Chapter 89
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89
Barkas turned around without a word.
As she was practically dragged from the room, Thalia scanned her surroundings with anxious eyes. A belated wave of worry washed over her; she wondered if someone would take issue with the disastrous succession ceremony.
However, most of the vassals looked relieved, as if a great burden had finally been lifted from their shoulders.
“This should finally restore discipline to the East.”
A man caught up to them as he spoke. His face was somewhat familiar; she must have encountered him on the day of Barkas’s duel. Dressed impeccably in high-quality formal attire, the man gave her a slight bow before shifting his gaze back to Barkas.
“Do you plan to begin the tour of the territories today?”
“If there are no particular issues,” Barkas replied bluntly, then looked down at Thalia. “Can you leave immediately?”
“...Go where?”
“It is one of the primary procedures of the succession,” the man interjected to explain. “It is a ceremonial event to tour the Eastern regions, introducing the new ruler’s face to the people and inspecting local conditions.”
Thalia looked up at him, her expression clouded with bewilderment. “Do I have to go too?”
“Usually, it is customary for the Grand Duchess to accompany him, but...” He trailed off ambiguously, glancing sideways at Barkas.
Barkas, who had been walking silently down the hallway, suddenly came to a halt. Thalia flinched as she felt his hand touch her cheek. Lifting her head, she met his calm gaze.
“Your Highness must go as well.”
Thalia’s eyes widened. This was the first time he had forced something upon her since she had injured her leg.
“Did you not tell me not to try and hide you?” he added stiffly, his gaze cool. “I intend to do exactly as you said. From now on, there will be no one in this land who does not know that you are the Grand Duchess of Sieorkan.”
Her mouth hung open in shock. She had thought it would end with showing her face to the vassals; she never dreamed she would be presented to the entire Eastern population.
Thalia swallowed hard. “I—I can’t leave right this second. I have to pack, and my nanny and healer...”
“I have already informed Your Highness’s attendants,” he cut her off, blocking any path of retreat. “They should have finished all travel preparations by now.”
Thalia’s eyes darted around, searching for a new excuse. But before she could find one, Barkas bent down and scooped her up in one arm. Thalia swallowed a scream and threw her arms around his neck.
Ignoring her frantic state, Barkas strode down the stairs and across the grand hall, barking orders to the vassals.
“Have the Spear Knights stand by. We head for the Norden Plains.”
He passed through the arched gates where sunlight was pouring in. Thalia narrowed her eyes against the glare. As her vision adjusted, she saw the courtyard filled with attendants. She froze under their gazes, feeling like some strange creature on display.
Suddenly, she remembered the monstrous bird she had seen at the Imperial Palace. The memory of the onlookers’ excited eyes as they watched the caged monster flickered in her mind. As a wave of nausea intensified, Thalia buried her face in his shoulder.
“Tell them all not to look at me. It’s unpleasant.”
“...I wonder if they would even listen to my command,” Barkas replied dryly.
Thalia glared at him as if he were being absurd. “You’re the Grand Duke now. Tell them you’ll execute anyone who defies your orders. Or tell them you’ll skewer them with a spear like you did before.”
A faint, mocking smile touched his lips. “Do you wish for me to massacre all the Easterners?”
Thalia furrowed her brow. Was this man joking with her right now? She stared at his expressionless face, trying to dissect his inscrutable thoughts, when Barkas added calmly:
“If I executed everyone who looked at you, the Khan people would soon be extinct.”
“Don’t say such stupid things. I just meant you should threaten them.”
“Easterners do not make idle threats. Once a word leaves our lips, it must be kept.”
Thalia felt a faint sense of confusion. She couldn’t believe she was having such a dazed conversation with Barkas. Her mind felt foggy, as if she had inhaled the smoke of sleep herbs. Moistening her dry lips, she muttered irritably.
“That’s a very long way of telling me to just endure it.”
“I’m glad you understood.”
His lips twisted into a cynical arc as he turned her head to face forward. Thalia’s shoulders slumped. Then, a soft, low voice brushed against her ear.
“Lift your head.”
Adjusting his hold so her head was positioned above his, Barkas whispered, “Didn’t you say that even if you hide yourself, I must not hide you?”
Just then, a gust of wind swept over them. As if drawn by his words, Thalia lifted her head. The cool air, carrying the scent of dry grass, billowed through their clothes. The unpleasant sensation crawling over her body gradually subsided.
Thalia blinked slowly. The thin silk of her dress wrapped softly around her skin. After looking up at the bright sky for a moment, she lowered her gaze back to the open square.
The people were still staring at her without blinking. However, Thalia saw something different in their eyes now. It was an emotion that could only be called awe.
A strange thrill ran down her spine. They were gazing at her as if they were looking at Senevia. Realizing this, Thalia turned her eyes back to Barkas. Was it because this man was by her side? She couldn’t believe that, in this moment, no one seemed to notice she was broken.
“Greetings, Your Excellency.”
As Barkas crossed the wide courtyard and reached the castle gate, one of the knights standing in neat rows stepped forward and bowed. It was the cavalry warrior, Tyron.
Stopping in front of a large traveling carriage, Barkas replied indifferently, “I am merely the acting ruler for now.”
“But you already hold all the actual power, do you not?” The man crossed his arms over his chest and let out a playful chuckle. “Everyone is ecstatic about the emergence of a young and powerful new leader. Don’t go throwing cold water on them for no reason.”
Barkas silently passed him and opened the carriage door, as if the man wasn’t worth responding to.
Thalia narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the comfortably furnished interior. She finally understood why he hadn’t shown his face for a week. To win the loyalty of the vassals, pressure the Grand Duke to force the succession ceremony, and simultaneously complete perfect travel preparations—he must have needed two bodies to get it all done.
He climbed into the carriage and set her down on the wide seat. Just as he was about to pull the door shut, Tyron grabbed the edge.
“There is one thing I would like to suggest. Please allow young Master Lucas to accompany us on this journey.”
“Did you not hear that I placed that boy under house arrest?”
The man let out a small sigh. “I am aware. But Master Lucas is Your Excellency’s younger brother. Is he not the one who must become your aide in a few years? Rather than keeping him stuck at a desk like a ten-year-old, wouldn’t it be better to let him learn through direct experience?”
A faint crease appeared between Barkas’s brows. He stared at the man’s tanned face with a pensive expression before letting out a heavy breath.
“Fine. Attach him to me as my junior knight.”
The man stepped back with a satisfied look. Barkas immediately closed the door and sat down on the seat opposite Thalia.
Thalia glanced at him awkwardly. Barkas always rode Torque whenever they traveled. When he showed no sign of getting out of the carriage even after a while, Thalia spoke up cautiously.
“Aren’t you going to ride your horse?”
Barkas, who was unfastening the heavy ornaments wrapped around his wrists, cast a cool gaze at her. “Do you wish for me to leave the carriage?”
“Who said that? I was just curious.”
At his sharper-than-usual demeanor, Thalia lowered her eyes and grumbled quietly. Since she knew what she had done, she couldn’t act as tough as usual. She pressed her body against the carriage wall and pretended to look out the window.
He leaned back against the seat and ran a hand through his disheveled hair.
“As Your Highness might guess, there are various rumors circulating about our marriage. To quell the controversy, we need to appear like a normal couple for the time being.”