Princess Mia Cheers! for the Horse.

Nope! All done! That was the last thing! Im done! Mia yelled as she led Kuolan back to the stables in a rough way.

She used a cloth to wipe off as much as she could, but some of the stuff was still on her hair. Gross stuff

Ugh, I need to take a bath right now But first, I need Malong to find me a different horse!

She decided to go find Malong, so she went to the special stable where he was supposed to be. But when she got there, it was empty.

Huh? Thats weird

There were no people or horses there at all.

This is the first time Ive been here, she said to herself as she looked around.

When she got closer to the room, she saw that she was wrong. There was a horse in there that was out of sight. At the back of the building, it stood still.

Oh my, what a beautiful horse

Its beauty drew her in. Its body was covered in pure white hair, and it had the air of a queen. It looked right at her when it turned around.

Youre

Thats Kayou. Like Kuolan, shes a moonhare.

Malong came up behind her with a huge pitchfork, which suggested that he had been moving hay for the horses while he was gone.

A moonhare Oh, yes, I do remember you saying, Theres a horse that cant be ridden because its about to give birth.

The horses body did look rounder than usual when you looked at it more closely.

She is so pretty

She gave Kayou a smile, and it looked at her quietly with a soft look in its eyes.

Her eyes are so soft

She sure does. One of the more tame moonhares for sure. Id let you ride her, but she cant run right now.

She thought about the new possibilities and said, Oh, what a terrible shame.

It wont be ready for the Horsemanship Tournament, but what about later? Like the cold season? Mia was said to have gone on a long ride on the night of the Holy Eve Festival, where she was killed by bandits.

What if the horse she had been riding was replaced by a faster one, like a moonhare? She might have been able to get through the situation. Kayou seemed like the kind of horse who would listen so that they could work together and run as one.

The other horse was stupid, but

Mia looked at Malong with eyes that were bright and full of hope.

By the way, Im just wondering: when exactly is this horse going to have a baby? How long before she can run?

Well, lets see. I might give her ten more days. She can run around on her own almost as soon as she gives birth, but if you want her to go full speed while carrying a rider, give her another week.

So just a little over two weeks? If thats the case

It would be ready a long time before winter. She had a lot of time before the Holy Eve Festival started. She looked over Kayou again, this time with more interest. It kept looking at her with those beautiful, smart-looking eyes.

Its almost funny how different she is. Kuolan and his stupid face are on one side, and Kayou is on the other. Some people do say that moonhares are very smart horses. Seeing this one, I have no doubts. That dumb Kuolan must be the only one who doesnt fit in.

She thought that maybe he had been dropped on his head as a foal or something, because compared this other one, she was so smart and majestic.

And if shes smart, that must mean shell remember when someone does something nice for her. Even if Kuolan is annoying and doesnt know what to do, I bet Kayou will know what to do in return. In other words

Mias instincts were telling her to make friends with this horse. To do so many nice things for her that she couldnt help but like her.

She turned to Malong with a firm nod.

Sorry, Malong, but Id like to help you take care of this horse. Would that be all right?

Hm? I dont know, sure I guess? About what kind of help are we talking?

Stuff like cleaning up the stable and washing the horse so she stays clean, among other things.

Even though Mia and her friends were in the horsemanship club, they did not take care of the horses. Staff at the academy took care of that. Since they came from a good family, they only had to worry about things that fit their status, like getting better at riding.

Malong, who was from the Equestrian Kingdom, thought that taking care of horses was an important part of being a good horseman. This way of thinking had rubbed off on Abel, who often helped with the less important parts of the experience, like cleaning the stable. However, he was the exception, not the rule.

The fact that the princess of a powerful empire like Tearmoon then asked to do the same was not just unusual; it was unthinkable. So, Malong was completely caught off guard by the question, and all he could do was stare at it with his mouth wide open.

Of course, Mia added, within reason.

Ill try to help. I dont know if I can get up so early every day, but you look like you need help here, so I mean, its a hard thing to do, right? Having a baby?

Self-interest was a big part of why she did what she did, but it wasnt the only thing that drove her. Mia had been openly curious about how those big birds brought babies to peoples houses until not too long ago.

She knew more about the real world now that she didnt know such nonsense and had added real facts to her knowledge. It was a very important question for her, since the history book said she would have to have eight children.

When she innocently asked Chloe where babies came from, her well-read friend gave her a long, silent stare and then gave her a book without saying a word. When asked what it was about, she said, Its all explained in there. Justdont be too surprised.

Mia was a little scared by this strange order, so she carefully opened the book and read the truth. She now knew that giving birth was a very hard thing to do.

Am I going to be all right? E-Eight kids?

Her eyes went to Kayous swollen stomach.

She gave it a gentle rub.

You can do it. I want the best for you. I hope you have a wonderful child.

She smiled at the horse and felt like she had a strange connection to it.