Chapter 59
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 59
“It seems the court mages have commissioned more monsters.”
The Head Maid, who had been following quietly behind her, answered with a heavy sigh.
Thalia stepped toward the cage as if drawn by an invisible thread. At her approach, the creature, which had been shrouding itself in pitch-black wings, slowly lifted its head.
Thalia flinched, her shoulders hunching instinctively.
Atop the massive torso of a monstrous bird covered in dark brown feathers sat the head of a human woman. However, it did not look like the face of the living; it was a patchwork of flesh, looking as though various corpses had been stitched together.
As Thalia stared down at the pallid face, where blue veins traced sickly patterns beneath the skin, a wet, rancid voice—reminiscent of rotting meat—drifted into her ear.
“Do you feel some sort of kinship?”
Thalia whipped her head around.
Gareth, dressed in a striking crimson doublet, stood directly behind her. A sneer played on his lips as he spoke with agonizing slowness.
“A woman’s face on a monster’s body… doesn’t that remind you of someone?”
His narrowed eyes traveled down her frame, lingering pointedly on the legs hidden beneath the heavy folds of her dress. Her half-brother’s smirk deepened.
“I heard you were left with a truly hideous scar… but at least you’re luckier than that monster. You can still hide your body.”
In that instant, a surge of bile, bitter and burning, rose in her throat.
Thalia spun around and slapped the face of the exalted Crown Prince.
A shrill cry, like a stuck pig squealing, erupted beside them. It was the Head Maid, who had been trailing her like a jailer, now foaming at the mouth in sheer shock. Out of the corner of her eye, Thalia caught a glimpse of the woman collapsing backward.
Regardless, Thalia raked her nails—still bruised and battered—down her brother’s tanned face.
Four bright red gashes opened from his eye to his chin. Yet, it wasn’t a wound deep enough to satisfy the rage boiling within her.
She reached out again, but the guards, seeing the assault, rushed forward and seized her arms from both sides. Thalia thrashed like a beast caught in a trap, but she couldn’t break free.
Tears of sheer helplessness burst forth. With bloodshot eyes, she glared at her half-brother.
He had a sturdy frame and a perfect physique.
No. He wasn’t perfect anymore.
Seeing the blood trickling down his face, Thalia burst into a manic fit of laughter.
“Say it again. Go on. I’ll make sure you never have a face that can smile again. I have nothing left to lose, Gareth. So, I have nothing to fear.”
Gareth, who had been clutching his cheek and staring at her with stunned eyes, contorted his features into a terrifying mask of rage. A moment later, a brutal hand snatched her by the hair.
He gripped the locks that had been painstakingly braided for hours and yanked with such violence it felt as if he might snap her neck.
“How dare you… How dare a thing like you lay a hand on my face?”
His blood-stained face flushed a vivid, unsightly crimson.
Thalia cackled even louder. She could see the reason leaving her brother’s eyes.
He clamped his other hand over her face, applying pressure as if he intended to crush her skull. Even through the agonizing pain that felt like her head might explode, Thalia did not stop laughing.
Then, a powerful hand suddenly intervened, prying Gareth away from her.
Thalia collapsed where she stood. As the bone-crushing pressure vanished, her blurred vision cleared, and a familiar silhouette burned into her retinas.
Blinking vacantly, Thalia suddenly bolted upright. The violent thumping of her heart felt loud enough to rupture her eardrums. With trembling hands, she hurriedly pulled her skirts down to her toes, just as a suppressed voice drifted from above her.
“Ha, right. It was about time you showed up.”
Gareth violently shook off the hand gripping his wrist and ground his teeth. His dark green eyes burned with a black fire, like the flames of hell.
“So you’re really going to betray us for that girl?”
“…His Majesty the Emperor commanded me to bring the Second Imperial Princess to him.”
“You and your pathetic excuses—!”
“I shall provide the answer to your question after I have had my audience with His Majesty.”
At Barkas’s cryptic words, Gareth’s blood-smeared face twisted hideously. A chilling, grinding sound echoed from between his clenched teeth.
Grinding his jaw as if it might shatter, Gareth grabbed the future Grand Duke by the shoulder and growled.
“Fine. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what kind of answer you give.”
With that, he shoved his way through the gathered crowd and stormed out.
Barkas watched his retreating back for a moment before lowering his gaze to her. Thalia felt the fine hairs on her body stand on end. Reflected in those eyes—an abyss that always made her feel infinitely small—was her own wretched, miserable self. It felt as if his gaze alone was shattering her into pieces.
Thalia pressed her trembling hands against the floor. She forced strength into her shaking legs to push herself up, and felt a firm hand support her back. Startled, she shoved him away as he drew close.
“D-don’t…!”
But her weak resistance was easily ignored. Barkas slid his arm under the crooks of her knees and lifted her effortlessly.
Swallowing a scream, Thalia tugged at her skirt, terrified her legs might be exposed. Even after confirming the long fabric covered her down to her toes, her anxiety did not fade. Clutching the hem of her skirt tightly, she squeezed out a trembling voice.
“I’ll… I’ll walk on my own. Put me down.”
Barkas did not respond. Thalia swallowed hard; his silence felt like it was strangling her.
“I said, put me down!”
When she raised her voice, she felt the arms holding her tighten ever so faintly. Thalia looked up and, realizing he was suppressing some powerful emotion, fell silent.
Barkas kept his gaze fixed straight ahead and spoke in a low, heavy voice.
“You wouldn’t want to draw any more attention than this. If you can endure me for just a moment, you can avoid the humiliation of stumbling under their gazes.”
Thalia stared blankly at his face before shifting her eyes to scan their surroundings. She saw dozens of pairs of eyes, wide with shock and consternation.
She buried her head against him, hiding from those stares. A faint sigh fell over the crown of her head. Feeling as though tears might burst out again, Thalia gritted her teeth.
“Just bear with it for a little longer.”
Whispering softly, he quickened his pace.
Before long, the massive doors leading to the Emperor’s audience chamber appeared. The Chief Chamberlain standing guard there gaped in shock at the sight of Barkas arriving with the Second Imperial Princess in his arms.
Ignoring the reaction, Barkas gave a slight nod.
“I have come at His Majesty’s summons. Open the doors.”
As the Chamberlain hurriedly threw the doors open, a vast, brilliantly lit hall and a golden throne were revealed. Thalia lifted her head to look at the seat of honor.
A man with a massive frame, looking as if he were carved from power itself, was looking down at a parchment document with an expression of boredom. Senevia, who had been whispering something by his side, tilted her head and peered at her. An elegant smile spread across her beautiful, pearl-like face.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
Only then did the Emperor’s gaze lock onto her.
Thalia moistened her parched lips. She felt his somber eyes slowly scanning her form. Unable to bear the shame any longer, Thalia began to struggle.
“Put me down now.”
Barkas ignored her cry and strode toward the throne. She looked up at him with confused eyes, unable to understand why this man was acting this way. He was Aila’s fiancé; was it really all right for him to behave like this in front of the Emperor?
She looked back toward the throne with tense eyes, and a rebuking voice pierced her ears.
“I heard you had no particular trouble walking…”
Flinching, Thalia’s shoulders stiffened, and she reflexively babbled an excuse.
“I just… I fell on the way here, and Sir Sieorkan was simply helping me.”
She pushed against his chest with force, and Barkas, who had been standing as rigid as a stone statue, finally set her down.