* * *
After the unwelcome visitor left, Talia pressured the healer into filling the room with pale smoke.
As she inhaled the acrid air that shimmered like a heat haze, the sensations boiling inside her gradually began to settle.
A profound sense of relief washed over her.
If she waited a little longer, the hazy fog would invade her mind as well.
Then she would not have to think about anything.
She only wanted to sleep as though dead.
She lay sprawled across the bed and closed her eyes.
But no matter how long she waited, the final thread of consciousness refused to snap, keeping her tethered to reality.
Trying desperately to fall asleep, she leaned closer to the brazier and inhaled the sharp smoke even more deeply.
All it accomplished was making her cough.
The violent fit shook her entire body, and the faint drowsiness gathering around her eyes vanished.
Overcome with frustration, Talia looked out the window.
At some point, the sky had become drenched in deep crimson.
She stared at the dizzying sunset that sent chills crawling down her spine.
After an unknown amount of time, she climbed out of bed as though pulled by an invisible force and planted both feet on the floor.
The medicine seemed to be working properly.
She felt almost no pain.
Experimentally, she took a few steps.
Her left leg lagged behind by half a beat, dragging across the floor, but the agony that usually accompanied every movement of the joint remained silent.
This much would be enough to walk.
She slipped her thin feet into a pair of slippers and retrieved a hooded robe from the wardrobe.
Throwing it loosely over herself, she left the bedroom with a swaying gait.
At this hour, the nanny would probably be lounging in her room.
The healer would have finished her work and returned to her own quarters.
The maids would likewise be resting in their rooms.
Just as she expected, she encountered no one while passing through the long corridor and descending the stairs.
Crossing the spacious hall, Talia slipped out of the detached palace through the servants' side entrance.
A cool breeze brushed gently across her face.
Breathing in the cold air scented with grass and flowers, she wandered forward.
How long she roamed without direction, she did not know.
Then she suddenly realized she had arrived near the training grounds.
A faint question surfaced through the numbness clouding her mind.
Why did I come here?
Staring blankly at the open field bathed in red light, Talia sensed movement and instinctively hid behind a cluster of bushes.
Several knights were sparring at one end of the training ground, their swords flashing through the air.
She watched them vacantly for a moment before moving on.
She continued wandering aimlessly, not knowing where she was going.
Eventually, her clear vision began rippling like disturbed water.
The herbs were finally taking effect.
Dragging her weakened leg behind her, Talia continued forward at a pace slower than a worm.
Then suddenly, she noticed her elongated shadow disappear into deep darkness.
She looked up.
At some point, she had wandered inside a gloomy building.
Where am I now?
Frowning in confusion, she found her gaze drawn to a door standing at the end of a long corridor.
Staggering toward it, she carefully knocked.
A moment later, a low voice answered from within.
“What is it?”
Talia blinked slowly.
Only after hearing that voice did she remember why she had come.
In a clumsy voice, she said,
“I came because there's something I want to tell you.”
A cold silence followed.
Wondering whether she had spoken too quietly, Talia cleared her throat and opened her mouth again.
At that moment, heavy footsteps approached.
The door swung open.
Talia raised her head.
Perhaps he had already finished the day's duties and been resting.
Varkas wore only dark trousers and a loose linen shirt.
As she stared at him with unfocused eyes, a cold voice fell from above.
“You came all the way here dressed like that?”
Talia lowered her gaze to inspect herself.
Between the open folds of the robe she could see the summer nightclothes her nanny had dressed her in.
What exactly was wrong with them?
She frowned.
Then a large piece of fabric settled over her shoulders.
Looking up in confusion, she found Varkas wrapping his own coat securely around her body.
Darkness had begun settling over the corridor.
After covering her completely, he swept a glance through the dim passage.
“Where is your escort?”
“Escort?”
His eyes sharpened.
Varkas lightly gripped her chin and tilted her face upward.
Then he bent toward her and stared directly into her eyes.
“How much sleep-herb did you burn?”
Talia strained her eyes, trying to focus on his face as it repeatedly blurred and shifted.
Varkas was wearing a strange expression she had never seen before.
No.
Perhaps the strange thing was her own mind.
The entire world looked distorted.
Why would this man look normal?
She roughly pushed away the hand holding her face and moved her lips.
“I told you I came because I have something to say.”
She saw his eyes narrow.
Something clearly displeased him.
After studying her with a cool gaze, Varkas straightened and looked out the window at the darkening sky.
Then he glanced over his shoulder into his room.
The sight of him apparently considering something made her increasingly anxious.
Did I accidentally start speaking in some language used by elves and dwarves? Why isn't he answering?
“Didn't you hear me? I said I have something to—”
Suddenly, her body tilted sideways.
Talia grabbed the doorframe in alarm.
The walk from the detached palace to this place must have caused her leg to cramp.
She could feel faint spasms running through the muscles of her left thigh.
Bracing herself against the wall with both hands to avoid collapsing, she shifted her weight onto her other leg.
Then her body abruptly rose into the air.
Startled, she looked up.
A face etched with fatigue filled her vision.
Varkas had lifted her into his arms.
Carrying her, he stepped into a spacious bedroom illuminated by candlelight.
Talia lowered her gaze and looked around.
The scenery felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
She had come here countless times seeking him out.
Yet this was the first time she had ever entered his room.
A sudden laugh escaped her.
Apparently she had only earned the right to step ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) into his sanctuary after her leg became like this.
“We'll talk after the effects of the herbs wear off.”
Varkas lowered her onto his bed and spoke with a weary sigh.
Talia immediately seized the edge of his clothing as he tried to move away.
Through the thin fabric, she could feel the subtle tension running through his perfectly trained body.
Had he somehow guessed what she intended to say?
Trying desperately to force her drifting vision back into focus, she clung to his clothes like a lifeline.
“No. We're talking now. If I regain my senses... I won't be able to say it.”
“......”
“You said that if I agreed... you would take me as your wife.”
He did not answer.
He only continued staring relentlessly into her eyes.
Talia barely managed to move a tongue that felt as limp as overcooked noodles.
“Then do it.”
Her fingers tightened around his clothing.
“Abandon Aila Roem Gwirta and take me as your wife.”
A heavy silence descended.
An unreadable emotion flickered across his face as the crimson sunset blazed behind him.
Was he surprised?
He had probably made the offer assuming she would refuse.
Perhaps her answer had left him at a loss.
Yet when he finally spoke, his voice was frighteningly calm.
“I will do so.”
Talia searched his face through blurred vision.
A hollow laugh slipped from her lips.
His expression was dry and emotionless.
Because of this man, Aila had come to her and lowered the pride she valued more than anything before the half-sister she despised.
Talia herself was consumed by the urge to ruin everything.
And yet this man—
Why was he so calm?
Looking at that cold face that seemed almost touched by boredom, something inside her began to crack.
