TFM 34

Chapter 34

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But the door wouldn't budge.

After pulling on the doorknob several times, Talia realized the latch had been secured from the inside and gritted her teeth.

'Damn you, Ayla…’

The rage she'd suppressed all night boiled up, threatening to explode at any moment.

Gritting her blood-crusted lips and glaring at the firmly shut door, Talia turned away.

Perhaps it was for the best. If she acted impulsively without any preparation and failed, wouldn't she be the one to die a dog's death?

She must prepare more thoroughly before acting. The road ahead was still long, so she would seize an opportunity soon enough.

She steadied her ragged breath and swiftly exited the hallway. As she descended the stairs toward her room, a clattering sound reached her ears from somewhere.

She hurriedly hid behind a pillar.

A faint shadow stretched across the hallway, where the dawn light was beginning to seep in.

Concealed in the darkness, Talia cautiously peered out to survey the hallway. Standing before the door of the room next to hers was a woman of slender build.

She narrowed her eyes to study the woman's face. It was a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and plain, unremarkable features.

Only after a moment did Talia recognize her as one of the attendants her mother had assigned.

The woman carefully closed the door, pulled a dark brown hood over her head, and slipped silently down the hallway. Talia stared intently at her retreating back before following.

The woman exited the building and swiftly walked along a muddy path dotted with puddles.

Her agile movements suggested she had received espionage training.

After carefully surveying her surroundings, the woman stopped near a small courtyard behind the main hall.

Talia hid behind an arcade pillar and watched the woman. Seeming to wait for someone, the woman stood before a gazebo, pacing for a while before spotting something and moving swiftly.

Following her gaze, Talia narrowed her eyes as she spotted a monk in black robes slowly emerging from the darkness.

His face looked familiar, suggesting he was one of the monks who had attended the banquet.

The monk, who appeared to be around forty, took what looked like a small medicine bottle from inside his robe and handed it to the woman. Taking it, she opened the lid, checked the contents, then closed the cap and tucked it inside the sleeve of her robe. She then turned and began walking back the way she had come.

Talia hurriedly dashed toward the lodging building.

As she scrambled up the stairs and burst into the bedroom, the strength drained from her legs.

Leaning her back against the door and catching her breath, Talia listened intently for any sound outside. Moments later, the sound of a door opening and closing reached her ears, followed by a deathly silence.

Talia swallowed hard.

She couldn't fathom what the scene she witnessed truly meant.

What was that meeting about?

Was it about helping her mother? If so, what had that man handed over? Could he possibly be planning to poison someone?

She forced saliva down her tightened throat.

If it was poison, she could easily obtain it without an outsider's help. If she needed such a convoluted method to obtain it, it meant the item was something impossible to bring into the capital at all.

'What the hell is she scheming?'

She ran through various possibilities in her mind. But no clear picture emerged.

'The only certainty is that something big is about to happen.'

Once Senevere set her mind to something, she saw it through. If she resolved to eliminate her longstanding adversaries, the Crown Prince was as good as dead. If she was lucky, Ayla would vanish from this world too.

Feeling her heart pound wildly with excitement, Talia let a satisfied smile touch her lips.

***

The long, tedious journey began anew.

An escort of hundreds of knights and foot soldiers moved silently under the intense, beating sun. At this pace, they would cross the border of the former Kingdom of Osiriya in ten days.

Edric Rubon unfolded the map to gauge the remaining distance, then turned his head to look at the coffin-like carriage.

As always, the second princess kept thick curtains drawn over the windows, never stepping out.

He rode his horse alongside the carriage, carefully observing the faint shadow cast upon the curtains. Even the horses were panting heavily in the stifling heat. He worried she might be found steamed to death inside.

"Your Highness, might it be wise to air it out a bit?"

"...Get lost."

Fortunately, she seemed to still be breathing.

Edric let out a small sigh and moved his horse to the front of the line.

At the very front, as always, sat the Crown Prince atop his golden horse.

Edric cautiously observed his face. Gareth, his face flushed crimson, was irritably demanding something from Lord Shiokan. From what Edric could make out, he seemed to be pressing when they might finally get some rest.

'This journey won't be easy.'

For the next few days, the terrain would consist of nothing but harsh, barren fields and mountainous regions. Could the notoriously difficult Crown Prince endure such a grueling journey?

Edric shook his head and approached Varkas.

His superior was listening to the Crown Prince's complaints with one ear while scanning the road ahead with a cautious gaze. He seemed utterly unconcerned by whatever the empire's next ruler was shouting at him from beside him.

Impressed anew by his superior's attitude, Edric cautiously opened his mouth.

"Lord Shiokan, the heat seems to have worn the soldiers down considerably. It's a bit early, but how about we look for a suitable place to rest?"

Varkas, who had been riding forward in silence, turned to look at him.

Edric tensed involuntarily. He had never once seen this man get excited or raise his voice. Yet, whenever he stood before him, Edric always felt an odd sense of pressure.

He swallowed dryly and stammered on.

"Forgive me if my suggestion was presumptuous. It seems the rear ranks keep falling behind..."

"We'll reach the lake in about half an hour. We'll rest there."

Varkas cut him off. Edric stared blankly at him for a moment before bowing his head. The Crown Prince, watching with an unimpressed look, grumbled loudly.

"You didn't even pretend to listen when I was speaking, yet you listen to that greenhorn?"

"I merely kept silent as my answer seemed unnecessary, but I listened intently to every word Your Highness spoke."

"Who decided your answer wasn't needed!"

The Crown Prince bellowed. His booming voice, fitting his large frame, made Edric's eardrums tingle.

Edric suppressed the urge to click his tongue and moved back to the rear. It was all because the Crown Prince, notorious for his fiery temper, became nothing but a spoiled child in front of Lord Shiokan.

It struck him as odd.

'......I'm worried about what happens after Lord Shiokan leaves the knights.'

Once Varkas Raedgo Shiokan departed for the East, there would be no one left to restrain his rampage. The First Princess would likely follow Varkas eastward too, leaving only Gareth and Talia Roem Guirta in the imperial court.

Thinking of the knights' future, forced to endure two reckless royals, made his vision darken. Edric sighed heavily and approached Talia's carriage.

Shortly after, the sound of a whistle announcing a rest came from ahead.

Edric halted his horse and ordered his men to pitch tents in a suitable spot. The knights immediately set up simple field tents on level ground, creating shade.

He halted the carriage nearby and tapped lightly on the window.

"It's rest time. Please come out now."

"...."

"How long do you intend to stubbornly insist on this nonsense? You've been holed up in there all day. If you don't ease up, you'll collapse."

He deliberately spoke harshly, thinking he might have to drag Talia out even if it meant getting hit, but no reply came from inside.

Edric frowned.

Had she really collapsed?

A sense of foreboding made him yank the door open rather roughly. Immediately, a sweetish scent, like a mix of honey and milk, hit him, along with air hot as boiling water.

Frowning as he scanned the dim interior of the carriage, Edric froze upon discovering the second princess slumped lifelessly on the floor.