The way Uma Musume looks at me is so scary!

That's why there were so many people flocking to the old Western-style mansion of the Northern family. People were so curious about where Beifang Xingmeng was going that they even wanted to deduce her future through her past.

After dealing with tourists for another day, Machigane shrugged listlessly, his mysterious smile crumbling instantly, leaving him looking pitiful and somewhat silly.

She rubbed her lower back and couldn't help but recall how she got to where she was today.

After the Emperor finished enjoying the autumn scenery, the poet was suddenly informed by his lawyer that he had taken over all of the Northern family's assets.

Upon first hearing the news, Daiken Poetry Drama was bewildered, and only after a long pause did he turn to shock.

She still can't forget how rudely the lawyer who notified her looked at her back then.

"It's just that you didn't manage your facial expressions well, it doesn't warrant that kind of look in your eyes..."

"I'll take on the role of poet and playwright," he complained softly.

Anyone would react this way when they find out they're going to take over a family that's famous in the horse racing world, right?

Although he had learned from Xiu Xingmeng that he had the blood of the Northern family before, he had already learned from Xiu Xingmeng in the poem drama.

But after that, the other party didn't mention it much, and even when they occasionally met at Treson College, the hostess and poet were too embarrassed to ask.

Gradually, she herself came to regard it as a background element that she would never use in her life, and slowly put it out of her mind.

But who knew that after the Emperor finished enjoying the autumn scenery, the Imperial Concubine was suddenly pulled aside and told that he was to take over the entire Northern Household.

The poet who was signing those contracts looked bewildered; she couldn't understand a word of what was written on them and was just thinking about it subconsciously.

Maybe I'm going to become a rich person?

What's the first thing you'd do if you had money? Buy a super big sunfish and cook it for the cafeteria?

Just as she was half bewildered and half dreaming of taking over the entire Northern family, she suddenly realized...

I think I was wrong.

Looking at that dilapidated old Western-style building, I remember my voice almost breaking down in tears.

"What the heck is this?!"

However, the lawyer quickly counted out the Northern family's assets from the pile of folders filled with incomprehensible gibberish.

Apart from this mansion, the entire mountain of land has actually been bought by the Northern family.

Even without mentioning the mountain, the mansion contains many precious antiques brought from Europe, the oldest of which can be traced back to the Victorian era.

For any ordinary female racehorse, this is a considerable asset.

The same applies to poetry dramas.

But just as she finally accepted reality and was preparing to live the ordinary life of a wealthy person that she had always dreamed of, the black luxury car suddenly appeared and stopped in front of her.

A tall, mature-looking racehorse girl opened the car door, her slender, sharp eyes fixed on the poem, and spoke in an unquestionable, stern tone.

"You can't rest yet."

Just like it is now.

Looking at the grievances that were coming to urge him again, Machigane Shigeyuki twitched the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that was even uglier than crying.

Chapter 230 The Wheelchair in Front of the Portrait

The truth is, she can no longer bring herself to say that she just wants to live a carefree and ordinary life as a racehorse girl, relying on the Northern family's assets.

Faced with Meguro Takamine, who exuded a terrifying elite aura, Machigane Shika, who was intimidated from the start, never even considered doubting him.

She naturally believed that the other party was a friend entrusted by Hokusei Dream, and that Megumi Takamine was a guardian who was there to keep an eye on her and prevent her from abusing the Hokusei family's assets.

Under her supervision, Dai Jian, who originally wanted to relax comfortably, had no choice but to shoulder the responsibility of raising the profile of the Northern Family.

Her performance on the field was naturally no match for Xiu Xingmeng, but that didn't matter, as Meguro Takamine had already planned a bright future for the Northern family.

What the poetic drama needs to do now is to act as a mascot in this Western-style mansion that has been converted into a museum, answering the questions of curious visitors as the heir of the Northern family.

By simply answering tourists' questions for a few hours between Monday and Friday, Daikan Shiki could gain control of all of the Northern Family's assets.

As a job, it was almost effortless, but the pay was unbelievably generous.

Aside from making Masakane the mascot for the poetry drama, Megumi Takamine didn't impose any further restrictions on her beyond limiting her spending money recklessly, nor did he give her any more responsibility.

Perhaps feeling that her silly appearance made it impossible for her to carry on the glory of the Northern family, Megumi no Takamine took it upon himself to shoulder this responsibility for her.

Now, in addition to dealing with the Mejiro family's affairs, she also needs to devote extra time to thinking about the future of the Hokuriku family.

Compared to the silly-looking Machigane Poetry Drama who could only serve as a mascot, Mejiro Mine was obviously working much harder.

But she didn't complain at all, because it was her own choice.

Xiu Xingmeng is the younger sister she has recognized, and the family her sister left behind, as well as the glory she brought to the Northern Family, are naturally something that Megumi Mineki will protect for her.

This was something Mejiro Takamori had already decided. Although he didn't know why Hideyuki had handed over the Northern Family to this dazed racehorse girl in front of him, it didn't mean that Mejiro Takamori would break his promise.

"This is the newly compiled tour guide booklet. Remember to take a look at it later."

As he spoke, Meguro Takamine took a delicate little booklet from the driver's hand and handed it to Machigane Poetry Drama, continuing his speech without pausing for a moment.

"We also need to tell tourists stories. We've talked about tragic heroes enough lately, so we need to change our approach."

"For example, Xingmeng's past, the things Xingmeng likes, these stories that can resonate with the public and create a sense of familiarity are our main focus going forward."

“Provide us with some materials, and I will have a professional writer polish them for you, just like before.”

She was already feeling dizzy from listening to the poetry drama, and muttered to herself in a daze.

"Eh...me? I'm the one who's going to explain these things?"

"is there a problem?"

Meguro Mineki raised his eyebrows, put his hands on his hips, and looked at Masakazuki Shigeki with a fierce expression.

"But I really don't know what Xingmeng likes."

"Weren't you her chosen successor? Didn't you ever talk to each other when you lived together in the Northern family?"

How can I tell her, who is also a poet, that I've only spoken to Xiu Xingmeng a few times?

She had lived for so many years without knowing that she had the blood of the Northern family, so how could she have lived with Xiu Xingmeng?

"For things like this, you should just ask the person in question directly. Xingmeng definitely knows more than I do, haha."

Watching the flustered and sweaty Masakazuki Takamine, all he could do was sigh.

She was well aware of the other person's past experiences, but she still wanted to give it a try, in case she was actually Xiu Xingmeng's childhood sweetheart who had lost her memory.

Maybe after hearing this, I'll remember, but as it stands, it's still not working.

"How I wish I could ask her myself!"

"But you know what she's like now..."

Upon hearing this, Dai Jian, the poet, felt as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, and instantly calmed down.

Dai Jianshi, a poet, deeply admires her sister who has given her such a large sum of money and shares the same bloodline.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to tell the legendary story of Embroidered Star Dream to tourists so vividly.

Thinking of her current situation, even the simple-minded Dai Jian Shiju couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"Pity……"

"Yes...it's such a pity."

The atmosphere between the two became somber after the mention of Xiu Xingmeng. Just as the silence was about to escalate, the driver, who had been watching from the sidelines, offered a timely reminder.

"So... shall we go and visit Miss Hoshino today?"

Upon hearing the driver's words, the two turned their heads simultaneously and nodded without hesitation.

Just as Mejiro Takamine and Machikane Shigeki were determined to visit Hideki Yume today, far away from the Northern Family Mansion, outside a small courtyard similar to the one where Hideki Yume had lived, Mejiro Aldan wiped the sweat from his cheeks.

"This kind of training... is far from enough!"

She gritted her teeth, her muscles already somewhat weak from the exercise, but Megumi Ardan still didn't want to let herself off the hook.

Every moment of training and every second I spend on the field is a gift of miracles.

If I can't train hard and win the Dream Cup, then wouldn't that miracle be wasted?

Megumi Ardan didn't want to let this miracle down.

Just as she was wiping away her sweat and preparing to add another round of training to her schedule, the red alarm clock next to her suddenly went off.

Megumi Ardan immediately realized what was happening. She straightened her back, looked at the courtyard, and muttered to herself.

"It's already this late."

She seemed somewhat annoyed that she hadn't paid attention to the time, and after slapping her cheeks hard to wake herself up, she walked towards the courtyard.

Just as Megumi Ardan was preparing dinner, a glance she made as she passed the open doorway of the living room made her freeze in place.

The last rays of the setting sun were fragmented by the windowsill, casting dappled patterns on the dimly lit living room.

In the portrait hanging on the central wall, the face that is almost identical to that of Altan Meguro is faintly visible in the shadows, calmly gazing ahead.

Before the portrait, the racehorse girl in her wheelchair remained silent, her long black hair almost blending into the dimly lit living room. Only her pale knuckles gripping the armrests stood out starkly in the gloom.

She sat motionless in front of the portrait, her back to Meguro Aldane.

"Star Dream..."

Watching Xiu Xingmeng's retreating figure, Mubai Aldan whispered softly.

Chapter 231 Fates Swapped

Now, Megumi Ardan finally knows what Xiuxingmeng forcibly fed him that day.

That was the perfect limiter that the Northern family had spent generations developing. It was supposed to be like firewood, helping the Northern family's last hope to reach new heights, but this help was handed over to Meguro Aldan by hope itself.

After the Emperor's autumn appreciation event ended, Hideyuki collapsed on the field due to injury. Zaizen Shuji, who was present at the time, almost jumped down to her side. After a brief examination, he and Narita Shirahito took Hideyuki to the backstage medical room.

After a professional examination, the doctor, who was deeply involved in the research on the limiter, understood everything. No wonder Meguro Ardan's condition had been improving ever since the Emperor's gift of a month-long visit to the hospital to Hideyuki Hoshino.

Shuji Zaizen had no idea how Xiuxing had preserved the limiter so perfectly, nor did he know why it had such a good effect. The limiter was like a miracle, healing Meguro Aldan, who had been weak for many years, to the perfect state she could reach.

All he knew was that now that the personnel could no longer be gathered and even the information had become incomprehensible, he had no chance of replicating this miracle.

After learning this reality, Zaizen Shuji said nothing and left the Tokyo Racecourse medical room directly. Now all the examinations were meaningless; Hideyuki's injury could not be resolved with conventional treatment.

The next day, with funding from Megumi Asami, he once again formed a team as the leader and restarted the research and development of the limiter.

This time, they no longer had the Northern family's years of experience in researching limiters; all they had were stacks of undecipherable data and some lingering memories.

However, Shuji Zaizen showed no sign of backing down. Even if it meant starting all over again and expending countless hours of his energy, he would work day and night until he could complete the limiter once more.

Before isolating himself in the laboratory, he found Mejiro Ardan.

From the curse in the Northern Family bloodline to the grudges and affections between three generations of Emperors, Zaizen Shuji told Mejiro Ardan, who was still in the hospital checking his physical condition, everything he knew.

In that instant, Megumi Ardan finally understood everything.

Although she had learned part of the truth through snippets of information from the media, it wasn't until that day that she finally realized how little she knew about Xiu Xingmeng; she was a hundred times stronger than she had imagined.

Then Megumi Ardan broke down.

She was already worried because she had witnessed Xiu Xingmeng collapse on television a few days ago. After days of silence, receiving this news would break anyone's spirit.

More importantly, Megumi Ardan almost instantly determined who was the culprit who caused Xiuxing Meng to fall on the field.

That is who she is.

Without her presence, Xiu Xingmeng would have used her limiter on her own. Having broken free from the Northern Family's bloodline curse, she would never have fallen on the Emperor's Autumn Appreciation Tournament field. Perhaps even today, Meguro Ardan could still see her heroic figure on the field.

In Meguro Ardan's eyes, Embroidered Star Dream is a racehorse girl destined to go global. Her destination is not just the Emperor's Award for the Spring and Autumn Period. Given more time, she will surely shine with a brilliance that will make the whole world take notice.

She is a racehorse girl who will make the Northern Family's name resound throughout the world. Bearing the title of the Northern Family's last hope, she will inevitably hope to revive the family through her own strength. This may be the dream that Xiuxingmeng has always had.

But all of this came to an end because of him on the day the Emperor was enjoying the autumn scenery.

For Meguro Ardan, the Emperor's Autumn Viewing Competition was a regret. She had achieved second and third place in this competition before, and although she was so close to winning the championship, she never actually got to experience it before she retired.

Today, the Emperor's autumn viewing has added another regret to Mejiro Ardan's list.

Driven by her own selfish desire to start anew, she personally robbed Xiu Xingmeng of any possibility of a future.

Megumi Ardan's legs, now completely free of injury, seemed to have been stolen from Xiu Xingmeng, who was sitting in a wheelchair at this moment. She had traded Xiu Xingmeng's future for her own.

How could Meguro Ardan not be devastated by this result?

She always thought she was a good older sister, but suddenly she realized that she had taken away her younger sister's future and shattered her dreams. This cruel truth almost crushed Megumi Ardan.