The Forgotten Field

His long, elegant fingers skillfully separated the ruby-red seeds that gleamed like precious gems.

As she accepted each one from him, Talia quietly studied his face in the firelight.

Though he cared for her with the utmost attentiveness, as if tending a newborn chick, Varkas still wore that inscrutable, mask-like expression.

Once, she had been desperate to know what lay behind it.

Now...

She no longer cared.

Talia placed a hand over her lower abdomen and pressed lightly.

Beneath the thin layer of skin, she could feel the uterus beginning to swell, taut and firm.

When she had first learned she was pregnant, she hadn't been able to relax for even a single moment, terrified that something might happen to the baby.

Learning that she had difficulty conceiving had only deepened those fears.

If her lower abdomen so much as tightened a little, panic would seize her, wondering if something had gone wrong. Every tiny change in her body felt like an ominous sign.

Ironically, the one who had finally put her mind at ease was a healer from House Siorcan.

Perhaps because she herself had once lost a child, Tiuran understood better than anyone what precautions had to be taken.

At first, Talia had been somewhat reluctant to trust her, but little by little she began taking Tiuran's advice seriously.

After all, if anything happened to the child, Tiuran's own life would likely be forfeit. Surely she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Whatever the reason, the eastern healer's knowledge proved remarkably useful.

Thanks to her, Talia gradually regained her peace of mind.

And once her heart settled, she was finally able to devote herself entirely to the tiny life growing within her.

'At this stage... would it be about the size of a fist?'

Nibbling thoughtfully on the pomegranate seeds Varkas fed her one by one, Talia carefully traced the outline of her slightly firmer lower abdomen.

This child had originally been conceived out of necessity.

If she bore the heir to the Grand Ducal House of Siorcan, no one in the East would dare cast her aside.

Even if Gareth eventually ascended the throne, she had calculated that the child would become her shield.

She had never imagined that a life conceived solely for her own survival would become something she longed to know so deeply.

In her mind, Talia tried to picture the tiny life growing inside her.

Would the baby be small and adorable like a fairy child?

Perhaps hair and eyes had already begun to form.

If so...

What color would they be?

Maybe the child would inherit her own deep golden hair and dark blue eyes.

Or perhaps they would resemble Varkas, with pale blond hair and blue-gray eyes dusted with silver.

Whichever it was...

The child would surely be the most beautiful being in the world.

Her curiosity only grew stronger with each passing day.

Talia wanted to know everything—the baby's appearance, voice, personality...

She could think of nothing else.

Even Varkas, who had once occupied most of her thoughts, had gradually been pushed aside.

"Tell me... if it's a girl, what will we do?"

Lost in a lazy daydream while slowly chewing another pomegranate seed he offered her, Talia suddenly asked.

Varkas, who had already finished feeding her one entire pomegranate and was reaching for another, glanced sideways at her.

His brows drew together deeply.

It was the face of someone who had apparently never once considered the baby's sex.

Without warning, anxiety flooded her.

Wasn't he as curious about this child as she was?

Come to think of it...

He often sat her on his lap and stroked her belly, yet he had never once spoken about the baby itself.

Perhaps the only thing that interested him was the heir who would succeed him.

As though driving a nail into that fear, Varkas murmured quietly,

"...I'd rather not even think about it."

Talia froze in shock.

Still looking down at the knife he had been using to peel the pomegranate, Varkas added calmly,

"If she takes after you, every vermin imaginable will swarm around her. Dealing with them alone would be troublesome enough."

Talia instinctively shrank her shoulders.

Rather than anger, his troubled murmur filled her with worry.

If a daughter who resembled her were born...

Just as he said, wouldn't every beast in existence set its sights on her?

A kind of fear she had never experienced before washed over her.

Talia abruptly sat upright.

"That's exactly why you'll have to protect her perfectly. Make sure no one can ever hurt her. Staying by her side and protecting her is your responsibility."

Varkas turned to look at her, faint lines appearing around his eyes.

He seemed genuinely puzzled as to why she felt the need to say something so obvious.

He nodded calmly.

"I fully intend to. Until we find her a husband worthy of her trust, it is the duty of the head of the family to protect and care for his daughter."

"Don't say such ridiculous things. She's never getting married."

A sharp edge suddenly entered Talia's voice.

She glared at him with narrowed eyes before wrapping both arms protectively around her stomach, as if afraid someone might steal the child away.

"I'll keep her with me forever. Never. Never will I send her anywhere."

Varkas's eyes widened slightly.

Only then did Talia realize that her voice had begun to tremble with tears.

She couldn't understand why her eyes had suddenly become so hot.

Biting down hard on her quivering lip, she finally forced out the words that had been lodged in her throat.

"I'll never leave my baby all alone in some unfamiliar place. I won't let my child tremble in fear among strangers, and I won't make my baby endure loneliness by themselves. I'll always... always stay beside them. I'll hold them every night and keep them safe."

What had begun as quiet muttering became almost sobbing by the end.

She didn't even have time to feel embarrassed.

Something like blazing fire kept surging up from deep inside her.

In a panic, Talia grabbed Varkas's sleeve and tugged desperately.

"You have to do the same."

Through the tears overflowing from her eyes, she could vaguely make out his expression hardening.

She shook his arm insistently.

"Say you'll do it."

The man, who had remained completely still as though startled by her sudden breakdown, abruptly tossed aside what he was holding and climbed onto the bed.

As though it were the most natural thing in the world, Talia settled herself on his lap.

His long, powerful arms immediately wrapped around her back.

"I will."

His deep voice fell softly above her head.

Gripping his clothes tightly enough to nearly tear the fabric, Talia stared directly into his pale blue eyes.

"Can you swear it?"

"I swear."

"You promised me. No matter what happens, you'll protect our baby."

His calloused thumb gently wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

His voice had grown slightly rough.

"Yes. I'll do everything you ask. So stop crying."

Talia parted her lips.

She wanted to press him even harder.

You have to put our child before everyone.

Before Gareth.

Before Aila.

She swallowed the words before they could escape.

If, even for a moment, he hesitated to answer...

She didn't think she could bear it.

Suppressing her sobs, Talia wrapped both arms around his neck and buried years of grief against his rock-solid shoulder.

"Even... even if it's a boy... I'll keep him with me. I won't send him to the Imperial Palace or to the Temple."

She felt the hand around her back tighten.

Varkas murmured in a low, heavy voice,

"Then that's what we'll do. Whether it's a daughter or a son, we'll keep our child with us for the rest of our lives."

For some reason, those words only made the sorrow inside her swell even more.

Talia rubbed her tear-soaked cheek against his taut neck.

Varkas gently patted her back.

It was a touch that seemed to promise everything would be all right.

That there would be no more suffering.

No more sadness.

More than anything...

Talia wanted to believe that promise.