TFM 48

Chapter 48

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She felt the sweat beading on her forehead trickle down, dampening the corners of her eyes.

It might be a drug that inflicts terrible pain. It could even be a deadly poison.

Unable to shake that suspicion, Talia opened her lips.

He tilted the vial, pouring the bitter liquid into her mouth. As she reflexively turned her head to the side, coughing up a small spurt, he gripped her jaw and forced the vial forward again.

Talia looked up at him as she swallowed the liquid seeping into her mouth, helplessly.

She saw a flicker of light in his pale, curtain-shrouded eyes. Straining to find any remnant of emotion in those weapon-like pupils, Talia soon let her limbs go limp.

She forced her eyelids open, struggling desperately to hold onto consciousness, but her mind grew hazy and her vision blurred rapidly.

Talia's eyelids fluttered slowly, and soon she sank into a deathly silence.

She had no sense of how much time had passed. It felt like mere seconds, yet also like an entire lifetime.

Staring blankly into the void, Talia frowned at the rhythmic clatter of hooves and the rattle of wheels. As her foggy vision gradually sharpened, the dimly lit interior of the carriage came into view.

For a moment, she wondered if it had all been a dream. The terrifying monster that had appeared, Varkas rushing off to save Ayla while leaving her behind, nearly being captured and killed by the wyvern—wasn't it all just a nightmare from last night?

As if to deny that thought, intense pain spread from her knee up to her waist.

Talia bit her lower lip and clutched her knee, which felt like it was burning and throbbing.

Beneath her thin chemise, she felt the coarse texture of fabric. As her fingertips traced it, Talia realized her entire left leg was wrapped in thick bandages and her eyes widened.

Lifting her skirt, she saw patches of blood and pus-soaked cloth clinging to her thigh and hip.

Talia tremblingly felt at it with her hands, then pulled her skirt back down and raised her upper body.

Inside the spacious carriage lay a thick mattress stuffed full of cotton, with cushions and summer quilts scattered haphazardly everywhere.

Staring blankly at them, she grabbed the handle fixed to the wall and pulled herself up with great effort. But her legs wouldn't obey, making standing difficult.

Talia struggled to straighten her legs, stiff as lead, but the excruciating pain shooting up her spine forced her to collapse with a thud. A scream escaped her as agony pierced her entire body.

"Are you all right?!"

Hearing the voice, the carriage abruptly stopped moving, and the door swung open.

Talia looked up with narrowed eyes at the man standing with his back to the light. The guard knight, whose usually slightly tousled hair was now even more disheveled, gazed down at her with a worried expression.

He climbed onto the carriage and rummaged through a small box in the corner.

"The pain is severe, isn't it? The healing mage prepared painkillers here. If you drink this..."

"Why didn't you cast healing magic on me?"

At the accusatory question, the man flinched and turned his head.

Talia pulled the sheet closer, shooting him a wary glare.

"Did my brother order you not to treat me?"

"No, it's not like that."

The man waved his hands urgently.

"The healing mage did the best he could—setting the broken bones and healing some of the wounds... the injuries to your lower body were so severe they couldn't be treated all at once. For the prognosis, it's best to entrust you to the imperial palace's specialist healers..."

Talia, who had been glaring at the stammering man with distrustful eyes, lowered her gaze and stared at her leg.

Vaguely, she recalled the large boulder crushing her knee and thigh. Indeed, if she had let the wound heal naturally, she would have lost the use of her leg forever. Reluctantly acknowledging this truth, Talia still couldn't stop complaining.

"So you expect me to stay like this until we reach the Imperial Palace?"

"It will be painful, but please bear with it a little longer. We plan to travel to Gillian via the fastest route possible."

Talia narrowed her eyes at him before turning her gaze out the window.

She saw knights stretching out in a long line across the vast plain, bathed in faint sunlight. Unconsciously searching for that ash-blond hair among them, Talia shuddered at her own thought and pulled the curtain tightly shut. Even the slightest movement brought a wave of deep fatigue.

"It seems my brother has accepted the proposal to return to the imperial palace."

"With the wyvern attack causing significant casualties, he couldn't openly oppose the argument that we must return immediately, even if only to conduct their funerals."

Startled by the unexpectedly cynical retort, she turned to look at him. Realizing belatedly the sarcasm in his tone, the knight hastily changed the subject.

"More importantly, you don't look well. Take your medicine first."

The man held out the lid of a medicine bottle, thrusting it close to her face. Talia stared at it blankly, then waved it away with an annoyed gesture.

"I don't need it. Take it away. I need to rest now."

"………………If you don't trust me, I can summon Lord Shiokan."

Talia, who was about to lie down on the bed, fixed him with a hard stare.

In that instant, her heart sank as if struck by a sudden blow. As if to hide it, Talia wore a cold sneer on her lips and snapped back icily.

"Does it look like I trust that man?"

"But Your Highness, you did..."

"I trust no one."

Talia cut him off fiercely. Then, facing his stubbornly irritating expression, she added, chewing out each word deliberately.

"Especially that man."

"...."

"So shut your mouth about presumptuous nonsense and get out of here."

The man, who seemed about to say something more, twitched his lips, let out a small sigh, and stepped outside.

A moment later, the halted carriage began moving again.

Talia pulled the thin summer blanket up to her shoulders. The pain that had briefly subsided flared up again, a searing sensation like her skin was sizzling. Tossing and turning, swallowing her moans, she closed her eyes tightly, as if trying to escape the agony.

As dusk approached, a plump wizard arrived to cast a healing spell.

Talia silently accepted his touch. Though the feel of another's hands was dreadful, she had no strength left to resist.

"I'll light a scented candle to dull your senses. The pain should ease considerably."

Whether he had heard that she refused medicine, the wizard brought a small incense burner to the entrance and lit it.

The thick, pungent air instantly filled the carriage. Talia, who had been about to snap at him to stop this pointless gesture, felt her taut nerves gradually relax and released the tension in her shoulders.

The bone-piercing pain gradually subsided, and her consciousness began to blur. It seemed he had burned herbs with a soporific effect.

She welcomed the wave of drowsiness. But the sleep didn't last long. Before long, the pain began to intensify again.

Groaning, Talia woke up and struggled to lift her eyelids. It seemed she would have to summon the mage and order him to light more incense.

Rubbing her throbbing head, she struggled to sit up, but suddenly, her breath caught in her throat.

Talia scanned the deep darkness with dilated pupils.

She couldn't tell what had startled her.