The silence between the two of us made me feel really confused. The way he talked was like he just confessed to me, but I wasn't excited about it at all. So I decisively pushed him back and moved myself to the side.
"Listen, no matter what happens, I'm not going to like you. I have someone I love."
"I know. You love Dominic. But what does that have to do with the fact that I want you to be with me?" Frederick didn't seem to understand.
"Of course it does. If I'm in love with someone I can't be with someone else, because it makes me feel uncomfortable." I tried to explain to him.
"So that means you feel uncomfortable around me?"
"No... I mean... ah what a headache, do you understand what I'm saying after all?"
I felt like I was completely powerless to convince Frederick that we shouldn't be together. He has his own reasons and this man is really stubborn and unruly. No matter how much I try to explain, he will do as he says in the end.
"Okay, just think about my offer. You probably still think that after you've been with me for the next few days, when you get back to Dominic, everything will be fine. But wait and see, you'll have to consider my offer."
He spoke firmly as if a fortune-teller could tell the future. However, he was right about one thing. It's true that I still hope that once I find out what I want to know, I can go back to Dominic's side like I used to. But will the truth I'm about to find out prevent me from doing that?
It turned out that I myself wasn't sure about anything about my relationship with Dominic. He and I were like two people on either side of a wobbly wooden bridge, at any moment one of us could fall into the river.
"Frederick, there are so many things I want to know about Dominic, but I can't find them myself. Can I know them through you?" I inquired.
"Oh... Okay." He didn't think too long before he nodded. "But I need time to investigate. In the meantime, let's try another way to understand your fiancé."
"How?" Suddenly I felt a little restless for no reason.
Frederick did not answer me immediately, he put his index finger to his mouth to signal that it was a secret. Then he promised to tell me tomorrow. Looks like he's starting to like to act mysterious again, that gesture is just like his habit.
The next morning, Frederick took me to the largest racecourse in the Lenox City.
"Why are we here?"
"It's because we're here to watch the race, of course."
"What? Didn't you say we'd have another way of understanding Dominic?" I looked at him with puzzled eyes.
"So this is how I say it. Just wait. He'll soon know we're here and will come."
I looked around curiously to see if Frederick was telling the truth. But I looked and still couldn't see Dominic. Will he really come here?
While looking around, I also took the opportunity to observe this racecourse. Although I had never been to a racecourse before, I had seen it on television. It's a large place, the horses will be led into the yard by the racecourse manager. Usually, the court surface is quite hard and is cleaned and meticulously cleaned to ensure the fairest race.
The racecourse in the Lenox City was a bit different from what I had imagined. It's also spacious but not too ornate. The yard was sandy and there were weeds that hadn't been weeded, the stables were fairly rudimentary, and even the horses looked wild. It is these things that have created the feature here, it makes viewers feel more excited and stimulated.
"Hey, if you've been to a horse race, you have to bet, right? There are eight horses in this race, you should take a look and choose one."
Betting on horse racing is quite common, and most people who come to see a horse race are betting on it. For the rich, betting is just a hobby to spend money, while for the poorer people, they gamble as a way to earn a living. If they win, they will have a lot of money, if they lose, their life will be even more tragic.
Looking up at the large grandstand, it was not difficult to see the worried and tense eyes of those who had to bet their lives on this one gamble. And the rich and laid-back, including Frederick, were perfectly happy and enjoying the race.
"Number 7."
"Oh, lucky number. Did you pick it randomly?" Frederick helped me fill out the bet slip and asked.
"Not really. When I looked at that dark horse, it seemed somewhat calmer than the others. It kept grazing and didn't seem to mind the race preparation. So I thought it must be very confident."
While I was staring at the dark horse, Frederick was looking at me without me noticing.
"Then I will choose to be like you."
"Hey, why are you copying me?" I glanced at him and frowned.
"Oh my, did you just pout at me? Do it again, you look lovely." Frederick laughed and jokingly said. Then he even pinched my cheek with his hand.
"Hey, who let you pinch my cheeks. I'm not a kid. Get your hands off me."
I pretended to be annoyed with his childish actions, but actually I wasn't angry either, because I considered it a playful act between two friends.
"Look, Esther." Frederick pointed to a flashing sign showing the numbers. It turned out to be the number of bettors for each horse. "Only three people bet on dark horse number 7."
"Only three? You and I bet on it, there are two. So the other one is..."
Before I could finish speaking, my eyes accidentally met another. Since when did he appear without me noticing, from the other side of the stage, at a great distance, I could still feel his eyes. His eyes stared at me with so many emotions that I couldn't explain, but it made me unable to take my eyes off him.
It seems that you came here alone, without bodyguards or any subordinates, or yes, but they have blended into the crowd without my knowledge. He was wearing a black suit, his appearance was defiant and arrogant, even in the middle of the crowd, he could still be easily recognized from afar.
A few seconds later, the oppressive feeling of being stared at by him was gone, and that's when I realized he had moved his gaze away from Frederick. The two men looked at each other like they were secretly declaring war on something. Frederick would sometimes come close to my ear and whisper to me about racehorses and how races worked. His arm was draped over my shoulder and placed behind the chair, a pose of possessiveness.
I didn't like this and several times reminded him not to be so intimate with me. But he acted like he didn't care, occasionally touching my shoulder or touching my hair. As for me, I don't have the heart to yell at him for such small things, especially when this man keeps putting on such a smiling and welcoming face.
"Behold, the race has begun."
At the referee's signal, the horse race officially begins. My full attention was instantly focused on that race. Even though I came here and entered the bet thinking that it doesn't matter if I win or lose. But when watching this race, my aggressiveness suddenly skyrocketed. I kept praying for the 7th horse to win.
In the end, the black horse did not do any miracle. It ended up in 3rd place. Although it didn't finish first as I expected, I'm not too disappointed because at least it overcame a lot of tall and stronger horses.
"Esther, there's going to be another game coming to this racetrack and allowing spectators to participate, would you like to try it?"
"Sounds interesting, what's that?" I was gradually attracted to the exciting atmosphere at this racecourse.
"Take the bag."
This sport has been played in many countries for centuries.
In this sport, two teams of horsemen compete for control of decapitated animal carcasses. Today, however, animal carcasses are replaced by fur-stuffed leather animals weighing about 30 kilograms. Despite the change in the means of competition, the skill in this sport remains the same.
"This sport was banned in the Lenox City for some reason, but now it's back."
"I feel like it's quite similar to rugby, but it requires the player to ride a horse. And I don't know."
"It's okay. Sit behind me. This game is very interesting, if you don't play it, you will regret it."
Although I am excited about this new game, I am also apprehensive about one thing. That's Dominic. Since he's been here, he's been watching me all the time, his eyes don't seem to leave me even for a minute.
If I'm in this game, and so is Dominic, doesn't that mean we're up against each other?
"You're curious to know about Dominic, aren't you? This is your chance."
Frederick's words prompted me to, and so I decided to agree with him. Since the participants are not professional players, no one weighs the weight of winning or losing. Everyone played for fun, so they all invited one more person to ride with the horse.
Soon, everyone was paired up and rode together to participate in this game. Most people who share horses are lovers or husband and wife. Only me and Frederick are probably two rare people who are not in love, just friends.
To reduce the competitive nature of the game, the animal has a pretty good looking shape and is not as wild as I thought.
At the referee's signal, the men began to hold the horse's rope and rush towards the stuffed animal on the ground.
"Hold on tight, Esther."
Frederick is very energetic and aggressive, he skillfully controls the reins and steers the horse through a series of opponents to move forward.
This is the first time I have been riding a horse, although only sitting in the back of Frederick, the feeling of excitement is unbelievable. The horse galloped so fast, I had to quickly grab Frederick's shirt to not be thrown to the ground. For those who are not used to riding, it may feel dizzy or nauseous, but for those interested in the sport, it will be extremely enjoyable and satisfying, just like I am now.
I even almost shouted with joy.
Frederick reached for the hook toward the stuffed animal, but before he could lift the stuffed animal, someone else was faster. Dominic was also riding, he got the stuffed animal before Frederick and galloped towards the finish line. As the two men's gazes crossed each other, they both seemed to sense the other's provocation.
Seeing someone dare to challenge him, Frederick became more enthusiastic. He whipped the horse's butt and chased after Dominic. Dominic sat alone on one horse so he had a slight advantage over Frederick, so Dominic quickly threw the stuffed animal to the finish line and easily scored a point.
"Wow, scored. This match I thought everyone would have a good time, but I didn't expect two people to play so hard."
"Those two men are professional players, they're so good at handling horses."
"That guy in black doesn't have anyone on his horse yet, I want to be the woman behind him."
The spectators in the stands excitedly discussed the sports game we were participating in. Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the stadium is much more tense. Dominic and Frederick competed so fiercely that the other players didn't even have a chance to get close to the stuffed animal. Perhaps they also sensed something different between Dominic and Frederick, so they didn't participate too much, just rode along.
I sat behind Frederick and almost fell several times, and I told him it wasn't necessary to win, but he didn't mind. His full attention was on the competition with Dominic.
Somehow, the scores of the two of them kept trailing, but Dominic was always ahead of Frederick. That provoked Frederick and evoked his thirst for victory.
While the two horses ran close together, Frederick and Dominic were both fighting over the stuffed animal. Because the speed of the horse was so fast, I could only hear the wind blowing in my ears, but I could no longer hear the cheers or the conversation of the people.
Suddenly, at the turn of the first yard, the two horses simultaneously changed direction. It all happened so fast that I didn't have time to react and let go of my hand, and by the time I realized it, I was already falling from the saddle.
If I fell to the ground like that, I would definitely be seriously injured, possibly breaking my arm, breaking my leg or worse. While panicking, the only thing I could do was close my eyes.
However, the climax did not happen as I imagined. My arm was grabbed by someone so tightly that I almost snapped my shoulder. My whole body was lifted up and snuggled in his embrace.
"Open your eyes. If you have the guts to challenge my patience, why are you afraid of this stupid game?"
Dominic's voice pulled me from my fear back to reality. I opened my eyes and was immediately met with his eyes staring at me. We've only been apart for a few days, but I didn't expect I'd miss him so much. It wasn't until I was in his arms that I realized it.
"Thank you." I whispered, my hand still touching the dislocated shoulder.
Just now, Dominic had to react very quickly to catch my arm and pull me into the saddle. Even so, I still couldn't avoid getting hurt. Because of this incident, the match was forced to end early, the winner was Dominic, but he didn't care about that anymore.
He picked me up from the horse and walked briskly towards the foyer of the racecourse.
Frederick ran right behind.
"Esther, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"She'll be fine if you can protect her. But you're useless." Dominic looked coldly at Frederick
"What the hell did you say?"
Frederick smirked and suddenly grabbed Dominic's collar.
"Can you two stop arguing?"
I whispered like I was out of breath. At this point, some medical staff came and helped me fix my twisted arm. Frederick, having regained his senses, pulled up a chair and sat down beside me. Several of Frederick's subordinates had also arrived, they all seemed to be wary of Dominic. But Dominic was still standing alone, not looking restless or insecure.
"I have prescribed you some pain relievers. For the next few days, please refrain from vigorous or excessive exercise." A female Lenox City nurse spoke softly to me.
After the medical staff left, only me, Dominic, Frederick and a few of his subordinates remained in the room.
"Esther, let's go back to rest. You look tired."
Frederick quickly stood up and helped me slowly out of the room. As I passed Dominic, I thought he was going to say something to stop me, but he didn't even look at me. He had one hand in his pocket, a cigar in the other.
By the time we got out of the rest room, most of the people who had come to watch the race had already returned, and the racetrack was empty. The people in charge and management here are driving the horses to the stables.
"What's wrong with that dark horse?"