Ch#105
Thalia glowered at them, her expression stiff and frozen.
“What are you looking at? I didn’t hang them there for your entertainment.”
At her venomous snap, the men, who had been blinking blankly while clutching their bowls of porridge, awkwardly averted their eyes.
With a derisive snort, Thalia pushed past Varkas’s arm and limped toward the carriage.
Varkas followed and caught her by the elbow. Thalia stared up at him, her face tight with tension.
Any ordinary noblewoman would have fainted from the shock or discreetly looked away from the corpses. Was he going to reprimand her for acting unbecoming of a Grand Duchess? As she sent him a wary look, Varkas gently turned her around.
“We must travel by horseback from here.”
While she stood frozen at the unexpected words, he led her toward the line of horses.
Thalia spoke up urgently.
“I can’t ride!”
“Do not worry. Your Highness will ride with me.”
He gave a light whistle, and Torque, who had been grazing in the meadow, approached with his black mane fluttering.
Thalia stared at the grey warhorse, which looked as though it were forged from twisted steel, as if it were a horrific monster.
Torque was a beast of an entirely different caliber from the Nornian Akhal-Teke horses that Gares kept for show.
He had a physique more massive than a typical steed, a violent temperament closer to a wild stallion, and an arrogance that looked down upon every living thing other than Varkas…
Thalia loathed this fierce horse that Varkas doted on. The feeling was entirely mutual for Torque.
The moment he saw her, the stallion snorted aggressively, and Thalia scrambled to turn away. However, Varkas immediately caught her by the arm.
“Let go! I’m taking the carriage!”
“The path becomes rugged from here. If you take the carriage, you won’t last half a day before collapsing.”
“I’d rather collapse than ride a filthy, stinking beast like that!”
A few Easterners saddling their horses nearby shot her looks of sheer disbelief. Their expressions suggested they couldn’t fathom that someone who hated horses actually existed.
They really are a nation obsessed with horses, Thalia thought, gritting her teeth.
“Let go of me this instant!”
Varkas let out a short breath and hoisted her up, placing her onto the saddle.
Thalia let out a scream and clung desperately to Torque’s neck.
Varkas climbed up behind her and pulled her stiff body against his chest. Thalia forgot her pride and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. Her knees felt weak with the terrifying certainty that Torque would buck her off at any second.
“L-let me down.”
“Lean back and relax. I will not let you fall.”
Thalia jerked her head up and shot him a venomous glare.
She wanted nothing more than to slap him, but she didn’t dare move a muscle for fear of provoking Torque.
She spat out each word through clenched teeth.
“I said, let me down right now!”
Varkas ignored her and snapped the reins. Thalia clamped her mouth shut, fearing she might bite her tongue.
Her vision shook unsteadily with the horse’s movement. Feeling a wave of dizziness, she squeezed her eyes shut, and then a familiar voice spoke from nearby.
“Everything is ready. Shall we depart immediately?”
It was the retainer named Daren.
Varkas nodded to him.
“Split the unit in two. Half will follow me, and the other half will follow behind with the baggage wagons.”
At Varkas’s command, the cavalry moved in perfect unison.
Thalia, watching the scene through narrowed eyelids, spotted a few more corpses hanging on one side of the village square and recoiled. Noticing this, Varkas blocked her view.
“Don’t look.”
His stern voice brushed against her ear. He added as he turned the horse’s head:
“They raided this village multiple times. They are on display to appease the villagers’ resentment and to serve as a warning to other raiders, not as a spectacle.”
Thalia didn’t offer a word in response. Varkas looked down silently at her tightly shut lips before urging the horse up the hill.
A wind scented with grass swept past them. Faintly mixed within it was the sound of beasts howling, just as she had heard throughout the night.
Suddenly, a hollow thought crossed her mind.
Will those criminals be reborn as beasts too, singing songs for someone else?
Perhaps, one day, I will too…
Staring at the lush, vibrant green forest, Thalia shook off the futile thoughts with a bitter smile.
The tour of the territory was nearing its end.
After visiting all the large and small villages in the eastern and western regions, the cavalry turned north. Following the river, they finally reached their last destination: Tarlin.
The cavalrymen let out a boisterous cheer as the magnificent sand-colored walls appeared over the horizon.
“We’ll be able to spend a comfortable night tonight,” Daren shouted cheerfully, pulling his reins to slow down.
Varkas didn’t reply but turned his horse to check the group following behind. Among the long line of baggage wagons, the luxurious traveling carriage caught his eye.
He had forced her to sit in his saddle while passing through the rugged terrain, but she was so physically weak and easily frightened that she couldn’t endure even two hours of riding.
In the end, he had no choice but to put his wife back in the carriage as soon as they cleared the rough areas. It seemed better for her to endure the swaying carriage while under the influence of sleep-grass.
She is probably still fighting off motion sickness in a drug-induced haze.
Varkas watched the curtained carriage window for a moment before moving back to the front.
He felt he needed to get to their destination quickly so she could get proper rest.
He spurred his horse and picked up speed. Soon, the city walls loomed close. When he raised an arm, the following knights hoisted flags embroidered with the Black Horse crest. Shortly after, the iron-rimmed gates swung wide, revealing the bustling cityscape.
“You have worked hard traveling such a long way!”
As they moved along the main road, the city’s security guard met them. Varkas acknowledged their greeting with a slight nod.
“Who is in charge of this city?”
“Lord Temuran, My Lord. He is the administrator appointed directly by your father.”
A middle-aged man, appearing to be the captain of the guard, answered in a calm tone.
“The Lord is currently in poor health and is recuperating at Tarlin Castle. He asked me to convey his apologies for not being able to greet you personally.”
Varkas looked up at the citadel rising in the center of the city. It looked grand enough on the outside, but it seemed a bit small to accommodate hundreds of knights.
He gave instructions to Daren.
“We will keep only a minimum number of personnel here; the rest will need separate accommodations. See if you can rent out an entire inn.”
“Understood.”
Daren headed toward the outskirts of the city, leaving behind about fifteen elite knights and Lucas Raedgo Si’eikan.
Varkas gestured to his younger brother, who had grown noticeably haggard over the past few weeks.
“Don’t stand in the back. Come to my side.”
“Can’t I just stay at the inn with Daren…?”
“Don’t make me say it twice.”
Lucas approached slowly with a miserable expression. Varkas watched him with a cold gaze before turning back to the captain of the guard.
“Lead the way.”
“Ah… this way, please.”
The captain hurried forward.
Following him deeper into the city center, a wide plaza and a massive citadel came into view.
Varkas vaulted off his horse and approached the carriage parked on one side of the clearing. When he opened the door carefully, he saw the woman slumped over the seat.
He climbed into the carriage and supported her back. The woman, waking from a light slumber, rubbed her eyes and let out a soft, nasal mumble.
“…Are we there?”
“Yes, we just arrived. I will carry you, so Your Highness should sleep a bit more.”
Varkas slid his other arm under her knees and lifted her ridiculously light body.
Normally, she would have thrown a fit, insisting on walking herself, but for once, she quietly wrapped her arms around his neck.
