She glared at Senevere with suspicion.
What is her intention in getting Talia to accompany him? All she could do was annoy her with her unpoetic pranks.
However, Senevere was not one to mobilize even the Emperors for such a useless act. There must be other plans.
Ayla retorted in a rather stiff tone.
"When a woman of the imperial family goes on a pilgrimage, it is usually before her marriage. Why do you want to let her go this time?"
"Talia might be getting married soon."
Senevere said cheerfully.
Ayla furrowed. She had never heard of a rumor that Thalia had entered the marriage.
Although she was said to have been born out of wedlock, Thalia was a Princess named in the imperial genealogy. They are not in a position to proceed with the marriage without rumors. Senevere must have forced herself to make up a story to get Thalia to join her on this trip.
As she glared at the Empress's face with such suspicion, she heard Barcas' cold voice.
"The marriage took place at a very fortunate time."
Despite the blatant sarcasm, Senevere did not lose her composure.
"It's a good thing that the imperial family has been hit by one after another. They haven't officially engaged yet, but my Majesty and I are thinking positively."
A sneer appeared on Barcas's lips.
"Can you tell me who the lucky one is?"
"I'm sure you've heard his name at least once. The head of the Counts of Serian, Verdein Serian. I got a formal marriage proposal a few days ago."
Senevere said with a benevolent smile on her lips.
"She has been going through the coming-of-age ceremony for a long time, so she's about to get married. I thought that was a good marriage."
Ayla swallowed the laughter that was about to burst out. The Verdein Serian was one of the Empress's ardent followers.
Rumor has it that he once set the record for the longest time as Senevere's lover. Is it insane to marry her daughter to such a man?
When she remembered Thalia appearing at the banquet hall with Count Serian, she was insulted. The mother who wants to marry her daughter to her ex-lover, and the daughter who follows the mother's wishes, both must be crazy.
"Now that things have happened, hurry up the preparations for the child's journey."
As if he wanted to finish the story, the Emperor gave the order in a firm tone and motioned for him to leave.
Barcas, who had been looking up at his monarch with a vague expression, bowed his head silently and slowly stood up. Then he turned around and walked out of the throne room.
Ayla glared at Senevere with a wary look, then turned to him with a puzzled expression. She had never thought that Barcas would step down so easily.
She paid tribute to the Emperor and hurried after him.
"Are you sure you're going to take Thalia with you like this? The child's marriage is just a plausible excuse. Senevere must be plotting something horrible."
"I suppose so."
He replied nonchalantly and walked down the stairs.
Ayla stared blankly at the back, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and quickly caught up with him. Then she grabbed his arm and shouted in a somewhat elevated tone.
"Is that all? I don't know what the Empress will do with Thalia, but I don't know what she will do to you...!"
"What do you want me to do?"
The man stopped walking and gave her a smug look. Ayla flinched. It was then that she realized that his mood was hitting rock bottom.
He was the one who had smiled at her just an hour ago. But he was a stranger again, staring down at her with a cold gaze. He said with a sneer.
"Do you want me to rebel against His Majesty's orders?"
"Im just..."
"He is the monarch of this empire, and I have sworn allegiance to the imperial family. There is no other way than to obey in the first place. Isn't that what your royal family has always demanded of nobles like me?"
Speaking on an unexpected day, Ayla stiffened. The man who looked down at her with a dull look turned around and started walking.
When she saw the back walking away without any hesitation, she was terrified. Ayla ran to him as she had done as a little girl, hugging him around his tight waist.
"I'm sorry! I was worried and threw a tantrum at you. So don't turn around so coldly."
The strength slowly drained from the man's body, who was standing motionless. He let out a faint sigh, then turned and hugged her. Then he gently patted her head as he had done when she was a child.
"Don't worry. No matter what the Empress plots, Your Highness will never be harmed."
She looked up at his face. The man who had turned around with the face of a stranger had suddenly returned to being a loyal knight. Ayla felt her emotions fall into place in an instant.
A man who can easily shake her and calm her down with a few insincere words... In front of this person, her pride, prestige, and authority as a Princess were useless.
Ayla clung to the cold embrace that had never warmed up, even though they had been together for decades, staring intently at the faint blue eyes.
What is this person looking at? His bottomless, empty eyes always seemed to wander far away.
"I swore to the Empress that I would protect you as long as I could."
He swiped a few strands of hair from Ayla over her cheek behind her ear.
"I will keep that promise no matter what. So Your Highness has nothing to worry about."
Ayla studied his face for a long time and then nodded.
Yes, as long as this person is on our side, there is nothing to worry about. Anything.
***
After trimming my broken nails, I felt empty.
How many more weeks do I have to wait for it to grow long enough to be shoved deep into the flesh? I looked down nervously at the pink nails that had begun to rise slightly above my fingertips.
The pride of having wounded the Crown Prince's body did not last long. My precious brother would have gone straight to the priest and healed his hand. On the other hand, I lost my secret weapon that I had painstakingly cultivated for several weeks.
'I wanted to use it to Ayla...'
How many times did I imagine putting my fingernails into her verdant eyes every time she looked at Barcas?
I scraped down the wound caused by her broken nails.
The scab that had just formed was torn off, and drops of blood oozed out. My nerves became sharper and sharper. I stared at my red-dyed nails, put my index finger in my mouth, sucked out the blood lightly, and stood up by the window.
It was hard to find Barcas today. There was no reason to endure the scorching sun and stick to the glass anymore.
I trudged across the room, poured cold water into a basin on a shelf, and gently washed my sweaty face. Then I heard a knock. It seems that the nanny has brought snacks again.
I wiped my face with clean linen and cried out bitterly.
"Come in."
However, what opened the door was not a quarter dwarf with a short stature and chubby limbs, but a small boy with dark auburn coriander hair and bright green eyes.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment