Hearing a man’s mocking voice, Harry shone his sharp eyes and saw the figure of a thin young man riding a horse. Not only did the man’s presence ruin the romantic atmosphere of the newlyweds. Clarissa was also riding a brown horse, surprising Claudia.
"Clarissa, can you ride alone?" Claudia asked in an excited tone.
"Didn’t I say that I can ride all this time?" Clarissa looked at the young man beside her. "Today I actually want to compete against Kyle."
"But, it looks like it would be more exciting if you competed against Harry too. Moreover, every time I ask Harry to compete, he always refuses." Kyle gave Harry a grinning look that had no trace of nervousness.
Harry raised his head arrogantly to look at his two friends. "Okay, we will compete today. Besides, wasn’t it the last time we competed, you still didn’t want to give up, Kyle?"
"If you win, I will find another investor to invest in your father’s company. But, if I win, I won’t help you."
"Small things like this I won’t be afraid of. "Moreover, I’m sure Clarissa will definitely lose," quipped Harry in an arrogant tone.
"Just watch it, Harry! "Because you are Claudia’s wife, I don’t dare disturb you," Clarissa rebuked.
"I just wish you the best, Clarissa."
*****
The equestrian competition has begun. Harry took the route according to the directions given by the officer. First he rode a horse along the river. Actually, Claudia is still curious about what Kyle and Clarissa’s relationship is like. As a result of many changes to the storyline, she now has difficulty understanding each of the novel’s characters. If she looks at Kyle’s face, Claudia feels like she has met him somewhere while living in the real world.
Claudia was still nervous about holding the reins in a slightly bent sitting position. This made Harry’s gaze grin at his frightened wife as if she was going over a cliff.
"Even though I warned you earlier! "If you move a lot and your sitting position is wrong, this horse will be overwhelmed," scolded Harry.
"It’s easy to talk, isn’t it? The problem is I’m just learning to ride a horse. I was afraid of falling suddenly or the horse suddenly kicking me."
Imagining this white horse kicking them into the sky, Harry burst into laughter. "There’s no way this horse will do it. Besides, if you obey what I said earlier, we will be able to defeat them." Harry spontaneously shifted his wife’s back against his body while hugging her tightly. "Lean on me and just hold the reins tightly."
In the end, Claudia obeyed her husband’s words even though it was actually quite awkward when they entered the hillside area alone. She turned her head to look at her husband who was still silent. Even though they’ve been talking a lot, is this a sign that her husband is starting to get bored?
"Are you afraid?" Harry asked amidst the silence, surprising Claudia.
"No. I am not afraid."
"Then why are you silent?"
"It’s just, I’m curious why Clarissa suddenly got along with Kyle. Don’t they know each other?"
"The two of them have actually known each other since college. "In fact, I was the one who introduced Kyle to Clarissa."
"Since when?"
Harry smiled a mischievous smile. "When you were busy taking care of the hotel anniversary party preparations. Kyle continues to complain that he doesn’t have a partner now, while at the dance party he’s confused about who he wants to dance with. That’s why I recommend Clarissa."
"Yesterday Clarissa’s appearance was the most beautiful among all the members of the Scarlet Community."
"But, in my opinion, you are the brightest of them all."
Hearing her husband’s insults, Claudia didn’t dare to turn her head and held the rope even more nervously.
Suddenly the rain poured down amidst the sunny weather. Claudia’s number one thought was worrying about her husband’s unstable mental condition when it rained. However, seeing her husband’s flat facial expression, she wondered whether he was holding back fear or not.
"Harry, shall we just continue to the finish line?"
"No need. I want to take shelter for a while. Besides, it won’t rain for long."
Harry got off his white horse nimbly. With an intense gaze, he stretched out his right hand. "Hold my hand if you don’t want to get kicked by Prince."
Claudia nodded nervously, grabbed her husband’s hand and then let him catch her body, which almost fell. A pair of eyes glared at each other because their current position was perfect for kissing.
However, what was in Claudia’s mind did not match reality. Harry helped her stand up straight, then sat on the grass under a large tree while spreading out a handkerchief.
"Sit here."
"Why does it have to be covered with a handkerchief?"
"Because I don’t want your body to hit the ground. I have to treat you like a princess."
Claudia acted like a normal person sitting on her husband’s handkerchief while staring at the bright sky.
Claudia was still curious about why Harry didn’t react in any way even though he had been hit by the rain. Was it because it was still daytime and there was no lightning, Harry wasn’t scared?
"Aren’t you afraid of the rain?" Claudia asked in a whisper.
"Actually, I’m still scared. But, recently I started to be able to control it."
"If you’re really afraid of the rain, we can go back as soon as possible."
Harry laughed cutely as he stroked the back of Claudia’s hand. "Thank you for worrying about me. But, it’s better for us to take shelter like this than to get caught in the rain in the middle of the road."
"But, why are you so afraid of lightning and rainstorms? Do you have any trauma that you can’t tell me about?"
"Should I tell you now? A trauma story that is hard for me to forget?"
Claudia exhaled weakly. "You don’t need to force yourself to tell me all at once."
"But, you have to hear my true story. Since you are someone I can trust, I can only tell you about my past."