“It was indeed very interesting; athletes from different races and countries fiercely competed on the same field, but there could only be one champion, and it depended on who was higher, faster, and stronger.”
“Oh.” She replied, placing the medal back in the box, carefully covering it with the glass frame, and setting it back on the bookshelf.
“What’s wrong, darling?” It seemed she suddenly lost interest in the medal, and he asked with some confusion. In fact, just now, when those charming lights sparkled in her black eyes, he had an impulse; if she really liked it that much, he would give her this medal. Although every medal here represented personal honor and merit, which should be invaluable to him, one of the important tenets of chivalry is that when a man stands before the goddess of love and beauty he admires, there is nothing he cannot offer.
She didn’t seem like a wise goddess but rather like a noisy little girl. “I want to ride a horse too.”
“Ride a horse? Alright, I can fulfill that wish.” His ice-blue eyes clouded over, and suddenly he tightly embraced her, whispering in her ear, “But before that, let me ride you first.”
Khanyi lay quietly on the bed, her frail body sinking into the white mattress, feeling sore all over, lacking even the strength to speak. Her pair of shiny black eyes stared blankly out the window, where the warm afternoon sun filtered through the dark red velvet curtains and the thin brown lace curtains outside, casting golden rays into the room. The sunlight sprinkled on the bed, making her feel drowsy. Her head was heavy; counting with her fingers, it had already been three days, and she had spent most of her time in bed, even having breakfast and lunch there. Khanyi sighed softly, noticing him lighting a cigarette, leaning back in a sunlit lounge chair, leisurely flipping through a sports magazine. Suddenly, he raised his blue eyes and said to her with interest, “This afternoon, I’ll take you horseback riding.”
“Mm.” She lazily responded, curling up and hiding under the down comforter, regretting her impulsive request from the morning. In her current state, even getting out of bed to walk was difficult; how could she possibly ride a horse?
Seeing her completely cocooned like a silkworm, he tossed the magazine aside, got up from the lounge chair, grabbed a handful of her black hair that was sticking out, and gently pulled her head out. Her hair was tugged a bit painfully, and she reluctantly turned her head to ask him, “What are you doing?”
“Are you tired, darling?” He knelt on one knee beside the bed, one hand pressing on her shoulder while the other gently played with her hair. “I’m here to keep you company for a while.”
“No.” She turned her head away, presenting him with a cold back.
“Come on, let’s go out and get some sun.” He unceremoniously pulled back the comforter, extracting her from it and laying her flat on the floor.
Thus, she was forced out of bed, angrily heading to the bathroom. After a quick wash, she looked in the mirror, tidied her hair, and used a hairpin to tie it into a simple, clean ponytail at the back of her head. She changed out of her light purple sheer nightgown and put on a light pink dress. He, too, was not in his black uniform but wore a white shirt with a khaki striped trench coat over it, brown hunting trousers, and black riding boots. He waited for her for a long time in the living room on the first floor. She finally slowly came down the stairs, and he couldn’t help but frown. Clearly, she had no adequate understanding of the weather and temperature outside. Just before they were about to leave, he had to drape a thick wool shawl over her.
He took her to the stable, where the officer in charge of the horses brought out a white horse. This horse was raised alone; the officer stroked its long neck, brushed its mane, and skillfully saddled it. The horse was beautiful, pure white like snow, with dark eyes. It lowered its head, walking evenly, appearing very docile. He politely thanked the caretaker and then slowly led the horse out of the stable by its reins.
He lifted her onto the horse’s back and mounted it himself, exiting through the small gate in the backyard, guiding the horse towards the small river at the edge of the mountains and fields, strolling along the riverbank, where the stream babbled and the spring warmth enveloped everything. Everything was so peaceful and serene; although the trees were not fully green yet, the early spring atmosphere permeated the countryside. He abandoned the idea of galloping with her on the horse; she looked like she could not handle any bumps, her little face scrunched up, insisting she wanted to get down.
