Chapter 42
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 42
Thalia spotted the woman she had been watching like a hawk for the past few days as she drifted soundlessly between the tents.
Thalia narrowed her eyes, tracking the woman’s silhouette before cautiously following in her wake.
The stranger moved with a practiced ease, a ghost navigating the camp without drawing a single glance. Her gait was so silent and agile that Thalia would have lost her in an instant if she hadn’t been intimately familiar with the specific footwork of those trained by House Taren.
In the blink of an eye, the woman crossed the campsite and vanished into the labyrinth of long-haul wagons.
After a moment’s hesitation, Thalia crept toward a large carriage and peered through the narrow gap between the wheels. The woman was gone.
Looking around with a flustered expression, Thalia squeezed through the tight space between the heavy wagons. Just then, her foot caught on something.
What is this...?
Thalia stooped down, her brow furrowing as she discovered a small glass vial lying beneath a wheel.
As she picked it up to examine it, a few drops of a slippery liquid clinging to the rim soaked into her fingertips. Startled, she threw the bottle aside. She brought her hand to her face and sniffed; a cloying floral scent warred with a rancid, fishy stench—the smell of raw animal fluids. The odor was so revolting it made her head spin, and she instinctively gagged.
Grimacing, she wiped the strange liquid off with a handkerchief, but the bizarre, pungent scent refused to fade.
This is the absolute worst.
She slammed the soiled handkerchief onto the ground and straightened up, only to find a dark shadow looming over her.
Thalia jerked her head up and collapsed onto the dirt with a sharp scream. Barkas was looking down at her, his face a mask of cold indifference.
"What are you doing in a place like this?"
Thalia stared up at him blankly before scrambling to her feet.
How long has he been watching me?
Even though she hadn’t actually done anything yet, her heart hammered against her ribs. Thalia tried to feign composure, her voice coming out sharp and biting.
"You scared me! What do you think you’re doing, skulking around like a rat?"
"You still haven’t answered my question."
Ignoring her vitriol, Barkas uncrossed his arms and took a step closer. Thalia flinched back, but she quickly arched her brows in defiance.
"Why should I answer you? What does it matter to you where I am or what I’m doing?"
She tried to bolt, but Barkas moved his long legs to block her path. Trapped between the wagon and his lean, imposing frame, Thalia looked up at him with trembling eyes.
"What—what is this?"
"I can’t exactly leave you to wander alone," Barkas said, his tone sharpening. "Not considering the kind of foul trouble you’re prone to finding."
Thalia flinched. Barkas stared down at her intently for a moment before letting out a faint, weary sigh and gesturing with his chin.
"I will escort you to your quarters. Lead the way."
"I-I don’t need an escort. I can go by myself—"
"Is there some reason I shouldn’t?"
Thalia instinctively gripped the hilt of the knife hidden in her pocket. It was a foolish move—as good as announcing to the world that she was hiding something.
Seeing his eyes narrow, Thalia shoved his chest roughly with both hands.
"Who cares! Get out of my way!"
She pushed with all her might, but he didn’t budge. He looked lean, but his body was as solid as iron. Thalia tilted her chin up with feigned confidence, masking her rising fear.
"Didn’t you hear me? Move!"
Barkas looked down at her silently before slowly stepping back.
Thalia didn’t miss the opening. She quickly squeezed through the narrow space between him and the wagon and tried to run, but a powerful hand grabbed her arm and firmly spun her around.
Before she could react, his hand dipped into her cloak pocket and pulled out the knife she had sharpened to a keen edge.
Thalia’s face turned pale. Barkas lightly ran his thumb over the blade with an elegant, chilling motion, then looked down at her with expressionless eyes that were impossible to read.
She could have made an excuse—claimed it was for self-defense—but when she met those piercing eyes that seemed to see through every corner of her mind, her rationality shattered. She lunged at him fiercely, like a child who had been robbed of a toy.
"Give it back!"
He held the hand gripping the knife high above his head. Thalia stood on her tiptoes, grabbing at his uniform and reaching out as far as she could.
"Give it back! I said give it back!"
Barkas watched her frantic, irrational behavior with a hardened face. Then, he simply threw the knife away.
Thalia scrambled to pick it up, but before her fingers could reach the hilt, a foot encased in a golden sabaton kicked it far into the darkness.
Thalia watched blankly as the knife slid under a wagon. She looked as if she were about to crawl under after it, but before her body could touch the ground, a long, firm arm wrapped around her waist and forced her upright.
Thalia’s face twisted into a hideous scowl as she glared at him with murderous intent. Barkas, however, looked just as irritated as she felt.
"I won’t ask what you intended to do with that," Barkas said, his face inches from hers, spitting out each word. His low voice felt like a cold blade against her skin. "From now on, you will be under constant surveillance. Discard every useless, stupid plan inside that small head of yours."
Who are you to talk to me like that?
Who are you to take what’s mine?
Who do you think you are?
When you’re just going to become another woman’s man anyway.
When you’re going to leave forever.
After making me want to kill that woman, why won’t you let me do anything?
A jumble of words choked her throat. She wanted to scream profanities, but she feared that if she opened her mouth, she would start wailing like a child. She clamped her jaw shut.
Barkas watched her for a moment, then straightened his posture and gestured for her to lead the way.
Thalia glared at him with eyes full of hatred before walking quickly between the wagons. As if his promise of constant surveillance wasn’t an empty threat, Barkas followed behind her like a shadow.
That presence, which she had once missed so desperately, now felt sickening. He was never there when she wanted him, yet he appeared the moment she made the biggest decision of her life just to interfere.
Is it to protect Aila...?
No. Perhaps he was doing it to protect Gareth.
He would never understand why she had a knife in her pocket. He wouldn’t even guess why she didn’t care about her half-brother, who beat her whenever he had the chance, yet ground her teeth at her half-sister, who silently endured her.
She turned her head to look at the campsite where darkness was beginning to settle.
Aila was probably having a wonderful time right now. Surrounded by people who loved her, she was likely savoring the happy future that awaited her. Thinking of that blushing face made Thalia’s stomach boil.
Loathsome woman.
Everything about her was disgusting—the way she looked so pitiful whenever she saw Thalia, the way she wore that unhappy expression despite having everything.
I really do want to kill her.
As she chewed on her scabbed lip, lost in her dark thoughts, Barkas suddenly grabbed her and shoved her back roughly.
Thalia looked up at him, her eyes wide with shock. For a moment, her heart sank, thinking he had read her mind. But he wasn’t looking at her.
Thalia followed his gaze as he stared intensely at the sky, and she gasped. A mass the size of a house was falling from the heavens at a terrifying speed. Before she could even process what it was, a thunderous thud echoed, and a massive cloud of dust erupted.
"It’s a monster!"
Starting with a single shout, ear-piercing screams began to erupt from all directions.