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Chapter 35
Edrick had no time to think. He leaped into the carriage and swept ‌‌‌the woman into his arms. Her body was ‌‌‌alarmingly light, damp with lukewarm perspiration.
He urgently brushed the golden strands of hair clinging to her face aside and gently tapped her pallid cheek.
In that instant, the long golden lashes that had cast shadows across her cheeks shot ‌‌‌upward, revealing eyes ‌‌‌of deep, concentrated blue.
He found himself holding his breath. Those eyes, as blue as a swamp, seemed to draw his very soul into their depths.
As ‌‌‌he gazed down at those eyes with a dazed expression, a sharp, ‌‌stinging sensation suddenly spread across his right cheek.
He clutched his face with one hand and blinked in bewilderment. The woman who had slipped from his embrace ‌‌‌in an instant now regarded him with a look of utter contempt.
"How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?"
Edrick, his mouth agape, raised his voice in protest.
"I thought Your Highness had lost consciousness...!"
"So you thought I'd lost consciousness and decided to take liberties, is that ‌‌it?"
"That's not what I meant at all...!"
Edrick rose to his feet indignantly, only to strike his head against the carriage ceiling and crumple back down into a ‌‌crouch.
Between the Second Princess's insulting remarks and the throbbing pain in his skull, tears nearly spilled from his eyes.
He clutched his head and groaned for some time. The Second Princess, regarding him with disdain, rubbed ‌‌her temples and gestured dismissively.
"Enough. Stop being a nuisance and get out."
"Please, just step outside for some fresh air. We'll need to travel for another half day, and how much longer do ‌you intend to ‌‌‌‌remain cooped up in this suffocating space?"
Edrick, still rubbing his head, muttered with a sullen expression. ‌‌It was frank advice delivered with the expectation of another blow.
The Second Princess glared at him with an exasperated look. She seemed astounded that ‌‌‌‌he would persist with his nagging ‌‌without tiring.
Edrick bit back the urge to snap that he wasn't interfering because he enjoyed it.
Though he hadn't chosen this duty of his own volition, ‌this reckless Second Princess remained under his responsibility. Should she collapse during the journey, the consequences ‌would fall ‌‌upon him as well.
Prepared to forcibly drag her out if necessary, he met the woman's sharp gaze directly.
As if tired of his attitude, the woman's brow furrowed, and she finally rose to her feet.
Edrick brightened and descended from the carriage first. He extended a hand to escort her, but the Second Princess shut the door in his face.
Edrick ‌‌‌stared at the firmly closed door with a stunned expression, then finally gave up and turned ‌‌away.
'...I truly cannot fathom what displeases her so.'
He released a heavy sigh and trudged toward the lakeside.
Even as he washed his sweat-dampened face with ice-cold water and rested in the shade of the trees, the stubborn Second Princess never showed her face.
Was she perhaps wary of someone attempting to harm her?
Her excessive defensiveness reminded me of a beast ‌‌caught in ‌‌a trap.
He gazed at the carriage with a puzzled expression, then shook his head to dispel such idle thoughts.
Why should he bother trying to understand such a woman?
If he could just endure until the end of this ‌‌journey, he would finally be freed from this tedious duty.
The Second Princess frequently replaced her Guard Knights, so he too would likely be reassigned before long. He simply needed ‌‌‌‌to persevere until then.
Edrick ‌‌‌‌‌encouraged ‌‌himself and sat in the shade ‌with the other knights. He took a simple meal of bread ‌‌‌and wine, rested for ‌‌‌‌a while, then mounted his horse again.
As noon passed, the air grew increasingly cool.
The pilgrims, their spirits restored, marched vigorously along the Gaisa Mountain Range, ‌which divided the Western and ‌‌Northeastern Regions. Thanks to their diligent progress, ‌‌by sunset they had reached the Sinai Plain, once the territory of the ancient Balto Kingdom.
"We shall ‌‌‌‌make camp here for the night."
Barcas, surveying the column, issued his orders in a low voice.
Edrick regarded him with half-lidded eyes. Despite having ridden all ‌‌day, Barcas appeared ‌no different from when they had ‌‌‌‌departed.
The superior ‌‌dismounted from his horse with unwavering composure, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings as he issued his command.
"Erect palisades near the Campsite and post sentries."
The knights immediately obeyed the order.
Edrick likewise set about constructing a fence around the camp. A fleeting thought crossed his mind that the precaution seemed excessive, yet the Sinai Plain was home to numerous monsters. ‌
Though it was said ‌‌‌‌that large military forces were rarely subjected to attack, caution could do no harm.
He retrieved barbed planks from the supply wagon, fixed them to the ground, and wound cordage adorned with small bells around them.
After several hours of diligent ‌‌‌labor, he completed a makeshift defensive perimeter encircling the Campsite.
He brushed ‌‌the dust from his hands and moved toward the campfire that had been lit. While they erected ‌‌the palisades, the Second Princess's attendants had finished preparing ‌‌the evening meal.
He approached the fire where meat was being roasted, clutching ‌‌his hungry stomach, ‌‌‌and popped a small piece of bacon into his mouth before questioning one of the servants.
"Has the Second Princess's meal been prepared?"
The young-faced servant, who had been stirring a large pot with a ladle, turned to ‌‌‌‌him with a bewildered expression. ‌‌
"That is... she ‌‌‌said she had no appetite...."
Edrick, wiping the grease from his hands with a cloth, furrowed his brow.
So she would skip lunch and go hungry through dinner as well. ‌
A surge of irritation welled up at the Second Princess for behaving so childishly at every turn.
He tossed the damp cloth to the ground carelessly and picked up an empty basket.
"Fill this with something decent to eat."
The servant quickly packed ‌‌‌‌‌generous slices of pie, stew with bacon, wine, and preserved fruit ‌‌without omission.
He tucked ‌‌‌‌‌the basket brimming with food under his arm and made his way toward the Second Princess's small tent.
He knew well enough that there was no need to force food upon someone who stubbornly refused to eat. Yet when he recalled the disturbingly light weight of that woman's body, he found himself unable to remain idle.
He cursed his own meddlesome nature as he knocked on the carriage door.
"Your Highness, I have brought your evening meal."
"I said I would not eat."
"You have scarcely eaten all day. How do you expect to ‌‌‌‌endure this arduous journey without proper sustenance? Even if you lack appetite, please try to eat something."
"Enough! Now leave!"
Edrick's face contorted. Even a hedgehog would not bristle so fiercely. Gathering his patience, he spoke with deliberate calm.
"Then I shall ‌‌‌leave this here. Should you change your mind...."
As Edrick bent to set down the basket, he started back abruptly. ‌‌‌The door swung open without warning, and a face pale as snow, twisted with fierce anger, filled his vision.
He ‌‌‌swallowed hard, meeting ‌‌‌‌eyes of brilliant blue that ‌gleamed even in the twilight.

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the ‌latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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