49.
What was so strange about waking in the dead of night that it caused such a start?
She took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm her violently pounding heart. Yet, the feeling of suffocation only grew.
Struggling to force air into her constricted throat, Talia could no longer bear the stifling sensation and stood.
The leg that had been splinted cried out in agony, but she had no time to weigh the cost; she was on the verge of losing her breath entirely. Tumbling from the carriage, Talia stumbled forward, mouth agape, desperate to draw in the cool night air.
Soon, she spotted flickering lights nearby. A profound sense of relief washed over her, and she dragged her stiff, spasming leg toward the large, crackling bonfire.
Just then, a cheerful voice tinged with mockery drifted on the wind.
“It’s divine retribution.”
Talia halted.
A woman sitting before the fire poked at the embers with a long branch, chattering loudly.
“You all know it. How that woman cursed Her Highness the First Imperial Princess. She even barged into the birthday banquet and caused a scene!”
The maid’s voice rose with excitement.
Talia scrutinized the face illuminated by the fire. The features were unfamiliar; she must be a servant who attended to Aila or Gareth.
The maid took a sip from her cup and continued to wag her tongue gleefully.
“Clearly, God has passed judgment. Since her curse returned to haunt her, it’s only fair she reaps what she sowed!”
“I heard she might end up a cripple. Is it true?”
“It’s highly likely! I heard from a maid serving the Second Imperial Princess that her leg bone was shattered into pieces, and it took hours to assemble it like a puzzle.”
Talia flinched, looking down at her own leg.
The woman’s voice lowered, dripping with malice.
“They say she even has hideous scars on her body? The skin is so twisted that not even magic can remove them cleanly. It’s all blotchy and sickeningly grotesque.”
“Well, we won’t have to see that woman trampling all over the Imperial Palace as she pleases anymore.”
“I suppose so. Her only pride has been tarnished! How could she act so haughty as before with a body like that?”
Jeering laughter erupted, as if they were delighted by her misfortune.
Talia, who had been standing frozen, dragged her leg toward the woman from behind.
The faces of those who caught sight of her shadow turned ghostly pale. But the woman chattering away had not yet realized her presence. She continued to blather on.
“Now, her marriage prospects are as good as dead. Which family would take in a woman who is not only born an illegitimate child but also a cripple—Eek!”
The woman let out a sharp shriek as her hair was suddenly yanked back.
Ignoring her, Talia gripped the tightly braided hair with savage force. The woman’s skin turned deathly white with shock and horror once she recognized her assailant.
Looking down at her, Talia curled her lips slightly.
“Why, keep talking.”
“Y-Your Highness…”
“What is there to fear from a woman who is born an illegitimate child and is a cripple?”
The woman’s eyes widened. Between the lips that had been smirking just moments ago, a ragged sob burst out.
“I-I was wrong, Your Highness. I, I have committed a grave sin…”
“What sin have you committed?”
“I, I…”
The woman’s lips trembled, struggling to form the words.
“I i-insulted Your Highness with i-impious words. P-please, be generous and f-forgive…”
“If you’ve done something wrong, you should be punished; why think of being forgiven first?”
The woman’s complexion turned ash-gray.
Talia, peering down at that sallow face, turned her head to scan the group gathered around the bonfire.
The maids, who had been frozen like mice before a snake, bowed their heads low. Finding a knight who was visibly tense among them, Talia gestured lightly with her chin.
“You, come here.”
The knight hesitated before approaching with reluctant steps.
Talia pulled down on the hair she clutched, forcing the woman to kneel before the knight.
“Since you’ve insulted the Imperial family with your three-inch tongue, you must pay the price. Draw your sword and do your duty.”
The knight’s shoulders stiffened.
A stifled, breathless cry erupted from the woman’s throat. Looking down at the scene with a dark expression, the knight placed a hand over his chest and bowed deeply.
“Your Highness, we are already short on manpower preparing for the funeral and tending to the wounded. If we carry out an execution now, it will cause unnecessary commotion and unrest. Please, release your anger…”
“Are you saying you will defy my orders?”
Keeping his mouth shut, the knight bowed his head even lower.
Talia let out a snort at the silent refusal, her face twisting.
“If you won’t do it, I will.”
Talia shoved the woman’s hair away and lunged at the knight. Startled by the sudden action, the man reflexively grabbed her shoulders. Talia glared at him, her eyes burning with fury.
“How dare you lay your hands on me!”
The man pulled back as if burned. Not missing the opening, Talia grabbed the hilt of the sword at his waist.
But the longsword was heavier than she expected, and her leg was too weak to support her. As she tried to draw the blade, Talia lost her balance and collapsed.
A terrible silence descended over the scene.
Talia clutched her spasming leg and looked up.
The rigid, horrified faces of the knight and the maids filled her vision.
Old memories stirred. Dozens of pairs of cold eyes looking down at her as she lay helplessly in her own vomit. The shame, the humiliation, and the primal fear of that day resurfaced, scorching her mind.
She placed her trembling hands on the ground and pushed. She wanted to spring to her feet and assert her dignity as an Imperial Princess, but her leg would not budge.
Talia, straining to force her uncooperative body to stand, stiffened when she discovered the woman staring blankly at her.
The woman who had mocked her was now watching her crawl on the floor.
She could not allow it.
Groping the ground, Talia picked up a piece of firewood from the flames. The intense heat seared her fingers, but the pain of her flesh could not outweigh the agony of her trampled pride.
She struck the woman’s face with the glowing log.
A piercing scream shattered the night.
Not satisfied, she tried to swing the log once more, but a dark shadow lunged from the darkness and snatched her body away.
Talia struggled like an enraged beast. Then, she caught a familiar scent and ceased all movement. Varkas, who held her easily with one arm, looked down at her with cold eyes.
Locked in his gaze, she gasped for air; he snatched the firewood from her hand and threw it far away. Just as he had taken her sword before, he had disarmed her again.
Resentment surged within her.
This man never stands on my side.
He won’t fight for me, yet he won’t even let me defend myself.