Hera maintained her position near Xavier, with the smug Zen still in the lead. No one had expected him to take the lead, as he was considered the least favored to win. However, it seemed that Zen was unexpectedly skilled at riding horses.
If Hera hadn't discussed the horse's breed with Zen yesterday, she might have believed he was simply joking or pretending not to know. Now, she suspected Zen might possess a remarkable affinity with horses, perhaps even earning him the title of a horse genius who can assimilate with any horse.
She felt like she had been deceived by both of them. She hadn't anticipated that they would both excel in this, but with the challenge escalating, Hera's smile widened even more.
"Are you ready, Diamond?" She whispered to her horse. She knew Diamond couldn't understand her words, but she felt she had communicated her intentions to her faithful steed and it let out a steam in its nose.
