The horse, which was running with its forelegs raised high, soon became calm. He was still excited, but he didn’t raise his front legs again. Roy patted the horse on the cheek.
“You’re a nice guy. You did that because you were very surprised, weren’t you? It’s OK. I’ll pass it on to your master.”
He really seemed to be acting as if he could understand the horse. Roy, who consoled the jumping horse with only a few words, said to the man in a brown hat, who appeared to be the master of the horse, “You’re the owner of this horse, aren’t you?”
The man nodded, puzzled by Roy’s question.
“Please stop whipping this guy. He said that even if you whip him, you won’t get him to run any faster. He said that his leg, which was hurt previously, hasn’t healed yet.”
“Neigh!”
Roy’s words were rough. It was as if he was acting for the horse.
“He’s shock has yet to subside, so let him rest in a cozy stable. With that, I’ll be off.”
“Ah… Yes. Thank you.”
Roy returned to Sienna after humbly telling the man that he had done little to be thanked by him, acting as though he hadn’t done much.
Sienna was quite surprised to see his behavior and his actions. It was easy to see people talking to animals, but it was unusual to find a person who could understand animals. What’s more, it wasn’t an animal he had raised himself, but rather, an animal he had met for the first time that day, and he was able to calm it down with a few words.
“You’re really something!”
At Sienna’s praise, Roy blushed with embarrassment.
“No. It’s just a small talent. Sister Sienna, I can’t repay you for saving my life, but I’d like to have a chance to repay you a little. If you don’t mind…”
“Oh, my!” Sienna was surprised by the black cat rubbing its cheek against the back of her foot. “This cat must definitely be…”
It was the cat that had been running away from Roy a while ago. That cat had almost caused Roy to have a big accident since Roy hadn’t checked his surroundings properly because he was running after it.
When Sienna picked the cat up, she felt better because of the soft fur and warm body against her.
“Coco!”
“Is this little rascal’s name Coco?”
“Yes. He’s a very troublesome rascal. Today, he scratched the back of the hand of a believer who had been visiting the temple, and when I scolded him for it, he tore up the letter I was writing in a huge fit and ran away.”
“Meow!”
That cry made Roy laugh, as if the cat couldn’t have helped it.
“But still, at least you know you’re sorry, right? Yeah, I’m fine. This person saved my life.”
“Meow!”
“He says thank you, miss Sienna.”
To deliver an animal’s words might have looked strange in other occasions, but it seemed very natural for him. He actually seemed to be able to understand animals.
She replied to Coco with a pat on the head instead.
“Miss Sienna!”
When she heard Chelsea anxiously calling for her, Sienna, who had left all the luggage in front of the carriage and had left the place where she had been waiting empty, realized that she had made Chelsea worried and had made Chelsea look for her with concern.
She handed Coco over to Roy and said, “It seems I have to be on my way. I think my companion is looking for me.”
“Miss Sienna!”
He caught her trying to turn around and asked, “Could you come to visit the Goddess of the Earth temple? Please!”
“I’ll drop by if I have time.”
Holding the cat in one arm, he said, “Then, Coco and I will wait until miss Sienna visits the temple. I’ll wait in front of the temple every day with Coco!”
“Yes. I’ll definitely drop by.”
Sienna waved to him and Coco and ran to Chelsea, who was looking for her anxiously.
“Chelsea!”
The old woman looked up at her with a tearful face and said, “My dear, where have you been? Do you know how worried I was? I was really worried that something grave might have happened because only the luggage was left and I couldn’t find you! I thought this old woman’s heart would fail completely!”
“Sorry. I had to take care of a little errand over there.”
“It’s the first time in your life that you’ve come up to the capital. What errand would you have to run?”
Chelsea’s words were not wrong. There was no way that she would have made a prior engagement with anyone when it was her first time going to the capital, and no one would have known her here.
Sienna couldn’t tell Chelsea, however: ‘I’d been away for a while to save a priest who might have died today.’ So, instead, she said, “Sorry… I was in the wrong.”
“I’m glad you’re OK. Please, tell me if you want to go somewhere next time. You’ll get in trouble if you just walk around alone like you do in Heidel.”
“OK, I’ll never do that again. Let’s go before it’s too late. It looks like the Sun is already going down? At this rate, we might have to stay at an inn for a day.”
Aunt Kelly’s mansion was in the capital, but it was her first trip. It was rude to visit after dark, so they would have to find a place to stay. There was no time to delay.
“No, that won’t work! We never know how much an inn will cost in the capital. Whether we find out or not, you’ll still need your sixty shillings. We’ll have to hurry.”
Chelsea chose to walk instead of riding in the carriage, saying they should save money that time, too. It was hard to carry the heavy load, but Sienna followed her words without a comment. Aunt Kelly’s mansion was not far away, so if they hurried, they could get there before sunset.
While walking with the heavy load, Chelsea nagged constantly.
“When you meet Baroness Kelly Grinnie, you have to say hello as I taught you. Keep your back straight and lift up only a little bit of your skirt. And don’t look around the mansion in awe just because everything seems intriguing. I’m sure you’ll think it’s tacky.”
She was worried that Sienna, who had grown up in the country without a mother, might be laughed at by high-minded aristocrats.
Noble daughters were usually educated by their mothers, and they entered society holding their mothers’ hands. If a mother died early, like Sienna’s, the daughter took her first step into society with a close female relative. So, she decided to participate in the adult ceremony by the grace of her aunt, Kelly Grinnie.
Aunt Kelly had lost her husband early and lived alone. Although Sienna’s mother and her sister had been close, aunt Kelly hadn’t visited much after her mother’s death. Still, she said she would help Sienna make her debut.
But, just as Sienna entered the capital, her aunt started feeling unwell. It was even hard for her to move. Maybe it was too much to expect her to attend the banquet with Sienna after all, and then, Sienna remembered that her aunt had died of a chronic disease in less than a week.
“Here it is,” Chelsea said after confirming the address.
She knocked by using a lion-shaped knocker on the red gate. The old knight inside the gate opened the door and asked for the visitation request. When Chelsea showed him the invitation she had received from Kelly, he led them into the mansion.
He said he’d call the butler and asked that they wait in the drawing room. Sienna sat on the red sofa, and Chelsea looked around at the drawing room and admired it.
“Wow, that picture looks like there’s a real bug sitting there. And this sofa! This is velvet, right? I can’t believe they’re using velvet as a sofa cover!”
“Chelsea, you told me not to act tacky, but…”
“Oh, my! I’m quite…”
Chelsea blushed at her words and stopped talking. Then, she stood next to Sienna anxiously.
Soon, a woman came down the stairs. She was a young and beautiful woman, who greeted Sienna calmly.
“Come here, please. My name is Jane, the butler in charge of this mansion.”
“I am called Sienna Waters. My aunt, Kelly Grinnie, invited me here through the Invitation of the Baroness,” Sienna replied with the utmost sophistication.
“It’s an honor to meet you. My master wanted to greet the Duke of Waters in person, but because of her poor health, I’ve come to serve the duke in her place. I’ll take you to the room where you’ll be staying first.”
Sienna followed Jane and told Jane to call her by her name, instead of ‘Miss Sienna.’ She would stay there for a while and receive a lot of her help, so it would be uncomfortable to continue being called ‘Miss Sienna.’