Chapter 47
***
He didn't say yes or no, he just pulled himself up. Instead, he tugged on the reins of a white horse.
"Her name is Gloria."
Louise stared at the white horse, its black eyes blinking. Michael explained.
"His Excellency chose her carefully. She’s a bit skittish, but she's small and gentle, so she'll be a good horse for you to ride. You may pet her a bit."
Louise reached out with a trembling hand and touched the bushy mane. She expected it to be soft as a feather, but it was stiffer than she expected.
"I'll show you how to sit in the saddle and hold the reins, and we'll take a short walk around the garden to get acquainted with her."
Michael led Gloria over to the nest of trees he'd prepared, then held out one hand to Louise.
"I'll use the stepping stones so you can climb up on your own, here."
Louise blinked her emerald eyes.
"I've never seen anyone use something like this to climb on a horse......."
"Men do, but no matter how close you get to a horse, it's not safe for a lady to climb onto its back at once."
Now that she thought about it, she's also determined.
"Take my hand, and put your left foot in the stirrup."
Louise slowly took Michael's hand.
It was not easy to climb onto the horse, even from the high tree perch. Michael spoke simply, but the stirrups still seemed high.
As he waited, holding onto the saddle, Michael spoke to a frightened and hesitant Louise.
"I have orders not to hurt you, you can trust me a little more."
Louise couldn't understand Michael's tone, and she wanted to ask him if he would just do it if he said it was okay to hurt her.
Normally, he would try to avoid hurting anyone around him, even if he didn't have to be told to.
But the next moment, a gloved palm was laid flat on the ground, just below the stirrups.
"Step on it. It's your first day, let me help you."
For once, Louise panicked.
"No, I can step on the stirrups. I can do it."
"Starting tomorrow, you will step on the stirrups."
The big palm didn't even move. Louise tried to put her foot on the stirrups, but it was difficult. Finally, she stepped on Michael's palm, and he gently lifted her up and placed her in the stirrups.
"..................Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me, I'm just doing my job."
What an unpleasant man. Every word he said made Louise uncomfortable.
For the first time, Louise realized that a horse's back was so high. She hunched her shoulders in fear, and the man's stern comment came right back.
"The horse knows when you're scared. Straighten your shoulders and back."
The first lesson was longer than she expected. The thought of riding with him every morning made her not look forward to the next two months.
***
A few days later, it was evening.
Louise spent a longer than usual time in the tub.
"Are you still sore, my lady? I've been rubbing you."
"I'm fine now, it's just nice and warm. It's early, so why don't you let me read and rest?"
She had sat on the horse a few times.
Her calves and thighs had been aching since day one, and today she was sneaking a limp when no one was looking.
The pain in her legs, shoulders, and back, all of which had been aching since she started riding and taking the reins herself, was unbearable.
Pauline thoughtfully placed the bath tray on the table and brought her a cup of hot tea. Louise opened a book on the tray and relaxed by herself for the first time in a long time.
After a while, there was a short knock on the door. It was probably Pauline coming in to finish up the bath.
Louise didn't look up from her book, so when she heard the man’s voice, she was startled.
"Are you ill, madam, from riding?"
Louise looked up, puzzled, and Caius trotted over and sat down slowly in front of the tub. It was only early evening, and she couldn't figure out why he'd come already.
"It's okay, it's nothing."
"You should get up, squatting will only make your muscles worse."
Louise hesitated.
Once she cleared the tray, she would be naked for him to see. They were practically naked nightly, but the light was still too bright right now.
But Caius didn't wait for her, and he grabbed the tray.
Louise was torn between wanting to cover herself and being afraid that the teacup would fall and break.
Fortunately, the teacup didn't fall; he had no other intention, only to unfold the wide linen Pauline had prepared.
When Louise remained seated with her arms crossed over her chest, he glared at her in disbelief.
"Are you keeping me waiting?"
Louise sighed and rose to her feet. A servant would never keep his lord waiting.
"Go to the bed and lie down."
He said as soon as she had wrapped herself in linen.
Louise froze again. She was still confused about his intentions, as she had been every night.
She had already been told not to keep him waiting, so she went to the bed. When she hesitated without lying down, the man who had followed her spoke.
"Ah."
As he rolled up his sleeves, he added, as if realizing something.
"Just make yourself comfortable and lie down, I mean."
Louise was suddenly relieved and did as she was told.
"Where does it hurt the most?"
Caius asked, but before Louise could answer, he squeezed her side.
"Here?"
"Ah...............!"
Louise exclaimed, startled, but his hand nonchalantly slid down her thigh and grabbed her just above the knee.
"It'll hurt here, too."
"Oh, Your Highness, just a moment.................. stop, stop."
"The maid was worried that you were sick, but what can I do, if my wife is sick, I must take care of her as a husband should."
"Oh, you can tell her to take care of me, you can tell Pauline that......!"
Louise shouted back, frantically, because it hurt everywhere he touched. Unfortunately, he seemed to find her reaction amusing.
"I'd still have to stay in this room for a while to say I took care of you, or is there something else you'd like to do with me, something we always do here?"
Louise lifted her face from the pillow and turned toward the man as she asked.
"So, you're going to give me a massage? I don't think that's what you're supposed to do."
She added, pointedly, but it sounded funny to him.
Then his big palm pressed down hard on the center of her back shoulders.
"Ah...............!"
"So you're saying it's your duty as a servant to suffer through this? Isn't a healthy body the basis of service?"
Eventually, Louise buried her face in her pillow.
His riding days were a long, long time ago, and she wondered how he could be so good at picking out her sore spots.
"I'll touch you gently, but if it hurts too much, don't hold it in."
His thick hands cupped her shoulders and began to rub, his grip moderating as he spoke.
"The powerful nobles and the less powerful nobles scattered outside the imperial household. I've compiled a list of the ones you need to know. It's on your desk, memorize it in your spare time."
And so he did. He didn’t just come to see her because she was sick in the first place.
"Yes, Your Highness."
Louise replied, still meekly.
But the man's hands continued to work diligently after that.
Once he had released her shoulders, he cupped her arms, then moved down her spine to press firmly against her pelvis.
Her sensitive thighs tensed at the touch, and her stomach twisted in knots, but only she could tell, and he did what he had to do.
By the time Caius was down to her ankles, her whole body was tingling. He turned to Louise, who was lying on her stomach with all her limbs stretched out, and asked.
"What do you think? Do you feel any better?"
Louise rolled her linen-clad body halfway around. She was definitely more comfortable than she had been a moment ago.
"Yes. Thank you, Your Highness. Actually, I didn't want to ask my maid to give me a massage...... because I'm not quite comfortable with having someone take care of me yet."
"So you're loyal to your lord, then."
The sarcasm in the man's voice left her unable to respond. He didn't mean it, but he wasn't wrong.
But in her momentary distraction, Caius loosened her linen, revealing her reddened body in places when he had massaged.
".................. Your Highness?"
Louise tucked the ends of the linen back in, but his hot hand wrapped around her already bare shoulder.
"Then, may I take it now?"
***
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