TFM 23

Chapter 23

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Contrary to her worries, the journey was uneventful.

After several nights of tarry darkness, the morning dawned without anyone being bloodied, and they packed up and hit the road again before the sun reached midheaven.

The pilgrimage went off without a hitch, though they were slightly behind schedule as some soldiers fell behind, exhausted by the sweltering heat.

The procession, led by Gareth and his entourage, arrived in the small northwestern city of Sortica on the fifth day after leaving the imperial palace, where they spent a day before continuing north.

In the meantime, Talia kept a watchful eye on Senevere’s entourage.

They feigned loyalty to the point of abomination, but Talia never lost her suspicion of them for a moment.

They were just waiting for the right time. That something terrible would happen sooner or later was as obvious as fire.

Wherever Senevere was involved, there was always a shadow of sinister intrigue.

If not today, then tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the day after.................. soon a terrible sight would unfold before her eyes.

Talia didn't know whether she dreaded it or looked forward to it.

Whenever she saw Varkas, who had been so callous to her, being so affectionate to Ayla, she wanted to see something terrible happen.

It would be a delightful feeling to see the two of them mutilated beyond recognition. It was a hundred times better to see his corpse than to see him standing beside Ayla.

But as the night wore on, a suffocating fear gripped her. No matter how many times she told herself that she didn't care if he was dead, it didn't matter.

After a night of restlessness, Talia rushed out of the barracks before daylight, and by the grayish light of dawn, she searched for him. It was only when she saw him alive and breathing that she could breathe easy.

She trotted impatiently along the narrow, bushy trail, halting only when she heard the sound of a horse's trotting.

As she pushed her way through the dense undergrowth, she saw a gray stallion with a long black mane.

Deftly leading the massive steed to the spring, Varkas knelt down on one knee on the ground, pulling on the reins to guide the horse's head to the surface, and with his other hand, he scooped up water from the spring and doused the stallion's long, luxuriant neck.

The sunlight filtered through the lush foliage, turning his hair a beautiful silver color, and Talia watched breathlessly, then closed her eyes in despair.

No matter how hard she tried, her love for Varkas grew like a tumor, eating away at her. She couldn't see a way out of this quagmire.

How could she shake off this feeling?

Leaning back against a beautiful tree, Talia stared up at the distant sky and tried to turn around. She spotted Ayla walking down the path and quickly ducked behind a tree.

She was out of bed as soon as she had gotten out, wearing only a thin robe over her dress, her long hair hanging over her shoulders. She looked as disheveled as she felt, if not more so.

Nevertheless, Ayla looked noble and dignified. Maybe there was something in her blood that Talia herself wouldn't have even if she died soon, she thought.

"So this is where you've been."

A flush of heat spread across her cheeks, Ayla cautiously stepped to his side and sat down on the slab of rock.

Varkas's gaze fell on her. As if even that lingering gaze was too much to bear, Ayla, her soft eyes lowered, carefully removed her shoes. Then she dipped her feet into the spring and splashed lightly.

The sound of horses trotting and splashing and the cheerful laughter of birds chirping melted into the cold dawn air.

Talia fought down the urge to leap up and grab her half-sister by the hair, to tear her lips from her smiling face, to rip out her tongue as it flicked at him. The last thing she wanted to see was Varkas trying to protect Ayla.

Finally, when she'd had her fill, Ayla reached for him. Instead of grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet, Varkas bent down and wiped her feet. Then, as if he were a loyal servant, he carefully put her shoes on. The sight of it stabbed Talia in the heart.

Talia turned and began to run. The branches and blades of grass clawed at her arms and calves, but she felt no pain. It was as if all her senses had failed.

Panting heavily, she ran like a racehorse down the winding forest path until, with a bang, her foot caught on a protruding tree root and she tripped. Buried in the bushes, her chest heaving, Talia suddenly burst out laughing.

She wondered what Senevere would say if she saw her like this, probably shaking her head with a fine brow furrowed. She could hear her mocking voice from somewhere.

"You have two paths. One is to get the man you want by any means necessary, and the other is to be a less miserable loser."

She seemed to want her to become a courtesan and seduce him, but Talia could not be like Senevere, even if she were about to die.

She would have gotten what she wanted by any means necessary. But Talia didn't know what to do, except to pray that this painful time would end soon.

Looking up through the branches at the shattered sky, Talia pushed herself to her feet. As she trudged wearily through the dark woods, she saw several knights milling about. She passed them and approached the carriage, only to be quickly stopped by a guard, Rubon or something.

“Where on earth did you go without saying a word! I told you over and over again that you shouldn’t go out alone without an escort……”

The knight, who had been spouting off a string of snide remarks, suddenly stopped. He looked mildly surprised at her disheveled appearance.

"What in the world.................. is that............... look like, did you get into trouble somewhere?"

She brushed past him and stepped onto the carriage's footboard.

But he had no intention of stopping his nagging, for he gripped the doorpost and spoke in a steady tone.

"I have a duty to protect you, Your Highness, so..............."

"One would think you actually cared about me."

Talia looked down at him sneeringly.

“It seems like you were given instructions not to take your eyes off the spoiled princess even for a second…… If you’re going to watch her, you should be alert. Why are you blaming me for your mistakes because you were too stupid to notice?"

The man's mouth clamped shut, as if he were speechless.

Talia stalked out, slamming the door in his face.

The man's fingers got slammed in the crack and he spat out a harsh curse word. His gauntlets seemed to have kept him from being seriously injured, but he groaned like he was in a great deal of pain.

As always, she ignored the murmurings outside.

If she had listened to every word spoken by those around her, she would have gone mad long ago.

The first thing she had learned since becoming a Princess was how to listen.

Talia crouched like a hedgehog with the thick curtains drawn over the glass window that let in the morning light.