Cynisca's Olympic Games (4)

As the sound of hooves grew closer, a tall, black thoroughbred came into view just around the bend. Marie- Henri Bell recognized it immediately as the same thoroughbred he had seen at the train station.

Even while navigating the bend, the horse was quite fast, and once it emerged from the bend, it immediately accelerated, appearing like a black lightning bolt as it reached the obstacle. Then, without even the slender rider needing to control it, the horse leaped up and easily cleared the high obstacle, as if it were merely a small embankment.

In the blink of an eye, the horse and the thin rider on it had galloped far away.

Marie- Henri Bell watched the black horse disappear into the distance and the thin rider on it exclaimed, "What a fine horse! And that rider, his horsemanship, the coordination between horse and rider when going over obstacles, it's all so excellent! I think he should be a strong favorite to win the championship."

"Him?" the staff member said. "No, sir, you're mistaken. That's not him, it's her. It's a lady."

"A lady?" Marie- Henri Bell exclaimed in surprise. "Could she be a foreign princess? Like Cynisca of ancient Greece?"

"A foreign princess?" The staff member raised an eyebrow. "What foreign country could have a princess like that?"

Marie- Henri Bell paused slightly, recalling the rider who had just passed by, her posture on horseback—she was clearly using a men's saddle and riding in a masculine position. In this era, any Europe princess, even if skilled in horsemanship, would invariably be proficient in riding with women's saddles—no royal family would allow a princess to use men's saddles. They all felt that it would ruin the shape of a woman's legs, and the straddling posture was considered extremely unsightly and even tainted with a sense of impropriety. Although chastity was practically a joke among the upper echelons of Europe aristocracy at the time, a basic facade still had to be maintained. Even the girls at the Moulin Rouge often projected an aloof and noble image, "To be admired from afar, not to be touched."

"Ah, madam, could it be... 'Chris'?" Mary- Henri Bell asked.

"Chris" was the pen name Pauline used when publishing articles in newspapers, a fact known to virtually all France literary youth. Pauline was also a very newsworthy figure; she and one of her brothers were frequent subjects of reports in newspapers like * the Sun *. However, directly reporting on Mademoiselle Pauline Bonaparte's life could easily lead to the newspaper's closure (Napoleon feared his mother might accidentally see such news). Therefore, when reporting on her, people habitually used "Chris" instead of "Pauline." As a result, not only literary youth but even old-fashioned conservatives knew who "Chris" was.

It's quite interesting to talk about the attitudes of those aristocratic, serious old-fashioned conservatives towards the three main newspapers in Paris. With very few exceptions, they basically didn't read * Science Truth Daily *, half of them preferred to read * Businessman's Daily *, and almost all of them read * the Sun *, which was widely considered to be the most lowbrow.

"Yes, it's Ms. Chris," the staff member nodded. "She's said to be the only female athlete at this Olympic Games."

"Miss Chris's horsemanship is truly, truly superb!" exclaimed Marie- Henri Bell. "Even among men, few can compare to her. Look how smoothly she glides over that obstacle, like silk."

It was no secret that Pauline was married; almost every tabloid in France reported on it. However, France intellectuals preferred to call her "Miss Chris" rather than "Mrs. Chris," and certainly not "Madame Berdon."

"Ms. Chris has been training here for over a month... and her skills are indeed excellent," the staff member replied.

"Training for over a month? How much money must that have cost?" Marie- Henri Bell couldn't help but think. "If her 'Chris Chris' outfits' weren't so profitable, how could an average person train like that? But the results are truly remarkable. It seems Miss Chris might really become the first female champion in modern Olympic Games history."

Thinking this, Marie- Henri Bell continued following the staff member. Just then, he heard the sound of horses' hooves behind him again.

"Another rich guy training here? I really shouldn't be participating in equestrian competitions. These kinds of competitions are just a game for the rich." Marie- Henri Bell turned his head and looked around the bend.

A man, riding a gray Arabian horse, struggled to make the turn and headed towards the obstacle. However, the horse suddenly stopped in front of the obstacle.

Caught off guard, the man on horseback somersaulted off his horse and landed hard on his backside on the track, letting out a pig-like scream.

Just then, several people rushed out of a small house not far away, one of them carrying a rolled-up stretcher. Clearly, these people were in charge of this kind of thing.

"Do you need our help?" Marie- Henri Bell asked. Back in his cavalry days, during training, it wasn't uncommon for unlucky fellows to fall off their horses. So, Marie- Henri Bell was genuinely capable of helping, rather than making things worse.

"No, that's not necessary. We have professional staff. If you don't have a medical license and try to help, it could cause serious trouble," the staff member advised.

Marie- Henri Bell knew he was right, and since the men had already run up, he didn't go any further. Instead, he said to the staff member beside him, "You know what? I should really thank that gentleman."

"Why? Do you know this gentleman?" the staff member asked.

"No, of course I don't know him," Marie- Henri Bell replied. "How could I possibly know such a wealthy man? But he did give me a tremendous boost just now—he helped me regain the confidence I needed to compete."