TFM 65

Chapter 65

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***

"That’s just how the Imperial Palace is. It’s teeming with monsters who’ll do anything for power. If you’ve decided to make a life here, you’d better steel yourself."

Theoric said, patting him on the shoulder.

Edric, who had been frozen in shock, slowly raised his head and looked into his superior’s face.

"Does Lord Shiokan know that as well?"

"Of course. It was the Commander himself who ordered this investigation."

"Then why………………."

Edric trailed off, unable to comprehend.

The man, who had been quietly looking down at him, shrugged and said.

“Well… we have no way of knowing what he’s thinking.”

“…”

“But I’m sure there must be some reason why he has to accept the marriage to the Second Princess.”

Edric furrowed his brow.

What on earth could that reason be?

As he thought about the man’s inscrutable face and wore a serious expression, a heavy blow landed on his back.

Edric turned to look at him with a startled expression.

Sir Hart, who had struck his back with a thick palm, spoke in a light tone, as if to lighten the mood.

“Anyway, there’s no need to worry about the Second Princess anymore.”

Then, in a somewhat serious tone, he added,

“The Second Princess will be leaving the palace soon. Once that happens, you won’t have to run into her anymore. So shake off that uneasy feeling and focus on your own future.”

His final remark bordered on a rebuke.

Theoric shook his head.

“You really got on the Crown Prince’s bad side during the pilgrimage. You’re in deep trouble yourself—who are you worrying about?”

Edric’s face darkened.

Having his deepest concerns pointed out made his shoulders feel heavy.

Seeing his dejected expression, Theoric let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Well, well. I thought you were so reckless that you had no ambition for advancement, but it seems that’s not quite the case, is it?”

“Well, back then… I did it because I believed I had to fulfill my duty as a knight of the Royal Guard. After all, I was Her Highness’s knight.”

A complex mix of emotions flashed across Sir Hart’s face at the stiff-necked reply.

He stared intently at his subordinate’s face before exhaling deeply.

“I’ll say it again: that role is over. It’s time for you to return to your post.”

Edric gazed quietly at his stern face, then turned his head to look at the castle walls rising high among the dense trees.

Through the deep green trees, he could see the roof of the secondary palace where the Second Princess resided.

He had served her for barely a couple of months.

Had he not witnessed her being so horribly injured right before his eyes, he probably wouldn’t have cared about her this much.

‘Sir Hart is right.’

His role as her bodyguard was now over.

The cruel environment surrounding that woman was regrettable, but there was nothing he could do about it.

'Perhaps it’s for the best.'

Just as Sir Hart had said, this imperial palace was a place teeming with monsters blinded by power.

Moreover, wasn’t she a figure who was thoroughly despised?

If she married Lord Shiokan and left for the East, she would at least be able to escape the hostile people surrounding her.

Shaking off a vague sense of guilt with a heavy sigh, Edric nodded.

“I understand perfectly.”

Satisfied with his answer, a bright smile appeared on Sir Hart’s lips.

He draped an arm over his subordinate’s shoulder and said,

“All right. Then let’s get back to work.”

Almost being dragged along by him, Edric glanced back over his shoulder at the roof of the palace one last time. But he quickly straightened his head and took a firm step forward.

***

Talia lay on the bed, watching the floating dust.

The sparkling particles drifted slowly through the air, carried by the rippling currents, before gently settling onto her body.

She reached out her hand to lift them back into the air, then watched them fall slowly. She didn’t know why she was doing such a strange thing.

It was as if she were seaweed.

Meaningless gestures followed one after another, like water plants swaying with the current.

Perhaps it wasn’t her leg that was injured, but her head.

As she sat there lost in such thoughts, she heard the sound of a door opening and closing.

Talia turned her gaze toward the intruder.

Her nanny, who had burst in carrying an armful of cloth bundles, shot her a scowling glance.

“What are you going to do if you keep lying there like that!”

The shrill voice scraped unpleasantly against her eardrums.

Talia pulled the blanket over her head. The nanny snatched it away and continued to pour out her shrill tirade.

“Get up and wash right now! You threw such a fit, swearing you’d rather die than let anyone else touch you, that you drove all the maids away—and now what do you think you’re doing?”

Talia glared at her with narrowed eyes.

She couldn’t make sense of what the woman was saying. She felt like she’d just been sleeping the whole time—had someone come in while she was asleep?

She scanned the room with unfocused eyes. Broken dishes and objects were scattered everywhere. It seemed she had indeed thrown a fit.

“I said get up!”

The nanny forcibly pulled her limp body to her feet.

Talia just stared blankly at the nanny’s flushed face with sleepy eyes.

Perhaps finding her behavior frustrating, the nanny pounded her chest with her fist.

“How much of that herbal medicine did you burn while I was gone? You can barely walk as it is—how do you expect to make it to the ceremony like this!”

“The reception hall?”

“Don’t we have to hold the wedding?”

“Who’s getting married?”

Her nanny’s round face turned as red as a plum. The sight of her looking so thoroughly angry was funny.

Talia let her half-slack tongue dangle carelessly.

“Congratulations on your wedding, Nanny.”

“It’s you who’s getting married today, princess!”

The nanny screamed like a goose with a twisted neck.

“You’re the one who said you’d do it, so why are you acting like this!”

Talia furrowed her brow.

Come to think of it, she had agreed to marry Varkas.

When had she said that, anyway?

She couldn’t remember. It felt as though her sense of time had melted away into the smoke.

Talia blinked slowly, her expression dazed, then stepped down from the bed.

Anyway, today was her wedding day.

In that case, she really shouldn’t be standing here like this.

She staggered over to the back of the partition screen.

“I’ll help you bathe and get into your undergarments. You’ll have to leave the rest to the maids in the Empress’s quarters.”

“…”

“You absolutely must not scratch or hit them.”

“Am I some kind of cat? Why would I scratch a person?”

The nanny looked as if she’d just put something inedible in her mouth.

Finding that dazed expression amusing, she chuckled softly. The nanny let out a deep sigh and stripped the nightgown from her body.

“Go on, get washed.”

Talia stepped into the bathtub.

Immediately, a cold shower of water poured over her head.

Talia brushed her hair out of her eyes and rubbed her stinging eyes.

The nanny seemed to be in a hurry.

Pouring an entire bottle of perfume over her, the nanny began scrubbing her entire body vigorously with a large brush. Her touch felt less like attending to a princess’s bath and more like washing a dog.

However, Talia accepted her care without much complaint. Thanks to her dulled senses, it didn’t hurt that much.

“Come on, get out.”

The nanny, who had poured cold water over her head four times in a row, urged her impatiently.

Talia climbed out of the tub, dripping wet.

The nanny wrapped her in a large towel to dry her off, then dressed her in her undergarments and petticoat in the blink of an eye.

It was the first time today she realized that the nanny, who was usually slower than a snail, could move so quickly.

As she stared in amazement, the nanny wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, scurried out of the bedroom, and called the maids.

Talia was soon surrounded by dozens of women.

No. It probably wasn’t dozens. Since one person looked like two, and two looked like three or four, there were likely fewer than that in reality.

In any case, to Talia’s eyes, there were dozens of them.

She blinked her dazed eyes and then closed them.

A moment later, the maids, having finished all preparations, led her somewhere. It felt as if she were being swept away by the current into the vast ocean.

When she came to her senses, she found herself riding in a large carriage, heading somewhere.

Talia gazed out the window with dazed eyes.

The ink-black sky and the massive cathedral below it came into view.

The moment that hazy scene entered her vision, an inexplicable sense of anxiety reared its head.

Staring at the entrance of the cathedral, which had suddenly loomed right before her, she broke out in a cold sweat and gripped the door handle.

Just as she was about to kick the door open and leap out, the carriage came to a sudden, unexpected halt.

Thrown off balance by the sudden stop, Talia staggered and fell to the floor.

She scraped her knee, sending a sharp pain shooting all the way down to her pelvis. She bit her lip to stifle a groan.

Just then, the carriage door burst open, and a deep shadow poured over her head.

Startled, Talia looked up and held her breath at the sight of Varkas, who seemed shrouded in a gray veil.

Varkas, wearing a snow-white ceremonial robe and a loosely draped cloak embroidered with his family’s crest, leaned toward her.

She could feel his blue eyes scanning her face intently.