Priscella softly chuckled as she leaned closer to Sylvia and whispered in her ears. To others, it would probably look like the two of them were old friends chatting with each other.

Even Isabella had a kind smile on her face which didn't reflect the disgusting words coming out of her mouth.

They continued wagging their tongues at Sylvia fully expecting her to lash out in return. However, to their dismay, the woman was not easy to rattle and from the beginning to the end, her expression did not waver even once.

Isabella crossed her arms and muttered in annoyance.

"You know it becomes troublesome when sluts try to act smart.

"

"I guess your skin is pretty thick huh? Did you think you could get out of this just because of your thick skin?

" Priscella sneered.

"Mmm? I am not sure about the thickness of my skin, but I don't wish to waste my time barking back at rabid dogs.

" Sylvia smiled and answered the two women who seemed to be hell bent on provoking her.

"Heh. Don't worry. We will soon see who is the dog and who is the one Mikel truly loves.

" Priscella whispered and then almost immediately she started chuckling loudly attracting the attention of the women nearby.

"Alright. Alright. If that's what you want, it can surely be arranged.

"

"What happened Lady Priscella?

" One of the women asked.

"Yes. Yes. You must share the joke with us as well!

" Another one chimed in.

Noticing the ruckus, the Queen as well walked towards them.

"What are you all giggling about, ladies?

" Anastasia smiled and asked with amusement.

Priscella immediately blushed and answered back in a hurry.

"I apologize, your highness. Miss Sylvia here and I got into a small tiff. Ha ha.

"

"It seems that I was wrong earlier about Miss Sylvia's riding abilities. Aha ha ha. So she has challenged me to a riding contest.

"

"I apologize your highness. It looks like I had misspoken quite a bit.

" Priscella awkwardly smiled and bowed her head to the Queen.

And not so surprisingly, the Queen softly chuckled.

"Oh! Not bad! A mistress with guts! My son has a good taste it seems.

"

"Ha ha. How about we make this a little more interesting? Does Lady Sylvia want a competition? She should get one.

"

"And to make it extra special, I will specifically order my son to honor the victor by granting three wishes.

"

"You can wish for anything ladies. So you better put your best foot forward in this competition.

" The Queen grinned, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

She then clapped her hands and muttered.

"Prepare two horses for the ladies.

"

Priscella nodded and smiled brightly.

"Ahh. I am so excited. Thank you, your highness.

" She then quickly ran away towards her horse.

Her eyes, however, landed on the maid bringing along the other horse for a split second before turning away which no one else noticed.

Sylvia sighed, seeing how everything had turned out. This outcome was not really a surprise to her.

She tried her best to avoid this situation, but now that it happened anyway, she decided to play along and see what the woman wanted.

"Does she simply want to humiliate me for not knowing how to ride properly? Or perhaps…

" Sylvia silently pondered.

She even considered back out of this so-called competition by feigning an illness, but she had a feeling that if she did something like that then Priscella would probably immediately call the courtroom physician and break her lie apart in front of everyone.

Something like lying was probably not a punishable offense but still, she didn't want to take any chances and willingly walk into a trap set by the woman.

So Sylvia decided to go through with this and see what happens. At the most, she would have to accept a loss and a few more degrading words? That didn't seem too bad?

After lightly bowing to the Queen, she followed the maid who led her way and walked over to the horse, specifically prepared for her.

The other reason Sylvia was able to do this confidently even though she has never ridden a horse in her life before was because of her general affinity to all sorts of beasts.

She just needed to delay things as much as possible and buy some time, somehow managing until Mikel was able to get to the riding fields.

This was all that she could do. After all, she was not just facing Priscella this time around, she was also facing the Queen herself, one of the most powerful women in the entire Kingdom.

Sylvia patted the majestic black horse that was waiting for her and rubbed his mane, as the animal neighed loudly.

It looked like it was enjoying her touch and it shook its head, making the bitter taste in Sylvia's mouth dissipate a little.

Sometimes she couldn't help but feel that spending time with the beasts was much more rewarding and enjoyable compared to spending time with human beings.

After she soothed the animal a bit, she heard the referee, one of the stable workers walk up and commence the start of the race.

"It's all in your hands dear. Please help me out just this once.

" Sylvia ran her fingers through the mane and then climbed atop the horse, holding the reign.

At first, it was difficult to maintain her balance, but feeling her uneasiness, the horse trotted slowly and it helped Sylvia get used to the feeling.

It took her all of one second and her entire posture, demeanor, everything quickly adapted to the horse and she elegantly controlled it as if she had been taking riding lessons all her life.

Sylvia herself was surprised and the other women couldn't help but notice her natural elegance as well. Even the Queen nodded her head in approval giving her a small smile.

"Easy boy. Easy.

" She patted the horse and then threw a glance at the woman next to her who had cooked up this whole scheme, wondering how she felt about this, but weirdly Priscella was not in the least disheartened.

Hmmm… Sylvia furrowed her brows. Something didn't seem right. Maybe it was her gut feeling but she felt as if she had overlooked something.

Deciding to trust her intuition, Sylvia quickly jumped off the horse and bowed to the Queen.

"Please forgive me, your highness. My horse looks a bit thirsty. Please allow me a few minutes to tend to the beast.

"

The Queen waved her hand, and Sylvia again bowed, after which she pulled the animal slowly back to the stables.

The maid standing near her, who had initially brought the horse over hurried over to Sylvia's side.

"My Lady. The horse has already been fed and watered.

" She started explaining without even Sylvia saying a word about it.

For some reason, the maid looked a little frantic and this small detail did not miss Sylvia's eyes.

She smiled, things becoming clearer and clearer by the second, and calmly muttered.

"It's alright. There is no harm in giving the animal some more water right? After all, it's a bit sunny today.

"

"What is his name by the way?

"

Ah… The maid stammered a little and then promptly answered.

"My Lady, his name is black arrow. He is one of the Queen's personal thorough breeds.

"

Sylvia nodded.

"How about you fetch me also some water to drink?

" She waved her hand and quickly dismissed the maid, now only she and the horse remaining alone in the small stable.

Unlike the way Mikel handled the beasts in the castle, in the King's castle every beast had its own stable, which made it more convenient for Sylvia.

She stood in front of the horse and bent over, leaning closer to the beast to inspect it more thoroughly.

"Tell me, my dear. Are you alright?

"

Sylvia rubbed its neck, the horse gently cooing to her touch. She looked at its majestic body and its shiny fur from top to bottom, observing it as closely as she could.

After a few minutes, the maid returned back with a glass of water for Sylvia.

"My Lady.

" She bowed down and offered the tray with the glass of water on top of it, gritting her teeth, her hand almost trembling.

Sylvia smiled and accepted the water. She then drank it slowly whilst looking at the maid, who appeared more relieved now for some reason.

Sylvia then placed the empty glass back on the tray and walked out with the horse, heading back to the riding field.

The maid sighed loudly, letting out a deep breath.

"Thank the heavens. It looks like nothing happened.

" She patted her chest and quietly stayed behind, disappearing amidst the other stable workers.

Sylvia, on the other hand, joined Priscella and once again stood next to her, jumping atop the black-maned horse.

The referee saw that both the parties were ready and quickly cast a spell to conjure a loud flashy bolt of lightning.

"Start!

"