Chapter 64: Fair Deal (1)
“We must have at least twenty heads... What?!”
Catherine jumped in surprise, after she had been counting the gold coins as if they had been enchanted.
I said quietly:
“I'll take care of the horse. "I will find a way."
Her eyes widened:
“You?” How will you do that?
I answered her coldly:
“I will find a way. And if I don't succeed... I will carry Prince Idun on my back and run with him.”
Catherine gasped, her features frozen:
“What?!”
I added with feigned seriousness:
“I've carried Princess Emilia crawling before, so why shouldn't I do the same with Prince Idun?”
Catherine was confused, then said anxiously:
“Is this… a joke?”
I smiled:
«Of course. How can a person outrun a horse?
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief, then exhaled:
“She almost gave me a heart attack!” When you say it with that serious face, I think it is true.”
I shook my head:
“Anyway, I have someone I can count on. Just leave it to me.”
She remained silent for a moment, then said resignedly:
“Well... I'll depend on you about the horse. But there is one more thing left.”
“What is it?”
“We must find someone to teach the prince to hunt.”
Hunting requires riding and archery at a fair level.
I smiled:
“That too is something that is easy to solve.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise:
“Really? how?"
I said confidently:
“I will take care of his education.”
"You?!" She blinked several times, then muttered, “Are you sure?”
“I am originally the daughter of a noble family. Naturally I should learn something from archery and horsemanship.”
Catherine thought for a moment, then shook her head:
“Okay. We are not in a position to choose. "I'll leave it to you."
She headed towards a large closet in the corner of the office. She unlocked it and took out a box full of notebooks and trinkets. She held out a small bag of gold to me, her hands trembling.
“Here. Twenty gold pieces. That's all I can provide. “It should be enough to buy a good horse at the horse market.”
Her features were pained as she paid the money, as if she was stripping away a part of her soul.
“If it is not enough, you will have to manage at this point. This is all we have.”
I smiled confidently:
“Enough and more.”
(In fact, money was never an issue for me to begin with.)
Hours later, I was at the imperial stable, where the royal family's horses are kept. There I saw a huge young man cleaning a horse's mane. As soon as he saw me, he froze and the comb fell from his hand.
He shouted anxiously:
“You?!” What are you doing here? Get out now!”
She smiled:
“It's strange to find you here, Gale. A student of the most famous carriage maker, yet you work in the stable as a simple servant? What's the story? Have you been punished for failing training?
His face became red and angry:
“Shut up!” The trainee always starts from the basics. It's none of your business! Get out immediately!”
I approached him with slow steps:
“I came for a deal.”
Confused:
«Deal? In the stable?
“Yes… a horse deal.”
He looked at me in amazement, then burst out sarcastically:
“What are you saying? All these horses belong to the Emperor. It can't be sold!
I smiled calmly:
“I know that. I also know that your family is the one who supplies the palace with these horses. “I also know that some horses are smuggled onto the black market.”
Gale gasped, his face turning pale.
«What?! how…?!"
I leaned down slightly until my eyes met his.
“The world is small, Gale. What a long-tailed secret will one day be revealed. So I'll make a fair deal with you: you give me a usable horse, and I pay you the price. In return, no one will hear a word about what you are doing.”
He stammered with trembling lips:
“I...I'm only an apprentice. The horses that we raise for the imperial family are supervised by my father himself. I can't—”
She interrupted him coldly:
“But I know you're the one smuggling some of them out of the records. Deny it if you can.”
His whole body trembled, then he muttered in fear:
“How… how did you know?!”
I smiled slightly:
“It doesn't matter. The important thing now is... will you enter the deal or not?
He remained silent for a few seconds, then he bowed slightly and said in a low voice:
“I'll give you a horse. But I need some time to arrange it.”
I extended the bag of gold to him:
“You have two days. Strong horse, does not arouse suspicion. If you let me down...you will regret it.”
He hesitated, then grabbed the bag with trembling hands.
When I returned to the palace, I found Catherine waiting for me in the office. I put before her a brief report:
“It's over. The horse will be ready within days. As for training the prince, I will undertake it myself.”
Catherine breathed a sigh of relief, and said as she closed the ledger:
“Praise be to God. So what remains is for us to prepare hunting clothes and gear. "I'll take care of it."
I answered her firmly:
“I will leave nothing to chance. “We will make the prince ready to appear in the competition, no matter the challenges.”