Chapter 79
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 79
“I-it is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I shall serve you with all my heart and soul from this moment forward.”
Thalia scrutinized the girl with a sharp, piercing gaze. At first glance, the maid appeared unreliable and clumsy.
Are they trying to gain the upper hand by assigning me a novice? Thalia thought, her voice dripping with ice as she spoke.
“My Nanny will handle all my needs. Go and call for her instead.”
“By Nanny... do you mean that dwarf-blooded woman?”
The woman who had introduced herself as Areta furrowed her brows in clear disapproval.
“I beg your pardon, Your Highness, but you are to be the Mistress of the East. You must be attended by servants befitting your status.”
Detecting the unmistakable trace of contempt in the woman’s voice, Thalia’s eyes flared with anger.
“My Nanny is someone who once served the Empress herself. Surely you don’t mean to suggest that a Grand Duchess holds a higher rank than the Empress?”
Areta’s face stiffened instantly.
Thalia pressed her advantage relentlessly.
“Did you not hear me? I told you to bring my Nanny this instant.”
The woman held her ground, her mouth clamped shut for a tense moment before she finally bowed her head.
“I understand. I shall leave your grooming to the servant you brought with you. Please call for us once you are ready; I will show you around the castle.”
“I don’t need a tour.”
At the blunt refusal, Areta’s expression turned visibly rigid.
Ignoring her, Thalia continued coldly, “Have you forgotten I just traveled a long distance? I intend to rest in my room for several days, so do not disturb me.”
The head maid’s lips twitched as if she were biting back a retort, but she soon turned and swept out of the room, taking the young maid with her.
Thalia felt a surge of irritation at their insolent attitude, but she didn’t want to earn a reputation as a tyrant who terrorized the staff on her very first day.
With a weary sigh, Thalia slumped down onto the bed.
A moment later, her Nanny entered the room. She was yawning, her hair disheveled and the remnants of sleep still clinging to the corners of her eyes.
The sight of her lack of dignity made Thalia’s blood boil. That is why these people feel they can openly look down on her.
“Look at the state of your face!” Thalia shouted, her voice piercing. “How can you be so slovenly? Go wash yourself this instant.”
“Goodness, why are you making such a fuss so early in the morning?”
The Nanny pouted, poured water into the basin by the window, and splashed her face.
Then, after roughly combing through her hair with her plump hands, she began to light the fireplace.
While she worked, two brawny laborers arrived carrying a large bathtub filled with steaming water. Once they set the tub down behind a privacy screen and departed, Thalia bolted the door shut and stepped into the bath.
The Nanny immediately began to scrub her from head to toe with a soft towel and soap.
Thalia’s skin turned red under the rough touch, as if the Nanny were merely rushing through a tedious chore, but she endured it in silence. It was a hundred times better to be handled roughly by a familiar hand than to show her scars to strangers.
Thalia tried not to read too much into the Nanny’s attitude—which had become noticeably cold ever since Thalia’s body had been ruined—as she dried herself with a towel.
“None of your clothes fit anymore. You’ve lost far too much weight.”
The Nanny sighed deeply as she dressed Thalia in a lavish silk gown.
Unable to hold back any longer, Thalia finally snapped.
“Stop sighing. I’m sick of hearing it.”
“I can’t even breathe the way I want to now?”
“I told you not to sigh while looking at me! You keep doing that because you hate the sight of me, don’t you?”
The Nanny didn’t offer a single word in response. Thalia, who had inwardly hoped for a denial, glared at her with sorrowful, stinging eyes.
The Nanny was the one who had played the role of a mother in Senevia’s stead. She was the one who had cared for Thalia since she was a babe who couldn’t even speak.
The fact that even her Nanny found her appearance hideous tore her insides apart.
Swallowing the grief rising in her throat, Thalia pushed her toward the door.
“That’s enough. Get out.”
“Fine. I’m going, so stop pushing.”
The Nanny shook off Thalia’s hand rather roughly and left the room without a backward glance.
Left alone, Thalia’s simmering rage instantly dissolved into cold anxiety.
In this foreign land, the Nanny was the only person she could trust and rely on. If even she turned her back, Thalia would be completely isolated.
She immediately regretted her outburst. She should have endured it a little longer...
“Your Highness, I have come at the Young Lord’s command. May I come in for a moment?”
As she bit her lip anxiously, an unfamiliar voice drifted in from the hallway.
Thalia hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Come in.”
The moment she gave permission, a young woman with deep honey-colored skin opened the door and entered.
“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. I am Tiuran. I have been instructed by the Young Lord to closely monitor your health.”
Thalia scanned her slowly with wary, guarded eyes.
The woman was quite striking, with long, lithe limbs and taut skin that made her look to be in her early thirties. Her dark brown eyes were sharp and intelligent.
“Are you the healer of the Grand Duke’s household?”
“I am,” the woman replied calmly.
Thalia looked skeptical. The woman seemed far too young to be the primary healer for the most powerful family in the East.
Perhaps reading her distrust, the woman’s professional smile faded slightly.
The healer asked cautiously, “I heard you suffer from chronic pain due to a severe leg injury. May I examine the affected area?”
Thalia instinctively recoiled, stepping back.
She had absolutely no intention of showing her scars to someone she had just met.
“I already have my own personal healer. You may go attend to other business.”
“But the Young Lord said—”
“I’ll speak to Barkas myself. Leave.”
The woman bit her lower lip as if contemplating her next move, then spoke carefully.
“If you are uncomfortable showing me your leg, would you mind holding out your hand for a moment?”
“Why my hand?”
“I will examine your internal state by flowing mana through your palm. Once I have confirmed your condition, I will prepare medicine suited to your constitution.”
Thalia knitted her brows. She had never heard of such a strange method of examination.
“Can you really do such a thing?”
“I have been trained since the age of seven to become a healer for my clan. If you give me just one chance, I will do my best to help you.”
The woman seemed sincere. After studying her face intently, Thalia decided to take the risk and held out her hand.
Tiuran took Thalia’s palm in her own firm, calloused hands.
Thalia flinched at the rough, bark-like texture, but soon felt a warm heat spreading through her palm like a gentle current. Shuddering at the bizarre sensation, Thalia felt the lukewarm warmth reach her abdomen and abruptly yanked her hand away.
The woman furrowed her brow as if deep in thought, staring intently at Thalia’s face.
“Before we begin rehabilitating your leg, it seems we must first restore your vitality. Your body is in a very weakened state.”
“...And what am I supposed to do?”
“First, you must eat well and sleep well. I will prepare some medicine that should help, so please take it regularly every day.”
Thalia, who had expected some extraordinary treatment, looked disappointed.
“I didn’t give you my time just to hear such obvious advice.”
“...”
“That’s enough, leave. As you said, my vitality is low, so I need to rest.”
As Thalia lay back down on the bed, the woman had no choice but to bow and exit the room.
Thalia pulled the blanket up to her shoulders and tried to catch up on her sleep. However, before long, the dormant pain began to crawl up through her bones like a living thing.
Tossing and turning, Thalia finally couldn’t take it anymore and rang the bell.
A moment later, the young maid she had been introduced to earlier came running in. Thalia couldn’t even remember her name. She gave the girl an arrogant tilt of her head.
“Go and bring the healer I brought from the Imperial Palace. Now.”
*
A chilling wind swept violently across the vast, open plains.
Barkas, passing through the grasslands with his grip tight on the reins, turned his head to take a long look at his homeland.
The last time he had set foot on this soil was ten years ago, when he received news of the passing of Tessalin—the mother of Lucas and Laina.
Back then, this entire land had been shrouded in shades of gray.
Because he had not visited Kalmor since then, the home in his memories had always remained monochrome.