape route. The people of the Equestrian Kingdom also seem reliable, so I need to establish friendly relations here at all costs.’

Mia then looked at Xiaolei.

“So, Xiaolei-san, if you don’t mind, would you be my friend?”

Xiaolei let out a small gasp and then nodded in agreement.

Thus, Mia gained some long-awaited connections. In the Equestrian Kingdom, known for its skilled cavalry, she established personal ties that could influence the Remno Kingdom, located towards the south east.