ETDO Chapter 32

“You’re going to bet on the racehorses?”

Arthur nodded.

“You can bet on any horse in any race. Of course, no one knows whether they’ll win or lose.”

I momentarily wore a dubious expression. It was only natural, as the word “betting” automatically made me think of my father. Memories of the days we hid in the dilapidated shack and attic, with its straw-covered floor, flooded my mind.

“It’s okay, Lily. We’re just doing it for fun, this one time only. With Ethan and me.”

Hesitantly, I turned to look at the twins’ faces. Arthur smiled kindly. Ethan had a stony expression, but when our eyes met, he seemed to reassure me a little. Eventually, I nodded my head.

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.

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!

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.

Holding a glass of champagne, I sipped it slowly while savoring the salmon, strawberries, and other delicacies on the side. Ethan, who had been looking bored while sipping his wine, finally turned his gaze towards the race as it began, appearing to focus intently.

“Oh! Number 19 on the outside is doing well, isn’t it?”

“Number 2 is not far behind either.”

Watching through binoculars and guessing who might win was unexpectedly enjoyable. There were a total of seven races today, and the Gold Cup, the race we bet on, was the fourth. As our race finally started, I sat up straight, scanning the race track.

This was apparently the longest race at this track—4,000 meters—with horses of various ages and genders participating. As soon as the starting gate sprang open, ten horses dashed off simultaneously.

Number 7, Stradivarius, was a sleek, dark brown horse with a coat that gleamed like night, ridden by a jockey in blue. I held my small binoculars, anxiously watching.

The horses, initially running in a single line, slowly began to bunch together. After some time, the group spread out like honey dripping from a spoon, forming two long lines. As they rounded the first turn, the distance between the leading and trailing jockeys gradually increased.

Number 3 remained in the lead, and this continued until they rounded the second turn. When the fnal straight course appeared, the bell rang.  As if on cue, all the horses increased their speed, running with all their might. Exclamations erupted from the crowd.

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.

Then, unexpectedly, Number 7, finding a small gap that had appeared inside, suddenly surged forward. It was a moment of pure exhilaration. With incredible explosive power, he overtook everyone in the final stretch, even pushing aside the jockey of Number 3 who had been running in the lead.

“Lily! It’s Number 7!”

“Wow! How did that happen!”

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.

In the end, Number 7 crossed the finish line. I stood up abruptly, unconsciously waving my clenched fist.

“Wow! We won!”

“Congratulations, Lily!”

Arthur beamed. I fanned my flushed face with the betting slip showing the number and amount. I received congratulations from everyone in the Royal Box.

“Congratulations, Duchess!”

The Crown Princess smiled brightly.

“Thank you!”

“Winning your first bet—you’re incredibly lucky.”

The Crown Prince offered words of congratulations with a smile. I was both dazed and delighted. To calm my excitement, I quickly drank some water.

“It’s a whopping 20,000 sterling¹.”

Ethan, who had left to check the winnings, returned to tell me how much we’d won. 

Good heavens! 

It was a considerably larger amount than I’d anticipated. 

No one seemed to have expected the old Stradivarius to win.

“What do you want to do with it?”

“Well…?”

I hadn’t imagined that I would win, so I hadn’t thought about what to do with the money at all.

“Take your time to think about it. You have plenty of time.”

I nodded and stood up. After going to the restroom wanting to cool down for a bit, I quietly slipped out through the Royal Box exit.

The air felt wonderfully refreshing, perhaps because I had been in a stuffy area. After attending to my business, I strolled across the lawn for a while.

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.

“Damn bastards! Do they know who I am?! Filthy scum…”

A sudden outburst of loud curses startled me, making me turn my head. A middle-aged gentleman in a fedora, worn askew, was staggering towards me. The man, muttering to himself, had a dark, grim complexion.

“They’re all dirty bastards. Just like that damn bitch. Damn it…!”

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.

“What? You there, you!”

The man suddenly addressed me, causing me to flinch and widen my eyes in surprise. Unsure who he was talking to, I quickly looked around, but I was all alone.

“You! You! What are you pretending not to hear?!”

Seeing my bewildered expression, the gentleman suddenly shouted angrily.

“Yes? M-Me? Are you talking to me?”

“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?”

I was taken aback when the gentleman began approaching quickly, his steps unsteady. This man seems to be mistaking me for someone else.

“No, I, I think you’ve got the wrong…!”

Despite my expectation that his bulky physique would hinder his movement, he suddenly appeared before me. He grabbed my neck without warning.

“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.”

“I, I…”

The man chuckled, his grip tightening, and I quickly found myself struggling to breathe.

“I should have just killed you back then. You parasitic bitch.”

I struggled to break free from the man’s grasp but to no avail. As I choked and gasped, my vision began to darken.

Then, it happened.

“Argh!”

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.

“Damn it! Who’s there? Let go! I said let go of me!”

“If you’re going to drink yourself silly, just pass out quietly. What do you think you’re doing, assaulting a frail woman?”

His voice was sharp and cold. It was Ethan.

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.

“If you try anything reckless, I’ll turn you into mincemeat right here. Do you understand?”

The man groaned and quickly nodded. Ethan growled.

“Then get the hell out of here!”

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.

“Lily.”

Ethan rushed over and knelt beside me. His jaw muscles were clenched so tight I could see them. Seeing his hardened expression as he examined my neck, I finally managed to speak.

“I’ll probably bruise.”

He nodded. I cleared my throat, trying to swallow. It hurt a little, but I seemed to be alright.

“We need to see a doctor.”

I nodded and let him help me up. Ethan held me close as he led me up the stairs. At the entrance, we ran into Arthur, who had come looking for us.

“Lily? What happened?”

Ethan explained the situation to the shocked Arthur, whose face instantly turned pale.

“Who was that?”

“Baron George Hicks.”

“Ah…!”

Arthur gritted his teeth and nodded as if understanding. I was slightly puzzled by his response.

“Who is he?”

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.

I sighed. 

I couldn’t fault him for his situation, but I happened to be the unfortunate target of his misplaced anger.