TFM 103

Chapter 103

***

“If you’ll allow me, I’ll check the ingredients. That should put Your Highness at ease.”

Without confirming or denying the request, Talia gestured for the woman to leave. The woman immediately bowed her head and exited the room.

Sitting before the fireplace and gazing at the crackling embers, Talia felt overcome by a deep sense of fatigue and rose from her seat.

As she lay down on the soft sheets, the pain that had been radiating down her knees gradually subsided. It seemed the ointment was finally taking effect.

Staring at the ceiling, which was stained in places, through blurry eyes, Talia turned her head toward the red-glowing window.

Before she knew it, the sky was shifting from a bright amber hue to a deep wine color.

The fiercely burning sunset would soon be swallowed by darkness. That would make it advantageous to launch a surprise attack on the enemy.

A fleeting worry arose—what if Varkas were to be injured during the battle?—but she quickly shook it off.

He was a man who had risen to the position of Knight Commander before he was even twenty, outshining hundreds of Roem Knights. Wiping out a band of raiders would be nothing to him.

Pushing away her distracting thoughts, Talia closed her eyes tightly. As her consciousness gradually faded, the sound of bells signaling the end of the day seeped into her mind.

Listening to the faint resonance echoing from the bell tower, Talia suddenly fell asleep as if fainting.

She regained consciousness at dawn, when pitch-black darkness had settled in.

Feeling a burning thirst, Talia lifted her eyelids, but as a sudden suffocating sensation overwhelmed her, she tugged at the neckline of her linen dress.

When the oppressive tightness that seemed to crush her breath did not subside, she crawled to the edge of the bed and grabbed the lamp.

Just then, a faint crimson glow streaming down the wall caught her eye. Following that faint trail of light, Talia turned her head and, upon discovering the nearly extinguished fire in the hearth, took a deep breath. The dying rays of light felt like a breath of fresh air.

Talia got out of bed and walked over to the fireplace. She could see a few embers sizzling in the black ash. To reignite them, she stacked a few logs and pressed down hard on the bellows on the floor. The logs began to spew smoke and burst into bright flames.

Talia, who had been slumping her shoulders in relief, suddenly turned her head. A strange sound was coming from somewhere. It took her a few seconds to realize it was the cry of an animal.

Had a wild dog appeared?

Talia walked over to the window and cautiously pushed it open. A dry, chilly breeze swept across her face.

Shivering at the chill, she scanned the darkness, following the sound that had grown clearer.

A mournful howl echoed across the hill, bathed in the white glow of the moonlight. Yet, nowhere could she find the figure of the beast that was howling at the top of its lungs.

Just as she was about to turn her gaze toward the edge of the meadow, wondering if the sound had come from the forest, someone knocked on the door.

Talia’s nerves were on high alert.

“Who is it?”

“I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I heard a noise and came to see if perhaps you were unable to sleep due to pain.”

It was the healer from the Shiokan family.

Talia relaxed her guard and replied in a listless tone.

“I was just tossing and turning. Go away.”

A moment of silence passed. The woman, who had been pacing by the door as if hesitating, cautiously suggested,

“If you don’t mind, shall I bring you some herbal tea to help you sleep?”

Talia frowned. She felt a surge of irritation when the woman didn’t immediately obey her order to leave.

“I don’t need it………………”

Just as Talia was about to utter her usual refusal, she suddenly clamped her mouth shut. She remembered that she had promised to deliver the potion she had concocted to the Taren family’s healer.

She didn’t actually suspect that this woman was trying to slip her some suspicious potion, but it couldn’t hurt to be cautious.

After a moment’s hesitation, Talia snapped out,

“Fine. Come in.”

Upon receiving permission, the healer entered the room, clutching a small bundle in one hand.

Talia scrutinized her with a searching gaze.

As if she had just gotten out of bed, she was wearing only an ash-gray robe over what appeared to be a loose linen nightgown.

The woman walked toward the fireplace, tucking her tousled hair behind her ears as if embarrassed.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll have it ready in a moment.”

She then placed a brass pot over the fire and took a bundle of herbs out of the package.

After combining a few varieties and placing them in the pot, the woman, who had lightly wiped it clean, picked up a teapot and poured in some water.

Before long, the scent of chamomile and lavender filled the air.

“There, it’s ready.”

After pouring a suitable amount of the strongly brewed tea, the woman carefully handed her a cup.

Talia held it in her hand and gazed down at it quietly. A faint, sweet aroma tickled her nose—perhaps from the honey added to it.

As she was quietly savoring it, that long, drawn-out howl sounded again.

Talia let out a small groan. It seemed that beast had decided to bark all night long.

“Close the window, please. And draw the curtains.”

The woman obeyed the order immediately. However, the beast’s howls easily pierced through the thick glass and curtains.

The healer let out an awkward laugh.

“It seems the wolf is desperately missing someone in this village.”

Talia let out a hollow laugh, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Are you trying to joke around with me right now?”

“It’s not that...”

The woman, who had looked flustered by the sharp response, continued calmly.

“In the East, there is a folk belief that those who pass away without being baptized are reborn as wild beasts. The cries of beasts heard at night are believed to be songs calling out to those they loved in life.”

Talia snorted derisively.

“Souls who haven’t been baptized simply fall into the Abyss and are annihilated. Don’t you even know such basic doctrine?”

“…………I am well aware of the Church’s teachings.”

A bitter expression crossed the woman’s lips.

“But isn’t it far more comforting to believe that a loved one has returned to your side, even if only in the form of a beast? Even the priests tend to turn a blind eye to such beliefs.”

Talia looked puzzled.

“Are there really that many people who die without being baptized?”

“Like all citizens of the Empire, we Easterners are baptized within one hundred days of birth. However, such a blessing is not granted to stillborn children, is it?”

Reading the pain in the woman’s voice, Talia rolled her eyes in bewilderment.

Had this healer lost a child herself?

As she fidgeted, unsure of what to say, the woman offered a gentle smile, as if to lighten the mood.

“Your tea will get cold. Please, have some.”

Talia, who had been gauging the woman’s reaction, took a sip of the lukewarm tea.

The healer, who had been quietly watching her, placed a few medicine bottles on the shelf and stepped outside.

Lying on the bed, Talia listened to the sobs that were gradually fading away.

Perhaps that woman had heard the singing calling out to her. Maybe that was why she hadn’t been able to sleep until now.

Lost in such thoughts, Talia soon shook those useless musings from her mind.

It was hard enough to face her own pain. She had no energy left to worry about anyone else’s.

***

Perhaps the herbal tea had helped; she fell into a deep sleep without even dreaming.

Talia woke up feeling refreshed—a sensation she hadn’t felt in ages—and gazed at the window, which was growing bright, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

Just then, she sensed a presence nearby. Thinking perhaps the nanny had come to bring her some water for washing, Talia turned her head—only to startle as she felt a cool finger brush against her cheek.

Her eyes snapped open to see Varkas perched on the edge of the bed.

Talia blinked in a daze, then hurriedly sat up.

Just as she was about to examine him from head to toe to see if he was hurt anywhere, her chin lifted slightly, and without warning, his lips descended upon hers.

***

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