CH 164

About twenty minutes later, the people who were on horseback soon went back.

And the moment Rosé and Ferre were carried down from the horses by Jean and Helios, they both came running towards Sera.

“Sera, we’re back!”

“Seera! Did you wait for me and Ferre for a long time?”

“No, but I did miss you a little bit.”

Sera brought one hand up and showed two fingers pinching in the air, but the twins knew that what she was feeling was the opposite. They giggled, saying that they like it.

Sera tidied the children’s clothes, and as they were ready to return to the Star Palace now, Rosé tugged on Helios’ pants.

“Oppa, you won’t give Sera a ride?”

“Hm?”

“The horsie. A ride on the horsie.”

At Rosé’s words, Sera and Helios looked at each other with wide eyes. Before either of them could say something back, Ferre piped in.

“Yeah. Sera came all the way here, so Sera should ride the horsie! Hyung!”

Sera quickly lowered her gaze, feeling embarrassed whenever she and Helios were being urged together.

“I’m alright. I’ve never ridden a horse before.”

Holding the children’s hands, she quickly shot the suggestion down. She could feel the subtle looks that Jean and Raphael were giving her, so she was feeling a bit of panic.

“Why, Sera? Sera, you don’t want to ride the horsie with Oppa? It’s a lot of fun.”

“Hyung, you’re really not going to give Sera a ride?

“Ah…?”

Helios was also bewildered by the children’s sudden suggestion.

Taking a furtive glance at him for a moment, Sera turned back to the children and persuaded them. It wouldn’t be good to have any more awkward situations.

“Your Highnesses, His Majesty is very busy. He’ll have to go back now. We also have to continue studying, too.”

“Really? But…”

Unlike Rosé, it seemed that Ferre couldn’t be dissuaded just yet. He seemed to feel it’s a shame that Sera didn’t get to have fun horseback riding.

So, he turned his head and faced Jean.

“Then how about Jean? He can give you a ride if he’s not busy, right? Or Raphael! He didn’t go with us a while ago, so he can give me a ride, too!”

Right. So it seemed like he had an ulterior motive. Ferre explained his plan enthusiastically, as if he had found a very wise solution.

At Ferre’s words, Jean’s eyes went wide open, and he turned to look at Sera.

It was a silent look, but he seemed to be saying that he’s alright with going for at least one round, if Sera would allow it?

“Miss Sera, would you like to go on a ride? I believe it would be nice to ride together and go with Their Highnesses.”

Sera pondered on how she should respond.

In the end, she surmised that it wouldn’t be polite to reject their suggestions to this extent.

She was about to say yes, but then— Helios blocked her words.

“No. Miss Popo will be riding with me.”

“What?”

Sera and the others all turned to Helios in unison. However, he avoided answering, instead smiling as if there was no problem.

Soon, he offered a hand to Sera.

“Shall we?”

When Helios then talked to her directly, Sera hesitated for a moment more, but she had no choice but to walk up to his horse.

Because it would be impossible to refuse His Majesty the Emperor’s request.

As if he was familiar with the motion, Helios placed both hands on Sera’s waist and helped her onto the horse.

Flustered because she felt the horse as she sat on it, Helios jumped behind her right then.

“What about Ferre?”

Helios asked if Ferre would be riding with them as well.

So, Ferre was about to raise his hand to Raphael—so that Raphael could carry him—but then he suddenly felt Rosé elbowing him. He shook his head immediately.

“Ah, I changed my mind. I… I’ll just stay here with Rosé.”

“Really?”

Helios looked at Ferre with suspicion, but Ferre just looked away. Sera also wanted to ask why, but she was quivering.

“Miss Popo, there’s nothing you need to be nervous about, so straighten you back.”

With a gentle voice, Helios soothed Sera as she had gone stiff with fear.

Sera tried to keep her waist as straight as possible, but she caught sight of the floor—which was much further than she thought—and she felt even more scared now.

Besides, how could there be any other situation more nerve-wracking than this one? Helios was so close to her that she could even feel his breaths.

“Your Majesty.”

Sera’s voice had dropped to a whisper, and she was about to say that it would be better if they just quit now.

Perhaps because of fear, or perhaps because she could clearly feel his breaths on the nape of her neck, but her heart was pounding so much.

“I think this is enough experience of riding a horse for me. Can’t I get off now?”

Her words sounded sincere. However, as Rosé was watching from the sidelines, she thought that Sera sounded weak.

“No way! Sera, you haven’t even moved yet, you can’t say that’s enough! Oppa, since you’re going for a ride with Sera, you should go far far away. You should show Sera how much fun it is to ride a horsie!”

With a small index finger, Rosé pointed towards a place far, far away within the forest. It was far enough that it would take an hour back and forth going there.

“Your Highness, His Majesty is very busy, so…!”

Sera tried to stop Rosé, but Rosé was faster.

The little girl looked up in a snap, clapping her hands once as though she remembered something.

“Ah, what should I do?”

She stomped one foot.

“Heli Oppa! I think I forgot something at the place I went with you a while ago!”

“What?”

“Hm?”

Sera and Helios looked at Rosé as though they couldn’t comprehend her unexpected words.

However, they soon became worried because Rosé might burst into tears any second now. With the way she was biting her lower lip right now and stomping her foot, it seemed like she wasn’t lying.

“Huh? What did you forget?”

“What did you forget there, Your Highness?”

Helios and Sera asked one after another.

“It’s…”

Rosé hesitated, looking very conflicted.

With that expression on her face, it seemed as though she thought she’d get in trouble, so she didn’t say anything at the start.

“It’s my hairpin… with a gemstone. A green gemstone.”

A gemstone.

Sera and Helios’ lips froze because the lost item was much more expensive than they were expecting.

“Do you remember where you dropped it, Rosé?”

Helios asked Rosé so that he’d be able to find it.

“Um, I think I dropped it when we went to the end, or maybe not there… That’s my favorite hairpin… Oppa, can you find it for me while you’re going there with Sera?”

As Rosé spoke, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she clung to Ferre’s arm.

Helios quickly soothed Rosé in case she might burst into tears.

“Rosé, I’ll go find it.”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll look for it carefully. So don’t worry too much.

Sera also consoled Rosé and told her it was going to be alright.

“Okay, please find it for me. I really, really like that hairpin. I’ll only trust Sera and Heli Oppa.”

Strangely enough, when someone suggested that Rosé should go with them, she declined the offer. She just said that it would be better if two adults would go find it without her.

Helios and Sera comforted Rosé a few more times, saying that they understood.

And so, as Sera and Helios were determined with a mission, they soon left.

Standing there, Ferre tilted his head to the side.

“Rosé.”

“What?”

“Did you wear a pin today? I don’t remember.”

Ferre asked, patting one of Rosé’s pigtails.

Startled, Rosé quickly covered Ferre’s mouth with both her hands.

“Shh! Be quiet, Ferre. That’s a secret!”

Though he didn’t really know what’s going on, Ferre nodded anyway.