- What will you do after lunch? Jen asked me.

With a gloomy sigh, I informed her that it was time to return to Princess Giselle’s chambers. She’s probably finished her meeting with the king by now. This morning in all its glory showed her attitude towards me.

- I was assigned to the Princess of Adaman. Therefore, I will run there, otherwise this morning I almost ran into a spanking with rods. – I still can’t understand why she wanted to give me such a severe punishment for simply being late.

- Oh, lousy, friend. - Jen sympathized with me. - By the way, you should keep in mind that Scarlett and Clarice are very courteous to her. So all these rumors about you and the king have probably already reached Giselle’s ears.

These words seemed to wake me up from hibernation. Could it be that Giselle got mad at me not out of nothing, but because of these rumors that the maids spread? It was more likely. Now she’ll definitely get me out of the world. I’ve been having a lot of problems lately, why not add more.

A quiet, growing terror stirred the hair on the top of my head. It will not be an easy competition, but you need to endure and stand up. I am strong, not stupid, and I have a certain trump card – Rafael needs me. At least not yet.

And I decided. Since he’s probably using me, why shouldn’t I use him too? That’s right, it should be good for both of us – he is the thing he is looking for, and I have a calm and free life without unnecessary problems and with the preservation of all nerve cells.

That’s right, stop putting up with it!

And I, pleased with my bold spontaneous, but deliberate decision, went to wander around the castle. Just aimlessly, I went wherever her eyes looked. You’d think I was crazy and looking for trouble. Again. But I was actually probing the ground.

I needed to understand how much Raphael is interested in me, how much he needs my help and what he is ready for this. Even if everything went downhill later and I got the punishment I deserved, I was ready for such a desperate step. Otherwise, I will not get off the ground and will continue to live in humiliation and mockery inside this castle.

I had already trampled two floors with my feet, the servants didn’t care about me, but the guards were watching sideways, not taking their gaze off. Do I look so suspicious? Hm.

Desperate ideas were maturing in my head, I wanted to attract attention to myself, but which way is better to choose? It should be noisy, expressive and enchanting, and most importantly so that it reaches Raphael’s ears. I went to the window and breathed in fresh air.

A smile spread across my face at the thought that now I have become so crazy and there is no shadow of my father or stepmother standing over me. I was looking for freedom, but it turned out that I am already free, even in such a small matter I am free to make my own decision. So what if they punish me later. But I’ll have fun. And why do I have so much bad arrogance?

- Mama wouldn’t approve. - I thought to myself and giggled.

I tore off my cap and threw it on the marble floor, letting my golden hair fall in a graceful cascade behind my back. My pride and my peculiarity, as my mother used to say.

Some of the servants passing by were shocked by such audacity, I heard these sighs and groans, whispers and condemnations. And some were fascinated and couldn’t take their eyes off. I tried to restrain a smile that threatened to stretch across my face and instead chuckled and proudly raised my head and walked past them straight into the street.

Today was a wonderful sunny day, so bright and warm.

I immediately remembered how when I was little, I ran to the cook, and we dried apricots with him. More precisely, he was drying, and I was eating up, telling him that I was trimming the edges.

He laid out the fruits cut in half on long trays and exposed them to the bright hot sun, covering them with thin gauze to protect them from sweet-toothed insects. And a few days later, he and I came to collect a ready–made dessert - dried apricots. Then they sat on the porch of the kitchen, and I enjoyed eating them. Today there was the same bright sun and such warm memories from childhood.

I took off my shoes and walked barefoot on the soft green grass across the courtyard, passing the greenhouse where the king and Giselle had recently met. Disgusted again at the mere thought of them.

I walked past the verandas, the beautiful garden and quickly slipped through the open doors of the barn. The straw underfoot rustled pleasantly, causing the horses to turn around at the noise and snort in greeting.

- Sorry, friends, I’m without food today. – I spread my hands and shrugged guiltily, heading straight to one horse that stood apart from everyone.

A black-haired, satiny, beautiful and proudly towering Berkoot.

He measured me with a calm look and lowered his head again, grabbing an armful of grass with his teeth.

- Do you want to go for a walk? - The horse snorted aggressively at my question, forcing me to step back.

I bit my lower lip with my teeth, but I didn’t give up and didn’t give up this idea. On the contrary, I boldly stretched out my arms to him and grabbed the reins tightly, pulling them slightly towards me. The horse was not happy about this and aggressively shook his head, trying to shake off my hands.

His eyes expressed complete dissatisfaction with my actions, and his hooves loudly tapped an uneven rhythm on the wooden floors of the stall. Resisting and struggling, he showed me his violent nature and tried to scare me with loud neighing and snorting. But I wasn’t in the mood to back down.

Touching the bolt on the small gate with my hand, I opened the latch, completely opening the door wide and stood right in the aisle, not letting Berkoot pass by. He was about to start moving towards the open door, but he saw me and abruptly reared up, showing his huge size compared to my tiny physique.

Well, just a handsome, worthy of admiration.

I tried to stroke him, running my hand over his bristly hide to calm him down, but the horse was too zealous and forcefully pushed my hand away with his muzzle. But he was immediately caught by the bit. I do not know where I got such strength from, but for some time I successfully managed to keep Berkoot in place, despite his attempts to escape. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Gradually, I began to back away, encouraging him to follow me, and it turned out almost successfully. Except for the same sharp maneuvers of the horse, which forced me to tighten my grip on the bit. I had to almost pull it on myself.

- Thea? What are you doing? – an unexpected voice behind me made me jump on the spot from fright. Well, who sneaks up so unnoticed!

Shifting my gaze, I noticed Oliver standing in the doorway of the barn, who was not so much angry as worried and excited.

- Carefully, let go of the reins and slowly move away from Berkoot. - he held out his hand, gesturing to obey and behave more calmly in the presence of a wild horse. – Come on, don’t be silly.

-I’m sorry, Mr. Salamander, but it’s just the most wonderful weather for riding today. Don’t you think so? - I winked at him playfully, trying to hide my embarrassment and shame.

Wasting no time, I put my foot in the stirrup and pulled myself up, grabbing everything I could just to get on this tall horse. It was difficult and Berkoot resisted, trying to throw me off, but I, trained in riding, managed to hold on. And the next moment, the horse stood on its hind legs, almost overturning me, if not for my dead stranglehold around his neck.

I groped for the reins with my hand and pulled sharply, only after that the horse again stood with all his feet on the ground and set off at a wild gallop. Oliver was more than shocked, having managed to rush to the side at the last moment, not wanting to be trampled by powerful hooves.

- Theeeeea. - Oliver’s voice echoed faintly in my ears as Berkoot drove me furiously away from the barn.

My hands began to tremble from the tight grip, and my heart played out its own unnatural rhythm, knocking down the already uneven breathing. My disheveled hair was fluttering in the wind, confusing and interfering with my vision, but I couldn’t remove them, because for this I had to let go of at least one hand.

I had to trust my own feelings and the horse, which, despite the wayward rider, ran further and further, with aggression and arrogance. The glossy black mane tickled my face, causing even more inconvenience.

What did I want to achieve with this? Well, I brought out Berkoot and even while I’m trying to hold on, but I can’t cope with it and direct it too. It turns out more that it’s him walking me, not me walking him. All thoughts were focused only on holding on.

Through the strands of hair and the horse’s mane, I could see the entrance gate and that infernal vine visible ahead, and at that moment my heart almost stopped. I remembered my unfortunate acquaintance with this carnivorous plant and Raphael’s words that it is capable of sucking a person dry. Panic began to roll in with frenzied force.

I pulled the horse by the reins, by the mane and even by the ears, trying to somehow stop him or change the direction, but not only did the horse not move an inch, he no longer tried to throw me off, but only purposefully walked towards the exit from the palace.

Ten meters...

Five...

One ...

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly and crouched lower, pressing my chest against the horse’s withers, hugging the thick neck even more tightly. This will definitely be my end. Why go there of all places?