THIS WOMAN'S VOICE...
WHY DOES IT SOUND SO FAMILIAR?
THERE'S NOTHING FAMILIAR ABOUT HER FACE, THOUGH.
UH... PAPA KIRISTAN?
COULD YOU PLEASE MOVE ASIDE?
MAYBE I WAS JUST IMAGINING THINGS...
EXCUSE ME
I'M NOT SURE YOU UNDERSTAND HOW UNNERVING IT IS...
...TO HAVE SOMEONE SILENTLY BLOCKING YOUR WAY LIKE THIS.
MY APOLOGIES.
WELL, I GUESS WE'RE IN-LAWS NOW (3)
WOW...!!
NOW THAT I'M SEEING HIM UP CLOSE, HE REALLY IS A VERY HANDSOME HORSE!!
LUCKY YOU, MARILYN
JEFFREY.
HOW'S KIRISTAN DOING?
HE'S STILL A BIT SKITTISH, MY LORD.
JEFFREY KIRISTAN'S EXCLUSIVE CARETAKER AND COACHMAN
IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THAT MARE—
I MEAN, MARILYN!
HE MUST BE EXCITED TO SEE MARILYN...!
WHAT A CLEVER BOY. HE'S ALREADY FIGURED OUT THAT MARILYN IS NEARBY.
LOOKS LIKE THE MARE'S STILL IN HEAT, JUST AS I EXPECTED.
MARILYN, STAY STILL!!
WELL THEN, PAPA KIRISTAN.
WATCH IT...
YES, GO ON PLEASE.
AS THEY SAY, LOVE IS ALL ABOUT BEING IN THE MOMENT..
...BUT MARRIAGE IS ALL ABOUT PRACTICAL PLANS FOR THE FUTURE.
WE HAVE SO MUCH TO DISCUSS.
THE HONEYMOON, PLANS FOR FUTURE FOALS, THE DOWRY...
SHALL WE, AS "THE PARENTS", START THE NEGOTIATIONS?
HMM?
OF COURSE.
I EVEN BROUGHT THE PAPERWORK.
ALBERT.
BEFORE WE GET STARTED...
THIS GUY'S BEEN TESTING MY PATIENCE ALL DAY...
OH, BUT...
I MUST REMIND YOU THAT KIRISTAN'S PEDIGREE TRACES BACK TO THE ROYAL HAPSBURG PALACE.
HE COMES FROM A DISTINGUISHED LINE OF HORSES...
...WHO HAVE BEEN SERVING THE ROYAL FAMILY FOR MANY GENERATIONS.
SO, IN OTHER WORDS...
...YOU HAVE A DUTY TO PRESERVE KIRISTAN'S BLOODLINE. IS THAT RIGHT?
I KNEW...
...A CLEVER WOMAN LIKE YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND THE POSITION I'M IN, MAMA MARILYN.
PAPA KIRISTAN...
THERE'S ONLY ONE THING I WANT FOR MY MARILYN.
I WANT HER TO BE HAPPY, AND NOT TO SPEND HER LIFE PINING AFTER A MAN...
...WHO WOULD ABANDON HER AFTER JUST ONE NIGHT.
KIRISTAN IS AN HONORABLE AND LOYAL HORSE.
SO YOU DON'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT THAT.
GOOD. I GUESS THAT MEANS THEY WON'T BE ABANDONING HER AFTER MATING.
ALRIGHT. PLEASE GIVE ME A MOMENT TO LOOK THIS OVER.
HANG ON...
HE'LL BE RENTING A "ROGERS & HOUND" CARRIAGE FOR US?!
I WAS HALF-EXPECTING HIM TO TRY AND RIP US OFF...
BUT THESE TERMS ARE MUCH MORE GENEROUS THAN I COULD HAVE EVER IMAGINED.
HE'S EVEN GOING TO SEND US A SUBSTITUTE HORSE WHILE MARILYN IS AWAY!!
AHEM...!
I THANK YOU FOR BEING CONSIDERATE ENOUGH TO PROVIDE US WITH A HORSE AND CARRIAGE TO USE WHILE MARILYN IS UNAVAILABLE.
IT'S NO TROUBLE AT ALL.
BUT...
WE'LL ALSO BE PROVIDING THE STAFF AND FUNDS TO LOOK AFTER THE FOAL. SO, IN EXCHANGE—
YOU WANT FULL CUSTODY OF THE FOAL, IS THAT IT?
YES, THAT'S RIGHT.
ALRIGHT.
I'LL AGREE TO THESE TERMS.
HOWEVER... I'D LIKE TO ASK FOR ONE MORE THING FROM YOU.
HOW LONG DO YOU THINK THIS WILL TAKE?
NO IDEA...
WHAT IS IT?
I'D LIKE YOU TO LET MARILYN DECIDE WHEN SHE'S READY TO PART FROM HER FOAL.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO REQUEST THAT YOU ALLOW MARILYN TO SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH HER FOAL AS SHE NEEDS.
I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA OF HER BEING SEPARATED FROM HER BABY FOREVER.
I CAN AGREE TO THAT.
THANK YOU FOR BEING SO UNDERSTANDING, PAPA KIRISTAN!
WELL, THEN...
PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY MARILYN, KIRISTAN.
I'LL PREPARE THE HORSES FOR THEIR FIRST MEETING.
I THOUGHT SHE WOULD BE A NIGHTMARE TO NEGOTIATE WITH...
BUT HER DEMANDS WERE ACTUALLY QUITE REASONABLE.
IT SEEMS SHE WASN'T JUST PRETENDING...
THANK YOU
TO BE ATTACHED TO HER HORSE.
MAYBE I MISJUDGED HER?
HOW LONG ARE THEY GOING TO BE AT THOSE FILTHY STABLES?
THERE SHE GOES AGAIN...
SHE JUST LOVES COMPLAINING ABOUT ANRI.
IS SHE PLANNING TO KEEP HIM THERE ALL TO HERSELF?
THAT SNEAKY LITTLE...!
SHE ONLY PRETENDS TO NOT BE INTERESTED IN MEN!
THAT BRAT MUST HAVE BEEN PUSHING MY BUTTONS ON PURPOSE.
HER PLAN WAS TO MAKE ME LOOK BAD IN FRONT OF OUR HANDSOME GUEST!
WH-WHAT...
WHAT SHOULT I DO?
OH MY!! WHAT'S WRONG, MY BABY?
MAMA! I'LL NEVER GET MARRIED, AND IT'S ALL ANRI'S FAULT!
EUNICE! HOW CAN YOU SIT THERE EATING WHILE YOUR SISTER IS CRYING?
ANRI? SHE'S BACK FROM THE STABLES.
ARE THEY DONE NEGOTIATING...?
BARBARA!
BARBARA!
WHAT IS IT? WHERE ARE YOUR MANNERS?
WHAT IS IT, MY LADY?
QUICK! SEND SOMEONE INTO TOWN FOR THE DOCTOR!
WHAT? WHY?!
WHY WOULD WE NEED A—
HEY, ANRI...
IS IT THAT GENTLEMAN...?
IS HE HURT?
In this chapter, negotiations take place for the mating of the horses Marilyn and Kıristan. Marilyn's owner does not want her daughter to be upset by a one-night pairing despite Kıristan's noble Habsburg lineage. Paperwork, the honeymoon, custody of the foals, and dowry are discussed; the other side offers surprisingly generous terms. The deal is accepted on the condition that Marilyn herself will decide when to separate from her foal.
