A walk after breakfast, or a walk after lunch.
For several days, Mihail spent time alone with Chaika like that, alternating between the two. More often than not, he would casually scoop Chaika up in his arms during their walks, but after repeating the routine of nothing more than a proper stroll before sending him back, it seemed that both Nile’s wariness—and Chaika’s—had eased a little. Of course, letting one’s guard down around Mihail was never truly advisable.
“It’s high!”
Chaika, who rarely raised his voice, cried out in genuine shock. It was right after Mihail, claiming they would go horseback riding, had casually lifted him up and set him astride a massive warhorse. Even ordinary horses felt higher than expected once you actually mounted them.
And Mihail’s warhorse was no ordinary animal. It was a beast of tremendous size, capable of carrying the weight of a Dominant Alpha along with armor and weapons, charging across battlefields, and even crushing enemy soldiers under its hooves amid chaotic melees. Being suddenly placed atop such a creature, the height alone must have felt overwhelming to Chaika’s small frame.
“It’s— it’s too high! Too high!”
Chaika cried out repeatedly in panic, still gripping Mihail’s wrist at his waist as though it were a lifeline.
“Lord Mihail!”
When Mihail tried to gently withdraw his hand, Chaika practically screamed his name.
“Hm?”
Mihail looked down at Chaika with an utterly nonchalant expression.
“It’s too high, I’m scared. Please don’t let go.”
With a tearful face, Chaika clutched Mihail’s hand as it hovered on the verge of leaving his waist. Sensing the fear of the tiny life perched on its back, the warhorse snorted loudly and scraped its hooves against the ground in playful agitation. Chaika’s eyes widened in terror.
“Shall I ride with you?”
Mihail waited leisurely until Chaika was thoroughly frightened, then magnanimously offered. Before Chaika could even think, he nodded vigorously. Cute, Mihail thought to himself as he effortlessly mounted the horse behind Chaika. Once its master was on its back, the warhorse stopped teasing Chaika and settled down.
“If you don’t want to fall, you’d better hold on tight. This one’s pretty rough.”
Mihail wrapped an arm around Chaika’s waist from behind, pulling him snugly against his body, deliberately frightening him once more. Chaika nodded furiously.
With a light tap of his heel, the warhorse began to move, its gait dignified and imposing, like a marching army. Chaika flinched at the first movement, but as the pace remained slow and steady, he gradually relaxed. His hands, however, still clutched tightly at the arm wrapped around his waist.
Clop, clop.
The warhorse, carrying its master and the tiny passenger, snorted now and then as if itching to run, but obeyed its master’s will and maintained a slow march. The rhythmic sound of hooves and the scenery gliding past from such a lofty vantage slowly eased Chaika’s tension, and he began to look around curiously.
Unlike Mihail, who was accustomed to riding, Chaika’s small, light body bounced lightly against the saddle with each step of the horse. He had no idea how to move in rhythm with the horse, and so his body bobbed helplessly.
Mihail could have taught him how to adjust his body so his hips wouldn’t bounce so much—but he didn’t. Each time Chaika’s body bobbed, his backside brushed lightly against Mihail’s body. It wasn’t particularly stimulating, but it was more than enough to leave Mihail thoroughly pleased.
This horseback walk took a different route from their usual strolls on foot. Passing through the inner gate of the castle, the outer fortress came into view. Most of the outer castle was filled with Mihail’s private soldiers’ quarters, armories, and training grounds, giving it a markedly different atmosphere from the inner grounds.
Mihail’s soldiers weren’t frequently deployed to the battlefield, but they did go from time to time. Most engagements were territorial disputes between lords, or mercenary deployments at the request and hire of other nations. Of course, they also bore the crucial duty of defending Castiya Castle, a key military stronghold of the kingdom, should the worst occur. As a result, military drills and sparring were a constant presence in the outer castle.
“Wow…”
A gasp escaped Chaika’s lips as he spotted knights sparring with real swords and shields. They were alpha knights training against one another.
Most knights were nobles. While not mandated by law, it was difficult to receive a knighthood without being an alpha, so it naturally turned out that way. Alphas not only lived longer than humans but possessed overwhelmingly superior physical abilities. No human could fight on equal footing among them. Thus, knights were fundamentally alphas, while betas made up the ranks of regular soldiers.
That didn’t mean soldiers were useless. No matter how overwhelming an alpha’s strength was, facing a mass of charging soldiers was no easy task. On large-scale battlefields, both knights and soldiers were indispensable. For that reason, Castiya Castle employed a significant number of beta soldiers, many of whom, like the castle’s servants, had served the Castiya household for generations.
“If you wanted to watch knights spar, you could’ve seen plenty of that at Marquis Lucius’s estate, couldn’t you?”
As Chaika continued to exclaim in awe, unable to tear his eyes away from the sparring, Mihail pulled him a little closer around the waist as he spoke. Having the greatest knight in this castle—no, in this entire country—right behind him, yet focusing on the trivial training of other alphas, was deeply displeasing.
Part of him wanted to spur the horse toward them, leap down, and crush a few knights in an instant to show his prowess. To show Chaika that there was no one stronger than him here. But he restrained himself, because he didn’t want Chaika to feel even the slightest fear or apprehension toward him.
“Yes, that’s true. There are many knights at the marquis’s estate too. But watching knights fight is always incredibly impressive.”
Even as he replied to Mihail, Chaika didn’t take his eyes off the sparring. He looked ready to applaud once a victor was decided. Mihail clicked his tongue and kicked the horse’s side. The warhorse, as if it had been waiting for this moment, finally burst into a run.
“Ah!”
As expected, Chaika let out a short scream. Then, as if that weren’t enough, he twisted around and clung tightly to Mihail’s waist.
“You should’ve done that from the start.”
Mihail snorted and urged the horse into a full gallop.
“Aaaah!!”
The massive, muscular warhorse thundered forward with Mihail astride it, the ground trembling beneath the deafening sound of its hooves. The vibration a rider felt atop a galloping horse was intense—especially for someone who had never ridden before, it must have felt as though even their brain was being shaken. Mihail only slowed the horse after passing through the outer gate and over the moat.
“Chaika?”
Mihail called, but Chaika didn’t respond, eyes squeezed shut as he clung tightly around Mihail’s waist. Thinking he might have gone too far, Mihail gently stroked Chaika’s soft, fluffy hair. Slowly, Chaika’s tightly shut eyes opened, revealing pupils filled with resentment.
His lips puckered and moved. He seemed to be muttering complaints under his breath.
“I can’t hear you at all.”
Mihail said with a teasing grin. Chaika sucked in a sharp breath and finally began to protest out loud.
“Why—why did you suddenly run like that! And the horse is too big! There are smaller horses too!”
The way he complained so earnestly, so unlike himself, was ridiculously trivial and adorable. Mihail couldn’t hide his amusement and chuckled openly.
“It’s not that the horse is big. You’re just small.”
“There are small colts too! I saw colts in the stable.”
Chaika shot back immediately.
“Of course there are colts. But to say you want to ride a young foal that still longs for its mother’s milk and work it that hard… You always pretend to be nice, but turns out you’re actually quite cruel?”
Chaika’s mouth fell open. His eyes widened. Uh, uh— He clearly wanted to argue back but couldn’t find the words. In the end, Mihail burst out laughing. Realizing he’d been teased, Chaika’s lips jutted out in a sulk.
“Lord Mihail… that was mean.”
“That’s perfect. You’re mean, I’m mean—so we’re both mean together.”
Chaika blinked a couple of times, then let out a soft laugh. His eyes curved slightly, filled with mirth. Mihail hugged him tightly. The small body that didn’t quite fill his arms felt unsatisfying. If he’d been bigger and sturdier, Mihail could have held him as tightly as he pleased. But then again, he might not have been this cute.
Eventually, the warhorse returned to a marching pace, clopping steadily along. Having adjusted somewhat to the height, Chaika leaned back against Mihail’s chest and busied himself looking around. Once you left the massive Castiya Castle that enveloped the rolling hills, vast fertile farmlands stretched endlessly beyond. It was one of the three largest and most abundant territories in the kingdom. A wind blowing from afar set the enormous wheat fields rippling in golden waves, like standing in the middle of a lake of gold.
“It’s beautiful.”
Chaika said after gazing at the golden expanse for a long while. His voice was calm and subdued—so different from his usual tone that Mihail lifted his chin to look at him. When their eyes met, Chaika smiled shyly, a little embarrassed. That was the Chaika he knew.
Leaving the golden wheat fields behind, Mihail picked up the pace slightly. At the edge of the shimmering waves lay a lush green forest, and he headed toward it. The sun had begun to sink, and the golden fields were gradually dyed in shades of crimson.
