But Asella didn't move.
She still doubted the sincerity of his decision. Her blue eyes darted a worried glance toward the man before her.
"Do you truly mean this?"
Calix's expression grew even more austere. After a brief, weighted silence, he took a single step forward—and suddenly the distance between them had shrunk to almost nothing. They were nearly touching.
Asella trembled, frightened by his intentions. _Is he angry?_
Calix extended his hand in silence. But Asella remained frozen, her eyes fixed in panic on the long fingers approaching her face.
"For riding, it would be best to tie it back." He touched her silver hair with unexpected gentleness, carefully tucking a stray strand behind her ear.
Asella could scarcely breathe. She felt his large hand deliberately graze her cheek—just the tips of his fingers, feather-light against her skin.
"Otherwise, you'll have trouble seeing."
_Why... what is he doing?_
Fear gave way to bewilderment. Asella found herself utterly confused by this man's intentions.
"Sister! Come *on*! Let's go faster!"
Mariel's impatient voice shattered the strange tension between them, pulling Asella back to reality.
Finally, she made up her mind and followed her sister. But her movements remained hesitant, too slow. Then, unexpectedly, she turned back—sensing his gaze still fixed upon her.
Their eyes met.
_Why? Why is he looking at me like that?_
Asella quickly averted her gaze. But he had already caught the silent question written across her features.
Without realizing it, Asella nervously gathered the hem of her skirt and hurried away. She couldn't comprehend this man's actions at all. But she was even more disturbed by this strange, unfamiliar feeling that had emerged from nowhere.
_So strange..._
---
By the time Asella and Mariel had finished changing into proper riding attire, a carriage awaited them at the castle steps.
The ever-attentive Fabian hurried to greet them. The butler opened the carriage door with practiced courtesy.
"It's quite a distance to the riding arena, so please make yourselves comfortable. The journey will take approximately fifteen minutes."
Admiring the picturesque landscapes rolling past the carriage windows, they reached their destination before long.
"Wow! What a space!" Mariel couldn't contain her excitement.
Asella was equally delighted by the vast expanse of the arena, though she tried not to let it show.
A warm breeze carried the fresh scent of spring, and the ground lay blanketed in soft, verdant grass that seemed to glow in the sunlight.
"This is for me, right?" Mariel's smile stretched wide as she spotted a worker leading a small horse toward them.
The girl ran toward the adorable pony and clasped both hands together in pure delight.
"How *cute*!"
The animal's long lashes fluttered nervously. Then the pony regarded the girl with large, expressive eyes that seemed almost human in their gentleness.
"This is Mel. You may pet him." The groom smiled warmly at the child's enthusiasm.
While Mariel chatted animatedly with Mel—and with anyone else who would listen about how wonderful he was—Asella turned her attention to the other horses nearby.
"But why are there three horses here?"
The large black stallion looked oddly familiar, as though she had seen him somewhere before.
However, the coachman had no opportunity to answer her question.
"Have you been waiting long?"
A familiar low voice cut through the air.
Calix Benvito, immaculately dressed in riding attire, approached them with unhurried confidence, fastening his smooth black leather gloves as he walked.
---
## — Calix —
Calix couldn't take his eyes off his wife.
True, she stood before him with her head bowed, clearly trying to avoid eye contact, so he couldn't properly see her face. But given how pale she'd turned upon noticing her husband's arrival, there was little reason to hope she was pleased to see him.
_Although perhaps it was simply surprise,_ the man tried to reassure himself.
"I didn't realize you would be joining us." The woman's voice emerged quiet, though it betrayed a deep undercurrent of nervous tension.
Calix found himself fabricating an excuse almost instinctively.
"It's far too early for you to ride alone."
_If this woman falls from her horse, she'll struggle to recover with such a fragile constitution._
He studied his petite wife, who barely reached his chest.
_She absolutely requires someone to support her until she learns to sit firmly in the saddle._
The Grand Duke commanded many excellent knights and guardsmen who could handle any steed with consummate skill. But allowing his wife to ride with another man?
**Unacceptable.**
Asella could not ride alone. Nor could she ride with anyone else. For precisely this reason, Calix had appeared in person, dressed in his finest riding attire, despite the palpable tension that stretched between the two spouses like a taut wire.
"Don't worry, Lady Mariel! I shall be your most reliable protector!" Zeke announced with characteristic flourish.
"Oh! Hello, Uncle Zeke!"
"*Again*! When will this torment end?"
Meanwhile, Asella slowly raised her head.
"Your Highness... would you be willing to teach me?"
She could barely force out the words—the very words Calix had been waiting so patiently to hear.
And when she finally managed to voice the question he had so desperately hoped for, something warm bloomed unexpectedly in his chest.
"Very well." He swallowed against sudden dryness in his throat and pressed his lips together.
Asella, uncertain how to proceed, finally spoke again.
"I will try to be a diligent student."
These words, seasoned with the girl's obvious embarrassment, struck Calix as unbearably sweet. The corners of his mouth crept upward before he could stop them.
"Ha! Did His Highness just *smile*? Or have my eyes finally failed me?"
"When will you *finally* learn to shut your mouth?"
Though Zeke and Raizen spoke in hushed tones, Calix heard every syllable perfectly. At any other time, the red-haired fool would have paid dearly for such careless words. But not today.
Today, the Archduke found himself inclined toward unexpected mercy.
Besides, Asella couldn't possibly have overheard—Calix Benvito's hearing far surpassed that of ordinary people.
_There's no point in frightening my wife with more displays of anger,_ he reasoned. _She's already terrified of me. No need to make things worse._
His original plan—to marry a frightened, downtrodden woman and mold her to his preferences, exploiting her fear of her husband—had long since crumbled to dust.
"Please, my lady." Calix extended his hand toward her without thinking.
However, when Asella's anxious gaze darted first to his palm, then to his face, he quickly withdrew the offered hand, hiding it behind his back.
_Although the damage that hand inflicted upon her has long since healed, the shock of what she endured that night has not yet faded._
Calix glanced discreetly at her wrist. It was so terribly thin. Unease twisted in his gut as he recalled the dark purple bruises he himself had caused.
"Well then. I shall go first. Follow me, but watch your step carefully."
He couldn't hold her hand. But his entire attention remained focused on what was happening behind him. He heard the soft pad of her quiet footsteps, the whisper of her dress against the grass, sensed her light movements and even her faint, shallow breathing.
_Damn it._
Calix clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles went white. He could barely restrain himself from turning around and seizing Asella's hand greedily.
He still couldn't forget the sensation he'd experienced holding that hand—the day they had first arrived at Benvito Castle.
---
## — The Riding Lesson —
However, Calix's wish remained unfulfilled.
His Highness never got to ride with Asella as he'd hoped.
The moment the girl understood the implication of his proposal—that they would share a horse, her body pressed against his—her eyes darted about in a hunted, worried manner. And he didn't dare insist any further.
Instead, he rode his black stallion close beside her, watching with careful attention as Asella learned to control her own mount.
"I'm quite all right, Your Highness. You must be terribly busy. You shouldn't have troubled yourself on my account."
"Think nothing of it."
"Truly. I can manage perfectly well on my own."
"No. It's too dangerous."
His constant presence weighed heavily on Asella.
She was troubled by how pitiful she must appear in the eyes of a man who could wield a sword at full gallop without losing his seat. When she considered how much her clumsy, inexperienced movements must irritate him, her nervousness only intensified. Her entire body grew stiff as a board.
"Relax. If you're too tense, the horse will sense it."
Contrary to all her fears, he proved to be an unexpectedly patient teacher. He explained each step methodically—how best to hold the reins, how to communicate intentions to the horse through subtle shifts in weight. He demonstrated the necessary movements clearly, and when something didn't work, he repeated his instructions again and again.
Without displaying the slightest trace of irritation.
"Try to pull the reins more gently. A steady, moderate pressure."
"Like... like this?"
"Yes. Very good." A note of genuine warmth entered his voice. "Simply wonderful."
When he praised her or offered light encouragement, Asella would flush with embarrassment and flinch awkwardly.
She was thoroughly accustomed to verbal abuse. But praise? Encouragement? These were foreign territories—unmapped and deeply suspicious.
_What is all this for? Why is he doing this?_
She *knew* it was merely an attempt to confuse her. And yet...
The hands that awkwardly gripped the reins grew tense.
She wasn't naive. She understood perfectly well that this false kindness would sooner or later be followed by a devastating blow. But she longed so desperately to lean on someone—to trust, even briefly. Just for a little while.
_I know this is a poisoned cup. But I'm so terribly thirsty..._
This feeling—when had she last experienced it? Now, unexpectedly, she felt something dangerously close to happiness. Because it had been so very long since anyone had told her she was good at anything.
_I want so badly to believe this is real... even if only for a moment._
She was so exhausted. So utterly weary of constant fear and relentless stress. So desperate to lean on someone, anyone. So starved for help and protection.
_Wake up, Asella!_
The thought flashed through her mind like lightning, striking the poisoned cup from her trembling hands.
_You must not fall into the web of false flattery. You must think first and foremost about protecting Mariel._