Chapter 23
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23
Contrary to her expectations, the journey remained unexpectedly peaceful.
Nights as thick and viscous as tar bled into one another, yet every morning dawned without a single soul being stained in blood. They would pack their belongings and set out again before the sun reached its zenith.
Though the schedule slipped slightly as the sweltering heat began to take its toll on the exhausted soldiers, the pilgrimage proceeded without any major setbacks.
The procession, led by Gareth and his Imperial Guard, arrived at Sortica—a small city to the northwest—five days after departing the Imperial Palace. After resting there for a day, they resumed their trek northward.
Throughout the trip, Thalia watched the attendants Senevia had sent with the eyes of a hawk.
They feigned a loathsome degree of loyalty, but Thalia did not lower her guard for a single moment.
They are merely biding their time. It was as clear as day that something horrific was looming. Hadn’t a sinister conspiracy always followed like a shadow whenever Senevia was involved?
If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after... Soon, a gruesome sight would unfold before her.
Thalia could not tell if she feared it or anticipated it.
Whenever she saw Barkas—who was so cold to her—acting with infinite tenderness toward Aila, she wished for a horrific catastrophe to strike immediately. She felt as though her heart would finally be at peace if the two of them were reduced to something so wretched they were beyond recognition. She would rather gaze upon his corpse than see him standing by Aila’s side.
Yet, when the depths of night arrived, a suffocating fear would take hold of her. It was useless, no matter how many hundreds of times she told herself she didn’t care if a man like him died.
Trembling with anxiety all night, Thalia rushed out of her tent before the day had even fully broken. Guided by the dim light of dawn, she went in search of him. It felt as though she could only breathe again once she confirmed with her own eyes that Barkas was alive and well.
She hurried along a narrow, overgrown forest path, stopping abruptly at the sound of a horse snorting.
Pushing through the dense thickets, she saw a gray stallion with a flowing black mane.
Barkas, who had skillfully led the massive beast to a spring, was down on one knee. He held the reins to guide the horse’s head to the water’s surface while using his other hand to scoop up spring water, dampening the stallion’s long, powerful neck.
Sunlight filtered through the lush leaves, gilding his hair in brilliant silver. Thalia, watching the scene with bated breath, eventually closed her eyes in despair.
No matter how much she tried to cut it out, her love for Barkas grew like a malignant tumor, eating away at her. She could see no way out of this quagmire.
How can I ever shake this feeling?
Leaning her back against a massive tree, Thalia stared blankly up at the sky before turning away weakly. Then, spotting Aila walking onto the path, she hurriedly ducked behind the trunk.
As if she had stepped outside the moment she woke, Aila wore only a single robe over a thin dress, her long hair draped loosely over her shoulders. Her appearance was just as disheveled as Thalia’s—perhaps even more so.
Nevertheless, Aila looked noble and dignified. Thalia couldn’t help but feel there was something in that woman’s blood—a grace Thalia could never possess, even if she died for it.
"So, this is where you were."
With a faint, warm flush on her cheeks, Aila approached him cautiously and sat on a flat rock.
Barkas’s gaze fell upon her. As if she loved even that quiet look of his beyond endurance, Aila’s eyes curved into a soft smile as she carefully removed her shoes. She dipped her feet into the spring water, lightly splashing the surface.
The sounds of the horse snorting, the water rippling, and her bright, bird-like laughter melted into the cold morning air.
Thalia suppressed the urge to rush out and grab her half-sister by the hair. She fought the desire to tear those lips that smiled at him and rip out the tongue that prattled on. She simply could not bear to see Barkas try to protect Aila.
Eventually, having enjoyed the water, Aila reached her hand out toward him. Instead of taking her hand to help her up, Barkas bent down and dried her feet himself. Then, as if he were a loyal servant, he carefully put her shoes back on. The sight was a dagger piercing Thalia’s heart.
Thalia turned and began to run. Branches and grass whipped and scratched at her arms and calves, but she felt no pain. It was as if all her senses had malfunctioned.
Panting heavily, she sprinted through the winding forest path like a panicked animal. Then, her foot caught on a protruding tree root, and she tumbled to the ground. Buried in the bushes, her chest heaving, Thalia suddenly burst into laughter.
What would Senevia say if she saw her like this? She would likely knit her fine brows and shake her head in pity. Thalia felt as if she could hear Senevia’s mocking voice echoing from the shadows.
"There are two paths for you. One is to get the man you want by any means necessary, and the other is to be a slightly less miserable loser."
Senevia seemed to want her to become a temptress and seduce him, but Thalia could never be like her, not even if she died.
Senevia would have seized what she wanted by any means possible. But Thalia knew nothing else to do but pray that this painful time would end as soon as possible.
Staring up at the sky fragmented by branches, Thalia finally pulled herself up. As she emerged from the dark forest path with weary steps, she saw several knights scurrying about in confusion. As she passed them and approached the carriage, a personal guard—Rubon, or whatever his name was—quickly blocked her path.
"Where on earth have you been without a word? I have told you time and again that you must not go out alone without an escort—"
The knight, who had been pouring out impertinent nagging, suddenly stopped. He seemed genuinely shocked by her disheveled appearance.
"What in the... Your Highness... Did something happen to you?"
She stepped past him and onto the carriage step.
However, the man seemed to have no intention of stopping his lecture. Gripping the doorframe, he continued in a firm tone.
"It is my duty to protect Your Highness. Therefore—"
"One might actually think you were worried about me."
Thalia looked down at him with a sneer.
"It seems you were ordered not to take your eyes off the 'delinquent princess' for even a second... but if you’re going to keep watch, you should stay sharp. Why blame me for the fact that you lost me while you were daydreaming like an idiot?"
The man fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words.
Thalia slammed the door shut right in his face.
The man, whose fingers were caught in the door crack, spat out a harsh curse. Since he was wearing gauntlets, he didn’t seem to be seriously injured, but the sound of his grumbling continued for quite a while, as if he were in considerable pain.
As always, she ignored the complaints coming from outside.
If she had taken to heart every word uttered by those around her, she would have gone mad long ago. After becoming a princess, the first thing she had learned was how to let words slide.
Thalia drew the thick curtains over the window where the morning dawn was peeking through and curled her body up like a hedgehog.