Elysia remained slumped over the railing, her head bowed low.
The dignified air she usually wore had vanished, replaced by an expression so fragile it was painful to see. Silence dominated the terrace, and the cool night breeze drifted quietly between us.
I stared down at the moonlit garden, speaking softly to the empty air.
"Elysia. Do you remember the riding ground at your mansion? Back when our engagement had just been decided. Do you remember the first day we rode together there?"
Her shoulders shifted slightly. A pair of dark violet eyes flickered toward me for a brief second. She stared at me in silence for a time before finally letting out a long, thin sigh.
"I remember it well. I had been taught the basics as a matter of noble etiquette, but at the time... I was still quite poor at syncing with the horse."
Elysia gave a small, self-deprecating laugh.
"You beat me."
"By a significant margin, too."
"You didn't have to add that."
She replied in a sulky tone, making me chuckle in spite of myself.
Back then, Elysia hadn't been the flawless woman she was today. Our engagement had just been finalized, and we were still tentatively testing the distance between us. It happened at the riding ground stretching out behind the House Loewenhart Mansion during my very first visit.
Guided to the field, our casual conversation had naturally drifted toward horsemanship.
"Then, shall we ride for a bit?"
From that one suggestion of hers, it had somehow turned into a competition. At the time, we were both still quite reserved around one another. Perhaps that was why a straightforward contest felt easier—it gave us a way to interact without the social masks.
"—!!"
Without even bothering to set a signal, we had spurred our horses almost simultaneously. It was a simple match—one lap around the riding ground—and I had been the clear victor. Elysia had suffered a total defeat.
I still remembered the way she stopped her horse at the finish line, catching up to me with her brows knit in frustration.
"So... it is my loss."
She had sat there dazed for a while, clutching the reins, before finally muttering those words.
"But I will win next time."
She had pulled the reins then, turning her horse around. Her dark violet eyes were narrowed with chagrin, but deep within them, a distinct fighting spirit had ignited. It wasn't the face of someone who would simply accept defeat and give up.
"You will accompany me, won't you? My fiancé."
She had been smiling then. She was proud, a bit of a sore loser, and yet, she looked like she was having the time of her life.
"After that day, every time I visited the House Loewenhart Mansion, you’d greet me with the same words: 'Let's have a match'..."
Elysia’s eyebrows twitched. Her gaze grew distant as if she were looking at something far away. After a moment, the corners of her mouth softened. It was a nostalgic smile, worlds away from the weakness she had shown moments ago.
"That's right," she whispered, nodding slowly. "At first, it was pure stubbornness."
She shrugged her shoulders.
"I simply hated the idea of remaining the loser. I remember pulling you by the arm every time you arrived, demanding a rematch."
"There were days when you wouldn't even let me get a proper greeting out."
"Hehe. I suppose I was too impatient to compete with you to care for pleasantries."
The night wind blew through again, stroking our cheeks. Recalling those days, we both shared a quiet smile.
"In the beginning, I won every single time, but..."
"Yes."
"Each time we met, the gap narrowed. Your handling of the reins changed. Your breathing fell in sync with the horse. Even the way you rode shifted visibly."
With every match, Elysia had closed the distance. I remembered how her almost miraculous growth had made me feel rather uneasy back then. Refusing to be overtaken, I had started practicing my own riding back at House Arkberg. I spent every spare moment in the stables, pushing myself to ensure I wouldn't be outdone by her dedication.
And yet.
"It didn't take long for you to catch up."
I still remembered that day clearly. Under a clear sky, our usual match had ended in my defeat. It was a complete, undeniable loss. The distance between us had widened steadily, and no matter how desperately I pushed, I couldn't close it.
I recalled thinking then that I had never seen a person look so genuinely happy.
When I stopped my horse at the finish line, she was already there, looking back at me with a breathless, satisfied grin. It wasn't a boastful smile; it was a look of pure, unadulterated joy that she couldn't contain. Her dark violet eyes sparkled, and her cheeks were flushed a deep red.
"I won..."
Her voice had been a mere whisper, as if she couldn't quite believe it.
From that day on, the results were no longer one-sided. Every time we met, the victor changed. We would race lap after lap, stopping our horses only when we were both gasping for air, always promising another match next time. It became the rhythm of our lives, until...
"Before I knew it, I was the one behind. I'm completely losing the overall record now."
Elysia blinked, a flicker of surprise crossing her face. Then, she let out a wry chuckle.
"That is only because you stopped taking it seriously halfway through."
"No, I was serious. And for the record, I haven't given up on catching back up to you."
"I see. Well, I don't intend to let you win easily."
She shot back instantly, and I couldn't help but laugh.
The night wind passed between us again, but the tension had left Elysia’s frame. Seeing her softness return, I spoke quietly.
"It's true that right now, you might feel like you haven't caught up to where you want to be. But that is only 'for now.' The future is never set."
Her dark violet eyes wavered.
"I don't think for a second that this is the end for you. You'll put in effort I can't even imagine, and before I know it, you'll be standing right beside me again. And then..." I paused, giving her a confident smile. "Just like with the horses, you'll leave me in the dust."
A gust of wind swayed her lapis-colored hair. Her eyes were wide, a whirlwind of emotions—surprise, bewilderment, and a tiny, flickering spark of hope—swirling in those dark violet depths. Her grip on the railing finally loosened.
Elysia said nothing for a long time. She lowered her eyes under the moonlight, as if tasting my words, before finally murmuring, "You really are unfair."
The doubt was still there, but the light in her eyes had returned.
"How am I supposed to stay still after you say something like that?"
Elysia slowly stepped away from the railing and moved toward me. She looked me straight in the eye, her gaze steady.
"I promise you. It may be impossible today... but one day, I will stand by your side." Her voice was calm and resolute. "And when I do..."
She trailed off, a tiny, knowing smile playing on her lips.
"I'll overtake you with a perfectly nonchalant face."
I laughed softly, seeing the dignified, challenging spirit of the Student Council President return.
"I look forward to it."
"Hehe. You should."
Elysia’s gaze dropped for a fleeting second before returning to mine, now burning with a different kind of intensity. She watched me, her brow furrowing slightly as if she were wrestling with a sudden impulse.
"That being said, I find myself feeling rather selfish tonight."
She closed the distance until I could feel her breath. Her slender fingers reached out, gently pinching my tie. She gave it a light tug, a gesture that mirrored the moment after the labyrinth conquest.
"I don't feel like working hard without a reward."
Her dark violet eyes narrowed mischievously. Then, as if picking up exactly where we had left off that day, she slowly rose onto her tiptoes.
"Mnh..."
A small, sweet sound escaped her as her lips met mine. It was a soft, lingering touch. Her grip on my tie tightened just a fraction, and she leaned her body into mine. Eventually, she pulled back, looking up at me from inches away.
"Mm."
She exhaled softly, nodding with satisfaction.
"I think that will help me work a little harder."
"That's a modest reward."
"Is it?" Elysia chuckled. "It doesn't feel modest to me."
She didn't let go of my tie. She gave it another tug, drawing me back in. This kiss was longer, more deliberate than the first.
The second kiss.
We remained like that for a long while, the night wind the only thing moving around us. When we finally parted, Elysia took a shallow breath, her cheeks flushed a lovely shade of red.
"Actually," she whispered. "That isn't quite enough."
"Your fuel economy is terrible, you know that?"
"Perhaps it is," she smiled, shrugging. "But it takes a lot of energy to reach your level."
She pulled my tie a third time.
The third kiss was the deepest and longest of all. Her fingers bunched the fabric of my tie against my chest, and I pulled her into a firm embrace, holding her close. In the silence of the night, time seemed to stretch and slow.
When she finally pulled away, she let out a soft, contented sigh.
"With this..." she nodded firmly. "I can definitely do my best."
She gave a small, lighthearted giggle. In that expression, not a single trace of her former weakness remained.