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Chapter 48
I felt a bead of sweat trickling down my forehead, dampening the corners of my eyes.
It could be a medicine that inflicts terrible agony. It might even be ‌‌‌poison.
Unable to shake such suspicions, I parted my lips.
He tilted the medicine bottle, pouring ‌‌its bitter liquid into my mouth. As I reflexively turned my head ‌‌‌aside, coughing weakly, he ‌‌‌gripped my jaw and pressed the bottle against my lips once more.
I swallowed the liquid seeping into my mouth with utter helplessness, gazing ‌‌up at him.
Above my pallid eyes, as if veiled by ‌‌‌a curtain, firelight flickered and danced. I struggled to find some remnant of emotion within those mineral-like irises, but soon my limbs went ‌‌limp.
I strained with all my might to keep my consciousness tethered, tensing my eyes, yet my mind grew increasingly hazy and my vision blurred rapidly.
My eyelids fluttered slowly before I sank into a ‌‌‌silence as profound as death itself.
I could not tell how much time had passed. It ‌‌‌‌felt as though mere seconds had elapsed, yet also as if a lifetime had drained away.
Staring blankly into the void, I frowned at the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats and the creaking of wheels. As my hazy vision gradually sharpened, the dim ‌‌‌interior of the carriage came into focus.
For a moment, I wondered if it had all been a dream. The terrifying monster's appearance, Barcas abandoning me to rescue Ayla, nearly being killed by the Wyvern—could it all have been nothing more than last ‌‌‌night's nightmare?
As if to deny such thoughts, intense pain radiated from ‌‌‌my knees up through my waist.
I bit ‌‌my lower lip and grasped my knees, which ‌‌burned with a searing ache.
Beneath the thin ‌‌chemise, I felt the rough texture of cloth. As my fingertips traced it, I realized my entire left leg was wrapped in thick bandages, and my eyes ‌‌‌widened in shock.
When I lifted my ‌‌skirt, I ‌‌‌saw cloth fragments stained with blood and serum clinging to my thigh and side.
With trembling hands, I ‌touched them before pulling my skirt back down and pushing myself upright.
The spacious carriage was lined with thick sheets stuffed with cotton, and cushions and summer quilts lay scattered haphazardly about. ‌‌
I gazed numbly at ‌‌these surroundings, then grasped a handle mounted on the wall and struggled to pull myself up. But my legs refused to obey, making it difficult to stand.
As I attempted to straighten my legs, which felt as heavy as lead, a sharp pain shot through my spine, and I collapsed with a thud. A cry escaped my lips as agony pierced my entire body.
"Are you all right?"
Upon hearing my cry, the ‌‌‌‌‌‌carriage suddenly stopped, and the door burst open.
I looked up ‌‌‌at the nobleman silhouetted ‌‌against the light, my eyes narrowed. The Guard Knight, whose hair was already somewhat disheveled on ordinary days, now looked thoroughly unkempt as he gazed down at me with worried eyes.
He ‌‌‌‌climbed into the carriage and rummaged through a small box placed in the corner. ‌‌
"The pain is severe, isn't it? The Healing Mages ‌‌‌have prepared a ‌‌‌painkiller here. If you drink this...."
"Why didn't you cast healing magic on me?"
At my accusatory question, the nobleman hesitated and turned his head.
I pulled the sheet toward me, shooting him a wary look.
"Did my brother order you not to treat me?"
"No, that's not it at all."
The nobleman hastily waved his hands.
"The Healing Mages did set your bones and partially close your wounds in an emergency, but... Your Highness's injuries were so ‌‌‌severe that they couldn't treat everything at once. They said it would be best to entrust your recovery to the specialist Healing Mages at the Imperial ‌Palace...."
As I stared at the ‌‌‌faltering nobleman with distrust, I lowered my gaze to my legs.
I vaguely recalled a massive boulder crushing my knees and thighs. Certainly, if the wounds had simply been left to close naturally, I would have lost the use of my legs permanently. Though I reluctantly acknowledged this fact, I did not cease my complaints.
"So you're telling me to remain in this condition until we reach the Imperial Palace?"
"It will be difficult, but please bear with it a little longer. We plan to ‌‌‌move to Gillian via the fastest possible route."
I regarded him with narrowed eyes before turning my gaze toward the window.
Across the vast plains bathed in pale sunlight, knights ‌‌‌stretched out in a long line. Among them, I found myself unconsciously searching for ash-blonde hair, and I recoiled at myself, drawing the curtains firmly shut. Even that brief movement brought a wave of profound exhaustion.
"It's remarkable that my brother accepted the proposal to return to the Imperial Palace."
"The Wyvern's attack has resulted in considerable casualties. He could hardly openly oppose the argument that we must return as soon as possible to conduct their funerals."
Startled by the unexpectedly caustic retort, I turned to look back, and the Guard Knight, belatedly recognizing the sarcasm laced in his own tone, hastily changed the subject. ‌‌
"More importantly, you don't look well. Please take the medicine first."
The Nobleman held out the medicine bottle cap and presented it before me. Talia, who had been staring ‌‌down at it with obvious reluctance, waved a hand dismissively.
"I don't need it. Just take it and go. I ‌‌‌need to rest now."
"...If you don't trust me, I can summon Count Sierchan for you."
Talia, lying ‌‌back on the bed, fixed him with a hardened gaze.
In that moment, my heart plummeted as ‌‌though I'd been ambushed without warning. Concealing it, I draped ‌‌‌‌a cold smile across my lips and spoke with icy sharpness.
"Do I look like I trust that man?"
"But Your Highness, you...."
"I don't trust anyone."
Talia cut him off savagely. ‌Then, turning to ‌‌‌‌his obstinately earnest face, ‌‌I enunciated each word as though spitting them out.
"Especially not him."
"...."
"So stop overstepping and get out."
The ‌‌‌‌Nobleman, whose lips had trembled as if to say more, released a small sigh and left the carriage.
Shortly after, the stationary Carriage began moving again. ‌‌‌
Talia pulled the thin summer blanket up to her shoulders. The pain that had briefly subsided flared violently once more, and a sensation like ‌‌skin sizzling swept over me. Tossing restlessly and swallowing groans, I squeezed my eyes shut as though fleeing from the agony.
As sunset ‌‌‌approached, a portly Mage arrived to cast recovery magic. ‌‌‌‌
Talia silently accepted his touch. Though the ‌‌‌contact of another's hands was horrifying, I no longer had the strength to refuse.
"I'll light an incense that dulls sensation. The pain should ease considerably."
Perhaps having heard that I'd refused the medicine, the Mage brought a small incense burner to the entrance and lit it.
The acrid air filled the Carriage in an instant. Just as Talia was about to ‌protest against such pointless measures, I felt the taut nerves gradually loosen, and my shoulders relaxed.
The bone-piercing ache slowly subsided, and consciousness grew hazy. It ‌‌‌‌seemed the Mage had burned medicinal herbs with sleep-inducing properties.
I ‌‌welcomed the encroaching drowsiness. But the sleep did not last long. Before much time had passed, the ‌‌‌pain began intensifying again.
Groaning as I awoke, Talia struggled to lift my eyelids. It seemed I would need to summon the Mage and order him to light more incense.
Rubbing my throbbing head, I painfully raised my upper body, when suddenly my breath caught.
Talia's pupils dilated ‌‌as I gazed around the thick darkness.
I couldn't discern what had startled me.
‌‌

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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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