Cynisca's Olympic Games (6)

Under the guise of the Olympic Games, the France and the Holy See reached an agreement on how to invade North Africa turn it into their colony. Meanwhile, the Olympic Games were reaching their climax.

Over the next two days, the track and field events saw the crowning of champions in the 100-meter and 200-meter races. Unsurprisingly, both titles were won by Drexler, a reporter for the Sun, who secured the first and second gold medals of the Olympic Games. This instantly made him famous, and the Sun even decided to erect a bronze statue of him in front of their building. The statue, naturally, depicts Drexler in a suit, holding a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, running at full speed. The base of the statue bears the inscription. "First, for the Hermes of this era."

Meanwhile, at the racetrack, the preliminary rounds had already concluded, and through a deliberate or unintentional arrangement, Pauline smoothly advanced to the final. A total of eight horses participated in the final, and among the seven contestants besides Pauline, only Marie- Henri Berla was a genuine middle-class individual. The others were all from wealthy families.

Because of the course layout, starting from lane five is the most advantageous, while lanes one and eight are the least advantageous. Therefore, during the course draw, by some twist of fate, Pauline naturally drew lane five. The two biggest threats to Pauline —an Britain named Andy, who also owned a thoroughbred, drew lane one, and a Russia named Onegin, riding an Arabian horse, drew lane eight. As for Marie- Henri Berla, because of his consistent performance (and lack of threat), he was relegated to the second-best lane, lane four.

Of course, there was absolutely no problem with this draw. It was God's will, God wanted it this way, and so it came to pass.

This was the second time Marie- Henri Berla had competed against Pauline, and he was already on the track next to Pauline before the start. Their horses were separated by a wooden fence, and the two men were very close to each other.

This made Bauséant extremely jealous. He tried more than once to bribe Marie- Henri Berla to allow him to impersonate Berla in the competition so that he could get a closer look at his dream girl. However, Marie- Henri Berla proved to be very unfriendly and firmly opposed the attempt.

Although Marie- Henri Berla was clearly a womanizer and "not a good person," Bauséant was still a very loyal friend and continued to lend him his tracksuit.

"I know, you just want to attract her attention with these outlandish clothes," Bauséant said, not without a hint of jealousy.

Generally speaking, people who participate in equestrian competitions are very conscious of their appearance, since the weight of clothing has little impact on the horses. So most people are impeccably dressed. There are only two exceptions.

The first one was naturally Marie- Henri Berla, wearing a vest and shorts, and the other was naturally Pauline on track five next to him.

Unlike her previous appearances in men's clothing, Pauline once again donned the Artemis hunting outfit she wore at the Olympic Games opening ceremony. Her black hair was styled in an updo, making her appear even more heroic and captivating against the backdrop of the Greece goddess-like attire.

Preparations haven't started yet; there are still some things on the track that aren't fully ready. The riders are all leading their horses, waiting inside the wooden fence. Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere before the final, many horses are wagging their tails and snorting.

"Hey, why are you dressed like that for the competition?" Pauline was the first to strike up a conversation with Marie- Henri Berla.

"Ah, my horse is old; it's not as fast or as agile as it used to be, so I need to lighten its weight as much as possible," Marie- Henri Berla replied.

Pauline laughed at this. Her eyes darted around as she looked Marie- Henri Berla up and down, then she said, "You must have eaten very little for breakfast. And you didn't drink any water, did you?"

"Yes, that's part of the weight loss," Marie- Henri Berla readily admitted.

"We were in the same group in the first preliminary round, and I noticed you then," Pauline said frankly. "Your technique was the best in the whole group, Mr. Stendhal. It's a great honor to compete against you."

"You know..." Marie- Henri Berla was taken aback.

"You've had several high-quality articles in my magazine," Pauline laughed. "I've been trying to find you. But only recently did my private investigator tell me you were also participating in the equestrian competition. Hmm, are you studying at a higher engineering school now?"

"Yes, Miss Chris." Marie- Henri Berla was a little nervous.

"I never imagined you studied mechanical engineering. When I read your articles, I thought you studied fine arts. Well, Mr. Stendhal, now is not a good time to chat. Next Wednesday, my salon is having a gathering of artists. Would you be interested in joining me?" Pauline extended an invitation directly to him.

"I...I am extremely honored," Marie- Henri Berla replied, thinking to himself, "If Bauséant knew I had received an invitation from Miss Chris, he would be insanely jealous..."

Just then, the whistle blew to signal the start. Pauline said to Marie- Henri Berla, "Okay, we'll talk later. Now, we're going to race."

After saying this, she leaped onto her horse.

"Mr. Stendhal, good luck. Well, I won't wish you victory, because I'm determined to win this crown!" Pauline said with a wave of her little fist.

"It was already a surprise that I made it to the finals. I wish you the best of luck in winning the championship and becoming the first female Olympic Games champion since Princess Cynisca!" Marie- Henri Berla also mounted her horse and extended her hand to her.

Pauline extended her hand and gently shook hands with Marie- Henri Berla. "Thank you for your blessing." She smiled happily, and Marie- Henri Berla felt as if a poppy had bloomed before him.

Another whistle blew outside. This was the riders' second warning. After this warning, it meant the race could begin at any moment.

Both Marie- Henri Berla and Pauline were on high alert because a good start is crucial in the final.