"Really? A race?"
Artemisia raised an eyebrow, having a reaction Evan completely expected. But Beatrix, ever the playful one, had her eyes light up with literal sparkles.
"Oh, I'm so in! How fast do you think you are, Evan?"
Artemisia, watching the two of them with her usual stoic calm, simply raised an eyebrow.
"There's no need for such a thing. We need to conserve energy for the journey ahead, not waste it on pointless games."
"Come on, Artemisia! It'll be fun! Besides, you can't be afraid of losing, can you?"
Evan tried to persuade her, but Artemisia remained unmoved. She tugged at the reins of her horse and made it trot forward as she spoke.
"I see no logical reason to participate."
But while Evan couldn't get her to agree, Beatrix who had known Artemisia for years knew what buttons to push.
With an impish grin, she sidled up to Artemisia and spoke in a teasing tone.
