TFM 89

Chapter 89

***

Varkas turned away without a word.

As she was practically dragged out of the room, Talia scanned her surroundings with a look of anxiety. The worry that someone might take issue with the chaotic succession ceremony had belatedly washed over her.

However, most of the vassals wore expressions of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

“This should restore discipline in the East as well.”

A man who had quietly slipped up beside them spoke. His face looked vaguely familiar. He seemed to be the same man she had encountered on the day of Varkas’s duel.

The man, dressed smartly in elegant ceremonial robes, gave her a slight bow before shifting his gaze back to Varkas.

“Do you plan to begin your tour of the estates immediately today?”

“Unless there are any particular issues.”

Varkas replied in a curt tone, then looked down at Talia and asked.

“Can you depart immediately?”

“………………Where are we going?”

“It is one of the main procedures of the succession ceremony. It is a ceremonial event where you tour the eastern regions to introduce the new ruler to the subjects and assess the local conditions.”

The man suddenly interjected with an explanation. Talia looked up at him with a bewildered expression.

“Do I really have to go?”

“It is customary for the Grand Duchess to accompany the Grand Duke, but…”

He trailed off ambiguously and glanced sideways at Varkas. Varkas, who had been walking quietly down the hallway, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Talia felt a hand touch her cheek and flinched. Varkas lifted her chin and spoke in a calm tone.

“Your Highness must go as well.”

Talia’s eyes widened. Since she had injured her leg, this was the first time he had ever forced her to do something in this manner.

“Didn’t you tell me to hide away?”

He shot her a cold glance and added stiffly.

“I intend to do just that. From now on, there will be no one in this land who does not know that you are the Grand Duchess of Shiokan.”

She gaped in astonishment. She had thought it would end with simply showing her face to her retainers; she never dreamed in her wildest imagination that she would have to make an appearance before the former Eastern Lady.

Talia swallowed hard.

“I—I can’t leave right now. I have to pack my things, and my nanny and my healer…”

“I’ve already given word to Your Highness’s attendants. By now, all the travel preparations should be complete.”

He cut her off, as if blocking her retreat.

Talia rolled her eyes. But before she could come up with a new excuse, Varkas bent down and swept her up in his arms with one hand. Talia stifled a scream and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Paying no heed to her struggles, Varkas strode down the stairs, cut across the grand hall, and issued orders to his retainers.

“Have the Knight Corps stand by. We’re heading to the Plains of Norden.”

Then he passed through the arched doorway, through which rays of light poured in. Talia narrowed her dazzled eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the sunlight, she saw the retinue filling the courtyard.

Talia froze as they stared at her as if she were some strange creature.

She recalled the image of the monstrous bird she had seen one day at the imperial palace. The fascinated gazes of those who had come to gawk at the monster caged behind iron bars also flickered through her mind.

As the queasy feeling grew stronger, Talia buried her face in his shoulder.

“Tell everyone to stop staring at me. It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“…… I doubt they’ll actually listen to my orders.”

Varkas replied in a flat tone. Talia glared at him as if she couldn’t believe her ears.

“You’re a Grand Duke now. Just tell them anyone who disobeys your orders will be put to death. Or better yet, say you’ll impale them on a spear like before.”

Suddenly, a faint smirk crossed his lips.

“Do you want me to exterminate every single Eastern person?”

Talia furrowed her brow. Was this man joking with her just now?

As she scrutinized his inscrutable, expressionless face as if dissecting it, Varkas added in a matter-of-fact tone.

“If I were to execute everyone who looks at you, the Khan people would soon be wiped out.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I just meant you should stick to threats.”

“Easterners don’t make empty threats. Once spoken, they must be carried out.”

Talia was overcome by a faint sense of confusion. She couldn’t believe she was having such a nonsensical conversation with Varkas. Even though she hadn’t smoked any sleep-inducing herbs, a corner of her mind felt numb.

She moistened her parched lips and muttered irritably.

“You sure take a long time to say ‘just put up with it.’”

“I’m glad you understood.”

Varkas twisted the corners of his mouth in a sneer and turned her head to face him. Talia shrugged her shoulders. A soft, deep voice brushed against her ear.

“Look up.”

Varkas adjusted his posture so that her head was above his and whispered in a low voice.

“Even if you hide yourself, I must not hide you, right?”

Just then, a gust of wind swept past them. Talia lifted her head as if drawn by some force.

The cool air, carrying the scent of dry grass, billowed their cloaks. The unpleasant sensation crawling over her body gradually subsided. Talia blinked slowly.

The thin silk fabric brushed softly against her skin. After gazing up at the bright sky for a moment, Talia lowered her gaze back to the clearing.

The people were still staring at her without blinking. However, Talia could detect something different in their gazes.

It was an emotion that could be called awe. A strange shiver ran down her spine. They were staring at her as if she were Senevere herself. Realizing this, Talia turned her eyes back to Varkas.

Was it because this man was by her side? She couldn’t believe that no one had noticed she was in tatters.

“Greetings, Your Highness.”

As Varkas crossed the vast courtyard and reached the castle gate, one of the knights standing in neat formation stepped forward and bowed. He was a mounted warrior named Tyron.

Varkas, who had stopped in front of a large traveling carriage, replied indifferently.

“I am merely acting regent for now.”

“But haven’t you already seized all the real power?”

The man crossed his arms over his chest and let out a playful chuckle.

“Everyone is thrilled by the arrival of a young and powerful new leader. Please don’t pour cold water on the party.”

As if it weren’t worth responding to, Varkas quietly walked past him and opened the carriage door.

Talia narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the comfortably furnished interior. She felt she understood why he hadn’t shown his face for a week. To secure the loyalty of his vassals, pressure the Grand Duke into forcing through the succession ceremony, and simultaneously complete all travel preparations perfectly—he would have needed two bodies just to manage it all.

He climbed onto the carriage and set her down on the wide seat. Just as he reached for the carriage door handle, a mounted warrior waiting outside grabbed the door.

“There is one matter I would like to suggest. Please allow Young Master Lucas to accompany us on this journey.”

“Didn’t you hear that I’ve placed him under house arrest?”

The man let out a small sigh.

“I am aware of that. But Young Master Lucas is Your Highness’s younger brother. Isn’t he destined to become Your Highness’s aide in a few years’ time? Rather than sitting him at a desk and teaching him as if he were a ten-year-old, wouldn’t it be better for him to learn through hands-on experience?”

A faint furrow appeared between Varkas’s brows. He stared at the man’s freckled face with a pensive expression, then let out a sigh.

“All right. Assign that boy to me as my squire.”

The man stepped back with a satisfied look. Varkas immediately locked the door and perched himself in the seat opposite her.

Talia glanced at him awkwardly. Varkas always rode a torque whenever he had to travel. When he showed no sign of getting out of the carriage even after quite some time had passed, Talia cautiously opened her mouth.

“Aren’t you going to ride?”

Varkas, who had been unwinding the dangling ornaments from his wrist, shot her a cold glance.

“Are you hoping I’ll get out of the carriage?”

“Who said that? I was just asking out of curiosity.”

Noticing that he seemed sharper than usual, Talia lowered her eyes and muttered softly.

Because of what she had done, she couldn’t be as bold as she usually was. She pressed herself against the side of the carriage and pretended to look out the window.

He leaned back against the seat and ran his fingers through his tousled hair.

“As Your Highness must have guessed, our marriage has sparked all sorts of gossip. To quell the controversy, at least for the time being, we need to appear to be a normal married couple.”

***

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