Chapter 35
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 35
Without a moment’s hesitation, Edric lunged into the carriage and scooped the woman into his arms. Her body was eerily light, her skin damp with a lukewarm sweat.
Hurriedly brushing the golden strands of hair away from her face, he lightly tapped her pale cheek.
At that moment, her golden eyelashes—which had been casting long shadows over her cheeks—fluttered open, revealing eyes of a deep, saturated blue.
Edric inadvertently held his breath. Those eyes, as dark and blue as a deep marsh, seemed to suck the very soul out of him.
As he stared down into them, dazed, a sharp sting suddenly flared across his right cheek.
Slap!
Edric clutched his face, blinking vacantly. The woman, who had slipped from his arms in an instant, shot him a look of pure loathing, as if she were staring at a common scoundrel.
“How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?”
Edric, standing there with his mouth agape, finally found his voice, shouting in indignation.
“I thought Your Highness had lost consciousness!”
“And since you thought I was unconscious, you figured you’d try something pathetic?”
“How could you even say such a thing?!”
Bristling with resentment, Edric tried to bolt upright, only to crack the crown of his head against the carriage ceiling. He slumped back down into a crouch, clutching his skull.
Between the fury at the Princess’s insults and the throbbing pain in his head, tears actually pricked his eyes.
He groaned for a long while, nursing his head. The Princess watched him with a look of sheer pity before rubbing her temples and gesturing with her chin.
“Fine. Just get out. Stop being a nuisance.”
“Instead of staying in here, why don’t you come outside for a moment and get some fresh air? We have at least another half-day of travel ahead of us. How long do you plan to stay cooped up in this furnace?”
Rubbing his head, Edric grumbled with a sullen face. It was blunt advice, offered even as he braced himself for another slap.
The Princess glared at him, looking absolutely appalled. She seemed flabbergasted that he had the nerve to nag her yet again.
Edric bit back the urge to snap that he wasn’t interfering because he enjoyed her company. It wasn’t a task he had chosen of his own volition, but this unruly Princess was his responsibility. If she collapsed during the journey, the aftermath would be his to deal with.
He met her venomous gaze head-on, prepared to drag her out by force if necessary.
As if exhausted by his persistence, she furrowed her brow and finally stood up.
Brightening, Edric stepped out of the carriage first. He extended a hand to escort her, but the Princess slammed the door right in his face.
Edric stared at the firmly shut door with a stunned expression before finally giving up and turning away.
‘...I have no idea what on earth has her so displeased.’
He let out a heavy sigh and trudged toward the lakeshore.
Even as he washed his sweat-drenched face with ice-cold water and rested in the shade of a tree, the stubborn Princess didn’t show so much as a hair of her head. Was she on guard, afraid someone might harm her? The way she kept her guard up so excessively reminded him of a beast caught in a trap.
He watched the carriage with a puzzled look for a moment before shaking his head to clear away the useless thoughts. Why bother trying to understand a woman like that?
If he could just endure until the end of this journey, he would be liberated from this tedious duty. The Second Imperial Princess changed her personal guards frequently, so he would likely be replaced before long. He just had to hold out until then.
Encouraging himself, Edric sat in the shade with the other knights. After resting for a while and sharing a simple meal of bread and wine, he climbed back into his saddle.
*
As noon passed, the air gradually grew cooler.
The pilgrims, having regained their energy, continued their vigorous march along the Gaisa Mountains, which separated the western and northeastern regions. Thanks to their diligent pace, they reached the Sinai Plains—territory of the former Balto Kingdom—by sunset.
“We will make camp here for the night,” Barkas ordered in a low voice as he surveyed the ranks.
Edric looked at him with exhausted eyes. Despite riding all day, Barkas looked exactly as he had when they started. Dismounting without a single hair out of place, the superior officer scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze.
“Erect a barricade around the campsite and set a watch.”
The knights obeyed immediately.
Edric set to work installing a perimeter around the camp. He briefly wondered if it was an excessive measure, but the Sinai Plains were home to many monsters. While it was said that a large military force was rarely attacked, there was no harm in being cautious.
He pulled boards embedded with iron spikes from a wagon, secured them to the ground, and wound ropes with small bells around them. After several hours of diligent work, the temporary defensive perimeter was complete.
Brushing the dust from his hands, he moved toward the area where the campfires had been lit. While they were setting up the barricades, the Princess’s attendants had finished preparing dinner.
Clutching his hungry stomach, he approached a fire where meat was roasting. He picked up a small piece of bacon and tossed a question to one of the maids.
“Has a meal been prepared for Her Imperial Highness?”
A young maid, who was stirring a large pot with a ladle, looked at him with a flustered expression.
“Well... she said she had no appetite...”
Edric, who had been wiping grease from his hands with a cloth, knitted his brows. She had skipped lunch, and now she was going to starve through dinner too?
A surge of irritation rose within him at the Princess, who acted like a child at every turn. He tossed the cloth onto the ground and picked up an empty basket.
“Fill this with something decent to eat.”
The maid immediately packed a large slice of pie, bacon stew, wine, and pickled fruit, leaving nothing out. Tucking the basket under his arm, he marched toward the Princess’s small fortress of a carriage.
He knew he didn’t need to force food on someone who insisted they didn’t want to eat. However, the memory of how disturbingly light her body had felt made it impossible for him to stay still.
Cursing his own meddlesome nature, he knocked on the carriage door.
“Your Highness, I have brought dinner.”
“I told you I’m not eating.”
“You’ve practically starved all day. How do you expect to endure this grueling journey without a proper meal? Even if you have no appetite, please try to eat.”
“I said forget it, so get lost!”
Edric’s face contorted. Even a hedgehog wouldn’t be this prickly. Gathering his patience, he forced himself to speak calmly.
“Then, I will leave it here in front of the door, so if you change your mind...”
As Edric leaned down to set the basket down, he flinched and recoiled. The door swung open without warning, and a pale face, hardened with ferocity, filled his vision.
He swallowed hard as he met those blue eyes, shining vividly even in the light of the setting sun.