Ch#207
207
It did not take long for the massive shadow to vanish completely from his sight.
Varkas pulled on the reins to slow his horse. There was no need to rush. The beast was already like a rat in a trap.
With mounted warriors stationed in every direction and the creature having suffered a wound to a vital spot, it wouldn’t be able to flee far, no matter how much it struggled.
He took a torch from his saddlebag and lit it.
As the flickering flames illuminated the ground, scattered droplets of blood were revealed.
Broken branches snapped by a heavy frame and deep gouges from sharp claws were also visible. It seemed the beast no longer had the strength to hide its trail.
He rode slowly, following the wolf’s tracks.
The deeper he went into the forest, the thicker and more profuse the bloodstains became. It appeared the wound had torn open further due to the violent movement.
The hooked tips of the subjugation arrows were designed to burrow deeper into the flesh the more the prey struggled.
‘…It must have hit an artery.’
Following the irregular trail of paw prints, Varkas stopped his horse when he discovered a pool of blood soaking the ground. With this much blood loss, it was certain to have collapsed somewhere nearby.
He dismounted and scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze.
A frost-laden wind howled through the birch trees that rose straight as spears.
Feeling something cool brush against his cheek, Varkas looked up at the blackened sky.
The light from his torch dimly illuminated downy ice particles. It was an early first snow.
After staring up at it for a long while, he noticed a strange scent mingling with the biting wind.
As if drawn by something, he turned his head. He saw a dark shape nestled among the pale, glowing birches.
As he walked toward it, the sight of the slumped direwolf came into view.
He watched the massive chest rising and falling in ragged gasps.
The area where the arrow was lodged was completely drenched in blood. It was surprising that the creature still had breath left in it after such blood loss.
He soon gripped the hilt of his sword. Though it didn’t seem it would last long even if left alone, he had to make sure its life was ended.
Drawing his sword, he slowly approached the wolf’s head. Only then did the monster’s heavy eyelids lift.
Encountering those palely glowing blue eyes, Varkas instinctively froze. Within the beast’s wet pupils, despair, sorrow, pain, and resentment swirled in a chaotic blur.
In that moment, her desperate plea rang in his ears.
“If you look into Khan’s eyes, you’ll know too. Khan is our son. Our son, who never even got to take his first breath, has come back to life!”
He consciously tightened his grip on his stiffened fingers.
It’s all nonsense. Nothing more than the ramblings of a woman lost in superstition.
Repeating that to himself, he raised his sword.
The wolf looked up at the blade hanging over it with eyes full of resignation. White snowflakes settled upon those pale irises.
The ice crystals melted instantly, wetting the corners of the wolf’s eyes as they trailed down.
Varkas stared down at the sight—as if the beast were shedding tears—without moving a muscle, and then finally swung his sword down.
It was around the time the blue light of dawn tinted the earth that the subjugation force returned to Raedgo Castle.
The mounted warriors, exhausted from searching the forest all night, trudged through the castle gates.
Soldiers on watch and servants rushed out to the courtyard to greet them. Among them were the vassals.
Edgar, the squad leader of the cavalry, crossed the training grounds with hurried steps and approached the Grand Duke, speaking cautiously.
“Are you unhurt, Your Excellency?”
Dismounting, Varkas replied in a flat voice.
“I am fine.”
“What became of the wolf…?”
At the hurried question, Varkas’s lips tightened slightly.
When he gave no response, the faces of the head butler and the warriors who had rushed out to confirm the result of the hunt stiffened in unison.
At that moment, Beirop stepped forward.
“The subjugation was a success. His Excellency has dealt with the wolf, so do not worry any longer.”
“Did you bring the head?”
At the sudden voice, everyone’s gaze turned to one spot.
Modrian, dressed in civilian clothes, was crossing the courtyard with his subordinates. He spoke with blatant distrust.
“Surely you didn’t return empty-handed?”
The man seemed to suspect that the Grand Duke, who was exceptionally soft on his wife, might have released the monster and was now lying about it.
With a low sigh, Varkas gave a slight nod of his chin. Beirop then pulled a large leather sack from his saddle and dropped it in front of them.
“See for yourself.”
The old knight immediately pulled the leather drawstring tight at the mouth of the sack.
Presently, the head of the beast, drenched in dark red blood, was revealed. After examining it closely with narrowed eyes, the man shouted with a satisfied expression.
“Burn this in the middle of the inner courtyard for all to see!”
The warriors gathered in the courtyard let out a roar of bitter resentment.
Varkas, who had been standing silently watching the scene, slowly turned away. As he moved his leaden legs to leave the courtyard, Beirop hurriedly followed him and asked.
“What punishment will you decree for the Grand Duchess?”
He stopped in his tracks and looked back at his aide. The man, whose shoulders flinched, added in a determined tone.
“If you let it slide this time, the entire body of vassals will rise up. To appease their anger, you must impose an appropriate punishment on Her Grace.”
Varkas didn’t give any reply and started walking again.
Before long, the morning sun was brightly illuminating the surroundings.
Crossing the garden, which was frozen white with the first frost, Varkas stepped into the Great Hall.
In that moment, his vision suddenly blurred.
He clutched his forehead. He hadn’t slept properly for nearly half a month. On top of that, he had ridden for over five days without rest and spent the night in the forest. It wasn’t strange that his body had reached its limit.
Forcing strength into his vision, which felt as if it were covered in frost, he slowly climbed the stairs. Reaching the second floor, he could see the door to Lucas’s bedroom over the railing of the gallery.
Varkas stared at the light spilling from the doorway for a moment before continuing up to the third floor.
As he walked down the hallway and reached the door to her room, the guards lined up there bowed their heads in unison.
He dismissed the soldiers and then pulled the doorknob. With the faint creak of hinges, the desolate scene of the bedroom, bathed in blue light, was revealed.
Stepping inside, he saw Talia perched on the windowsill.
Her long hair was disheveled, and she was leaning against the window in the thin dress she had been wearing the previous evening.
Varkas, staring at her small back as if pinned to the spot, deliberately made his footsteps heavy as he crossed the room.
The woman seemed as if she had been turned to stone.
Toward the back of her head, as she pressed her forehead against the glass without moving, he threw out a dry voice.
“I am stripping you of all your authority as Grand Duchess. Furthermore, you are to stay in the annex until Lucas regains consciousness.”
She showed no reaction. She was simply staring out the window with a face that seemed to have lost all emotion.
Involuntarily following her gaze, Varkas’s spine stiffened. Hundreds of soldiers were gathered in the middle of the courtyard, building a fire.
They threw something into the roaring, crimson flames. Soon after, black smoke rose.
As she watched the scene, a single tear rolled down the woman’s face. Varkas stared with a hardened expression at the woman who was weeping silently, as if she had forgotten even how to sob, and then turned away.
Just as he was about to leave the room, a chilling voice echoed from behind him.
“I will never forgive you.”
Varkas looked back again. An expressionless face, stripped of all emotion, was turned toward him.
She added, her deep blue eyes shimmering with an eerie light.
“I won’t forgive you until the day I die.”
Transparent tears crossed her cheeks incessantly.
Varkas stared at her in silence for a moment, then turned his back and left the room.
