TFM 61

Chapter 61

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The gossipmongers were quick to spread rumors.

While many expressed sorrow over the Second Princess’s misfortune, there were also quite a few who argued that it was unfair to pin the blame on Lord Shiokan.

They contended that, strictly speaking, the matter should have been resolved by punishing the Second Princess’s personal bodyguard.

Above all, this was a decision that completely disregarded the First Princess’s perspective.

Although their engagement was based on political interests, the two had been close since childhood.

While the official engagement took place three years ago, their de facto engagement had lasted for over a decade.

Many people poured out criticism over this measure that unilaterally tore the two apart.

And everyone agreed that the Empress’s influence must have played a strong role behind the Emperor’s unreasonable judgment. It was an open secret that she was waging a power struggle to make her young son the Emperor.

“What will become of the relationship between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Shiokan family from now on?”

The maid, who had been stirring the pot with a ladle, turned to the healer dispatched from the Empress’s palace and asked.

The middle-aged healer named Marisen, who frequently visited the main palace, was well-versed in all manner of rumors.

As she finely chopped a bundle of fresh herbs with a knife, she replied indifferently.

“Well… If Lord Shiokan truly breaks off his engagement with the First Princess and marries the Second Princess, then we’d have to consider the solid alliance between the two factions effectively over.”

“Then, perhaps the Shiokan family might switch their support to His Highness the Second Prince?”

Marisen wore a skeptical expression.

“Considering Lord Shiokan’s temperament, I doubt he’d change his stance that easily.”

“Why not? His Highness the Second Prince is far better than that good-for-nothing Crown Prince.”

At the maid’s thoughtless remark, the healer shot her a stern warning with a serious gaze.

“You’d better watch your mouth. Even though the number of people coming and going here is limited, there are always ears on the walls in the Imperial Palace.”

The maid pouted.

But perhaps she was secretly frightened, for she began to look around nervously.

Seeing this, the healer chuckled softly and resumed chopping.

Whatever the relationship between the Crown Prince and the Shiokan family might be, it had little to do with her.

She kept an ear open to rumors for her own protection, but fundamentally, she had little interest in anything beyond her duties.

Marisen placed the rare herbs she had managed to obtain into a small pot and began stirring.

Before long, the concoction began to bubble and boil, filling the kitchen with a rich herbal scent.

Once the herbs had steeped sufficiently, she placed the jar on the windowsill to cool, but suddenly a gruff voice rang out from outside.

“Is anyone here?”

The maid, who had been shoveling firewood into the furnace while dripping with sweat, looked up in surprise.

“Is anyone supposed to be coming?”

“I haven’t received any notice…”

Marisen leaned out the window to look at the entrance to the secondary palace.

Through the thicket of bushes, she could see a line of figures clad in flowing robes. At first glance, they did not appear to be envoys sent from the Empress’s Palace.

Frowning with a sense of foreboding, Marisen pushed the maid out the back door.

“I’ll go check outside. You go to the Empress’s Palace and summon the soldiers.”

Currently, the only people in the villa were a few maids, the Second Princess’s nanny, and herself, the healer.

Wasn’t the reality that they couldn’t even station a single proper guard because the Second Princess was exceptionally picky about who she allowed near her?

If those people tried to harm them, there was no way for them to stop it.

The maid, well aware of this, quickly slipped out of the kitchen.

Marisen waited until the maid was far enough away, then crossed the hall and opened the front door.

At the entrance to the villa stood two men in military uniforms and three women who appeared to be nobles.

Marisen scanned them with a wary gaze before cautiously speaking.

“What brings you here?”

“We’ve come to see Talia Roem Guirta.”

The woman standing at the back stepped forward and spoke.

Upon recognizing her face, Marisen gasped. Standing before her was the woman of the highest rank in the empire after the Empress.

Marisen quickly bowed her head.

“I greet Her Imperial Highness, the First Princess.”

“That’s enough. Please show me the girl.”

Ayla Roem Guirta urged her in a voice tinged with weariness.

Marisen raised her head, paused for a moment, and then carefully expressed her refusal.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but the Second Princess has not yet fully recovered her health. If you could visit again another day…….”

“Is it because you’re afraid I might harm my sister?”

Suddenly, the First Princess’s voice turned icy.

“Your loyalty is admirable, but it seems you do not know who you are dealing with. I did not just make a request. I gave an order.”

“….”

“If you understand, lead the way.”

Marisen, who had been frozen in place like a mouse before a snake, finally turned and walked away.

The First Princess did not utter a single word on the way to the room.

Marisen, who had been constantly glancing over her shoulder to gauge the First Princess’s mood, swallowed hard as she looked at the bedroom door drawing ever closer.

Several hours had passed since the scented candles were lit, so the Second Princess must have woken up by now.

But she was deeply worried whether her patient, who was already as frail as could be, would be able to handle this intimidating visitor.

“You all wait here. I’ll go in alone.”

Upon reaching the end of the hallway, the First Princess issued a firm order to the attendants who had been following her, then shot her a haughty glare.

Under the unspoken pressure to announce her arrival, Marisen timidly knocked on the door.

“Your Highness, a visitor has arrived. May I come in?”

But no reply came from inside.

Could she still be asleep?

After a moment’s hesitation, Marisen quietly tried pulling the doorknob.

The room was filled with the pungent scent of herbs and a thick, sweet odor reminiscent of fruit on the verge of rotting.

Frowning at the dizzying aroma, Marisen recoiled in shock upon discovering Talia sprawled on the bed like a corpse.

She rushed to the bedside and placed her hand under Talia’s nose; thankfully, she could feel a faint breath.

Her sigh of relief was short-lived, however, as she saw Talia’s mangled leg beneath the skirt hem, which had ridden up to her thigh.

It seemed Talia had torn off her bandages and picked at her scars; her skin was covered in scratches and bruises.

Marisen let out a heavy sigh and placed her hand on the girl’s leg, casting a simple healing spell.

At that moment, a gaunt hand reached out and gripped her wrist.

Startled, Marisen turned her head and met a pair of misty blue eyes, causing her to hold her breath without realizing it.

The unfocused pupils drifted aimlessly through the air.

With each subtle shift of her gaze, the deep blue irises rippled like waves.

Like the smoke the princess inhaled every day, they were eyes that scattered one’s mind.

“………………Who said it was okay for anyone to just barge in?”

Talia parted her lips, where dried blood crusted, and emitted a high-pitched voice laced with a metallic edge.

Only then did Marisen snap back to her senses; she quickly pulled the blanket up to cover the princess’s legs.

“I apologize, Your Highness. The guest insisted on seeing you…”

As she sat up straight and gestured toward the doorway, the Second Princess’s gaze followed immediately.

Marisen could feel the Second Princess’s slender body tense up.

Talia sat up unsteadily and glared at her half-sister with a wary look.

“What brings you to such a shabby place?”

“I came because I wanted to talk.”

The First Princess, who had entered the room, gazed quietly at her younger sister’s face, which was clearly marked by illness, then turned her head toward Marisen.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Pushed by the First Princess’s imposing presence, Marisen hesitantly stepped out of the bedroom.

Just as she was about to close the door, the sight of the sisters—born of different mothers—pierced her eyes.

Unlike Talia Roem Guirta, who looked as if she might shatter into pieces at any moment, Ayla Roem Guirta was glowing with vitality.

For some reason, that stark contrast left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Marisen stared at Talia for a moment with a shadowed gaze, then closed the door with a heavy sigh.