Landlord in the Arctic

Then, planting her right foot firmly, she launched herself upward with an explosive push, her body tracing a graceful arc.

Natasha then landed lightly on the horse’s back. The entire movement was fluid and graceful, without a single wasted motion.

Ashes was perfectly cooperative. It didn’t move an inch as Natasha leaped, standing stock-still as it waited for her to land. It was as if an unspoken understanding existed between rider and horse.

The onlookers stared, dumbfounded.

Feng Mountain stood to one side. Though still feeling a bit sour, he couldn’t help but silently applaud her.

’This woman has definitely had professional training. Just for the skill of riding bareback and without reins—it took me several tries before I barely managed to learn it.’

Seated on Ashes’s back, Natasha’s posture was lithe and agile. Her slender fingers gently clutched its mane as her legs applied light pressure to its flanks. At the same time, she cried out in a clear, powerful voice.

"Run!!"

As if it had heard the call to charge, Ashes threw its head back and let out a long neigh that echoed all around.

In the next instant, its powerful limbs erupted with astonishing force. Its hooves dug into the ground, kicking up bits of grass, and it shot forward like a bolt of gray lightning.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished from before them, reappearing over ten meters away. Then, like an arrow loosed from a bow, it galloped furiously toward the Tundra shrouded in the extreme night, leaving only the fading sound of hoofbeats in its wake.

The crowd stared in the direction she had gone, unable to snap out of their daze for a long time, utterly amazed by Natasha’s riding skill.

"Your Highness!" Andrei cried out, snapping out of his initial shock. His expression instantly grew frantic as he yelled at the top of his lungs.

After all, in the pitch-black darkness of the Extreme Night Tundra, galloping wildly without a saddle or reins—if anything were to happen, the consequences would be unthinkable.

"You guys wait here." Feng Mountain knew the risks, too.

Although he was resentful and resistant toward Natasha, this fiancée who had appeared out of nowhere, he didn’t want any mishaps on the very first day that would lead to her getting hurt.

He ran quickly into the herd of horses and picked out a black Quarter Horse.

This black horse was the second-fastest in the herd, second only to Ashes.

Feng Mountain vaulted cleanly onto the horse, his movements practiced and fluid. He settled firmly on its back, lightly grabbed the mane, and squeezed his legs with force.

The black horse sensed its master’s command. With a neigh, it took off, its hooves leaving the ground as it began to gallop.

Seeing their alpha and beta run off, the herd hesitated for a moment, then began to gallop, chasing after them.

Instantly, the air filled with the thunder of hooves and flying clumps of grass.

Under the shroud of the extreme night, the riverbank wilderness was like a mysterious, dreamlike realm.

The night sky was like a bolt of black silk, studded with bright, twinkling starlight.

The brilliant light washed over the lush, mossy grassland like water, draping the silent land in a silver veil.

THUD THUD THUD!!

The dull, rhythmic sound of hoofbeats grew louder as they approached, like the beat of war drums shattering the silence of the extreme night.

The sound echoed across the open wilderness, carrying far into the distance.

On Ashes’s back, Natasha was like an Elf commanding the wind, her figure so light it seemed she might be swept away by it.

Her golden hair danced wildly in the wind like liquid sunlight, each strand exceptionally dazzling in the shifting light of the stars and shadows of the night.

At that moment, Natasha’s face was filled with excitement and exhilaration. Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and her eyes sparkled, as if she were completely intoxicated by the freedom of their wild gallop.

All her troubles and conflicts were left far behind. In that moment, her heart held only the boundless wilderness, the brilliant starry sky, and the swift steed beneath her.

"Faster, faster!!" Natasha shouted into the biting wind.

Her voice was filled with a craving for speed and a chase for freedom.

Hearing her command, Ashes surged forward again, like a soldier receiving the order to charge.

Its four hooves flew, kicking up great clumps of grass with every landing. Its muscles strained as it unleashed all of its energy, galloping wantonly across the wilderness toward the endless darkness ahead, leaving only a gradually blurring silhouette behind.

Following behind, Feng Mountain kept his eyes locked on the galloping gray figure ahead.

Seeing Ashes continue to accelerate, he grew frantic and couldn’t help but scream.

"Damn it! Are you two crazy? The arctic border is right up ahead!"

The range of the Fire Seed had unknowingly spread to cover almost half the riverbank, but once you crossed its boundary, you entered an extremely cold and harsh arctic zone.

One side was -10 degrees Celsius, the other was over -40.

The temperature difference between them was enormous. They were two completely different worlds.

While galloping at high speed, Ashes’s body was in a state of extreme excitement. Its blood circulation was accelerated, and its pores were open.

In that condition, if it charged into the arctic environment, its body would be completely unable to withstand the sudden change in temperature.

Ashes’s heart and blood vessels could very well burst from the massive shock, and the consequences would be unthinkable.

However, just as the dividing line between the mossy fields and the snow-covered ground came into clear view...

Natasha was completely immersed in the freedom of the breakneck pace, already high on the rush. She gazed at the boundless snowfield not far ahead.

A strong impulse surged through her, a desire to feel the unique sensation of galloping through the pure white snow.

So, she gripped the mane tightly with both hands and charged forward, heedless of the danger.

This scene scared the hell out of Feng Mountain. His heart sank, feeling as if it had skipped a beat.

His eyes widened, his face filled with worry, and he dug his heels into his horse’s flanks, trying to catch up at top speed.

But Ashes wasn’t stupid. As the alpha horse who reigned supreme in this region, it knew the dangers of the surrounding environment all too well.

When it was only a few meters from the border, it reacted instantly, immediately changing course.

Its forelegs reared high. Relying on its powerful leg strength and coordination, it made a sharp turn, its body almost scraping the borderline as it narrowly avoided disaster and galloped back.

The grass kicked up by its hooves formed a hazy green mist under the starlight. Ashes carried Natasha at a full gallop, only starting to slow down once she and Feng Mountain were close enough to see each other’s faces.

By the time Ashes slowed to a steady stop, Natasha, still on its back, looked as if she wanted more. Her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and disheveled strands of golden hair clung to her face.

Feng Mountain, however, was fuming. His face ashen, he leaped off his horse and stormed over to Ashes.

SMACK!

He raised his hand and slapped Ashes, the crisp sound of his palm hitting the horse’s body ringing out.

Then, ignoring Natasha’s struggles and protests, he grabbed the dazed-looking girl and unceremoniously yanked her down from the horse’s back.

He then forced her over his knee and, filled with rage, raised his hand and landed several smacks on her rear.

At the same time, he roared angrily.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you have any idea how close you just came to dying?"

"I don’t care if you die, but don’t drag me down with you! If you want to die, don’t do it in the Crown Territory!"

"Do you have any idea it’s forty below zero out there? Charging out at that speed, you’d be crippled, if not killed!"

"Did you hear me? Say something!"

After a few smacks and a torrent of curses, Feng Mountain’s anger finally found some release.

However, Natasha, still pressed over his knee, was surprisingly unresponsive, as quiet as a statue.

Her strange silence startled Feng Mountain, and a flicker of panic crossed his eyes.

’I didn’t think I used that much force,’ he thought to himself. ’Did I really smack her senseless?’

At this thought, his heart clenched, and he quickly and carefully turned Natasha over.

The first thing he saw was her exquisitely beautiful face, flushed a deep, delicate red. Her fair skin now had a faint blush, like a blooming peach blossom.

Her eyes were shut tight, her long eyelashes, like tiny fans, trembled slightly, as if hinting at some inner turmoil.

Feng Mountain held his breath nervously and placed a finger under her straight, delicate nose.

A moment later, he let out a soft sigh of relief, feeling secretly grateful.

’Whew, she’s still breathing.’

...