TFM 37

Chapter 37

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Talia couldn't find words to excuse herself and only fluttered her lips. She wanted to put on her usual brazen attitude, but she was physically and mentally at her limit, and her mind wouldn't work properly.

She pulled her hood down, quickly concealing her flustered face. Then, as she tried to push past her brother blocking the entrance, Gareth swiftly grabbed her wrist.

"I asked why you were rummaging through Varkas's quarters."

"Let go of me!"

She shook her arm violently, but Gareth's hand stuck to her like glue, refusing to budge.

He yanked her body roughly toward him, growling like an enraged wolf.

"Tell me what you were trying to pull!"

Talia bit her lip against the bone-crushing grip.

What a brutish, muscle-bound fool.

She kicked her brother's shin mercilessly. Perhaps still unarmed, Gareth leapt up, muttering curses.

Seizing the moment, Talia swiftly pulled her arm free. She slipped out of Varkas's tent and began running frantically.

Behind her, the sound of objects smashing wildly suggested Gareth was chasing her. But Talia didn't look back, dashing wildly between the tents.

Soon, her own carriage came into view. She leapt inside, firmly bolted the door shut, and crouched down in a corner.

A wave of worry washed over her—what if Gareth, boiling with rage, tried to smash the carriage? Yet, even after a long while, there was no sign of commotion. It seemed he had stopped pursuing her, likely due to the attention he was drawing.

Talia exhaled a sigh of relief and buried her face in her knees. Then, suddenly overcome by disgust, she grimaced. She was sickened by her own foolishness, acting like the biggest idiot in the world.

Why had she lost her head and checked on Varkas’s safety? She also felt uneasy about showing Gareth her emotionally scattered state.

Surely he hadn't noticed anything?

Talia bit her lip hard, then cautiously peered out the window.

She could see the knights dismantling the tents. They didn't seem to have noticed the commotion she'd caused.

Pressing her face close to the glass and scanning the scene, Talia drew the curtain back again.

As the sky brightened, the knights mounted their horses and began forming ranks. Among them, she spotted Varkas. Peering through the curtains at him inspecting the formation as usual, Talia hurriedly hid herself when he approached the carriage she was in.

Could he have heard something from Gareth and be coming to question her?

As she frantically tried to come up with excuses in her head, Varkas stopped near the carriage, gave some instructions to the knights, and then moved back to the front of the line.

Talia slumped her shoulders in relief. Just then, the booming voice of a guard knight reached her.

"We shall be departing shortly."

She offered no reply. Perhaps he hadn't expected one; without another word, the knight spurred his horse forward. Soon after, the carriage she occupied began to move as well.

Talia sank back into her seat, gazing up through the curtains at the sky turning white. It seemed nothing would happen after all, and a tedious day was about to begin.

The march that had started at dawn halted before the sun had even begun to set.

Gareth, his patience exhausted, had unilaterally declared they would travel no further today.

Strictly speaking, the itinerary for this journey was under the command of Varkas, the general commander. Yet few dared defy the orders of the next emperor.

Ultimately, with Varkas' tacit approval, they had to set up camp in the open field, the second sacred site, the Ulgram Hills, right before their eyes.

It seemed an unsatisfactory situation for the soldiers, who wanted to escape the plains as quickly as possible, but for Talia, it was a fortunate turn of events. Having spent the entire day crammed inside a swaying carriage without eating or sleeping properly, her stamina was completely depleted.

She lay on the carriage seat, blinking her dizzy eyes.

Then, a tiresome voice came from outside.

"Your Highness, I brought some fruit."

Talia frowned. The knight's behavior, meddling again after being so humiliated yesterday, felt inexplicable.

Unless he had some ulterior motive, why would he go out of his way to fawn over her like that?

She snapped back sharply.

"Get lost."

"You said you couldn't eat anything because you didn't know what might be in it? Fresh, unprocessed fruit should be fine, right?"

She was too annoyed to reply and shut her mouth. Then, rudely, the knight flung open the carriage door and thrust a tray laden with fruit right in her face.

"I'm worried this might turn into a funeral procession. Please stop being so stubborn and just eat this."

She glared at him in utter disbelief before lowering her gaze to the silver tray. Bright red apples, plums, and green grapes lay arranged upon it.

Staring blankly at the fruit, Talia murmured in a subdued voice, as if she had no energy left to be angry.

"How am I supposed to know if you've poisoned the skin?"

One might expect him to give up by now, but the knight didn't budge. He let out a heavy sigh, picked up an apple from the tray, took a large bite, and then pushed the apple with his teeth marks toward her.

"Is that enough?"

"Are you telling me to eat what you've already bitten into? It's disgusting! Get it away from me!"

The knight looked as if he wanted to strangle her. Regardless, Talia turned her back on him. Truthfully, she was ravenously hungry, but she refused to put food touched by another's hands in her mouth. She knew she'd only end up vomiting it all back up if she forced it down.

"Enough. Stop bothering me and just get lost."

"Is telling me to get lost the only thing Your Highness knows how to say?"

The knight's increasingly overstepping words and actions made her irritation boil over.

Talia jumped up from her seat. Dizziness hit her for a moment, but she didn't want to show weakness. She braced her legs and held on.

As her vision cleared, she left the knight watching her and stepped out of the carriage.

The sky had already shifted from deep blue to a pale orange. After gazing at it for a moment, Talia moved toward the edge of the camp, avoiding the glances that darted her way.

She wanted to find a quiet place, somewhere empty, to rest. But if she strayed from the group, the knights would follow immediately.

After a moment's hesitation, Talia headed for a dense grove of trees, a short distance from where the supply wagons were parked.

At this distance, they could still see her location with the naked eye, so they wouldn't bother hovering around under the pretense of escorting her.

Talia leaned her back against a thick tree trunk and breathed in the cool evening air deeply. How long had she been sitting like that? A faint chuckle reached her from nearby.

Talia's closed eyes snapped open. It seemed she wasn't the only one seeking a secluded spot for rest. Through the sparse fir trees, she saw Ayla strolling leisurely.

Talia grimaced.

She was utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. She couldn't bear that blissful expression any longer.

She sprang to her feet. Just as she was about to leave, another figure, hidden behind a tree, came into view.

It was the man who, just this morning, had made her beg for his life.

Talia stared at him blankly. Holding Torque's reins in one hand, Varkas followed Ayla quietly, looking more serene than she'd ever seen him.

Having grown weary of seeing only his cold expression or furrowed brow, this serene face felt unfamiliar.

Did he always wear that expression in front of Ayla?

As she stared blankly at him, Ayla tugged at Varkas's arm, then stood on tiptoe and craned her neck upward. Realizing what she demanded, Talia held her breath.

She didn't want to see it. She didn't want to witness a scene she'd never be able to erase from her mind, one she'd replay over and over for the rest of her life.

Even as she screamed inside, Talia couldn't tear her gaze away from the two of them. Perhaps she wanted to see him coldly refuse. But Varkas, like a loyal hound, responded to Ayla's wish.

Seeing him bow his head toward her, Talia turned and began to run. But before long, someone grabbed her.

She looked up, eyes wide with surprise. Gareth, his cheeks flushed as if drunk, gripped her arm and stared down at her intently.

Under his gaze, which seemed to scrutinize her, Talia hastily lowered her head. But the moisture gathering at her eyes had already been noticed.

"You couldn't possibly..."

Gareth muttered, letting out a hollow laugh.

Talia struggled violently to free her arm from his grip. But the Crown Prince didn't budge an inch.

As if her face, still unable to hide her emotional turmoil, were some rare spectacle, Gareth stared down at her. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing.

"So that's what it was?"