"What do you mean by that?" The person who stepped forward on cue was Kade.
Ella blinked at him innocently.
"It was your first time riding a horse. And the horse was not even familiar with you. If you tug the reins so harshly, then it will only be alerted..." Kade mumbled.
Ella frowned, visibly confused, "B-But..." she turned to look at the trainer, "Didn’t you tell me that if I do it that way, I will seem confident and the horse will obey me?"
"I-I... You..." The trainer glanced at Ella in disbelief. When did he ever say that?
The horse had gone rampant because of the injection in the first place. When had he ever instructed her to pull the reins! What was she saying?!
However, under the piercing stares of everyone, the trainer did not know what to say.
If he denied it, would they believe his words over Ella’s?
If he didn’t, wouldn’t he be falling into this trap?
While he was still contemplating it, Ella took the chance to speak.
"I don’t understand. I merely followed your instructions and then, everything went wrong. I thought..." Ella rubbed her chin in a daze, "I thought that it was my fault. Maybe I did not do it harshly enough because I was concerned about injuring the horse but..."
Ella looked at Kade, "Did you mean what you said just now?"
Kade scoffed, "I have been riding horses since I was young. I was not even allowed to let the horse run for months before I picked up on my training properly. Do you think I would be lying to you at this point?"
Ella immediately glanced at the trainer with a look of disbelief, "I thought Kade was joking around. But if his words are true, did you mislead... me on purpose?"
"No... No, that’s not true!" The trainer snapped.
Kade glared at him, "Are you saying I am lying?"
The trainer shivered, "No, no, third young master, how dare I! Your words are completely true but..."
"So, you misled me on purpose indeed..." Ella whispered, still in disbelief.
The trainer was about to protest when he watched Ella stagger back and lean against a strong arm, looking fragile.
Suddenly, the trainer felt a cold shiver trailing down his back as he slowly met Adrian’s gaze.
"S-Second Master, I-I d-did..." The trainer paled when Adrian’s eyes subtly narrowed.
One look.
All it took was one look for the man to understand that he had to choose his words wisely.
Because if he failed to do so, then he could not be sure of the consequences that would follow.
"Finish what you were saying," Old Master King stood up, his authoritative voice ringing in the room.
The trainer opened his mouth, but he felt an invisible pressure upon himself. As if one wrong word and he would be crushed.
The sight of him stabbing that injection in the horse played in front of him, over and over again and he dropped to his knees.
Tears and snot covered his face as he kowtowed, slamming his head on the floor again and again, "I did it! I did it! I did it...!"
Leaning against Adrian’s arm, Ella slowly tilted her head to the side.
And a pair of eyes were already looking at Ella.
Lilith’s eyes were narrowed, a vicious glint flashing in them as she glanced at Ella.
Ella met her gaze without flinching, a gentle smile curving on her lips.
...
Later that night.
"What do you think about everything that happened?" The Old Master sat on the bed, sighing.
Old Madam King stood near the window, "That boy’s family had been serving us for generations. It’s a pity that he made such a mistake. Firing him was already akin to giving him leeway."
Old Master King did not respond to that.
Old Madam King continued, "You don’t agree with me? Had anything happened to Ella today, we wouldn’t know how Little Ian would deal with him."
Earlier in the living room, when the servant admitted to his wrongdoings, nobody said a word.
It was Old Madam King who immediately took the matter into her own hands and fired him on the spot.
Listening to his wife, Old Master King shook his head, "Dear, do you think your old man has gone senile with age?"
Old Madam King turned to look at him.
"Don’t you already know what you are talking about?" Old Master King said meaningfully.
"I had doubted the trainer but only when I came back and heard that he had dumped everything on my head... could I be sure that he really was behind it."
Ruby frowned, "But why didn’t you expose him then? Why did you just admit... to a mistake you never made?"
"Are you thinking I’d look like a fool in front of others for falling for such a cheap trick?"
"Why would you take blame for something that is not your fault?" Ruby questioned instead of answering the question.
Ella fell silent for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak.
In fact, earlier, she had been stumped for a moment.
Not because she did not know how to deal with the situation, but because of the involvement of Adrian’s grandparents in the said situation.
Ella knew how important Adrian was to the King Family and to the old couple.
So, when he went missing, they must have panicked and believed whatever the servant confessed.
But if she said the truth, it would put the old couple in a bad light, making it obvious that they had misjudged the situation.
And if she did not do anything about it and admitted her fault, then Ella knew that the old couple would be unsatisfied with her.
Even more after knowing that she was not Adrian’s girlfriend, but his wife.
Ella was not going to sit back and forgive someone who had harmed her.
But at the same time, she was not going to humiliate Adrian’s grandparents in any way.
So, she did what she did.
"You..." Ruby was speechless for a long time before she shook her head, "You really do love him..."
Ella froze.
In the next moment, she slumped on the couch and gazed up at the ceiling, "What is love anyway?"
However, even as she said that, a small smile bloomed on Ella’s face.
’Knock knock knock’
Both Ella and Ruby turned to look in the direction of the door at the same time.

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