The Squire on a White Horse

Chapter 12.1. On A White Horse

Spring flowers filled the whole garden.

Stanley was no longer my father’s squire, and at the same time, he became my fiancé.

He was supposed to leave right away, but finalizing the ceremony and confirming the handover took longer than I expected.

Today, two weeks later, I stood in the doorway to see him off as he leaves the mansion after all the work is done.

He had been making plans with my parents until the last minute, and finally came to me after a long wait.

In his hand, he held a teddy bear that I had lent him for sometime. Noticing my gaze, Stanley lifted it up.

“I’m sorry I borrowed it for so long.”

“It’s okay. Have you been sleeping with it?”

“Yes, I kept it under my pillow.”

I took it with a smile and thought for a moment.

“Since I won’t see you again for another half a month, do you want me to lend you some more?”

I hugged the teddy bear and looked up at him.

“You’ll miss me, won’t you?”

I said confidently, and Stanley laughed as he gushed.

“Yes. I’m sure I’ll miss you, so I’ll borrow it for a while longer.”

I nodded and kissed it again before offering him the teddy bear.

Then, back in his arms, I untied the ribbon and took it as I remembered.

“I’ll take this as a good luck charm until I get to you.”

“Yes, you’re right. Please do so. Please take care of yourself.”

“Okay. But you have to be careful first.”

As I said this, I poked his chest with my finger and realized for the first time that the shirt he was wearing was the one I had sewn for him. I was so glad he was wearing it on this auspicious day.

I touched the collar. I think I did a good job.

“How does it fit?”

“It fits perfectly. It’s very comfortable.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

As I played with the simple collar with my fingers, I suddenly realized.

Speaking of which, today Stanley did not try to run away when I approached him.

I thought that becoming a fiancé would bring me a little closer, but the physical distance between me and Stanley had widened even more than before. Even I, a slow learner, noticed it.

He still came to see me whenever he had time, but he didn’t even come close to touching me. When I approached him, he ran away.

I used to ambush him at the corner and enjoy watching him get impatient when I suddenly hugged him, but after Dana found out and got very angry, I kept an appropriate distance.

“Mmmm, no!”

I heard Father’s deliberate cough, and I laughed and pulled my hand away from Stanley.

After standing between us, he coughed again and said to me, “Florence, you give it to him.”

“Yes, Father.”

I received the bouquet of flowers that the maid had brought me.

It was a bouquet to give as a wish for a safe journey.

For Stanley, it was a road he had traveled many times before, but he wanted to celebrate the beginning of his new life as a way of saying thank you for all he had done for our family.

After crossing my fingers and praying to God, I looked up at Stanley.

“I wish you all the best on your journey.”

“Thank you.”

I put the two flowers with the talisman in his breast pocket as he bent his knees.

A large ring of flowers was placed around the necks of the two horses pulling the carriage. As I stroked the heads of the friendly white horses, I remembered the words I had muttered to myself with a sigh.

“I wonder if a prince on a white horse will take me away.”

I smiled and Stanley looked at me curiously.

“You’re my prince on a white horse, aren’t you?”

He seemed to have remembered my words and laughed in annoyance.

At that moment, the church bells rang out in the area. It informed me that it was time for Stanley to leave.

“Time to go, Stanley.”

“Yes?”

Stanley bowed his head for a long time, thanking his father over and over again.

He had planned to devote his life to this house and to his father, and he had said many times that it was hard for him to leave. Still, his experience here would surely be useful for the rest of his life.

Stanley also said his last words to Mother and the stewards, and then came back to me.

“My Lady.”

He got down on one knee in front of me and held out his hands.

I put my hands on his hands, and he brought his face close to mine and gently pressed his lips to mine.

We touched for only a moment. We quickly pulled apart, and Stanley stood up.

It was a greeting I’d been given many times by men other than him, but I’d never felt so embarrassed.

He smiled deceptively.

“I’m going to be whisked away, so wait for me.”

“Yes, I’ll be waiting for you.”

With another deep bow, Stanley climbed into the carriage.

I gripped the ribbon in my hand tightly and waved at him until the carriage was out of sight.

I suspected that I might be more sad about this momentary separation than he was.