Chapter 64
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 64
“Do you know why I’m trying to marry you?”
Barkas stared at her in silence. She spoke each word with deliberate weight, as if pressing them into his expressionless face.
“To see you become unhappy. That is the only reason I’m marrying you.”
“······.”
“I want you to be in pain. Very, very much.”
His eyes sank into a dark, bottomless stillness.
Thalia held her breath, waiting for his response. She wanted that indifferent mask to crumble; she wanted him to explode in anger, to recoil in disgust, and to cast her aside.
Tell me it’s impossible.
Tell me you could never take a woman like me as your wife.
Even if her heart shattered into nothingness, at least they might be able to save what remained of their lives.
However, as always, he betrayed her expectations.
Barkas let out a short sigh, as if he had heard something utterly trivial. He gently pulled her hands from his clothes and straightened his posture.
“The wedding will be held as soon as possible.”
He walked to the window and pushed it open.
The wind that brushed past him poured over her face. Thalia quietly took in the sight of him, his silhouette bathed in the crimson glow of the sunset. His heavy, low voice reached her as if from a great distance.
“It will be better that way. For both of us.”
What did he mean by that?
Did he mean it was better to get a tedious task over with quickly?
Thalia searched his eyes for an answer, but she was soon overcome by a profound sense of fatigue and lowered her eyelids.
It didn’t matter. She would no longer struggle to dig into his inner thoughts.
If he had accepted her out of a sense of duty, then she had chosen the place by his side to return the wounds she had received. She would not be foolish enough to expect anything more from him.
She repeated the vow she had made a thousand times before.
That tonight would be the last. That she would finally put an end to this cursed love.
And yet, she knew.
The love she tried to kill today would only come crawling back to her tomorrow.
* * *
The entire Imperial Palace was abuzz with the news of the Second Imperial Princess’s upcoming wedding.
Under the Empress’s command, the maids of the Main Palace began to decorate the ceremony hall with magnificent opulence, while servants moved incessantly between the storehouses and the kitchens to prepare wine and delicacies for the guests.
Yet, despite the outward bustle, a heavy and unsettling atmosphere hung over the palace.
As Edric was leaving the military base, he narrowed his eyes at a group of apprentices whispering in a corner of the training ground. An utterly unpleasant conversation reached his ears.
“Like mother, like daughter—stealing men runs in the blood.”
Edric watched the boy who was snickering flippantly. It was the son of Viscount Kendon, a notorious troublemaker who had formed a clique among the apprentice knights.
The boy continued as he placed his training weapon on the rack.
“I heard the Second Imperial Princess is the spitting image of Her Majesty the Empress. With a face like that, it’s no wonder Lord Sieorkan fell for her.”
“You think the Commander is as shallow as you?”
A larger boy shook his head.
“That marriage would never have happened if it weren’t for His Majesty’s order. I just feel bad for the First Imperial Princess.”
“Good grief, you naive brat. What kind of family do you think the Sieorkans are? Do you think they’d swap fiances just because of a word from the Emperor?”
The boy clicked his tongue.
“It’s because he wanted to that he accepted it! Besides, wasn’t Lord Sieorkan the Second Imperial Princess’s guard? For all we know, they’ve been seeing each other for a long time. People who were on the pilgrimage said things were... strange between them.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Do you have any idea how much the Second Imperial Princess tormented the Commander back when he was her guard? What’s the use of a pretty face? He saw that temper of hers firsthand; there’s no way they fell for each other.”
An apprentice tidying arrows for archery practice snorted loudly.
“Besides, the Second Imperial Princess was maimed in that accident. Who would want to marry a woman like that when someone like the First Imperial Princess is available? She must have used some wicked trick behind the scenes—”
“It seems you’re training your tongues more than your swords these days.”
When Edric suddenly intervened, unable to listen any longer, the apprentice knights jumped and snapped to attention.
He swept a cold gaze over the boys.
“Are you aware that the conversation you just had constitutes an insult to the Imperial Family?”
The boys’ faces turned pale instantly.
Edric, having carefully noted each of their faces, added sternly, “The Roem Knights exist to protect the Imperial Household. If you intend to become a member, you should at least know not to speak so carelessly in a public place.”
“W-we are sorry, Sir Rubon.”
The boys bowed their heads, their faces stiff with tension.
After looking down at them in silence for a moment, Edric slowly turned and walked toward the knights' quarters.
Just then, a heavy arm dropped onto his shoulder.
Edric turned his head, his eyes widening when he saw his senior knight, Sir Theoric Hart.
Theoric grinned. “You’ve certainly tightened up the discipline.”
“What brings you to the training ground at this hour, Sir Hart?”
Edric looked up at the bell tower with a puzzled expression. It wasn’t even noon yet. Wasn’t this the busiest time for high-ranking knights, as they attended to their duties in the Main Palace?
At his questioning look, Sir Hart let out a chuckle and ruffled Edric’s hair with his large hand.
“I ran all the way here to give you some good news. Your probation has finally been lifted. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be back on duty in my direct unit.”
Edric hesitated. Even though it was clearly good news, a rush of complicated emotions hit him.
He asked hesitantly, “Then... who will be in charge of the Second Imperial Princess’s guard?”
His superior’s eyes narrowed slightly. He removed his arm from Edric’s shoulder and let out a heavy sigh.
“The Roem Knights have been completely excluded from the Second Imperial Princess’s guard. Her Majesty the Empress raised an issue, questioning if we hadn’t intentionally neglected the Princess’s protection. She even went so far as to declare that she wouldn’t entrust the Second Imperial Prince’s safety to the Roem Knights either.”
Edric’s face hardened. This was a move that essentially dragged the honor of the Roem Knights through the dirt.
Since the founding of the Empire, the Roem Knights had served by the side of the Imperial Family. Their very identity was being denied.
Edric lowered his head weakly.
“I am sorry. Because I failed to do my duty, the Knights have suffered such humiliation...”
“It’s not your fault. This was an accident that no one could have predicted. There’s no need to blame yourself.”
Theoric patted his shoulder, offering comfort.
When Edric’s expression failed to brighten, Theoric rubbed the back of his neck as if contemplating something, then suddenly led his subordinate out of the training ground. Edric followed him with a bewildered look.
They walked in silence until they reached a deserted clearing. Only then did Theoric speak.
“I know you’re a man with a strong sense of responsibility. But this really isn’t your fault, so don’t let it weigh on your mind.”
Edric furrowed his brows.
“I was her personal guard. Strictly speaking, the primary responsibility for the failure of the escort lies with me. So how can I—!”
“The attack that day was a plot orchestrated by the Empress.”
Edric stopped in his tracks, staring at his superior with blank eyes.
Theoric, looking down at the ground with a dark expression, continued in a calm tone.
“Don’t you think it’s strange? That wyverns would attack an army in a pack like that? Large monsters like wyverns don’t attack armed troops unless their habitat is invaded. Furthermore, our campsite was located quite far from their nesting grounds.”
“Well, I thought it was strange too, but... even so, we can’t conclude that the Empress planned it—”
“Before the attack, there were reports that the Second Imperial Princess’s attendants were acting suspiciously.”
His tone turned hard.
“Moreover, traces of high-level magic were found in the area near the accident. Most likely, someone intentionally stirred up the wyvern habitat.”
Edric’s mouth hung open. As the meaning of his superior’s words became clear, a cold sweat broke out on his spine.
“But the Second Imperial Princess was also part of that pilgrimage. How could she do such a thing when her own daughter could have been hurt...”
“That is exactly why she was able to avoid suspicion so easily.”
Edric looked at him with a bloodless face, lost for words.
Theoric continued in a somber tone.
“The Empress is a frighteningly thorough person. We’ve been conducting a secret investigation since the accident, but she left nothing behind except for a few pieces of circumstantial evidence—no decisive physical proof. Besides, the biggest victim of this incident is the Empress’s own daughter. In this situation, who would dare to raise a question?”
Edric slowly lowered his gaze.
The image of the Princess crying while buried under the pile of rocks flashed through his mind. He remembered her writhing in agony the entire time he was performing emergency treatment.
That woman had ended up like that because of her own biological mother.
He felt as if his stomach were turning inside out.