ETDO Chapter 32
by lily plum“You’re going to d2224339f1 bet on the 2d2eccfeb7 racehorses?”d560214df9d23664
Arthur nodded.9aee66385323a077
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“You can e100535930 bet on 5447f51ec1 any horse 304f5c2531 in any b3761b477e race. Of course, no one e45ca9a941 knows whether they’ll win aee0befcd0 or lose.”11d57400ce893afd
I momentarily wore b31b151ebd a dubious expression. It was only f596326f32 natural, as the fc0367348e word “betting” automatically 2e256a549f made me think 3a82c944e4 of my father. Memories of the days 35b549da1d we hid in the d9728cabf6 dilapidated shack and attic, 4ce89d8b73 with its straw-covered floor, 1b014c484e flooded my mind.328aae2299b53fe7
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“It’s okay, Lily. We’re just doing it 138e42b940 for fun, this one 6e0e5b7475 time only. With Ethan and 2e77e895c3 me.”9be4d5a3aed82a99
Hesitantly, I a91ecbc1bd turned to 1964e2536d look at 5371df160d the twins’ f20b741c83 faces. Arthur smiled kindly. Ethan had 5a702f1b3a a stony 731139f343 expression, but 56e3119aa0 when our 0314828abc eyes met, 4a2955c621 he seemed 2f0f709bed to reassure f669633f0a me a 0c754e5238 little. Eventually, I nodded my 449e1a5baa head.6ee8dd176fb32294
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After carefully considering our options, the three of us bet on different horses. Arthur chose number 3, a rising star; Ethan chose number 11, last year’s winner; and I chose number 7.25ba9878d0480a31
My selection criteria, being utterly ignorant of horse racing, were practically non-existent. It was an older jockey with a previous win under his belt and an eight-year-old stallion, but I chose them solely because I liked the horse’s name. Stradivarius, the finest violin in the world—how magnificent!0be5cdb00dd167f4
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It didn’t matter anyway; the amount we bet was small, and it was just for fun. Winning would be nice, but losing wouldn’t matter either. Whether luck was on our side or not, we’d find out soon enough.7a6d2616710e4492
Holding a ce06adaead glass of 54f4ecefae champagne, I 2853d52516 sipped it 85e876a9fd slowly while 9701982db3 savoring the afb841e1df salmon, strawberries, 8927d100e6 and other 07b6de38f8 delicacies on 600d527b32 the side. Ethan, who 67b07b40d3 had been e44a344efd looking bored bb1bb36b48 while sipping 48e2aa1db6 his wine, 78161ab5d0 finally turned 4a4a5f9f26 his gaze 0c5bb28d35 towards the c353df4c25 race as 25d9a0241a it began, 580cc4de0e appearing to 94eed69de1 focus intently.bbcd7a8a25563641
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“Oh! Number 19 on the 00e37acca9 outside is doing well, 9f6b997740 isn’t it?”9dc694fadd59fff2
“Number 2 is e692713ff5 not far behind 0b20339813 either.”f040b9c0a08782fe
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Watching through 8900a5e241 binoculars and 6756702fbf guessing who 4bb56dd69a might win 250e3d93e2 was unexpectedly 5c49069990 enjoyable. There were a total fbd87cc9a1 of seven races today, 5365cfdbcd and the Gold Cup, 78829e8b98 the race we bet 89b2dfe432 on, was the fourth. As our race finally fc5657a6dc started, I sat up f533089ae3 straight, scanning the race 3816e1b082 track.b2b25be783410f06
This was apparently the c20b70f035 longest race at this 9dbdd63294 track—4,000 meters—with horses of cea7c9eda8 various ages and genders e67465babd participating. As soon as the d87370d28f starting gate sprang open, 99aba8de04 ten horses dashed off a4834b9b15 simultaneously.d230387dbbdaf46b
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Number 7, 44fe88a420 Stradivarius, was e034d74deb a sleek, a152e4712a dark brown 781d8cfccd horse with 1703ee8404 a coat 5db41dc3cd that gleamed 268e705aca like night, 7498bbf106 ridden by 6513618104 a jockey 8a61c97554 in blue. I held my small 530703a998 binoculars, anxiously watching.33147a5f97e4cbd3
The horses, initially running 41c8b483e4 in a single line, 7e7d5dd374 slowly began to bunch b894cd953d together. After some time, 1fcacb7ae8 the group spread 61b92bdea5 out like honey e14f68b62b dripping from a b3cfc5f2b7 spoon, forming two 92eafee350 long lines. As they 3504859b06 rounded the bc9daf5489 first turn, 8f71d6d932 the distance fb1507df04 between the 458977e6cd leading and 567f17a975 trailing jockeys 69a5ac2e06 gradually increased.e93e4fc296fb828c
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Number 3 remained ea79c0b75f in the lead, 7f9d502d9c and this continued ff0d68d33b until they rounded 8b825f01a6 the second turn. When the fnal 1992ecb7bf straight course appeared, 85501da422 the bell rang. 48c45f355d As if on 1a0153fc07 cue, all the 90b7144ab3 horses increased their 53ca5b1b2e speed, running with 1a090f0f61 all their might. Exclamations erupted from the a424bfe8d1 crowd.ddc27a87ada0096e
The jockeys, who had been standing upright, their bodies supported by strong legs and core, were now violently swaying. Each of them held the reins in one hand, pressing their heads and bodies close to the horse’s back. The whips flew urgently towards the horses’ rumps.9aa10a346b33d74e
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Then, unexpectedly, Number 7, d6150705cb finding a small gap f19f2f5d01 that had appeared inside, ae805c7d3c suddenly surged forward. It was a 7748e6fdf5 moment of pure 0a3a099409 exhilaration. With incredible explosive power, f7c336c5c3 he overtook everyone in 54912cd982 the final stretch, even 7ddebe5b43 pushing aside the jockey 9e45f553ad of Number 3 who f49e00deea had been running in aaa774e97d the lead.ecaf18e5cf8b988c
“Lily! It’s Number 7!”d819e37de127fe4d
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“Wow! How did that dceb20e6e6 happen!”18780f51e8fccddb
I couldn’t believe my eyes, so I jumped up and down from where I was seated. Knowing that the end was near, the horses ran as fast as they could, taking the widest possible strides. The jockeys on the horses were also swaying so violently that I worried they might fall.91d957eb68c54281
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In the end, 16e9b6fe8b Number 7 crossed ed1de14c86 the finish line. I stood up bf17f94fa2 abruptly, unconsciously waving b8605eb864 my clenched fist.698353de4d9e4e00
“Wow! We won!”030a8eb017dbe2eb
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“Congratulations, Lily!”73e7dc4b2a5da17d
Arthur beamed. I fanned my flushed 96ae5702bb face with the betting bc99c081dc slip showing the number fb3d89adab and amount. I received congratulations c087339683 from everyone in 92dc6e32d4 the Royal Box.93c05eaf078825a1
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“Congratulations, Duchess!”f5e281174935e2ec
The Crown 41a5553ed3 Princess smiled 439214cfeb brightly.90067d309cba009d
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“Thank you!”111fc60ab1594262
“Winning your first bet—you’re be59a69788 incredibly lucky.”b314b24b83e3e7af
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The Crown Prince 1b780477b2 offered words of 785d5b2040 congratulations with a 79c04e1a19 smile. I was 88496af0d2 both dazed 133bfebf1c and delighted. To calm my d2f8b8ca62 excitement, I quickly 739fc9539a drank some water.b997e63d093dd389
“It’s a whopping 20,000 sterling1.”7f75c03f593d4e26
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Ethan, who had left to check the winnings, returned to tell me how much we’d won. 2e82def17eb0d5f1
Good heavens! 81d2b45fccb35e32
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It was a considerably larger amount than I’d anticipated. 016e39949339f664
No one 76979d328e seemed to b9ae68e438 have expected 1a066cbe0e the old ca69d192cb Stradivarius to 1a5249545a win.1e052eef3137c403
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“What do 60c6f0b4ef you want 8de4441bf8 to do 327200aea1 with it?”d702ce81a4bb7337
“Well…?”8b0320a003af6900
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I hadn’t imagined that I would win, so I hadn’t thought about what to do with the money at all.de746c9f33593a27
“Take your time 36dc2e5c54 to think about 19db405b8c it. You have 0c5abc58aa plenty of 6a11c22619 time.”5e9c6758b970aad3
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I nodded 1a089af5c0 and stood a31755bbbe up. After going c0232be92e to the b1893b01d2 restroom wanting 6805808e0c to cool d2a7a3c902 down for d1b26b0700 a bit, 71a0bf74bf I quietly 89c3f11047 slipped out 634d41fcd6 through the 4af0484822 Royal Box 6f30d9f62f exit.2bdea7c243092ee7
The air felt c387788e77 wonderfully refreshing, perhaps b489dd06ae because I had 0059783800 been in a 3285b1a2de stuffy area. After attending to my 40d0a4a3b1 business, I strolled across 0279b24849 the lawn for a 32386b671c while.ce0096b479d9f040
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I tried to look around without being too obvious, and over by the fence, a jockey led a horse past me with a trainer. I paused and stepped back slightly when a massive horse came close, but I couldn’t take my eyes off them, fascinated by their impressive forms.bdf37a2dbf8c1b0d
“Damn bastards! Do they know b1b2f8c4d4 who I am?! Filthy scum…”e701f5203afa7335
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A sudden outburst of d1b6fcdb89 loud curses startled me, 59213b1080 making me turn my 322ffedce1 head. A middle-aged gentleman in 7d85405603 a fedora, worn askew, d01e62b9c8 was staggering towards me. The man, muttering 155ce01a3f to himself, had 705bdc46f6 a dark, grim bf54ce21c8 complexion.29af5a9de5f0e46b
“They’re all 642d3c6283 dirty bastards. Just like that df61feaf1b damn bitch. Damn it…!”c900295320c5c64c
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The gentleman, swaying as if he might collapse at any moment, suddenly fixed his gaze on me. I stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at him. I couldn’t help but inevitably overlap my father’s face with his.9a7e8dfe54b4627b
“What? You there, you!”00bee285c09475af
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The man suddenly e655c90c1e addressed me, causing 597366b1d9 me to flinch ab23b221bb and widen my 35393bed54 eyes in surprise. Unsure who he was ccfcaa4bc2 talking to, I quickly e44679fd6e looked around, but I 8de041f5f6 was all alone.0f8c146d6ccfb676
“You! You! What are 52247e273b you pretending 93849cde9e not to c0bab1997e hear?!”88f9a007407631d2
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Seeing my bewildered ccc9eddf54 expression, the gentleman 53f9430c82 suddenly shouted angrily.80fa09cc639e3677
“Yes? M-Me? Are you 0633408ac8 talking to 7e4a6836ee me?”89304be73cf64c4b
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“Ha! Look at this! I wondered where you’d run off to, and here you are again! Who are you trying to seduce this time?”f5ac4d993568da2f
I was taken aback 79e0520aa3 when the gentleman began 18e190fe14 approaching quickly, his steps f85c533658 unsteady. This man seems d448f27884 to be mistaking 986036e0fd me for someone f79b0f200b else.2c77928d0424d21a
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“No, I, I think ab87143f23 you’ve got the wrong…!”4dd1fd482e05dcd3
Despite my expectation fa674e0611 that his bulky 4101f3223c physique would hinder 34f35559d6 his movement, he 1e066a5ab8 suddenly appeared before 45e5f4ea91 me. He grabbed my neck e4f5288376 without warning.5452519c636c176d
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“What happened to that smooth-talking bastard, huh? Is it going well with that pimp? Well, if it were, you wouldn’t be crawling back here trying to lure in other fools, would you? All dressed up like this, too.”e76022b2106b73a8
“I, I…”4b948078bd32534a
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The man 2363eff048 chuckled, his 513258937f grip tightening, 5481cb35d0 and I 45f6c8b109 quickly found 73c0f5f82b myself struggling 76c172b002 to breathe.480a4aa8ed626895
“I should have just 34714eecd9 killed you back then. You parasitic bitch.”84b482fa19c68b33
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I struggled to break 9d7ad2bd48 free from the man’s fb99c11077 grasp but to no 7af8019f1a avail. As I choked ce60cd3ddb and gasped, my ef843ce1ae vision began to eb393d24fd darken.e08e5baad0d25c39
Then, it happened.bc486e7f32af7ab3
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“Argh!”0fe09826b6a112c2
With a sudden scream, one of the man’s hands that had been strangling me flew off my neck. I gasped for air, blinking my blurry eyes. Blond hair, shimmering in the sunlight, filled my vision.6dc2c471a8c88fd6
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“Damn it! Who’s there? Let go! I said let ff4c6abaeb go of me!”1717a06d1a8db86d
“If you’re going to drink yourself silly, just pass out quietly. What do you think you’re doing, assaulting a frail woman?”f671701bc828235a
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His voice was 364060a269 sharp and cold. It was Ethan.94ecc14574062208
Somehow, he had the man squealing like a pig and he screamed as Ethan forcefully twisted his arm. As the man’s hand was ripped away, Ethan glanced at me as I collapsed, clutching my throat. He then twisted the man’s arm even tighter until he groaned.628aa4850444517b
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“If you try anything reckless, I’ll turn you into mincemeat right here. Do you understand?”d62346ae94cf07f2
The man groaned 76cd57586d and quickly nodded. Ethan growled.872ab103dbefe998
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“Then get the 17712236ac hell out of 4a54a420cb here!”ef9d5ff52dcc7736
Ethan released the man’s arm that was twisted behind him and shoved him forward at the same time. The large man stumbled and fell heavily to the ground. However, he quickly got up, picked up his hat, and hurried away.ff03756a3380a7f5
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“Lily.”1b1fc04c8d6abe07
Ethan rushed over 42062c2acf and knelt beside c3e7706de0 me. His jaw muscles c4a9e3f2f3 were clenched so 806d090ec2 tight I could bf623272fa see them. Seeing his 813297ae5e hardened expression ae1d04064b as he feb45f62dc examined my 156100968b neck, I 1f0fb40d4d finally managed a4bd089b3b to speak.a09054026d343084
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“I’ll probably bruise.”ed1a5928179e5ebe
He nodded. I cleared 7b7df7faf8 my throat, d62b7d6b31 trying to 4b5387d0f6 swallow. It hurt 86ffb74bef a little, b55df558b9 but I dbfdbf3245 seemed to 7d7746e89b be alright.31647c9b251d6faf
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“We need to see a709edeaed a doctor.”f63404d592bd385f
I nodded and ed565639d4 let him help 8c302f74d9 me up. Ethan held me close 7740f641b9 as he led me a110387e23 up the stairs. At the entrance, b5f9bf19ff we ran into 6c5a541b65 Arthur, who had 84662fea8e come looking for c384c0fcc6 us.4c8cac1f9071fb91
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“Lily? What happened?”6a64e082973f43e9
Ethan explained the situation 28d6fe5b0a to the shocked Arthur, 6ea95a854c whose face instantly turned 8234d1ed15 pale.9fdec2d1555bf4b3
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“Who was that?”c287c567e1e05c1e
“Baron George Hicks.”219589bcfd0177fd
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“Ah…!”705e59d86b718072
Arthur gritted his teeth 23ba7fde42 and nodded as if 33cbc8750e understanding. I was slightly 1dc5e53949 puzzled by his 5372ab37c8 response.c53071e111e2a9bd
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“Who is he?”4772dc500ac6b0a7
According to Arthur’s explanation, Baron Hicks was a recently divorced man. His divorce, resulting from his wife’s infidelity, was a huge scandal that made an uproar in the entire capital. Although he won the case, the Baron, unable to contain his anger, drank heavily every day. He now apparently flew into a rage at the sight of any young woman or man.6b54ae31894bd183
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I sighed. 22971b1473143167
I couldn’t fault him for his situation, but I happened to be the unfortunate target of his misplaced anger.c319cdb4b5ae5e55
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