"Yes, good morning. Such a beautiful morning, right?" Her smile broadened.
A frown appeared on his face, his eyes narrowing at her. "Did you all and hit your head?" he questioned suspiciously.
"No, I didn't. Why do you look so confused? What's wrong with me extending greetings to you?" Annette asked, her voice soft.
He stared at her for a few seconds, probably thinking of what to say or do.
"Nothing at all. I didn't take you for someone who extends anything to anyone. I'm just genuinely surprised," he said openly.
"I guess I like to surprise people," she replied.
Gabriel shook his head. "Oookay. Good morning to you too," he said before walking away.
Annette quickened her pace to catch up with him. "I see you're dressed. Where are you going this early?" she asked, finally walking by his side.
Gabriel moved away from her, keeping a good distance between them. "Why are you asking? What are you even doing, Annette?"
"Why do you sound pissed now? You have a problem with me being rude and still have a problem with me being nice. Tsk, what do you even want?"
He paused, looking at her. "I'm going to the stables. Taking my horse for a run," he finally replied.
Her eyes lit up. "Dear goodness! I love horses. Can I come with you?"
"No," he replied almost immediately.
"Why? I'm not going to disturb you. I will only watch or perhaps, ride a horse too."
She could see him battling with himself before he finally agreed.
"Very well. But keep to your word of not disturbing me."
"I will." She smiled.
They both walked in silence to the stables, which were at the far back of the mansion. Annette wondered how vast the land was. Perhaps, one day, she could explore as much of it as possible. But for now, she had to stick to the plan.
Annette openly gasped as her eyes landed on the stables. It was far bigger than she had imagined. A few horses were already outside, stretching with a stable boy who looked younger than expected.
His red hair was the first thing she noticed. The sun's rays hitting it were captivating.
When she was younger, Annette had been jealous of people with red hair, wanting it for herself. She remembered constantly whining to her aunt about how much she loved it.
Years later, her love for it was still the same.
Her thoughts were cut off as the young man spoke. "Good morning, Sir Gabriel…" His eyes slowly shifted to her. "…my lady." He offered a polite bow.
"Good morning to you too," Annette replied politely.
The boy straightened, a small smile stretching across his lips as he forced himself to tear his gaze away from her.
Meanwhile, Gabriel watched the interaction, his eyes narrowing as they moved between Annette and the stable boy.
"Polly—where is she? Has she been groomed this morning?" His firm voice drew their attention back to him.
"Yes, sir, she has. I shall bring her out for you," the young man replied before hurrying back into the stable.
Kissing his teeth, Gabriel turned to her. "What are you doing?"
Annette frowned. "Nothing. I don't understand—whatever do you mean?"
He seemed to reconsider his words before speaking again. "Why are you here?" he asked instead.
Annette pushed a loose strand of hair away from her face. "I wish to ride a horse, if you would allow me, of course."
He groaned loudly. "Your over-politeness is beginning to irritate me. Whatever it is you plan to achieve by faking this personality will not work on me. I refuse to let you vex me."
Fucking bastard! Annette cursed inwardly. Of course, she knew the man was too quick-witted to simply accept this sudden change in her attitude. He was not going to let her win—but she could not break her act.
Allowing her eyes to widen in shock, she stared at him. "I have no plan of achieving anything but your acceptance, Gabriel. I have realized my mistake and am trying to change. Do not be harsh with me—change takes time."
He scoffed. "Whatever. Just know you are not fooling anyone with this, although I shall let you continue to deceive yourself."
Annette was about to respond when the stable boy returned, leading a beautiful brown mare with long, silky hair.
"Oh my… such a beautiful horse." She stepped forward, brushing her hand over the mare's smooth coat.
"Yeah, she is." Gabriel took the reins from the redhead.
The horse welcomed her touch, leaning into her strokes. "You're such a beautiful girl, Polly." She turned to Gabriel. "Polly is a befitting name for her."
"Thank you." Gabriel smiled, but caught himself almost immediately. "Brody, bring one of the new horses for the lady."
"Very well, sir." He stepped back inside.
"Brody? Is that his name?"
"Brody is the stable boy's name."
"Oh… not exactly a charming name for a young man. More like a name for an old, perverted drunkard."
A short chuckle escaped his throat before he could stop it. Looking away from her, he cleared his throat. "That's not very nice, Lady Annette."
"I know. But I'm not wrong, though."
Just then, Brody stepped out with a brown horse, much smaller than Gabriel's but equally beautiful.
"This is Lin. She was brought to the mansion a year ago, found abandoned and injured by the roadside. The Viscount brought her here to be nursed and cared for. The physician thought she wouldn't make it past three nights, but by some miracle, she did." He handed the reins to her, his fingers lightly brushing against hers.
Brody's cheeks reddened as he shoved his hands into his pockets. "She… Lin is a remarkable mare."
Annette couldn't care less about the man's reaction. All her attention was on the horse. She instantly felt connected to it. As she brushed her fingers over its body, goosebumps rose on her skin, as if they were bonding instantly.
She leaned forward, resting her forehead against the horse's head. It was as if they could feel and understand each other. It was a warming feeling—something Annette hadn't felt in a long time. "I see you, Lin. I feel you."
Lin neighed in response.
"Are you going to climb on, or just keep rubbing against her?" Gabriel's voice pulled her attention back to him. He was already seated on his horse.
"I had to appreciate her uniqueness first," she replied, grabbing the reins.
Brody rushed to her side. "Allow me to help you, my lady."
"Thank you, but there's no need for that." She mounted the horse with ease, smiling down at the redhead, whose mouth was slightly ajar.
Her gaze shifted to Gabriel, who was watching her with an expression she couldn't decipher. "Shall we begin our ride?"
There was a moment of silence before he responded, "Very well."