Chapter 65
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 65
“The Imperial Palace is that sort of place. It’s crawling with monsters who would do anything for power. If you’ve decided to live here, you’d better steel yourself.”
Theoric spoke as he patted Edric on the shoulder.
Edric, who had been frozen in shock, slowly raised his head to look his superior in the eye.
“Does Lord Sieorkan know this as well?”
“Of course. It was the Commander himself who ordered the investigation into all of this.”
“Then why…”
Edric’s voice trailed off, unable to understand. The man looked down at him and shrugged.
“Who knows? There’s no way for us to know what goes on in that man’s head.”
“…”
“But even if I don’t know the details, he must have a reason for accepting the marriage to the Second Imperial Princess.”
Edric furrowed his brow. What could that reason possibly be?
As he wore a grave expression, trying to imagine the face of the man whose true intentions were always a mystery, a heavy hand landed on his back. Edric turned around, startled.
Sir Hart, who had struck him with a broad palm, spoke in a light tone as if to clear the heavy atmosphere.
“Anyway, don’t worry about the Second Imperial Princess anymore.” Then, he added with a touch of seriousness, “She’ll be leaving the Imperial Palace soon. Once that happens, you won’t have to run into her again. So, shake off that lingering unease and focus on your own future.”
The last part was almost a scolding. Theoric shook his head.
“You got on the Crown Prince’s bad side during the pilgrimage. You’re in over your head as it is; who are you worrying about?”
Edric’s face clouded over. Having his own worries pointed out made his shoulders feel heavy. Seeing his slumped posture, Theoric let out a dry, incredulous laugh.
“Well, look at you. You acted so recklessly that I thought you didn’t care about your career, but I guess that’s not the case?”
“That’s because… back then, I thought I had to fulfill my duty as a personal guard. Regardless of the circumstances, I was her knight.”
At that strait-laced reply, a flicker of complex emotion crossed Sir Hart’s face. He stared intently at his subordinate before letting out a long sigh.
“I’ll tell you one more time: that role is over. It’s time to return to your place.”
Edric looked up at his determined face for a moment, then turned his gaze toward the castle walls towering above the dense trees. Through the dark green foliage, he could see the roof of the Annex Palace where the Second Imperial Princess resided.
She was someone he had served for barely two months. If he hadn’t seen her get so horribly injured right before his eyes, he probably wouldn’t have cared this much.
Sir Hart is right.
His role as her guard was over. The cruel environment surrounding that woman was unfortunate, but there was nothing he could do.
Perhaps it’s for the best.
As Sir Hart said, this palace was a place crawling with monsters blinded by power. Moreover, wasn’t she someone who was thoroughly hated here? If she married Lord Sieorkan and left for the East, she would at least be able to escape the hostile people surrounding her.
Shaking off his vague guilt with a heavy sigh, Edric finally nodded.
“I understand what you mean.”
Satisfied with the answer, a bright smile appeared on Sir Hart’s lips. He draped an arm over his subordinate’s shoulder and said, “Good. Now, let’s get going and do our jobs.”
As he was practically dragged away, Edric glanced back at the roof of the Annex Palace one last time. But soon, he straightened his head and began to walk with purposeful strides.
* * *
Thalia lay on the bed, watching the dust motes floating in the air. The shimmering particles drifted slowly through the currents of light before settling softly onto her body. She reached out a hand to toss them back into the air and watched them slowly fall.
She didn’t know why she was doing something so strange. She felt like drifting seaweed. Meaningless movements continued, like aquatic plants swaying with the current.
Perhaps it wasn’t her leg that was injured, but her head.
While she was lost in such dazed thoughts, she heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Thalia turned her eyes to look at the intruder. Her nanny, who had burst in with an armful of cloth, was shooting her a fierce look.
“How can you still be like this!”
The shrill voice scraped unpleasantly against her eardrums. Thalia pulled the blanket over her head. The nanny quickly snatched it away and continued to pour out her high-pitched complaints.
“Get up and wash this instant! You threw a fit saying you wouldn’t let anyone else touch you and kicked out all the maids, so what are you doing now!”
Thalia glared at her with narrowed eyes. She couldn’t understand what the woman was saying. She felt like she had been sleeping the whole time; had someone come by in the meantime?
She looked around the room with eyes that wouldn’t quite focus. Broken dishes and objects were scattered everywhere. It seemed she really had thrown a tantrum.
“I said, get up!”
The nanny forcibly pulled her limp body upright. Thalia just stared blankly at the nanny’s reddened face with eyes heavy with sleep. Frustrated by her reaction, the nanny beat her own chest with her fist.
“Just how many herbs did you burn while I was out? You can’t even walk properly as it is; how do you plan on walking into the wedding hall like this!”
“Wedding hall?”
“You have to have the wedding!”
“Who’s getting married?”
The nanny’s round face turned as red as a plum. Her furious appearance was almost funny. Thalia let her half-numb tongue wag loosely.
“Congratulations on your wedding, Nanny.”
“The one getting married today is you, My Lady!” the nanny screamed like a goose with its neck wrung. “You’re the one who said you’d do it, so why are you being like this!”
Thalia furrowed her brows. Come to think of it, she had decided to marry Barkas. When was it that she had said that? She didn’t know. Her sense of time seemed to have melted and vanished into the smoke.
Thalia blinked slowly with a dazed face, then finally lowered her feet from the bed. Anyway, today was her wedding day. If so, it seemed she shouldn’t be staying like this. She staggered toward the area behind the screen.
“I’ll help you with the bath and putting on your undergarments. You’ll have to leave the rest to the maids from the Empress’s palace.”
“…Okay.”
“You must not scratch or hit them.”
“Am I a cat? Why would I scratch people?”
The nanny looked as if she had put something inedible in her mouth. When Thalia giggled at that foolish expression, the nanny let out a deep sigh and stripped the nightgown from her body.
“Just hurry up and wash.”
Thalia stepped into the bathtub. Soon after, a deluge of cold water poured over her head. Thalia rubbed her stinging eyes as she brushed away the hair covering her vision.
The nanny seemed to be in a hurry. After pouring an entire bottle of scented oil over her, the nanny began to scrub her whole body vigorously with a large brush. It was a touch closer to washing a dog than attending to a princess’s bath.
However, Thalia accepted the service without much complaint. Thanks to her dulled senses, it didn’t even hurt that much.
“Now, come out.”
The nanny, who had poured cold water over her head four times in a row, urged her impatiently. Thalia stepped out of the tub, dripping wet. The nanny wrapped her in a large towel to dry her off and, in the blink of an eye, dressed her in undergarments and a petticoat.
It was the first time Thalia realized that the nanny, who was usually slower than a slug, could move so quickly. As Thalia watched her with curiosity, the nanny wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and ran out of the bedroom to call the maids.
Thalia was soon surrounded by dozens of women. No—it probably wasn’t dozens. Since she was seeing one person as two, and two as three or four, the actual number was likely smaller. Regardless, in Thalia’s eyes, there were dozens.
She blinked her dizzy eyes and eventually lowered her eyelids.
A while later, the maids, having finished all the preparations, led her somewhere. It felt like being swept away by a current into the vast ocean. When she came to her senses, she was already heading somewhere in a large carriage.
Thalia looked out the window with hazy eyes. The ink-colored sky and the massive chapel situated beneath it came into view. The moment that blurred scenery entered her sight, an inexplicable anxiety reared its head.
She stared at the entrance of the chapel, which was now right in front of her, breaking out in a cold sweat before grabbing the door handle. Just as she was about to kick the door open and jump out, the carriage came to a halt without warning.
The sudden stop sent Thalia reeling, and she collapsed onto the floor. She happened to bang her knee, sending a sharp pain shooting up to her hip. She bit her lip and swallowed a groan.
Just then, the carriage door swung open, and a deep shadow fell over her. Thalia snapped her head up and held her breath at the sight of Barkas, who looked as if he were shrouded in a gray veil.
Dressed in a snow-white ceremonial suit with a cloak embroidered with his family crest draped loosely over his shoulders, Barkas leaned toward her. She felt his blue eyes slowly scanning her face.