The great success of the live wasn’t even surprising. Bil’s culture streams with guests were always popur. But with the mysterious Mademoiselle Cyrielle, the queen of issues ? It was a guaranteed hit. What people didn’t expect, however, was how knowledgeable she was.

  It was the first time Cyrielle’s name popped up in press and online articles. General culture is a skill people really like in France, and learning new things is considered a common and enjoyable pastime. But when someone is really good at it, that’s when they reach a higher level of fame : They start to become known by the general public. With only one live show, Mademoiselle Cyrielle’s notoriety went outside the restricted world of the Internet. And of course, ‘Angel’s Horseboys’ was here every step of the way.

  -Things I’m jealous of : her looks, her brain, her talent, her personality, her aura, her voice, her creativity…

  ?Don’t be jealous, be grateful this goddess decided to descend on earth and grace us with her presence

  ??for real though, we call her our angel but she might really come from heaven mdrrr

  -She answered 0.3 seconds after Bil said ‘and’, how can her brain process things so fast, and her body immediately react ?

  ?don’t question, just admire

  -Hi, admin here. CEO Julie Minet already told us that Mademoiselle Cyrielle didn’t want to disclose her past. Specuting and creating headcanons is fine, but I will continue to delete any post trying to pry into her private life. Be respectful towards our angel ?

  Clips and snippets of the live show were reposted everywhere, on every social media and even in online articles. MyTube videos were already popping up about this, editing a timer next to Cyrielle to see how long she took to answer the questions. It wasn’t just fast, it was legendary.

  To be honest, even Julie had been surprised. She expected Cyrielle to be really smart, yes, but not monster-alien-impossible smart. What Cyrielle dispyed on that stream was incomprehensible. But, already somewhat used to her friend being unpredictable, she simply shrugged it off with ‘Oh course, if it’s Cyrielle then it’s possible.’

  The woman at the center of this storm was sitting in front of a rge square of sand. They had somehow managed to get front row seats for the show at the Versailles Equestrian Academy. In front of them, in the light of iridescent chandeliers, white horses were trotting in unison, perfectly managed by their riders. They were separating, crossing paths again, doing passage movement and cutting it with a beautiful pirouette. Coline and Cyrielle, next to each other, were whispering between themselves.

  “The trot is really well collected. The link between the riders and the horses seems strong.”

  “I know, right ! I wouldn’t be able to stay in rhythm with the others, they are amazing. By the way, the cssical music really goes well with the choreography !”

  Coline was really excited. Mostly because she loved horses, but also because she had someone she could be an equestrian nerd with. At that moment, the first segment ended. The white horses exited by the backdoor, and grey ones with bck manes entered. The riders on their back were wearing protective gear, and each had a foil in hand.

  “Oh my gosh, will they be fencing on horseback ?”

  To answer Coline's question, the horses started galloping in pairs while the riders engaged in passionate duels. The sound of metal cshing was mixed with the dull noise of the hooves on the sand, creating a symphony with the cssical music. It was rhythmic, wild, and beautiful. Even Cyrielle, with her ‘horseback riding’ ability activated, was impressed.

  “They trained their horses really well. Look at the ones on the exterior, extending their stride to match their pair… And the core muscles of the riders, to stay in bance on a moving horse while fencing, it’s astounding.”

  Coline was nodding energetically, her eyes fixated on the show.

  “I can’t believe I’m seeing this right now… You’re really a good person, Mademoiselle Cyrielle ! I always dreamed of watching one of these shows, but I was afraid to go alone, and I had no one to accompany me. Today feels like a dream !”

  She turned to Cyrielle, meeting her gaze.

  “It would be too bad if we went our own way like this. Do you want to come with me to my horse riding lesson tomorrow ?”

  Cyrielle was a bit taken aback.

  ‘Will I really ride a horse ? I’m suddenly getting scared…’

  But she had to trust Path of Destiny, it had given her the ability for a reason. So she calmly nodded, adding a bit of bravado.

  “I have not ridden a horse in years, but I would be gd if you gave me the opportunity.”

  ***

  The next morning, Cyrielle found herself in a famous stable in Paris. Coline had expined the situation to the owner, and the riding instructor had expressed no concern about having two students in his css instead of one. He led Cyrielle to the stalls while making small talk.

  “Coline told me you haven’t ridden for years. Will you be alright ?”

  How was she supposed to respond to that ? Cyrielle had no idea of her current skill since she had never used ‘horseback riding’ with an actual horse before. With the experience of her previous abilities, she could guess she wouldn’t be bad, but would she be as good as Coline ? It remained to be seen.

  A modest answer worked in any situation, and even if she was revealed to be really good, the misunderstanding would only build up, which was a good thing for her.

  “I retain most of the knowledge, but I don’t know if my body remembers. Please, be patient with me.”

  The instructor nodded with a compassionate smile. He was used to teaching celebrities, and with their schedule usually hellish, they didn’t have the time to ride as often as they would want to. It wasn’t surprising if an actor or a model didn’t make any progress at all in the course of a year, it was to be expected since they couldn’t properly review the csses. And horses left a certain smell, so they couldn’t go riding as soon as they had a break. He decided to treat Cyrielle like one of those people, someone with a good life, but with no time for the things that really mattered.

  He stopped in front of an affectionate looking bay mare, who was poking her head out of the stall’s door, asking for pets.

  “If you are not sure of your skills, Ariane will be the safe bet. She just needs a small command and she does everything by herself, so you just have to focus on recovering your sensations and your sense of bance.”

  ‘I didn’t know you an hour ago, but you are clearly the best instructor on earth ! Thank you so much !’

  Cyrielle was internally nervous, so the perspective of riding a calm horse was heaven-sent. Outwardly, of course, she kept an elegant demeanor and nodded.

  “Thank you. Is her equipment over here ?”

  She pointed to the side of the stall, where a saddle and a bridle were hanging on the wall.

  “Yes, it’s hers ! I suppose you don’t have any brushes… I’ll bring you a tool box. Oh, I didn’t even ask, do you want to groom her ? It would be great if you could form a connection before you get on her back, but I wouldn’t want to force you in any way, if you don’t remember how to do it…”

  Cyrielle shook her head.

  “I will do it.”

  Half an hour ter, Cyrielle was entering the arena with Ariane’s reins in hand. She looked splendid in her riding outfit borrowed from Coline, with her brown hair tied in a braid on the side. For some reason, the bay mare seemed to be stuck to her like glue, following her without needing to be led, and putting her massive head on Cyrielle’s shoulder everytime she stopped. Julie, standing outside the fence with her phone in hand, couldn’t believe her eyes. She couldn’t make any comment since she was filming a video for the fanclub, but she was screaming internally.

  ‘I was so sure this time it was bluff, but does she actually know how to ride a horse ?! I was right, she is from high society, there is no other expnation !’

  Already on her horse, a chestnut gelding who seemed to be high energy, Coline called out to Cyrielle.

  “Do you need help to get on ?”

  Cyrielle didn’t reply. Instead, she attached her helmet, girthed her mare, made sure the stirrups were at the right length, and elegantly climbed on the horse’s back. She immediately adopted the right posture, holding the reins at just the right length, and Ariane remained standing with her eyes half closed, her lip pending. It was a sign of rexation.

  The riding instructor had to rub his eyes in disbelief.

  ‘I thought she hadn’t ridden in years, how does she have a better posture than Coline ? No, it might just be body memory, let’s reserve my judgement for after the css.’

  They warmed up, and then slowly started to trot and gallop. Until now, it was a pretty standard lesson. Then, they started the dressage part. And everybody, including Coline which was rare, became silent. Cyrielle silently performed the choreography, with commands given by discreet movements. Ariane had one ear turned to the front and one to the side, a sign that she was attentive and listening to Cyrielle. The bond between them was palpable, as if she had ridden the mare for decades. And during the whole performance, Cyrielle never once lost her grace and her poise, prompting Ariane to lift her feet higher than usual and perform the best piaffé she had ever shown.

  Coline was stunned.

  ‘Is it me, or is she doing even better than the riders at the Versailles Equestrian Academy ?’

  The instructor was the same, his mind just bnked. And Julie…

  ‘I have all of that on video, right ? Tell me I recorded everything… It’s a scoop, a scoop !’

  AmbreaTaddy