Chapter 34
34
But the door didn’t budge.
After pulling the handle several times, Talia realized the latch had been bolted from the inside and bit her lip hard.
‘Damn you, Aila…’
The rage she had suppressed all night boiled over, threatening to explode at any moment.
Glaring at the firmly shut door while biting her blood-crusted lip, Talia eventually turned away.
Perhaps it was for the best. If she had acted impulsively without any preparation and failed, she would have ended up dying a dog’s death for nothing.
She needed to prepare more thoroughly before taking action. There were still many miles left to travel, so she would surely find another opportunity soon.
Steadying her ragged breathing, she hurried out of the hallway. She was about to head down the stairs toward her room when she heard a rattling sound from somewhere.
She quickly hid behind a pillar.
Faint shadows stretched across the hallway as the dawn light began to seep in.
Hidden in the darkness, Talia cautiously peeked out to scan the corridor. A woman with a slender build was standing in front of the door right next to her own quarters.
Talia narrowed her eyes to examine the woman’s face. She was a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and plain features.
It took a moment for Talia to recognize her as one of the attendants her mother had assigned to her.
The woman carefully closed the door, pulled a dark brownish-gray hood over her head, and slipped silently down the hallway. Talia stared at her retreating figure and immediately began to follow.
The woman left the building and walked quickly down a muddy path filled with puddles. Judging by her agile movements, she seemed to have received intelligence training.
Looking around carefully, the woman stopped near a small rear garden located behind the main hall.
Talia watched her from behind an arcade pillar. After pacing in front of a pavilion for a while as if waiting for someone, the woman spotted something and moved quickly.
Talia followed her gaze and narrowed her eyes as she saw a priest in a black habit slowly emerging from the darkness.
His face looked familiar; he seemed to be one of the monks who had attended the banquet.
The monk, who appeared to be in his forties, took a small vial-like object from his robes and handed it to the woman. After receiving it, the woman opened the cap to check the contents, then recapped it and slid it into her robe sleeve. She then turned around and began retracing her steps.
Talia bolted back toward the lodging building.
By the time she scrambled up the stairs and burst into her bedroom, the strength had drained from her legs.
Leaning her back against the door to catch her breath, Talia listened for any sign of movement outside. A moment later, she heard a door open and close, followed by a deathly silence.
Talia swallowed hard.
She couldn’t be sure exactly what the scene she had witnessed meant.
Who was that monk?
Was he her mother’s hidden helper? If so, what was it he had handed over? Was she planning a poisoning?
She struggled to swallow past her constricted throat.
If it were a common poison, it could be obtained easily enough without outside help. If it had to be acquired through such a complicated method, it meant it was something that couldn’t even be brought into the monastery normally.
‘What on earth is she planning?’
She ran through various theories in her head, but no clear picture emerged.
’One thing is certain: something massive is about to happen.’
Senevia always achieved what she set her mind to. If she had decided to eliminate those who had long stood in her way, the Crown Prince was as good as dead. With any luck, Aila would vanish from this world as well.
Feeling her heart thumping wildly with excitement, a satisfied smile spread across Talia’s lips.
The long, tedious journey began once more.
An escort consisting of hundreds of knights and infantry moved silently under the scorching sun. At this pace, they would cross the border of the old Kingdom of Osiria in ten days.
Unfolding a map to gauge the remaining distance, Edric Ruben turned his head to look at the carriage, which was as silent as a coffin.
As usual, the Imperial Princess remained secluded inside, with thick curtains drawn over the windows.
He steered his horse alongside the carriage and carefully observed the faint shadow cast on the curtains. Even the horses were panting from the sweltering heat. He worried they might find her steamed to death inside.
“Your Highness, wouldn’t it be better to ventilate for a moment?”
“…Go away.”
Fortunately, she was still alive.
With a small sigh, Edric spurred his horse toward the front.
At the very head of the line sat the Crown Prince, perched atop his golden horse from Norneck as always.
Edric cautiously observed his face. Gares, his face flushed red, was snapping irritably at Lord Siekan about something; it sounded like he was demanding to know when they could rest.
‘This is going to be a difficult journey.’
For the next few days, they would be traversing rugged fields and mountain terrain that were little more than wasteland. He wondered if the incredibly fastidious Crown Prince could endure such an arduous trek.
Edric shook his head and pulled up beside Barkas.
His superior was ignoring the Crown Prince’s complaints, his eyes focused intently on the road. He seemed utterly unbothered by whatever the future master of the Empire was shouting at his side.
Admiring his superior’s composure once again, Edric spoke up cautiously.
“Lord Siekan, the soldiers seem quite exhausted from the heat. It’s a bit early, but perhaps we should find a suitable place to rest?”
Barkas, who had been riding silently while looking straight ahead, turned toward him.
Edric instinctively tensed his body. He had never once seen this man lose his temper or raise his voice. Nevertheless, Edric always felt a strange sense of pressure whenever he stood before Barkas.
He swallowed hard and added hurriedly, “Forgive me if my suggestion was out of line. It’s just that the rear ranks seem to be falling behind…”
“There is a lake about half a gack further. We will rest there.”
Barkas cut him off. After staring at him blankly for a moment, Edric gave a quick nod. The Crown Prince, who had been watching the exchange with dissatisfaction, complained loudly.
“You didn’t even pretend to listen when I was talking, but you listen to a greenhorn like him?”
“I was merely silent because I felt my answer was unnecessary, but I have been listening to every word Your Highness said.”
“Who gave you the right to decide an answer isn’t necessary!”
The Crown Prince bellowed. His eardrums throbbed at the thunderous voice that suited the man’s large frame.
Edric suppressed the urge to click his tongue and moved back to the rear. It felt somewhat strange that the Crown Prince, notorious for his fiery temper, became like a spoiled child in front of Lord Siekan.
‘…I’m worried about what will happen after Lord Siekan leaves the knight order.’
Once Barkas Raedgo Siyeokan left for the East, there would be no one left to stop the Prince’s rampages. Since the First Imperial Princess would also be going to the East with Barkas, only Gares and Talia Roem Guirta would remain in the Imperial Palace.
His heart felt heavy thinking about the future of the knight order, which would have to endure those two unruly royals. He let out a heavy sigh and approached Talia’s carriage.
A moment later, a whistle signaling a rest break sounded from the front.
Edric brought his horse to a halt and ordered his subordinates to pitch tents in a suitable spot. The knights immediately set up simple field tents on a level patch of ground to create shade.
He stopped the carriage nearby and lightly tapped on the window.
“It’s time for a break. Please come out now.”
“…”
“How long do you plan to keep up this useless stubbornness? You’ve been shut inside all day. If you don’t stop, you’re going to collapse.”
He spoke harshly on purpose, thinking he might have to drag her out even if it meant getting hit, but there was no response from inside.
Edric furrowed his brow.
Did she really collapse?
With a sense of foreboding, he pulled the door open somewhat roughly. Immediately, a sweet scent—like a mix of honey and milk—along with air as hot as a boiling bath hit him in the face.
Frowning as he peered into the dim carriage, Edric froze when he saw the Imperial Princess slumped on the floor.
