In an instant, Barcas, who had arrived in front of the carriage, threw me down on the seat.
I rubbed my throbbing ass and glared at him with angry eyes. Then I froze when I saw his face hardened. Barcas, who was looking down at me with a look of limited patience, said squirmingly.
"Didn't I warn you not to cause any more trouble?"
After a moment of hesitation, I let out a rebellious look.
"Why should I listen to you? What the hell are you?"
"It's more than a nominal Princess."
A cold sneer appeared on Barcas' lips.
I jumped to my feet, crying. I couldn't stand it without slapping that arrogant mug.
However, Barcas was one step faster. Barcas, leaning over me and blocking the movement of my arms, looked down at me with a dull look. A dry gaze, devoid of compassion, ran down my blood-curdled cheeks and the nape of my neck, which must have been blackened and bruised.
A sigh of disgust came out of his mouth.
"What do you really not know about? No one here will actively protect you. If His Highness the Crown Prince decides to do so, no one can guarantee your life."
"Why do you care about that?"
I cried sharply.
"If I disappear from this world, aren't you the one who will be the most relieved?"
"I can't deny it."
Despite the expected answer, I felt my heart bleed.
He spoke with a brutally calm voice.
"But I cannot allow His Highness the Crown Prince to jeopardize his position. So, if you want to hurt yourself, do it yourself."
I gave strength to my hot eyes.
He slowly pulled himself to his feet. His face was suddenly overlaid with a solid knight's mask. He added in a businesslike tone.
"First, I'm going to bring in a healer. Take a break after you have recovered."
I answered by picking up a glass of wine from the floor and throwing it away. A silver goblet slammed into his chest and tumbled to the ground. Barcas looked at me coldly, and then he walked out of the carriage.
I closed the door roughly. The tears that I had desperately held back ran down my cheeks. I hurriedly closed my mouth to see if the sobs would leak out. The cry in my throat tightened my breath. I wanted to suffocate as it was.
***
At the top of Ulgram Hill, only the white temple that Emperor Darian had built to commemorate Osiria's independence remained.
The pilgrims stopped in front of it and looked up at the magnificent white architecture with awe in their eyes.
Even after all these years, the temple has been preserved almost perfectly.
They scanned the prayers and statues of heroes on the walls, falling into a religious ecstasy. However, the Crown Prince did not seem to feel any emotion from the relics left by his ancestors.
Gareth jumped out of the saddle and asked, scanning the archway with a grim look.
"Is this the second holy place?"
"Yes, Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
One of the attendants replied nervously.
The attendants, who knew that his mood had hit rock bottom since the day before, were all looking at the Crown Prince with a dazed expression. Only Barcas had his usual calm attitude.
"No priest is living here. We will prepare the ceremony ourselves."
Barcas stepped up to the Prince's side and said.
The Crown Prince, who had been glaring at him with a strange look of hostility, turned around and replied.
"Then don't hesitate and do it quickly."
Before his instructions could be given, the attendants parked the wagon near the temple and began to unload the packages. The attendants of the first and second Princess, who arrived late, also joined them.
While the soldiers quickly set up the tent, the servants took out the ceremonial incense burner and chalice from the chest, as well as the silver pitchers and candlesticks, and began to polish them. After the rough preparations were completed, the maids immediately helped the Crown Prince and the First Princess with their adornment.
Edrick, who had been watching from a distance, approached the carriage where Thalia was parked. In order to participate in the ceremony, he had to invite her to dress up as well. But strangely, his mouth didn't drop.
He stared at the tightly closed door and scratched the back of his head rather roughly. Remembering the image of the Second Princess he had seen last evening, her stomach twisted uncomfortably.
Edrick stretched out his arm to knock and looked at the Prince's barracks a little farther away.
While the servants took out a large bathtub in front of the tent and filled it with water and lit a fire, the Prince reclined in a chair and sipped wine leisurely. His carefree appearance made his mouth bitter.
"You don't seem to feel any guilt for assaulting your sister to that point."
Edrick had heard rumors that the Crown Prince would slap the Second Princess with his hand, but he didn't expect it to be that big.
He clenched his fists, remembering the sight of a slender woman, less than a handful, struggling and strangled by a distracted man in the face. At that time, Lord Sheerkan was nearby, and a terrible tragedy almost happened.
Edrick looked down at his sweaty palms and then turned around.
It was obvious that Talia Roem Guirta would insist on not participating in the ceremony anyway. He doesn't need to lose his energy.
Edrick swallowed a heavy sigh and was about to walk towards the temple when he heard a rattling sound behind him.
"Hey, you."
Edrick turned his head and saw Thalia standing with her arms folded at the entrance of the carriage, and his eyes widened. As if nothing had happened, the woman with her usual arrogant expression got out of the carriage and nodded.
"Bring the maids."
"...Yes?"
The woman gave him an annoyed look as he blinked in the distance.
"Ugly and bad-brained, deaf? I'm going to dress up, so call the maids right away!"
Edrick, who was stunned by the rant he had never heard before, immediately turned around and summoned the servants the Empress had given him.
For some reason, Thalia's tongue was twitching vigorously, and a sigh of relief flowed out. The healer had healed the wound the previous night, but she had been starving all day and had suffered so much that he was worried that she would be sick.
'Thankfully, she seems to be fine.'
She had narrowly escaped with her life, but she had mocked the Crown Prince without any sign of intimidation. You can't get discouraged so easily.
Edrick laughed sheepishly and immediately ordered his servants to fetch water and his men to keep their uniforms open. It seemed that the Second Princess was finally willing to participate in the traditional ceremonies of the imperial family, so he intended to take care of her as a knight of the guard.
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