CH 287

My Name is Mia Luna Seamoon

Ruby laughed as she wiped the mud off her face and said, “Ha ha! It looks like Her Highness has a few tricks up her sleeve.”

She licked her lips.

“Yes… That’s it. This is what I wanted.”

Her heart was beating quickly. From exertion, yes, but she was far more excited about being able to fight for the person she loved.

Unlike that other time, when I…

She thought about the words briefly, and then they were gone. She made a face.

“That time? What…?”

She tried to find the memory. But like a dream, it disappeared upon waking. There was nothing left.

She knew for sure that this burning urge inside her was caused by regret. Suddenly she understood. Losing was painful, but not even getting the chance to fight was worse.

It was a strange realisation, but she felt like she’d known it all along, and it made her happy.

“Don’t get too cocky, Your Highness, because this duel is just getting started.  Let’s go, Skyred Hare.”

At her signal, her horse took off at a fast gallop. Even though it was fast, its steps were light and smooth. This smooth gallop shows that it did not get its good name for nothing. It shot down the length of the course like a red comet, avoiding mud puddles and picking up speed as it went.

People started to look at the person riding it.

“There’s no doubt that horse is beautiful, but young Redmoon is no slouch either. That’s some nice riding.”

Voices of people who were impressed could be heard all over the place.

People who thought the event was just a fun thing for rich girls’ daughters changed their minds after seeing how well Ruby handled Skyred Hare.

Then Mia came along.

Her embarrassingly loud shrieking had stopped. Now, she rode in silence and didn’t care about Ruby’s fast-approaching form.

She didn’t get scared. Even more, she didn’t seem to notice.

She didn’t pass out or anything, just to be clear.

Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, and her face was emotionless. She was peace itself, the calm centre of a storm. She rode with steady, calm confidence. This change in behaviour came about because she realised something soon after the race started.

I can no longer do anything about this, right?

How does a man at sea fight the waves when he is caught in a storm? Simple answer: no, he doesn’t. He is unable.

Then, what could Mia do to calm down Kuolan, the horse-shaped storm? Nothing.

So what should she have done? She had actually figured out the answer over the summer: the back float!

Before Mother Nature, man had no power. The anger of the open sea could not be stopped or won over. When facing a huge wave, you shouldn’t try to fight it. Instead, you should relax and let it flow.

That’s right. I can’t do anything, just like those moon jellyfish that float around in the ocean. I should, in fact, learn from them. They know what they’re doing for sure. Okay, think like jellyfish, be like jellyfish. I am jellyfish… I am jellyfish…

So, she became one with the moons of the sea that were made of jelly. Mia Luna Seamoon was her new name.

After using some of her mental energy to keep muttering spells about jellyfish, she used the rest to figure out Kuolan’s rhythm and work her legs to match its steps. At last, she had found her perfect way to ride: giving up all control.

Her goal had always been to become the person who said yes to everything. To find people who could help her reach her goals so she could leave everything to them and go to bed.

What does this have to do with riding? In a race, the goal was to be the first person to cross the finish line.

So, who could have done this? In this way, she realised that she had been very wrong when she thought that she was the one who needed to reach this goal.

It wasn’t true. In the Horsemanship Tournament, it was the horse that did the running. Horses were fast runners. They knew more than she did. Then, her job was to give up control.

The one that could run well was the horse. She just had to go along with what was going on. And she should never, ever stand in the way of the horse.

So, Mia put all of her attention on trying to move like Kuolan.

It would lose speed if she moved in different ways, so she did her best to keep that from happening. This would also keep her from falling off, which was probably even more important because falling off seemed like it would hurt a lot! Using this hands-off method, she was able to finish most of the course.

She heard Ruby’s voice as she turned the last corner of the first lap.

“Your Majesty, you better watch out.”

Mia looked to the side and saw that she and Ruby were right next to her. She looked at her opponent and then back at her red horse. Skyred Hare’s face, which was now covered in mud spots, looked nothing like it did before. Its eyes were burning with anger.

“Now it’s my turn,” Ruby said in a harsh tone.

Mia knew right away what she meant by what she said.

“Ah! They’re going to ram—Eek!”

Her words ended when she screamed and felt her body tilt. After a heavy impact a split second later, she saw Kuolan craning its neck toward her and pulling its lips back in a very proud smile.

In fact, the horse knew that Skyred Hare was going to try to hit them with his body, so it hit them first.

Ruby grunted as she tried to get back on her feet.

“Hah, not bad. You’re a pretty rough player.”

The timing of the counterattack was perfect, hitting Ruby’s horse right as it moved to attack. Skyred Hare had to work hard to keep its balance after the surprise hit. In the meantime, Kuolan rushed forward and pulled away.

After the first lap, there was a two-horse-length gap between the two competitors. The second and last lap of the race began as the crowd cheered loudly.