“Yes……”
Asha’s shoulders hunched even more.
“…He must have been determined to hunt you down. It would have been more strange if he hadn’t caught you. Riding well wouldn’t have been enough to escape from him. You know best how skilled the Emperor’s knights are.”
Asha nodded her head.
The knights protecting the Emperor, the Cactus Knights.
They were not only highly loyal, but once they targeted someone, they never let go.
They were like cacti, surviving for a long time under the scorching sun without water, armed with thorns all over their bodies.
“…Fine. I’ll teach you how to ride.”
At Jackal’s words, Asha’s head perked up in delight.
“Really?”
“It’s better than not being able to ride in a crisis. Besides, as I said before, a hunter who can’t ride a horse can’t be accepted into the organization.”
Jackal spoke coldly, but immediately set about planning.
“There’s a horse that’s perfect for beginners, so start practicing with that one. I’ll guide you personally.”
“Thank you!”
Asha replied with a bright face.
[This is the time separator]As soon as breakfast was over, Asha arrived first at the open space used as a training ground, waiting for Jackal.
Soon he came, leading a white horse.
Asha’s eyes widened at the sight of the horse, almost indistinguishable from the snowfield.
“It’s beautiful……”
For a moment, the horse’s white face blushed.
When Jackal gave a hint, the horse closed its eyes and put on a nonchalant expression.
Asha happily approached and reached out to stroke the horse’s nose, and the horse stiffened.
Asha chuckled and said.
“The horses here seem to be very shy. Just like people.”
At that, Jackal shot a glance at the horse.
Receiving the look, the horse flinched and changed the subject.
In fact, the white horse was a mare.
The mare, like Jackal, was a member of the Kelpie tribe who could transform into a horse.
She blinked her large eyes in shame and indignation.
Standing naked in front of Asha, with a bit in her mouth, was shameful enough.
But Jackal ignored her eyes coldly and said.
“Horses are usually wary of people they see for the first time. You’re fearless for someone who’s never ridden a horse. What if you get kicked by a hind leg?”
Asha then realized her rudeness and softly whispered to the horse.
“I’m sorry. I was a bit abrupt? I was just too glad. I love horses very much.”
At her ticklish voice, the mare pricked up her ears.
Jackal felt as if Asha’s words were about him liking her, and he cleared his throat, saying,
“Start with the neck and slowly move up to the face when you touch it.”
Asha did as she was told, carefully moving her hand from the neck.
The mare thought inwardly, ‘Captain, why are you doing this to me…,’ looking at him, but Jackal still ignored her eyes, saying,
“This horse is gentle and follows people well, so it’ll be easy to handle.”
“That’s nice. It’s a good horse.”
Asha smiled and touched the horse’s nose one last time.
The horse accepted her touch comfortably this time, and Asha was genuinely happy.
The mare sighed inwardly, resolving to act the part of a horse well, but her eyes widened at Jackal’s next command.
“If you want to get close to a horse, brushing it a lot is good. Horses love being brushed.”
Somehow, his eyes seemed significant, and the mare gulped.
But this was knowledge she had to know to handle a horse properly, so she couldn’t protest.
Asha picked up the brush with an excited face and brushed in the direction of the hair.
Sure, here’s the translation:
The maiden was shocked that she had touched her own bare body, but she felt ashamed of herself for feeling coolness amidst it.
When he closed his eyes and shivered unknowingly, Jackal slapped him on the nose with the palm of his hand.
The maiden whined in a ‘squeak.’
Asha asked in surprise.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No. The horse did wrong.”
“What did the horse do wrong?”
“Things like that happen.”
Jackal’s eyes were so sharp that Asha didn’t ask any more.
He sent a threatening look to the maiden, saying, ‘If you feel, you’ll die,’ and all she could do was moan in distress.
Next, Jackal briefly taught Asha how to hold the reins and guide the horse in the direction she wanted, and then helped her mount it.
As he suddenly lifted her onto the saddle, Asha blushed with embarrassment.
Indeed, this was her first time having physical contact with a man other than the Emperor.
When Karaf touched her body, it was uncomfortable as if pricked by invisible thorns, but Jackal gave her a tingling yet sturdy feeling.
“At first, the saddle might be high and it will be a bit hard, but once you get used to it, you’ll be able to mount it on your own without anyone’s help.”
Jackal himself appeared calm on the outside, but as this was his first physical contact with a woman, his heart pounded inside.
Really, her thin waist and feathery light body felt so different from the men he knew before that she seemed almost like another creature.
He composed himself, coughed, and said.
After Being Cheated On, She Picked Up a Treasure (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: The husband I married on a whim had been secretly in love with me for a long time.
On the day when Jun Shao finally obtained the imperial decree for her marriage, Lan Qu, the person she had admired for six years, defied the decree and ran away.
Her gentleness and devotion, her promise of a lifetime together, were all disregarded by him. Instead, he dreamed of entering the palace to serve the Emperor’s sister as a sixth-rank attendant.
News of this incident spread throughout the capital, and the alleys in front of and behind the Lan mansion were crowded with people who came to watch the commotion.
Jun Shao should have been embarrassed and angry.
But someone stepped in to protect her dignity.
The figure was in a miserable state, yet still possessed an undeniable elegance and handsomeness.
The young lord struggled to climb the wall of the Lan mansion and shouted to her, “If he won’t marry you, I will!”
So, Jun Shao took advantage of the situation and married the person.
She thought the young lord did it to save the Lan family from the crime of defying the imperial decree, but never imagined that from beginning to end, what he coveted was her.
*
After the wedding, Jun Shao felt like she was living in a dream.
Her Wife-master was as beautiful as a fairy in a painting, skilled in the six arts, well-versed in poetry and literature, capable of being gentle and attentive, and also grand and dignified. Most importantly, she was the only one in his heart and eyes.
Jun Shao didn’t know how Lan Shiwu, as a illegitimate son without a father and blessed with beauty, had managed to preserve his purity, recklessly escape, and use his last ounce of strength to ruin his own reputation, all because of his love for her, just to stand before her.
She could only see him gazing at her with eyes full of love, and when she bestowed a name upon him, his eyes shone like stars.
“You have come to me like a weary bird perching on a branch. I shall call you A Qi.”
