I kept running blindly, crashing into anything in my path just to get out of the kingdom.

  While running, a memory surfaced.

  The day I planned my escape.

  For days I had been watching the paddock fences, quietly studying them.

  Which wood looked weak.

  Which nails were loose.

  If I could break one panel, I could reach the outer field.

  And from there... maybe the forest.

  Then, on that day, chaos erupted near the training field.

  The shouting.

  Guards rushing toward the noise.

  Stablehands abandoning their posts to see what had happened.

  The paddock was suddenly empty.

  An opportunity.

  I kicked one of side the fence once.

  It creaked.

  Then again.

  The wood cracked.

  One more time and the panel finally gave way.

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  Before anyone from The Charlton Kingdom could notice, I slipped through and ran.

  Back then, I thought I was escaping.

  But I had only run into something worse.

  When I finally slowed down, I was already deep in the forest outside the city.

  I stopped and listened.

  No soldiers.

  No shouting.

  Only the wind moving through the trees.

  Good... for a moment.

  I thought I had escaped.

  Yet branches snapped behind me.

  Someone was chasing me.

  My muscles tensed, ready to run again—

  But suddenly a body jumped onto my back.

  The sudden weight shocked my horse instincts.

  I bolted forward without thinking, running even faster than before.

  Only after we were far from the kingdom did I finally stop.

  My hind legs kicked hard.

  The rider flew off.

  He landed with a painful groan.

  When I turned to look—

  It was Mr. Antonie.

  Of course it was him.

  We tried to talk after that.

  Or something close to talking.

  I tried to tell him everything I had seen.

  The apples, Mr. Lucien.

  The strange atmosphere in the stable.

  But all that came out of my mouth were frustrated neighs.

  Naturally, Mr. Antonie misunderstood almost everything.

  Still, he made a decision.

  We would seek refuge in one of Charlton’s allied kingdoms.

  I agreed.

  Mostly...

  There was only one rule.

  He was not allowed to ride me.

  Every time he tried to climb onto my back, I threw him off.

  Eventually he gave up and walked beside me.

  Together we traveled until soldiers appeared on the road ahead.

  Banners of a kingdom allied with Charlton.

  Relief almost reached my chest.

  Almost.

  Because the moment they saw us, their spears lowered.

  Orders were shouted.

  We were surrounded immediately.

  Ropes bound Antonie’s hands.

  My legs were tied.

  Then the accusation came.

  “You two are under arrest.”

  “For the murder of Prince Roland of Charlton.”

  My mind froze.

  Murder?

  Before either of us could react, another soldier added,

  “The prince collapsed after eating apples from the royal horse’s stable.”

  Angela.

  My body.

  My breath stopped.

  But then another report arrived.

  The prince was not dead after all.

  He simply had not woken up since that day, after eating the apples from Mr. Lucien.

  Sir Roland wasn’t dead.

  But he still hadn’t woken up.

  And somehow—

  It all led back to me and Mr. Antonie.

  Author’s Note