TFM 49

Chapter 49

***

Why did she startle so much at waking in the dead of night?

She took a deep breath, trying desperately to calm her wildly pounding heart. But the suffocating sensation only grew stronger.

Struggling to force air into her constricted throat, Talia couldn't bear the pressure any longer and rose from her seat.

Her splinted leg protested in pain, but with suffocation imminent, she had no time to think. Talia practically tumbled out of the carriage, gasping for air with her mouth wide open as she staggered forward.

Soon, she spotted a flickering light not far away. Feeling a deep sense of relief wash over her, she dragged her stiff, spasming leg forward, approaching the large tent where a campfire burned.

Then, a cheerful voice tinged with mockery carried on the wind.

“She’s been struck by divine punishment."

Talia stopped dead in her tracks.

A woman sitting before the fire stirred the logs with a long stick, shouting loudly.

"Everyone knows! That woman cursed Her Highness the First Princess! And she barged into Her birthday banquet to cause trouble!"

The maid's voice rose with excitement.

Talia scrutinized the face illuminated by the firelight. The unfamiliar features suggested she was likely a maid serving Ayla and Gareth.

The maid took a sip from her cup, then resumed her animated rant.

"It's clearly divine punishment! Her own curse came back to bite her—she got what she deserved!"

"I heard she might even be crippled. Is that true?"

"Highly likely! I heard it from a maid who serves the Second Princess. They said her leg bones were completely shattered into pieces, and it took hours to piece them back together like a puzzle."

Talia flinched and looked down at her own legs.

The woman's voice lowered slightly.

"They say she got horrible scars too? Her skin was completely twisted, and apparently even magic couldn't cleanly remove them. It's all blotchy and disgusting."

"Guess we won't have to see that woman running wild through the palace anymore."

"Probably not. Her only pride and joy got damaged! How could she possibly strut around like she used to with a body like that?"

Mockery erupted from all corners, as if relishing the spectacle.

Talia, who had been standing frozen in a daze, shuffled her feet and dragged her legs toward the woman.

The faces of those who spotted her shadow turned ashen. But the woman, still chattering excitedly, hadn't noticed her presence yet. She kept babbling on.

"Her marriage prospects are as good as ruined now. What family would take a woman who's both a bastard and crippled... Gah!"

Suddenly, the woman's hair was yanked violently, and she let out a shrill scream.

Talia paid no heed, roughly yanking the tightly braided hair upward. The woman's skin turned pale with shock and terror upon recognizing her face.

Staring down at her, Talia lifted the corners of her mouth in a slight smile.

"Why stop chattering."

"Your... Highness..."

"What's so scary about a woman who's both a bastard and crippled?"

The woman's eyes widened. Rough sobs burst from between her lips, which had been sneering just moments before.

"I... I'm sorry, Your Highness. I... I committed such a terrible sin..."

"What crime did you commit?"

"I, I………………”

Her lips trembled violently as she struggled to continue.

"I, I… spoke blasphemously and insulted Her Highness the Princess. P-please, be merciful and forgive me……."

"If you've done wrong, you should be punished. Why are you thinking of forgiveness first?"

The woman’s face had turned almost ashen.

Talia, who had been staring intently at that pale face, turned her head and scanned the people gathered around the bonfire.

The maidservants, frozen stiff like mice before a snake, bowed low. Spotting the knight standing tense among them, Talia gave a slight nod.

"You. Come here."

The knight hesitated briefly before approaching her with reluctant steps.

Talia yanked the hair she was clutching downward, forcing the woman to her knees before the knight.

"She insulted royalty with her sharp tongue. She must pay the price. Now, draw your sword and do your duty."

The knight's shoulders visibly stiffened.

The woman's mouth gave way to a choking sob. The knight, gazing down at her with a dark expression, placed one hand over his heart and bowed deeply at the waist.

"Your Highness, we are already stretched thin preparing the funeral and tending to the wounded. Executing a death sentence now would only cause unnecessary commotion and unrest. I beg you, please calm your anger and..."

"Are you refusing my order now?"

The knight clenched his jaw and bowed his head even lower.

Talia let out a quiet laugh at his silent acquiescence, then instantly twisted her face in disgust.

"If you can't do it, I will."

Talia flung the woman's hair aside as if tossing it and lunged at the knight. Startled by the unexpected move, the man reflexively grabbed her shoulder. Talia glared at him with eyes filled with fury.

"How dare you lay a hand on someone else's body!"

The man snatched his hand away as if burned. Seizing the moment, Talia grabbed the hilt of the sword hanging at his waist.

But the knight's longsword was heavier than she'd imagined, and her legs were too weak to bear her own weight. As Talia pulled the sword free, she lost her balance and collapsed to the ground.

A dreadful silence settled over the pitiful spectacle.

Talia clutched her twitching legs and looked up.

The knights and maidservants filled her vision with their frozen expressions.

An old memory tore through her mind. Dozens of cold eyes staring down at her as she lay helplessly sprawled in vomit. The shame, humiliation, and primal fear of that day revived, burning her brain.

She pushed herself up with trembling hands, her upper body jerking upright. She wanted to leap to her feet, asserting her dignity and authority as a princess, but her legs wouldn't budge.

As Talia struggled to force her unresponsive legs to stand, she froze, her face hardening upon noticing a woman staring blankly at her from right beside her.

The woman who had mocked her was now watching her crawl on the floor.

She could not tolerate such a thing.

Talia groped along the floor and grabbed a piece of wood from the flames. The intense heat seemed to burn her fingers, but physical pain could never surpass the agony of crushed pride.

She lashed out at the woman's face with the glowing ember-covered log.

A sharp scream erupted.

Not satisfied, she swung the log again, but a dark shadow leapt out of the darkness and seized her body.

Talia thrashed like a rabid beast. Then, catching a familiar scent, she froze. Varkas, who had effortlessly lifted her with one arm, looked down at her with a cold gaze.

Trapped by that stare, she gasped for breath. He snatched the log from her hands and hurled it far away. Just as he had taken her sword before, he had once again seized her weapon.

Rage surged within her.

This man never stands by my side.

He won't fight for me, yet he won't let me defend myself either.