The Forgotten Field

Talia looked back and forth between the head maid's rigid, stern-looking face and the maids standing behind her with suspicious eyes.

"You say that to my face, but you're all planning to report everything behind my back, aren't you?"

"As if we would ever do such a thing. Until Your Highness chooses to announce it yourself, not one of us will utter a single word. Please put your mind at ease."

Standing perfectly straight, the head maid made the promise with a solemn expression.

Talia stared up at her through half-lidded eyes before giving a haughty little nod.

"Fine. Now all of you may leave."

"Have you already forgotten what the High Priestess said? You must remain on absolute bed rest for the time being. From now on, your assigned maids will remain at your side at all times to attend you."

The head maid spoke as if driving a nail into place, then called the maids standing behind her.

"Brisa, Yvonne."

The two girls whose names had been called stepped quietly toward the bed.

Talia slowly examined their youthful faces. They were the young maids who occasionally helped dress her or carried meals to her room.

"They are the quickest-witted and most capable among the maids. Please keep them close and make use of them as you see fit."

The two girls bowed their heads simultaneously.

Looking at them with obvious dissatisfaction, Talia issued a warning in a dignified voice.

"If either of you gets in my way even a little, I'll throw you out."

"We will do everything in our power to ensure we never inconvenience Your Highness."

The maid named Brisa answered in a clear, unwavering voice.

Talia let out a quiet snort before turning over onto her side.

Taking her silent dismissal as an order, everyone except the two maids gradually left the room.

The peace, however, did not last long.

Not long afterward, the healing mage arrived.

"Congratulations, Your Highness."

The woman approached with the same composed expression as always and offered a careful greeting.

Talia glared at her suspiciously.

"So you mean to tell me you never noticed I was carrying a child?"

"I had my suspicions to some extent. However, I believed it would be better to speak only after I was certain."

The woman replied calmly.

A disbelieving laugh escaped Talia's lips.

"You believed? Since when do you have the right to make decisions about my body?"

"...I was only worried that Your Highness would be heartbroken."

Lowering her eyes, the healing mage quietly defended herself.

"You have already been under considerable pressure regarding pregnancy, have you not? During the early stages there is always the possibility of a misdiagnosis. Moreover, Your Highness's physical condition was extremely poor, so I intended to observe you for a few more days before saying anything."

Talia's expression darkened.

"My condition is that bad?"

For a brief moment, conflict flickered across the healer's face.

She glanced toward the two maids standing beside the bed before explaining in the language of the elves.

"Your Highness has a constitution that makes pregnancy itself difficult. Your vitality has always been exceptionally weak, and your pelvis was also slightly displaced because of the accident. Even if you do conceive, you must exercise extraordinary caution."

Although there were several unfamiliar words mixed into the explanation, understanding the meaning was not difficult.

The color drained from Talia's face as she pressed her lips tightly together.

Seeing from her reaction that Talia had understood, the healing mage continued.

"I remained silent until now because I did not wish for the Grand Ducal House to learn this. If, by any chance, something were to happen to the child, Your Highness might be the one blamed."

Swallowing hard, Talia slowly forced out clumsy Elvish.

"The High Priestess of the Grand Temple of Kalmor examined me. By now... everyone must already know."

"I have just returned from meeting that priestess under the pretext of hearing her opinion. Fortunately, she doesn't appear to have noticed anything about Your Highness's constitution."

The healing mage let out a small sigh, took Talia's hand in hers, and urged her,

"Even so, from now on, please avoid being examined by anyone else whenever possible. If Your Highness safely gives birth to a son through this pregnancy, everything should be fine... but there is always the possibility that something unexpected could happen."

Talia's lips stiffened.

The elation that had made her feel almost intoxicated vanished in an instant.

Biting down repeatedly on her lower lip, she finally gave a small nod.

"I understand."

"Please don't worry too much. I will watch over Your Highness's health even more carefully."

The healing mage lightly patted the back of Talia's cold hand in consolation before switching back to the Empire's common tongue.

"Now then, let me examine your leg."

She opened the leather pouch tucked beneath her arm and took out the medicinal ointment for the scars along with the pain medication Talia took regularly.

Talia looked uneasily toward the maids.

Knowing she disliked exposing her body, the two girls immediately set up folding screens around the bed.

Quietly relieved by their thoughtfulness, Talia carefully lowered her legs over the side of the bed.

As she lifted the wide skirt of her dress, angry red scars appeared beneath the loosely wrapped bandages. The wounds had become so raw that the bandages had been wrapped loosely out of necessity.

Carefully removing them, the healing mage meticulously applied the medicinal paste over every scar before wrapping them again with fresh, clean bandages, just as loosely as before.

Afterward, she brewed a cup of herbal tea said to calm both body and mind, then quietly left the bedroom.

At last, with no one left to disturb her rest, Talia curled herself tightly beneath the blankets.

She had conceived a child.

In that sense, she had accomplished her objective.

So why did she still feel so anxious?

If the baby she carried turned out to be a daughter, everything would have to begin again from the very beginning.

And what if she failed to become pregnant a second time?

What would become of her then?

She had been fortunate this time.

There was no guarantee fortune would favor her again.

To make matters worse, if people learned that she had difficulty conceiving, the eastern nobles would surely try to strip her of her position as Grand Duchess.

In the worst-case scenario, she might even be sent away to a convent.

Even there, she could hardly expect a peaceful life.

Gareth would stop at nothing to have her killed.

As for her mother... there was no reason Senevier would continue protecting a daughter who had outlived her usefulness.

Lost in increasingly extreme fantasies, Talia finally forced herself to stop.

It was not yet time to assume the worst.

No matter what, she had succeeded in conceiving exactly as she had planned.

If she safely gave birth to the heir of the Grand Ducal House, her own safety would surely be guaranteed as well.

Suppressing her anxiety as best she could, Talia finished the bowl of porridge the maids had brought her before drifting into an afternoon nap.

When she opened her eyes again, the sun had already sunk noticeably lower in the sky.

As she gazed through the window at the darkening heavens, the heavy sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears.

Straightening herself, she watched as Varkas entered the bedroom much earlier than usual.

"How are you feeling?"

Removing his coat and casually draping it over a chair, Varkas strode toward the bed.

Judging from the strong scent of soap and mint clinging to him, he had once again washed himself in the communal bath used by the knights.

"About... the same as always."

After briefly glancing at his amber-colored hair, which had not yet fully dried, Talia lowered her gaze again, suddenly fidgeting.

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, Varkas placed the back of his hand against her forehead, his brows knitting together.

"You still have a slight fever."

"That's because I've been sitting too close to the stove."

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Talia hurriedly changed the subject.

"More importantly, why are you back so early today? The head steward said the meeting would run late..."

"I purchased what Your Highness requested and returned as quickly as I could."

Varkas slipped a hand inside his richly embroidered tunic and took out a small bundle.

Talia stared blankly at it.

His long, elegant fingers, their joints distinctly defined, deftly undid the carefully wrapped leather covering, revealing five or six red berries wrapped in crumpled sheets of paper.

"The flesh is somewhat firm, and the sweetness is lacking a little, but they said it's the best variety currently available. Even so, I've already commissioned the Lakashim merchants to continue searching. They should be able to procure better ones within a month. Until then, I hope these will suffice."

Talia could only stare in astonishment.

She had indeed asked him to find some.

But winter had already begun.

She knew perfectly well that obtaining strawberries in a region this cold was no easy task—not even for the Emperor of the Empire.

"Would you like to try one?"

Varkas peeled away the wrapping from a single strawberry and held it out to her.

Talia gazed blankly at the plump crimson fruit before slowly opening her mouth.

The small berry was gently placed upon her tongue.

She rolled it around before biting into it.

An intense sourness, strong enough to bring tears to her eyes, spread through her mouth, followed by a sweet fragrance.

"Well?"

Varkas asked as he brushed the juice from her lips with his thumb.

Feeling her throat tighten for some reason, she lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze.

It was delicious enough to make her want to cry.

More delicious than anything she had ever eaten in her life.

"...It's not bad."