TPOTLPIM Chapter 23

The next day, the morning of the horse racing competition dawned once again.

Despite the commotion from the previous day, the spectators cheered with fervor as if this were the opening race.

Teros appeared in the arena riding Thunder, who was blowing fierce snorts. The horse and rider, whose massive frames were perfectly matched, looked even more vigorous than the day before. As he drove Thunder toward the starting line, his eyes met those of Prince Crolyn, who wore a reluctant expression. Mounted on a brown horse mixed with white spots, Crolyn offered a hesitant greeting.

"Oh, Teros. I was truly startled yesterday. It's fortunate you recovered so quickly."

"Thank you for your concern."

Teros drove his horse next to Crolyn's and took his position at the starting line.

Crolyn barely managed to swallow back the groan that was about to emerge. He had thought he only needed to block Teros, but who would have expected the entire competition to be canceled? Moreover, Teros and that black horse seemed to be in even better condition than usual, having received healing magic on the pretext of injury.

"Crolyn."

"Wh-what?"

The name was called with considerable weight while Teros kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, so the flustered Crolyn found himself answering foolishly without thinking and turned to look at Teros, briefly stopping his breath.

Teros had turned his head at an angle to glare at him. The moment Crolyn met those chilly eyes, he felt as if an arrow had been driven into his heart. Like a beast that sensed danger, all the blood in his body began to churn rapidly.

But Teros soon withdrew his glaring stare from Crolyn.

"Let's do this fair and square today."

Crolyn's eyes went round as if they might bulge out.

"What are you saying?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You haven't used any herbs to invigorate your horse today either, have you?"

"What do you take me for! I don't use such things originally. I won purely with my own power in the competition six years ago too."

"That's strange. The stable keeper said you asked for herbs the night before last."

"Nonsense! I never did such a thing."

Damn that stable keeper! Crolyn recalled the stable keeper with his servile smile. If he had taken money, he should have kept silent—had he actually loose his tongue to Teros? That fool. He must be mad to throw away such a sweet source of income over the years.

From Crolyn's standpoint, this fact had to be denied to the bitter end. The moment he acknowledged it, Teros would seize him and drag him down to the depths.

"Don't resent the stable keeper too much. He has to survive too, doesn't he?"

Those words reached Crolyn's ears with the meaning 'You're finished now,' making his spine run cold.

But Crolyn steadied his mind. Nothing could be done with the stable keeper's testimony alone. There were many counterarguments he could make—the stable keeper's faulty memory, or perhaps a false confession he couldn't resist under Teros's intimidation. He deliberately cleared his throat to keep his inner thoughts from showing.

"Ahem, I don't know what you're talking about."

"I thought you'd say that. I'll put this matter on your tab, so keep that in mind. I always repay what's done to me, no matter how long it takes, so look forward to it."

As this declaration fell like a verdict on his crimes, Crolyn could only bite his lips. Then Teros brought up an unexpected and absurd topic.

"It's been several hundred years since the founding of the nation, hasn't it? By now, the imperial family would naturally forget the merits of the founding contributors. Your father must have had many disappointing experiences with His Majesty too. Even so, as a descendant of a founding contributor, he should have prostrated himself in a subject's duty without entertaining other thoughts."

"What's that suddenly about?"

Seeing Crolyn frown in confusion, unable to grasp the meaning, Teros let out a snicker. As expected, Crolyn didn't know that the mob's attack on the imperial villa during the great famine was connected to Duke Dant. If he had known, he wouldn't have done something as foolish as pawning the sapphire necklace.

"I didn't expect you to understand."

Teros fixed his gaze straight ahead and assumed his starting position, as if there was nothing more to discuss.

Crolyn also waited for the starting signal, pushing his uneasy feelings aside.

Soon, with the resounding trumpet blast announcing the start, the horses burst forward as if pulled by a magnet.

Teros lowered his body and spurred Thunder on even more with his whip. The thunderous cheers of the spectators were pouring down, but they didn't reach his ears. Nothing mattered except the circular curved track before his eyes and his rhythm with Thunder. Even the golden crown he had to give to Cecilia, even the thought that she would be watching him from somewhere in the stands that were the source of those cheers.

He had momentarily forgotten the very purpose that had made him decide to enter this horse racing competition. Right now, at this moment, nothing but the contest itself was within his concern.

When he overtook and passed a rider who had tumbled from his horse while rounding a corner, there was an exhilarating thrill that tightly filled his chest.

"Waaah!!!"

Following the preliminaries, he won the finals as well with an overwhelming margin, as if it were only natural.

Only after entering the finish line did he begin to hear the cheers that made his ears ring.

He also became conscious that somewhere within those cheers, Cecilia was watching him.

When he raised one hand toward the cheering spectators, even greater cheers burst forth like celebratory fireworks.

Teros's heart was beating fast. Hot blood circulated through his entire body, stirring up a thrilling sensation all the way to his fingertips. This was a different feeling from when he was with Cecilia—it was the enjoyment that his original self had pursued. Competition and rivalry. This was the very reason he had no interest in society and spent his years at the training grounds, and also why he threw his body onto battlefields.

After briefly catching his breath, he finally imagined how beautiful Cecilia would look wearing the golden crown, and drew a gentle arc at the corner of his mouth.

The emperor's award ceremony followed immediately in the circular arena, and when the ceremony ended, the spectators returned to their respective lodgings to prepare for the celebratory banquet that would adorn that night.

Cecilia looked back at Teros standing before the podium in the circular arena. He was surrounded by people and busy receiving congratulations. Nobles were queuing up to leave at least an impression on him, someone usually hard to meet.

With congratulations pouring in, it didn't seem necessary to add her congratulations on top of it all. She would meet him at tonight's celebratory banquet anyway.

Cecilia wandered around the line of gathered people, then finally moved her steps toward her lodging.

At her decision, Dmitri asked with a worried face.

"Aren't you going to greet him? Teros will be waiting."

"That's right, Cecilia. I'll wait with you, so go say hello."

"No, I'll see him separately at the celebratory banquet anyway."

"It'll be hard to monopolize him even at the banquet. He'll be quite popular as today's star."

"There should be time for a quick greeting."

Dmitri smiled as if he couldn't help it and offered to escort Cecilia and Rosein to their lodging.

Meanwhile, Teros had a small frown creased between his brows. He maintained an expressionless face toward the people who clung to him annoyingly to offer congratulations, sending the wordless message to quickly get lost, but with so many people, it took a long time even just to exchange a greeting with each one.

'I should ignore these bothersome people and run to Cecilia to share the joy of victory alone together.'

While letting the endlessly pouring congratulations flow through one ear and out the other, his eyes busily searched for Cecilia.

Then he saw not Cecilia among the people waiting to offer greetings, but her figure disappearing far away toward the lodgings. She was leaving without saying a word. And together with Dmitri, at that.

That sight called up a subtle dread in him, making his mood plummet to the ground in an instant and irritation surge up. It was hard to explain what this feeling was.

He ignored the people standing in line and immediately ran toward her retreating figure.

"Cecilia!"

The face that turned back was composed. Her widened eyes seemed to ask why he had come this way instead of greeting people.

"Why aren't you congratulating me? I ran purely for you."

He emphasized the part about 'running for you' as if for Dmitri to hear.

"Congratulations, Lord Teros."

Cecilia smiled, her eyes crinkling gently.

It was a beautiful smile, but it was just a smile, which wasn't enough for him. At this rate, even if he gave her the golden crown, she wouldn't seem happy.

For a brief moment, Teros experienced confusion that shook his mind.

'What went wrong? Was entering this kind of competition never going to bring her any emotion in the first place? Just yesterday she worried about me, so why does she seem to be putting up walls today?'

"You can't just leave the people congratulating you standing there. Go quickly. I'll rest a bit and see you at tonight's banquet."

When Cecilia tried to send him back, Teros sensed that something was wrong. The pretty lips that had touched his softly just last night were now working hard to push him away. Growing anxious, he spoke hastily.

"The competition was something I ran in, so why does Cecilia need to rest? The celebratory banquet is quite far off. Make time for me before then."

It was an unreasonable statement, but clearly a clinging attitude.

Dmitri was watching this scene with interest from the side.

'My brother is pleading instead of threatening?'

He barely held back the laughter that was about to burst out.

"I'll see you at the banquet, Lord Teros."

Seeing Cecilia, whom he had thought was usually soft, draw a firm line, Dmitri became intrigued.

'Is my brother... being rejected?'

He became absorbed in their conversation as if watching a fascinating play.

Finally, Cecilia turned away first, ending the conversation coldly. Perhaps feeling Dmitri's persistent gaze during their conversation, Teros glared at him with a hardened face, as if warning him.

"What are you staring at?"

"Whoa, don't take your anger out on the wrong person. I'll escort the ladies properly, so go to your people."

Dmitri set off toward the lodgings with a leisurely attitude, escorting Cecilia and Rosein.

Teros gazed at Cecilia's retreating figure, then soon turned his steps toward the crowd waiting for him.

His footsteps lacked energy to a degree that made it hard to believe he was today's competition winner.

Only one thought filled his mind completely.

'Cecilia turned away from me.'

Though he had persistently pushed forward even after being rejected multiple times by Cecilia while under the love potion's influence, today's rejection by her hurt considerably.

Cecilia returned to her lodging, changed into lighter clothes, then threw herself onto the bed as if collapsing. She gently brought her fingers to her lips.

The soft yet hot sensation she had felt last night was still vivid.

The kiss she had shared with Teros completely occupied her mind. As she recalled the sweet, dreamily hazy memory, her cheeks burned hot and her heart beat heavily.

In truth, she had tossed and turned in bed for a long time last night before finally falling asleep.

Yesterday, she hadn't rejected his kiss and had rather welcomed it. It was natural since her heart was drawn to him.

But if she wasn't going to accept Teros's feelings, it was proper to draw a line with him.

Sharing a kiss with him meant development into a romantic relationship. But she hadn't yet made that decision in her heart.

'What am I afraid of?'

A barrier of fear blocked her heart and prevented her from running to Teros.

Every time she tried to unlock her heart to Teros and willingly accept what he offered, something persistently grabbed her ankles and held her back.

Unable to reach a conclusion in her complex thoughts, Cecilia dozed off.