TFM 19

Chapter 19

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As a result of expelling all those who had been sent from the main palace, there were currently fewer than ten maids belonging to the secondary palace. Even those few were kept far away from her, so the number of attendants she could take with her was limited to just a handful.

For that reason, Talia found herself in the position of having to set off on a long journey surrounded by the servants sent by Senevere. Though she would have liked to expel them all, seeing Gareth and Ayla, who were accompanied by hundreds of attendants, she could not bring herself to do so.

Talia glared at the crowd surrounding the crown prince and the first princess's carriage, biting her lip in frustration.

She had kept anyone other than Varkas and her nanny away from her for years because she hated having people around her. She didn't want to have people around her who might try to trample on her at any moment.

But when she imagined how pitiful she would look, accompanied by only a handful of attendants, while her two half-siblings flaunted the dignity of the royal family with hundreds of servants each, she felt sick to her stomach.

In the end, Talia had no choice but to accept the maids sent by Senevere. But she couldn't relax for a moment, wondering what tricks they might be up to. Talia watched their every move with relentless scrutiny, as if monitoring their every action.

Then, a voice that sounded shocked came from nearby.

“Are you really planning to take all these belongings with you?”

She looked up at the man who had approached her with a sharp gaze.

Not long after she had dismissed the foolish guard who had been fawning over the crown prince, the new guard assigned to her spoke to her so boldly. And Talia did not like his attitude.

She coldly retorted to the man, who was scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“Do you have any complaints about my luggage?”

"I understand your desire to maintain your dignity as a member of the royal family. But isn't this a bit excessive? Hundreds of dresses and expensive jewelry... If you don't plan to change your clothes five times a day, then it's unnecessary baggage."

“You don’t understand. I plan to change clothes not five times a day, but ten times a day. After traveling all day in a carriage, I’ll be covered in dust, and I don’t want to wear dirty clothes for even a moment.”

“What kind of joke is that…?”

The knight let out an awkward laugh. He hadn’t yet realized that Talia wasn’t making idle talk.

Talia left the dazed-looking man behind and walked toward the carriage she would be boarding.

Her carriage, located at the back of the long procession, was as large and ornate as the crown prince’s.

The doors and roof were elaborately decorated with gold and ivory, and the interior had seats wide enough to use as beds, covered with thick wool felt and silk cushions.

She climbed into the carriage and pulled back the curtain spread out behind the seat. This revealed a fairly spacious changing area and a large storage cabinet.

Talia opened the drawer connected to the luggage compartment and carefully examined its contents. She had brought along the most luxurious dress she owned, made from the finest fabric, along with various accessories, but nothing caught her eye. This was insufficient to outshine Ayla.

She rummaged through the drawers haphazardly, then bit her lower lip in frustration.

Maybe she should have stolen the diamond necklace that Senevere had received from the emperor. No. She should have taken her mother's entire jewelry box.

Senevere seemed to want her to break off Ayla’s engagement. So she was openly encouraging her, wasn't she? If she had asked her to lend her clothes and jewelry to achieve her goal, she would have gladly done so.

"Should I go to the queen's palace now?"

Talia, who had been looking down at the chest of drawers with anxious eyes, got out of the carriage. Then, as she turned toward Senevere’s residence, she saw Varkas in the uniform of the Roem Knights among the soldiers.

Talia froze in her tracks. Though there were over 150 men in the same uniform in the castle courtyard, Talia could see nothing but Varkas himself.

Her intense gaze fixated on his straight back, broad shoulders, and faintly glowing ash-blond hair.

Varkas was crossing the courtyard with a measured stride, giving orders to his men. It seemed he was inspecting the ranks before departure.

Talia swallowed hard. As Varkas drew closer, her throat felt as though she had swallowed a handful of glass shards.

The emotionless gaze that had been following the long procession from the city gate finally fixed on her carriage.

Even from a distance, Talia could see the faint lines between his eyebrows. It was the expression he always wore when he faced her.

That icy face, which had tormented her with every passing moment, slowly drew nearer.

"Have you still not finished preparing to depart?"

Varkas scolded Talia’s personal guard without even looking at her. The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“As you can see, we’ll need to secure another cart for the luggage.”

At the knight’s sighing reply, Varkas’s pale blue eyes turned toward the servants struggling to cram the mountain of luggage into the cart. Talia could see the irritation spreading across his expressionless face.

His gaze finally landed on her.

“This procession is scheduled to pass through six major cities. Necessary supplies can be procured along the way, so please remove any unnecessary luggage.”

Talia defiantly raised her head high.

"No. I know what I'll need."

“It’s just clothes and jewelry, isn’t it?”

He said in a dry tone.

“There are many cities in the northwest with developed commerce and industry. You’ll be able to buy as many items as you want once we arrive, so refrain from exhausting the servants before we even depart.”

Talia snorted.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Are you trying to make me look like a dissolute princess indulging in luxury during a pilgrimage, so I’ll be compared to Ayla? Do you think I’ll fall for your tricks?”

“When did you start caring about your reputation…?”

His lips twisted slightly in disbelief.

“No one would ever compare you to the First Princess in the first place. So put those unnecessary worries aside.”

Those were the last words she wanted to hear from him.

Talia raised her hand in anger. But Varkas wasn't going to just stand there and take it. He swiftly grabbed her wrist and gestured to the servants.

“Leave only the essentials and unload the rest. We’ll depart in an hour, so hurry up.”

“Who do you think you are!”

Talia struggled to free her arm from his grip, screaming in frustration. But the man didn’t budge.

With her anger boiling over, Talia kicked him in the shin and screamed.

“How dare you tell me what to do with my belongings? Do you think you’re already someone important? You’re not even a duke yet! You’re just a royal guard knight! How dare you, a mere knight, speak to the princess of the empire like that!”

“What are you doing, taking your time?”

Varkas ignored Talia’s outburst and cast a cold glance at the servants. Those who had been hesitating and watching his every move hurriedly unloaded the luggage from the carriage.

There was no clearer demonstration that the orders of the nominal princess were subordinate to those of Varkas, the future duke of the east and commander-in-chief of the imperial guard.

Talia, whose eyes were filled with rage, lost her composure and lunged at one of the maids.

"Get your hands off my belongings! If even one of my items is missing, I'll have all of you hanged!"

Her words were cut short. Varkas grabbed her by the arm and tossed her into the carriage like a piece of luggage.

Forced to sit in the carriage seat, Talia’s face turned bright red with anger.

Varkas was a man whose very bones were filled with loyalty to the royal family. He would never lay a hand on Ayla’s body carelessly.

The reason this man could treat her so harshly was because he did not consider her a true member of the royal family.

She was so angry that her eyes burned with tears. It was unbearably painful that the man who always treated her half-sister with respect was so disrespectful to her alone.

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