The Fox of France

Under the cover of the Olympics, the French and the Vatican reached a sinister agreement on how to invade North Africa and turn it into their colony. Meanwhile, the Olympic arena had reached a climax.

In the following two days, the champions of the 100 meters and 200 meters races were consecutively decided on the track and field, and as expected, both titles were won by the journalist Dresler from The Sun. He secured the first and second gold medals of the Olympics, instantly gaining fame. The Sun even decided to erect a bronze statue of him in front of their newspaper office. The statue depicted Dresler in a suit, holding a pen in one hand and a notebook in the other, running, with the inscription on the base reading: "Hermes of this era."

On the horse racing field, several rounds of preliminaries had already ended, and by intentional or unintentional arrangement, Pauline smoothly entered the final. In the final stage, a total of eight horses participated. Among the seven other competitors besides Pauline, only Mari-Henri Bell was a legitimate middle-class individual. The rest were all offspring from wealthy families.

Due to the track layout, starting from the fifth lane was the most advantageous, while the first and eighth lanes were the least favorable. So, when the draw was conducted, Pauline naturally drew the fifth lane, while the two guys who posed the biggest threat to her, one named Andy, an Englishman with a purebred horse, got the first lane, and another named Onegin, a Russian riding an Arabian horse, drew the eighth lane. As for Mari-Henri Bell, due to his stable performance (basically no threat), he was placed in the second-best fourth lane.

Of course, there was absolutely no issue with this draw. It was the will of God, and so it became a reality.

This was the second time Mari-Henri Bell and Pauline competed in the same arena, and this time, he was positioned in the lane next to hers even before the start. There was a wooden fence between their horses, and the distance between them was close.

This made Bausian almost jealous to death. He had tried to bribe Mari-Henri Bell more than once, hoping he would agree to let him participate in his stead so that he could get a close look at his dream girl. However, Mari-Henri Bell showed himself to be very unfriendly and firmly opposed it.

Although Mari-Henri Bell was clearly more focused on romantic interests than friendships, he was "not a good person" at all. Yet, Bausian was still friendly enough to lend him his sports attire.

"I know you just want to attract her attention with such unusual clothing," Bausian said with envy.

Generally, participants in equestrian competitions paid a lot of attention to their appearance, as the weight of the clothes had minimal impact on the horses. So, most people were well-dressed. There were only two exceptions.

The first was naturally Mari-Henri Bell, who was wearing a vest and shorts. The other was Pauline, on the fifth lane, wearing her Artemis hunting outfit from the opening ceremony of the Olympics. Her black hair was tied up and coiled on top of her head. In contrast to the Greek goddess-style costume, she appeared even more heroic.

Preparations for the race had not yet been completed, and there were still some things on the track not entirely ready. Riders were holding their horses inside the wooden fences, waiting. Perhaps due to the tense atmosphere before the final, many horses were wagging their tails, snorting.

"Hey, why did you wear such an outfit to compete?" Pauline took the initiative to talk to Mari-Henri Bell.

"Oh, my horse is getting old, and both speed and jumping are not as good as before, so I want to lighten the load as much as possible," Mari-Henri Bell replied.

Pauline smiled after hearing this. Her eyes flowed as she looked Mari-Henri Bell up and down, then said, "You must have had a light breakfast. And you didn't drink water, did you?"

"Yes, that's part of reducing weight," Mari-Henri Bell admitted frankly.

"We were in the same group in the first round of the preliminaries, and I noticed you back then. Among the entire group, your skills were the best. Mr. Saint-Domingue, I am honored to compete with you," Pauline said openly. "You know..." Mari-Henri Bell was surprised.

"You've published several high-quality articles in my magazine. I've always wanted to find you. But until recently, the private detective I hired told me that you are also participating in equestrian competitions. Well, are you studying at the Higher School of Engineering now?" Pauline asked.

"Yes, Miss Chris." Mari-Henri Bell was a bit nervous.

"I really didn't expect you to study mechanics. When I read your articles, I thought you were studying fine arts. Well, Mr. Saint-Domingue, now is not the best time for chatting. Next Wednesday, I'm having a gathering at my salon, with some artists. Would you be interested in attending my salon?" Pauline directly invited him.

"I... I would be honored," Mari-Henri Bell replied, thinking, "If Bausian knew I got an invitation from Miss Chris, he would definitely be insanely jealous..."

At this moment, the starting signal sounded. Pauline said to Mari-Henri Bell, "Okay, let's chat later. Now, let's race."

After saying this, she leaped onto her horse.

"Mr. Saint-Domingue, I wish you good luck. Well, I won't wish you to win the championship because I am determined to get that laurel wreath!" Pauline waved her small fist and laughed.

"I'm already surprised to have made it to the finals. I wish you to win the championship and become another Olympic female champion after Princess Cynisca!" Mari-Henri Bell also mounted his horse, extending his hand towards her.

Pauline extended her hand, and she lightly shook hands with Mari-Henri Bell, saying, "Thank you for your wishes." She smiled happily, and Mari-Henri Bell felt as if a poppy flower had blossomed right in front of him.

Another whistle sounded outside. This was the second reminder for the riders. After this reminder, it meant that the race could start at any moment.

Mari-Henri Bell and Pauline both focused, as the start was crucial in the final race.