#42
That evening.
Even while eating the aglio olio he had asked Elisa to make, and later while doing his assignments, Noah’s gaze constantly shifted between the window and the door.
Since it was still early spring and the weather hadn’t fully warmed up, Elisa tried to close the door to prevent cold drafts from causing a cold, but Noah persuaded her against it and even managed to keep the window slightly open. He frequently approached the window and poked his head out whenever he heard sounds from outside that resembled Aeongi’s cry.
After changing into his pajamas and getting into bed, Noah just blinked blankly while Elisa read him three books. Even though he could read by himself, Loren and Elisa never stopped reading him three books at bedtime.
“You should go to sleep now.”
“Okay.”
Noah closed his eyes as Elisa tucked in his blanket after organizing the books, turning off the lights, and leaving only a small lamp beside the bed. Noah just waved his hand slightly at Elisa’s words, “Sweet dreams.”
Aeongi still hadn’t returned. Noah couldn’t even insist on going to look for him after Elisa said that nothing in the academy, which outsiders couldn’t freely enter, would harm Aeongi. Noah had reluctantly nodded when she said that if Aeongi didn’t return tonight, they would notify the academy and search for him tomorrow.
Still, Aeongi wasn’t a human but an animal, so even if he got lost, he couldn’t ask someone for help. What if someone picked up the miniature Aeongi and took him away? If Noah didn’t undo the magic, Aeongi would have to remain in that small form.
As his thoughts extended that far, Noah abruptly sat up in bed.
I need to go look for him. After Elisa falls asleep and after the academy’s lights-out time, I can quietly search around.
Having organized his thoughts, Noah lay back down in bed and waited for the right time.
Blink.
Why is time passing so slowly?
Bli—nk.
I shouldn’t fall asleep.
Bli—nk.
Ah, I almost fell asleep.
After a long while, Noah opened his eyes and quickly pushed aside his blanket to sit up. He had closed his eyes in the warm blanket, and drowsiness had overcome him. He slapped his face a couple of times and forced his eyes to stay wide open.
“If you’re sleepy, you should sleep. Why are you trying not to?”
He must have closed his eyes again. Even as he thought this, Noah’s eyebrows twitched slightly. He could feel someone else’s warm body temperature, and a hand stroking his head was now caressing his face.
“Ae…ongi…”
A slow voice flowed from Noah’s lips as they trembled, trying to lift the heaviest eyelids in the world.
“Were you waiting for Aeongi?”
Though he still couldn’t open his eyes properly, a comfortable smile formed on Noah’s face.
Today, he hadn’t been sick or fallen off a cliff. Even without opening his eyes, Noah knew exactly who was holding him, comforting him, and speaking to him.
“Yes.”
Still sleepy, Noah yawned and roughly wiped away the tears that had flowed from his eyes with his fist. When he opened his eyes and made eye contact with the person he had wanted to see, he gave a bright smile.
“Angel.”
He had met the angel, and he had so many things he wanted to talk about and ask him… But no matter what he did, he couldn’t fully wake up. Noah tried to hit his forehead with his clenched fist.
He wanted to hit it hard enough to see stars. That would chase away the lingering drowsiness.
But his sleep-intoxicated body moved languidly, and Noah, who had barely managed to bring his fist near his face, could only stare blankly at the large hand that enveloped his fist.
“Angel—”
Noah’s voice calling him remained soft and lazily drawn out.
“Yes?”
“What is your na…”
“Why do you ask for my name every time we meet?”
Our angel looks so handsome today too. It seems our angel doesn’t age. No, wait. Would it be stranger for an angel to age?
Today too, his hair glistened in the moonlight, and his eyes looking at Noah seemed silver-gray in the light, but sometimes they emitted a profoundly mysterious light of deep gray.
“I need to know your name…”
I need to know your name so I can find you later. If I don’t even know your name, I can’t search for you. And asking if you have a lover or if you’re married is because it’s been a while since we met, so you might have found someone else in the meantime. As infatuated as I am, I don’t mess with someone who already has a partner.
Noah wasn’t sure if he had voiced these thoughts floating in his head, but he heard the angel laugh. And after the angel replied that he had neither a lover nor anyone he was seeing, the last thing Noah said was, “Wait for me until I grow up.”
* * *
“Ah, I’m nervous.”
Noah stood in place, quickly tapping his left chest with his right hand. His heart was beating even faster than his tapping, pounding in his head.
Before he knew it, Noah was bouncing on his toes, his gaze directed toward one side of the spacious training ground. He had always wanted to ride a horse since he was young. In Korea, of course, there had been no opportunity to ride a horse, and honestly, riding a pony in Jeju Island was too embarrassing to even call it horseback riding.
Horses were familiar animals in this world where carriages were the common mode of transportation. Noah’s fantasies had grown vigorously as he watched the many horses at Schwein Castle and knights training on horseback. When I grow up, I’ll naturally ride horses too.
But until now, at eight years old, Noah had never ridden a horse alone by himself. He had ridden horses many times in the arms of Lucas or other knights, but it was due to Loren’s opposition, who tended to be overprotective.
She had even opposed him riding a hoverboard, so letting her young son ride alone on the back of a beast that could exhibit unpredictable behavior was unacceptable to her.
When Noah learned that horseback riding was a mandatory subject in the Knight Department, he had cheered with all his heart. But last year, at seven years old, as the youngest student ever admitted, he hadn’t been allowed to ride. Now, he could proudly ride a horse.
Noah’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the brown horse assigned to him. The professor was explaining how to handle a horse and precautions, but none of that registered in Noah’s ears. When his eyes met with the horse handler who was holding the reins, Noah carefully extended his hand.
“Hello.”
Noah whispered softly while touching the bridge of the horse’s nose. The feeling when he finally mounted the horse, with the handler still holding the reins after the boring explanation ended, was too overwhelming to describe in words.
Still a small child, Noah held the reins tightly as he breathed in the fresh air from above, which he usually only experienced when riding on Lucas’s or the knights’ shoulders.
“If you stick your legs tightly to the horse’s belly…”
The Knight Department professor gave the overall explanation, but the detailed instructions came from the horse handler, so Noah attentively moved his arms and legs according to his words.
“Shall we walk a bit faster?”
“Yes!!”
I’ve been waiting for those words. If we continued walking this slowly, it would have been no different from riding that pony in Jeju Island.
As the horse’s pace quickened, a brighter smile spread across Noah’s face. His small body bounced up and down with each movement of the horse, and his cheeks turned slightly red from excitement and the spring breeze that still carried a chill.
“Oh, this is fun. Really fun.”
Students who had been learning horseback riding since they were young rode alone on the wide track, while the voices of students unfamiliar with horses could be heard here and there. Various sounds mingled on the small track, from students enjoying it like Noah to those dismounting early due to fear.
“I think I can do it alone now.”
“Do you think you can go that far?”
In response to the handler’s question, Noah promptly answered, “Yes!” Since it wasn’t the entire track but a distance of about 50 meters, Noah carefully released one hand and stroked the horse’s mane.
Meanwhile, after feeding the horse a sugar cube, the handler moved away, and Noah readjusted his grip on the reins.
Clop clop.
The horse, which had trotted lightly when Noah was with the handler, noticeably slowed down now that Noah was riding alone, but that didn’t matter.
“Wow~ I’m riding by myself!”
Noah proudly announced to the handler who was walking a little distance away.
“That doesn’t mean you should go faster. Just stay as you are, and the horse will go on its own.”
“Okay. Okay!”
Noah, who had briefly turned his head to the side to make eye contact with the handler, looked forward again.
A contented smile hung on Derik’s face as he rested his chin on his hand, looking out the window. The horseback riding training ground wasn’t visible from where Derik was currently attending class, but that wasn’t an issue for him at all.
He could fully feel Noah’s joy as he had been running around the training ground excitedly since morning and was now happily riding a brown horse. If Lucas knew how much Noah loved horseback riding, he would immediately send a horse exclusively for Noah to the academy, but Loren, always concerned, would certainly prevent it.
“I should get a horse for him.”
Regardless of whatever the professor was babbling about in front, Derik began to imagine a suitable horse for Noah as he gazed out the window.
He had no intention of bringing a horse already tamed by humans. It would be good to catch a sturdy breeding horse that could also be used as a warhorse, but with Noah’s somewhat unique taste, would he prefer a black horse?
As his thoughts reached that point, Derik abruptly stood up from his seat.
“Derik!”
Though he heard someone calling his name from behind, Derik was faster at jumping out the window.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
