Ch#147
147
The man stared at her as if she were being ridiculous, then soon let out a sigh of resignation.
“Your Highness is the same as ever.”
Talia’s eyes sharpened at the voice laced with a bitter smile.
“And what exactly is that supposed to mean—?”
“Your, Your Highness!”
Just as she was about to harshly reprimand the knight for his insolent attitude, Barkas’s clumsy page came rushing over.
The boy’s face was as white as flour dough, clearly shaken by the sight of her nearly tumbling before his eyes.
“A-Are you alright? Do you feel any pain…?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
Despite her firm answer, the page didn’t seem reassured. He scanned her with eyes full of anxiety before hurriedly turning around.
“Still, just in case, I will go fetch the healing sorceress. Please wait just a moment!”
He dashed down the hallway before she could even try to stop him.
Talia frowned as she watched him run off, then turned her gaze back toward the knight. He, too, was glancing at her protruding stomach with a worried expression. Feeling an instinctive discomfort, Talia pulled her cloak slightly tighter to cover herself.
“Didn’t you say you’d explain what business brings you here? Don’t just stand there like an idiot; speak up.”
“First, it would be best if you sat down somewhere.”
“I’m fine. There’s no need to go that far—”
Talia was about to reflexively refuse when she felt a slight tightening in her lower abdomen. The thought occurred to her that the baby in her womb might have been startled.
She gestured with her chin toward the drawing room located across from the stairs.
“Fine. Follow me.”
They crossed the thick-carpeted hallway and passed through an arched entrance into a cozy space. She walked over to a chair beside the fireplace, where the embers were still glowing, and sat down carefully.
The man, who had been glancing around from the entrance, soon took a seat opposite her. For someone who had just been boldly lecturing her, he now seemed incredibly awkward.
Talia pressed the restless knight with a pointed question.
“Now, tell me. Who sent you?”
“The person who sent me is Sir Raoric Alderheim, the current Commander of the Imperial Knight Order.”
Talia raised an eyebrow at the unexpected response.
“Why would the Commander of the Imperial Knights send you?”
After a long pause, as if hesitating over his words, the man finally spoke.
“Recently, unsettling movements have been detected in the North. Upon learning of this, His Majesty the Emperor issued instructions to gather troops in the regions bordering Balto to keep the North in check. His Majesty wishes for the Eastern Region to actively participate in this matter as well.”
Talia’s body went stiff. A sudden chill ran down her spine, and the hair on her arms stood on end.
“Does that mean… there’s going to be a war?”
“No!”
The knight hurriedly waved his hands.
“His Majesty does not desire a direct conflict. Currently, evidence of treason is insufficient… This is merely intended as a silent warning by strengthening the guard around Balto.”
“The North might perceive the Imperial family’s warning as a threat and take a harder stance,” Talia argued sharply.
“The Northern Noble Alliance, surrounded by the Imperial Army, will be gripped by a strong sense of crisis. Now that their treasonous intent has been exposed, they might believe the Imperial family will never let them live and decide to go all-in.”
The knight blinked blankly at her point.
Looking at his dim-witted face, Talia snapped back in frustration.
“If His Majesty truly intends to avoid war, he shouldn’t be openly flaunting military power to apply pressure; he should be secretly gathering evidence of treason. Once he has secured decisive evidence that no noble can dispute, the safer way is to launch a surprise arrest of the head of the Northern Noble Alliance!”
“…Your Highness’s words have merit, but if by any chance the North moves first before decisive evidence can be gathered, the situation will become uncontrollable. His Majesty judged it necessary to assemble the army to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
Talia furrowed her brows. She felt the Emperor’s response was far too half-hearted.
If he was going to apply military pressure, wouldn’t it be better to strike first?
Sending troops to the Balto border might only result in provoking the North to further strengthen their military power.
Talia was about to retort but changed her mind and remained silent.
Edric Ruben was merely a messenger sent to deliver the Emperor’s word. Nothing would change by bickering with him.
Talia bit her lip anxiously, but soon her thoughts began to turn toward a more positive possibility.
Perhaps internal divisions would arise within Balto once they saw the overwhelming military strength of the Roem Imperial Family with their own eyes. How many people would be willing to throw their lives away in a war they were bound to lose?
If some of the Balto nobles turned to the side of the Imperial family, the embers of war would soon be extinguished.
“So, what did Barkas say?”
“He said he would dispatch a cavalry unit to the regions bordering Balto as per His Majesty’s instructions.”
Talia let out a sigh of relief in spite of herself. Only then did she realize she had been worried that Barkas might leave her side.
It was better to have him around than not.
She tried to make that excuse to herself, but it was nowhere near enough to explain the fear she had felt.
Pushing back the bitter realization that she was still obsessed with him, Talia forced herself to focus on the conversation with the knight before her.
“Then you’ll have to head back to the Imperial Palace with his reply?”
“Yes, I plan to leave later today,” the man said, shifting his gaze toward the window.
Talia looked surprised.
“Already?”
“The matter is so urgent that I cannot delay for even a moment.”
The man rubbed the back of his neck and let out a faint laugh.
“Actually, I should have left as soon as the sun rose, but I delayed a bit because I wanted to see Your Highness.”
“Why me?”
Talia sent him a wary look once again.
Seeing her reaction, the man scratched the back of his head awkwardly before finally revealing his blunt, honest feelings.
“I was Your Highness’s personal knight, after all. My heart has been heavy all this time because I felt responsible for you getting hurt like that.”
“…So in the end, you wanted to see me just to unburden your own conscience?” Talia spat out spitefully.
The man flinched as if stabbed, but then he readily admitted it.
“…Perhaps that is so.”
He then let out a self-deprecating sigh.
Talia furrowed her brows. This was the first time she had met someone so honest about their own feelings.
Suddenly, she began to feel genuinely concerned for this bumbling man.
“…With a personality like that, you won’t last long in the Imperial Palace.”
“I hear that often from those around me.”
The man exaggerated his movements as if to lighten the mood.
“My path to success is looking quite bleak as it is.”
He meant it as a joke, but Talia felt her heart grow heavy.
Could it be that he ended up playing messenger because he had fallen out of favor with the Crown Prince?
With a look of pity, Talia spoke as if granting a favor.
“If your future is truly that bleak, come to the Grand Duchy. I’ll ask Barkas to hire you.”
“Edric Ruben is one of the elite members of the Roem Knights.”
A cold voice rang out just then. Talia turned her head and her eyes widened as she found Barkas standing at the entrance of the drawing room. Barkas, looking somewhat disheveled as if he had rushed over, strode across the room and added in a blunt tone.
“We cannot have a talent destined to be His Majesty the Emperor’s personal knight rotting away in a remote place like this.”
“…I didn’t know you held me in such high regard, Sir.”
Edric Ruben murmured, looking amused. Barkas threw a chilly gaze toward the knight.
“I heard you helped my wife when she almost had a serious accident. You have my thanks.”
“Not at all. If anything, it’s my fault for startling her and nearly causing a disaster.”
Talia glared at the knight in frustration. Did he really not know that it was exactly that kind of stupidity—saying things that didn’t need to be said—that blocked his path to success?
She was holding back the urge to click her tongue when Barkas suddenly leaned down, slid one arm under her knees, and wrapped the other firmly around her back. Then, he carefully lifted her up.
