"If you do that, I'll check the ingredients. That will be a relief to Your Highness."
I neither affirmed nor denied, but waved my hand as if to ask my to step back. The woman immediately lowered her head and left the room.
I, who was sitting in front of the fireplace and watching the burning embers, got up from my seat with a deep sense of fatigue.
As I lay down on the soft sheet, the pain that had spread down my knees gradually subsided.
The sensation of the tingling skin seemed to be the effect of the ointment. also became Insensitive. However, as the anesthetic ingredients mixed with the plaster spread, my consciousness gradually became hazy.
I looked up at the stained ceiling with glazed eyes and turned my gaze to the red-glowing glass window.
Before I knew it, the sky was dyed from bright amber to dark wine.
The intensely burning sunset will soon be engulfed in darkness. That would give you an advantage in raiding the enemy.
I wished for a deeper and quieter night than ever before. That way, Barcas's enemies wouldn't find him..
As I imagined the battle that would take place in pitch darkness, I immediately shook off my distractions.
Before he was even twenty years old, he had beaten all the hundreds of Roem Knights to rise to the position of Templar Commander. It will be nothing more than to wipe out the crowd of marauders.
I, who struggled to shake off my anxiety, slowly closed my eyes. The sound of a bell announcing the end of the day permeated my consciousness, which was gradually blurring.
As I listened to the faint resonance from the bell tower. I fell asleep as if I had fainted at some point.
I regained consciousness at dawn when darkness fell.
I lifted my eyelids in a burning thirst and pulled the neck of my linen dress in response to the suffocation that suddenly came.
Still, the frustration that seemed to weigh on my breath didn't go away, so I crawled to the end of the bed and reached for the lamp.
At that moment, a scarlet glimmer of light flowed down the wall. Following the faint light trail, I turned my head and took a deep breath when I saw the light of the fireplace almost extinguished. The thin beams of light felt like fresh air.
Breathing heavily, I got out of bed and walked to the fireplace. I saw a few embers sizzling in the black ashes.
I picked up a few pieces of firewood to keep the flames alive, pushed them into the fireplace, and slammed down the bellows on the floor. Then, the firewood began to emit smoke and emit bright flames.
As I looked down at it and let out a small sigh of relief, I heard a strange sound from somewhere.
I turned my head slightly. It was only after a few seconds that I realized it was the cry of an animal.
Did a wild dog appear?
I walked to the window and opened it with a careful hand. The cold and dry wind hit my face.
I, who was shuddering from the cold sensation, turned my head to chase the clearer sound.
A mournful cry echoed over the hill where the white moonlight was pouring. However, the Image of a beast howling with its neck open was nowhere to be found.
Or is it a sound coming from the forest?
As I turned my gaze to the end of the meadow, someone knocked on the door. I glared at the door with a wary expression.
"Who is there?"
"I beg you, Your Highness. I felt the presence and came to see if you were feeling pain."
He was a healer belonging to the Sheerkan family.
My eyes narrowed, and she immediately shot at her in a sullen tone.
"I just couldn't sleep. Step back."
There was a moment of silence. The woman, who was pacing in front of the door as if hesitating about something, finally made a cautious suggestion.
"If you don't mind, can I prepare herbal tea so you can sleep comfortably?"
I frowned. I was annoyed that she did not immediately obey the order to leave.
"No need..."
I, who was about to say no as usual, suddenly shut up. I remembered that I had promised to deliver the drug she had made to the magician of the Taren family.
I didn't really suspect that she was giving me a suspicious drug, but it wouldn't hurt to be careful.
After thinking for a while, I immediately replied with a sigh.
"Yes. Come in."
After a while, the healer entered the room with a small package in her hand.
I looked at her with a searching gaze.
As if I had just woken up from my bed, I was wearing only a gray robe over a loose woolen dress that looked like pajamas.
The woman walked in front of the fireplace, her tousled hair behind her ears, as if embarrassed.
"Please wait a moment. I'll make it soon."
Then she hung the brass pot on the shelf over the fire and took out a bunch of herbs from the package.
The woman who mixed several of them and pushed them into the kettle immediately remembered the lukewarm water.
Soon after, the scent of chamomile and lavender wafted in.
"Well, that's it."
The woman who had poured an appropriate amount of herbal tea carefully held out the glass.
I held it in my hand and looked down. Perhaps honey was put inside, and the sweet smell was faintly mixed with the scent of flowers.
As I was savoring it, a long cry once again cut through the night air. I let out a nervous sigh. It seemed like it had been barking all night.
"Close the windows. Draw the curtains."
The woman immediately complied with the order. However, even though the windows were tightly closed and the thick curtains were closed, the cries of the beasts became clearer.
The healer looked back at me with a puzzled face.
"It looks like the wolf is missing someone in this village."
I glared at her with a stunned expression.
"Are you going to joke with me now?"
"It's not like that..."
The woman, who looked puzzled by the harsh reaction, soon continued speaking in a calm tone.
"In the East, there is a myth that those who die without being baptized are reborn as wild animals. The cry that comes at night is considered to be a song they sing while missing the person they loved in their lifetime."
I snorted.
"Unbaptized souls will only fall into the abyss and perish. Don't you even know such basic doctrines?"
"Of course, I know it very well."
A bitter aura suddenly appeared on the corner of the woman's mouth.
"But rather than believing that a loved one has fallen into the abyss, wouldn't it be more comforting to believe that he has returned to his side in the form of a beast? Priests also turn a blind eye to such beliefs."
I looked surprised.
"Are there so many people who die without being baptized?"
"Like all citizens of the empire, we Easterners are baptized within a hundred days of birth. However, such blessings are not allowed for stillborn children."
I, who read the hint of pain in the woman's voice, stiffened my body.
Has this healer ever lost a child?
I was restless because I didn't know what to say, but the woman showed a gentle smile as if to cheer up the atmosphere.
"The tea will cool down. Come on."
I, who was paying attention to the woman, immediately took a sip of lukewarm tea.
The healer, who had been quietly watching the scene, placed a few vials on the shelf and went outside.
I lay on the bed and listened to the cries that were getting softer and softer.
Perhaps I heard the song calling me. That's probably why I haven't been able to sleep until now.
I, who was thinking about this in a daze, immediately shook off the useless thoughts from my mind.
It was overwhelming to look into my pain. I couldn't afford to care about other people's things.
***
Perhaps the herbal tea helped; I was able to fall asleep deeply without dreaming.
I woke up feeling refreshed and looked at the brightly lit glass window with my eyes that had not yet disappeared.
At that time, I felt a sense of presence from afar.
Did the nanny bring at least some washing water?
I rubbed my tight eyelids and turned my head towards the sound I had heard, and I felt a slightly cool finger wrapping around my cheek.
My eyes widened. When he returned, Barcas, dressed in comfortable clothes, was leaning over the bed.
I, who had been blinking blankly, jumped up and straightened my upper body.
Just as I was about to examine him from head to toe to see if he was hurt anywhere, his chin lifted up, and his lips came down without warning.
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