As the crowd cheered, the top three winners took to the stage, with Julius standing proudly in the center, his helmet still snug on his head to conceal his identity.
Flanked by the second and third-place winners, he stood tall but felt a bead of sweat trickling down his neck as the king approached, accompanied by his daughter, Princess Abigail.
The audience fell silent, bowing in respect as the king, all smiles despite Clematis taking second place, drew near to present the gold cup to "Gray," the mysterious rookie.
Handing over the trophy, the king couldn't resist his curiosity, grinning broadly as he said, "What a wonderful performance, young man! I must know, how did you manage to win your first race? And how do you train such a fine horse? What sort of diet do you keep him on?"
Julius's heart raced as he struggled to maintain composure under the barrage of questions. His father had no idea the winning jockey was his own son.
