Chapter 21
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 21
Edric glanced back and forth between his superior’s cold, retreating back and the reproachful glares of the citizens. With a heavy sigh, he spurred his horse forward.
The Second Imperial Princess, who had remained holed up inside her carriage as if in silent protest, finally showed herself only after they had cleared the capital and stopped to rest by a riverbank.
The servants, busy pitching tents and preparing the campsite, watched Thalia with nervous, darting eyes.
Her claim that she intended to change clothes several times a day had clearly been no idle threat. She was no longer wearing the dress she’d had on when leaving the palace; instead, she wore a silk gown intricately embroidered with gold thread.
Furthermore, wrapped around her slender, pale neck was a necklace so costly it could likely purchase an entire castle. Her wrists—thin as birch branches—were adorned with extravagant jewelry encrusted with diamonds.
Watching from a distance, Edric looked on in disbelief. They were about to have dinner and settle in for the night. For what possible reason had she dressed up so extensively? Her incomprehensible behavior was already beginning to drain him.
Swallowing a sigh, he handed his reins to a junior knight and approached the Princess. As he did, the woman, who had been surveying her surroundings, turned a fierce gaze toward him.
For a moment, Edric felt his throat tighten. Bathed in the light of the setting sun, Thalia looked like a being forged from a mixture of fire and gold.
Her wheat-colored hair, tossed by the strong river wind, created a voluminous golden wave around her face. Her flawless, porcelain-white skin emitted a pale radiance even amidst the flame-like glow of the sunset.
He instinctively took a step back. Everything about her was so excessively delicate that it felt as though she might shatter at any moment, scattering sharp shards in every direction.
As he swallowed hard against an inexplicable, chilling premonition, a sharp, irritable voice drifted from between her blood-red lips.
“I don’t like it here. Move the campsite.”
That utterly absurd command finally snapped him back to his senses.
He stiffened his spine. This woman was a poisonous mushroom—brilliant only on the outside. If he let his guard down, lured by her beautiful appearance, he would surely pay a bitter price.
Adopting a businesslike tone, he replied bluntly.
“This is the site the Imperial Guard selected for safety. We cannot search for another location at this hour.”
“Who asked for your opinion?”
The woman shot him a gaze as cold as frost.
“I gave an order to move the camp. You simply need to obey!”
Edric had to take a moment to steady his breathing and gather his patience.
“Lord Sieorkan holds all decision-making authority for this expedition. I tell you once more: we cannot break formation on a whim.”
“So, you’re saying all I need is Barkas’s permission?”
Cutting him off abruptly, the woman turned on her heel. It seemed she had been looking for an excuse to pick a fight with Lord Sieorkan from the very beginning.
Edric hurried after her. He could not understand this woman, who seemed desperate to cause a disturbance from the very first day of the journey. With his long strides, he overtook her in an instant.
“Exactly what about this place is so displeasing to you?”
“I just hate all of it,” she snapped, her steps never faltering. “I hate being near the water, and I hate being near the forest. It’s going to be crawling with bugs.”
“How are we supposed to camp without water? Besides, griffins and harpies have been known to appear in this area. The forest acts as a natural defensive wall in case of an attack by large monsters—”
“Safety, my foot! I’ve already been bitten twice by flying pests! If I spend the night in a place like this, those vermin will eat my skin raw. And what about that noise coming from the woods? I can’t stand the rustling of leaves, and with the birds chirping like that, how am I supposed to sleep!”
Edric looked down at the Princess, his face aghast. Even a spoiled five-year-old wouldn’t throw such a tantrum. He desperately suppressed his rising irritation.
“We have to camp for several days. If you don’t start adjusting now—”
“Then we can just move the camp! Why should I have to force myself to endure something I hate?”
The woman shrieked, crossing the camp without hesitation like a racehorse looking only at the finish line. Edric had to clench his fists tight to keep himself from stopping her by force.
“Everyone is exhausted from marching all day. We cannot strike the tents and wander around looking for a new site for such a ridiculous reason. Stop acting like a child and return to your carriage to rest at once.”
As he blocked her path and spoke with deliberate sternness, her hauntingly beautiful face contorted. Immediately following was a sound like a whip cracking, and a stinging pain flared in his right cheek.
He glared at her, his eyes darkening. From the moment he had been assigned as her personal guard, he had braced himself for light physical abuse. However, the reality felt far more foul than he had imagined.
“How dare you give me orders.”
As he barely managed to swallow his sense of humiliation, the woman grabbed him by the collar and hissed into his face.
“I am the Emperor’s daughter, and you all exist for my convenience. If I tell you to walk all night, it is your destiny to walk until dawn. So keep your overstepping mouth shut and get out of my way.”
Shoving him aside, she began walking along the riverbank again.
Edric stared silently at the back of her head, his face set in a hard mask. If he followed his heart, he would have slung that ill-mannered woman over his shoulder and thrown her back into the carriage, just as his superior had done.
But he lacked the backing to lay hands on a member of the Imperial Family without facing severe consequences. Watching her receding figure, Edric let out a bitter sigh.
Would he be able to endure this villainess’s tyranny until the end of the trip? His head was already beginning to throb.
*
As she walked along the river, Thalia felt stinging gazes on her back.
She shot a sharp look over her shoulder. She saw those who had been peeking at her quickly turn their heads away, feigning disinterest.
It was a reaction no different from usual. Hadn’t people always treated her like a powder keg that could explode at any moment? Yet, the eyes that lingered while trying to remain inconspicuous felt particularly suspicious today.
Surely, Senevia has planted spies among them.
She scrutinized the faces of the attendants one by one. Perhaps all of them were spies. Her mother was more than capable of such a thing.
Her thoughts began to spiral toward the extreme. For years, Senevia had strove to undermine Gareth’s base of support. She might be planning to use this opportunity to eliminate every obstacle in her son’s path.
Thalia’s heart beat erratically.
If her mother’s targets were Gareth or Aila, she didn’t care. She was even willing to participate in the plan if necessary. But if, by some chance, the one Senevia was targeting was Barkas...
Reaching that thought, Thalia surveyed the densely packed military tents with anxious eyes.
She had to separate the campsites. If she created physical distance, it would be harder for Senevia’s spies to pull any tricks during the night.
She quickened her pace. Before long, she spotted Torque, the warhorse Barkas cherished, tied in front of a large tent. Thalia passed the gray stallion, which snorted loudly upon recognizing her, and stepped into the dim interior of the tent.
The inside was as orderly and clean as a temple. After scanning the candlesticks emitting a faint light, the high-quality cabinets, and the rack displaying armor, Thalia spotted a dark shadow cast behind a partition and walked toward it without hesitation.
“I want to move my camp to another location. But my 'illustrious' knight told me he couldn’t go anywhere without Lord Sieorkan’s permission. It seems your subordinates believe the Commander of the Roem Knights ranks higher than the Imperial Family. How the Imperial Guard became such a pathetic group that doesn’t even understand hierarchy—”
Thalia, who had been rambling on as she pulled back the partition, suddenly froze.
Barkas was standing there with his shirt off, wiping the water from his face with a towel.