"Empress-sama is amazing! She actually beat Narita Brian-senpai!"
"Right? Shirayuki-senpai was helping me with training yesterday. She's gentle, dependable, and super strong… Ahhh, senpai, I love her so much."
"Actually, I slipped a confession letter into Empress-sama's shoe locker."
"Huh? Seriously?! What did senpai say?"
"She rejected me. But senpai said that if I ever ran into trouble, I could come to her anytime. She said she'd be happy to help."
Listening to the cheerful chatter buzzing around her, Orfevre's mood sank straight into the gutter.
It was as if the whole world revolved around the Empress.
Everywhere she went, people were talking about her.
And the moment Shirayuki's name came up, these students started acting like they had been drugged with some kind of love potion, their eyes shining with worship and affection.
The one standing at the center of the world should be me.
Before she found a trainer, Orfevre could only train under instructors. She could not enter races. But if someone gave her just one chance, she would stun everyone, seize the spotlight in an instant, and bury every last topic about the Empress beneath her hooves.
But the way those trainers fawned and groveled made her sick.
Lowly. Pathetic. Driven by fame. Driven by profit.
Just seeing the look in their eyes was enough to make Orfevre want to retch.
None of them were worthy of her strength.
The only one who had managed to stir even the slightest bit of interest in her was a man named Fujiwara Chiya.
Unfortunately, he was the Empress's Scepter.
Training together with the Empress's Scepter?
What a joke.
Orfevre had never let go of the Empress's defeat. That woman had lost in such an important race. Others might understand. Others might forgive.
Orfevre would not.
She would replace the Empress.
She would stand at the summit of the world.
That was exactly why the endless praise for Shirayuki grated on her nerves so badly.
Of course, not everyone praised her.
There were some who could not stand Shirayuki either.
"Isn't Shirayuki getting a little too full of herself?"
"She hasn't even won that many races, but she's already acting all high and mighty."
"She got called the 'Empress' once and let it go straight to her head."
Hearing those uma musume whispering nearby, Orfevre walked over.
"Hey. You lot."
She looked at the older uma musume and said coldly,
"Cheap clowns should not be running their mouths about the Empress."
"Hah?"
"The Empress may not be worthy of being the world's greatest, but she is still far above trash like you. No strength, yet all that barking. You are even more irritating than insects."
"What the hell did you just say?!"
"Nothing important. I am merely helping you understand your place."
Orfevre turned away.
"Come to the track. Then carve the sight of your own humiliation deep into your skulls."
After crushing those three reckless uma musume without mercy, Orfevre's mood improved considerably.
She loved the feeling of overwhelming others through sheer strength.
Those bitter, helpless expressions.
That frustration with nowhere to go.
It was sweeter than the finest wine, lingering on her tongue long after the race had ended.
Yes, she hated the Empress.
But that did not mean the Empress was worthless.
The moment Orfevre acknowledged her as a rival, Shirayuki had been granted value.
And if a few third-rate uma musume dared to judge something Orfevre herself had given value to, then naturally, she had to teach them a lesson.
Trample her opponents beneath her feet.
Reign above all creation.
That was who she was.
The golden tyrant.
Orfevre.
After those uma musume ran off in powerless fury, Orfevre casually glanced aside and spotted a white figure lying on the grass.
Shirayuki was currently snuggling up with an uma musume Orfevre did not recognize.
Seeing how happily she was playing around, Orfevre clicked her tongue.
There was one more thing Orfevre had nearly forgotten.
The Empress's affinity with others was terrifyingly high.
She often had intimate little interactions with other uma musume. In the bath, Orfevre had even seen Shirayuki surrounded by several uma musume as they washed her tail. Sometimes, other uma musume would even kiss Shirayuki on the cheek.
Every time Orfevre witnessed something like that, her cheeks would heat up, and she would stride away as fast as possible.
And yet, the sight of Shirayuki interacting with those people kept replaying in her head.
Again.
And again.
Unpleasant.
How utterly unpleasant!
Shirayuki had such an innocent face, yet she kept getting involved with so many people!
Why not just retire and become a stud already, you shameless fool?!
Every time Orfevre saw Shirayuki being close with someone, irritation flared inside her chest.
If you have that much time, why are you not training?
I am supposed to defeat you at your peak!
Orfevre had almost decided to stop observing Shirayuki's "stud-like behavior" altogether.
Until one day, she saw a smile on Shirayuki's face unlike anything she had ever shown before.
It was beautiful.
Pure.
Filled with anticipation from the very bottom of her heart.
Orfevre had been watching Shirayuki for quite some time, but it was the first time she had ever seen that expression.
For a brief moment, even Orfevre was drawn in by it.
Her resentment slipped from her grasp.
Curious, she followed Shirayuki to see what she was doing.
And then she found out.
Shirayuki had gone outside to meet her trainer.
The two of them held hands and walked into an amusement park together.
Even Orfevre, who knew absolutely nothing about romance, finally understood in that moment.
The one Shirayuki loved was her trainer.
No matter how gently she smiled at everyone else, there was always a wall between her and the rest of them.
Only when she faced her trainer did she reveal her true heart.
After learning that, Orfevre laughed.
She had found the Empress's greatest weakness.
Good.
If you insist on wasting your time on such pointless nonsense, then do not blame me for being merciless.
Orfevre would make Shirayuki understand her place.
She would crush her completely.
She would show Shirayuki that this world did not revolve around her.
She would take the Empress's Scepter from the Empress's side.
She would make the Empress's Scepter abandon the Empress and willingly become her trainer instead.
And the method Orfevre came up with was simple.
She would conquer him on the racetrack.
She would claim the Empress's Scepter as her own subject.
Unlike those who willingly lowered their heads before her, the Empress's Scepter would be someone she conquered through strength.
That would make the achievement all the more satisfying.
Just imagining the unwilling look on his face whenever he saw her was enough to put Orfevre in an excellent mood.
And if he even praised her a little, Orfevre supposed she might be willing to follow his arrangements when she was in high spirits.
In an instant, Orfevre's mind cleared.
She had found the most effective way to strike at the Empress.
Gazing at the white figure lying on the grass, Orfevre walked over.
"Empress. You seem to be enjoying yourself."
Shirayuki raised her head.
Her finger slipped out of Seiun Sky's mouth.
Seeing the clear, glistening saliva on Shirayuki's fingertip, Orfevre's cheeks warmed.
She straightened her posture and endured the embarrassment.
"Soon, I will be racing against the Empress's Scepter. I hope you will use your remaining time to take one last look at him and say your farewells. Because very soon, the Empress's Scepter will belong to me."
Shirayuki blinked.
A single question mark popped up in her head.
"…Hah?"