Chapter 200: The Unicorn’s Admiration

“Here it is.”

Roman blinked his bright eyes, gazing at the vast expanse of grass before him, then stepped forward away from Rosetta, his face filled with admiration.

“This is the Stables of the Holy Key Knights. Except for special training days, it’s not open to outsiders.”

Rosetta walked back to Roman’s side and spoke softly.

“So…”

“The rules here don’t apply to me.”

“Likewise, they don’t apply to you either.”

“Is that so.”

Roman naturally took Rosetta’s hand and followed her as they continued walking.

It had to be said, under normal circumstances, Roman wouldn’t have taken Rosetta’s hand so proactively.

But because Rosetta was wearing light armor, her hands were covered by gauntlets that prevented direct touch, so Roman didn’t resist this overly intimate gesture.

As they walked, suddenly, a blazing white afterimage appeared on the distant horizon.

Just as Roman thought he was seeing things, the white figure instantly appeared in front of him.

This is…

Roman stared in surprise at the ‘white horse’ before him.

The reason for the quotation marks was because the horse before him wasn’t a normal horse.

Its entire body was pure white, wings spread from its back, and even the mane on its neck was snow white.

Staring at it, Roman wondered if he was imagining things, but the horse looked incredibly beautiful, its features almost delicate.

Most importantly, a sharp and gleaming horn jutted from its head.

Staring in a daze, Roman finally realized that the creature before him was a mythical beast, a Unicorn.

“Lottis, you seem especially happy today.”

Rosetta smiled as she stroked the horse’s head in front of her.

As the captain of the Holy Key Knight Order, she naturally had her own steed.

The Unicorn before her, named ‘Lottis’, was the loyal companion who had accompanied Rosetta through countless battles.

However, in Rosetta’s heart, it was not just a mount, but an irreplaceable partner.

Thus, rather than ‘it’, Rosetta preferred to use ‘she’ when referring to the Unicorn.

“Why, do you like Your Highness too?”

She spoke unconsciously, but the moment the words left her mouth, Rosetta realized her slip, and hurriedly searched for an excuse to cover up her rudeness.

“Your Highness, I…”

“Is it a Unicorn?”

Roman seemed unconcerned by her earlier words, leaving Rosetta both relieved and a little disappointed…

“That’s right. Her name is Lottis—a beautiful and powerful girl.”

Stroking Lottis’s mane, Rosetta introduced her to Roman with pride.

As if in response to Rosetta’s praise, Lottis let out a pleasant low cry, accepting the introduction.

Staring up at the tall, majestic Lottis, Roman kept a few steps of distance, not daring to approach too closely.

Sensing Roman’s unease, Rosetta quickly took his hand, wanting to give him courage.

“Your Highness, Lottis really likes you. Go ahead, try petting her.”

Holding Roman’s small hand, Rosetta led him forward.

It wasn’t just empty encouragement; Rosetta genuinely sensed Lottis’s excitement today, completely different from usual.

Even when she appeared, it was obvious—the two had only just arrived at the stables, and Lottis had immediately flown over, unable to wait.

“Is that so?”

With Rosetta’s encouragement, Roman carefully placed his hand on Lottis’s head.

The moment he did, Roman shut his eyes tight, fearing she might get angry and lash out at him.

But none of the bad scenarios he imagined happened.

Instead, under the pair’s astonished gazes, Lottis gently moved her head, affectionately nuzzling Roman’s palm, as if greatly enjoying the touch.

“Ng…”

Lottis even let out a sound that made Roman’s face burn red, stepping forward on her hooves.

She extended her tongue to lick Roman’s hand, and then slowly approached, rubbing her beautiful head against his adorable cheek.

“Ugh…it tickles~”

Roman couldn’t help but laugh softly, seeming to want to escape Lottis’s affectionate actions, yet not truly resisting.

Seeing their intimacy at their very first meeting made Rosetta feel a bit envious.

Yet even she couldn’t tell which side she was more envious of.

After her jealousy faded, she gazed curiously at the ‘Pegasus’ form of Lottis before her, lost in thought.

After all, according to legend, Unicorns only approached those who were pure of heart.

Even for someone like Rosetta—pure in both body and soul—her first encounter with Lottis nearly turned into a battle…

Bringing Roman over was partly because she could now fully subdue Lottis and didn’t have to worry about Your Highness’s safety.

The other reason was that, as the Holy Child of the Goddess, Your Highness should be even purer than her, and she was curious to see if Lottis would have a special reaction.

Now, looking at Lottis’s behavior, ‘special’ didn’t even begin to cover it. It was completely out of character.

Anyone else who dared to approach within five meters would have risked getting kicked.

Watching this once beautiful and proud girl turn into a shameless lickspittle, Rosetta couldn’t help but sigh.

As Lottis was about to lick Roman’s cheek, Rosetta grabbed her mane and pulled her aside.

Ignoring Lottis’s resentful gaze, Rosetta took hold of the reins around Lottis’s neck and swung herself onto her back.

“Good girl, you’d better work hard today.”

She patted Lottis’s neck and spoke softly.

Then, she reached out her hand to Roman and said gently,

“Take my hand and step on the saddle below. I can pull you up.”

At that moment, Roman hesitated again.

He didn’t know the customs of Unicorns in this world, but their appearance was exactly the same.

It made him recall the habit of Unicorns—they only let those pure in body and soul ride on their backs.

Pure in body and soul…

He bit his lip.

That was something that no longer applied to him.

Not only was he no longer pure, in some ways, he was downright ‘dirty.’

Yet, as Roman stood there, hesitating to take Rosetta’s hand, Lottis moved on her own.

Under their astonished eyes, Lottis knelt down, tucking her legs beneath her in a display of grace, even a hint of ladylike elegance.

She let out an incomparably gentle sound toward Roman, as if urging him to climb up.

In the end, Roman took Rosetta’s hand and sat naturally on Lottis’s back without even using much strength.

Pressing close to Rosetta’s armored chest, Roman cautiously held her hand on the reins, glancing around.