Be didn't know when she would start to scratch again, but in recent years she has become noticeably calmer. Apparently, he didn't even have the energy left to do trickery.
'Did you bring me here for nothing?'
Looking down at her emaciated face with worried eyes, Barcas immediately stepped out of the carriage.
The bright sunlight poured down like a torrential rain over their heads. Blindingly, a pale wrinkle was drawn on her pale brow.
He cast a shadow over her eyes with the hem of his coat and went straight through the gate. Hundreds of pairs of curious eyes flew towards them. Suddenly, he felt a stiffness in his spine.
He was always surrounded by countless eyes, so he was used to being the center of attention. Nevertheless, he couldn't easily calm down from the peeking gaze on the woman in his arms.
"It seems that the Grand Duchess is not feeling well."
The captain of the guard, who had been chasing him to guide hi,m muttered sadly. His eyes were fixed on her tousled hair and Ivory-white cheeks. He suppressed the urge to hide her and spat it dry.
"I would appreciate it if you could show me to the bedroom first."
"Of course, we have to be considerate. Come this way. Lord Temuran has asked me to serve His Excellency the Grand Duke with utmost sincerity."
The man immediately took the lead and started walking.
Following him up the stairs, he was led to a quiet hall and dark corridors reminiscent of a monastery.
"You can use this room."
The man crossed the space that appeared to be the reception room and opened the Iron-rimmed door. Entering it, Barcas took a closer look at the neat Interior decoration. It was a simple but not shabby bedroom. When he decided that it would not be enough to stay for a few days, he put her on the bed.
Meanwhile, Thalia was deeply asleep.
Did the tranquilizer given to her by the healer not wear off? He was paying close attention to the woman who was struggling to come to her senses, and he saw the captain of the guard pacing around the door.
He asked me a straight question.
"What is it?"
"I am sorry, but Lord Temuran has immediately requested to see Your Excellency. You can come to the reception room right now."
Barcas frowned.
It was customary to encourage guests who came from long distances to take a break. This meant that Temuran was a reckless person who did not know the case, or that he had an urgent matter that was difficult to distinguish between examples.
Barcas, who looked at him for a moment, nodded.
"Soon to branch."
The man, who had been frozen with a nervous face, breathed a sigh of relief.
He instructed his subordinates waiting in the hallway to call a healer, and then went straight after the man.
After a while, an old-fashioned space with bright lights appeared.
He walked past the intricately patterned carpet and approached the heavy wooden table. An elderly man sitting across from him jumped up to greet him.
"Thank you for coming, Your Excellency."
As if the word "captain of the guard" was not a lie, the old knight had a flimsy face.
Barcas, who had been quietly watching him, sat down silently. Then the old man put his buttocks back on the chair and hurriedly opened his mouth.
"Please forgive me for my rudeness. As you can see, my health is not good and I don't know when I will collapse. The fact that I dared to hasten the steps of Your Excellency the Grand Duke in the desire to see you when I was even a little mentally Intact is not enough to apologize a hundred times..."
"Now that you have four legs, tell me what you have done for calling me."
Barcas cut off the long-winded words with a single knife.
The old knight, who was wiping away the sweat from his forehead and watching him, finally opened his mouth.
"Fact... I had one question I wanted to ask, so I asked for an interview."
The man opened his mouth with difficulty and held out a hand to the servant standing behind him. Then the young man, who was standing quietly like a shadow, placed the parchment document in his hand.
The old knight held it out and continued in a nervous voice.
"Not long ago, I received news that the Heimdall family was gathering warriors from the north. Is it true that the rumor that His Highness the Crown Prince is behind it?"
Barcas, who received the parchment paper, began to read it carefully.
Apparently, it was Information handed over by someone from a merchant traveling between the north and the east.
The document, which was transcribed so that the author could not be identified, contained the movements of the northern nobility and the testimony of many knights belonging to the imperial family in Amasec.
He quickly skimmed it down and tapped the wooden table with his fingertips, but the old knight continued cautiously.
"Recently, there has been a rumor between Her Royal Highness the First Princess and the heir of the Heimdall family. Do you know these facts..."
"What exactly do you want to know?
Barcas, who took his eyes off the parchment, asked a straightforward question.
The old knight, who was pursing his lips with a nervous face, finally got to the point.
"I would like to hear the exact position of the Grand Duke. Which side are we on?"
Instead of answering, Barcas stared at the man's face.
Unable to bear the brief silence, the old knight hurriedly poured out.
"Rumors began to spread that Your Excellency's marriage could lead to a possible turn in the East to neutrality or lean over the side of the Empress. And His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has recently begun to establish close relations with the North. Some people are worried that there may be an armed conflict."
Barcas made a mistake.
It had only been a few months since his broken engagement and marriage took place. In the meantime, everyone was busy.
Leaning back in his chair, Barcas picked up the parchment and placed it on the candle on the table. The yellow document shrank in an instant, emitting black smoke.
He stared at it for a while, then turned his eyes back to the old knight and spat it out firmly.
"Nothing has changed. The East supports Gareth Roem Guerta."
"Then why did His Highness the Crown Prince go to the north..."
"A disloyal servant is trying to somehow restore the face of his sister, who has been buried in the ground. How many families in this empire can match the Sheerkhan family?"
Even with his affirmation, the doubts on the knight's face did not disappear.
Barcas let out a sigh of fatigue
"I understand that you are in a position to manage the area adjacent to the north, so I understand that you feel like an old man, but you seem to be overly sensitive. At best, it's just a rumor."
"Are you saying that Your Excellency is still on the side of His Highness the Crown Prince?"
The persistent question made him feel uncomfortable at first glance, but Barcas showed patience.
"Yes. The Sheerkan family will not be at odds with His Highness the Crown Prince."
Only then did a sense of relief appear on the old knight's face.
"Thank you for your kind answer. I think I can finally get out of the pain with your consideration."
Barcas shook his head in place of an answer and stood up.
The old knight followed him and stood up to see him off. Barcas, who stopped him with a light hand gesture, strode out of the reception room.
Before he knew it, a shadow was landing in the hallway. He followed the thick shadows and quickly cleared his mind.
Gareth's hasty behavior was not surprising. He has a suspicious personality, so he couldn't easily let go of his own affirmations. His move to the North to build his own power was within the expected range. However, the fact that the rumors were spreading too quickly was alarming.
' ...It seems that the Empress's breath has begun to extend to the east.'
Otherwise, the Crown Prince's trend could not have spread to the East in such a short period of time. The woman had not given up on her plan to separate him from Gareth.
Barcas felt his nerves race and turned his gaze to the window.
The sky was covered with gray clouds, as if it was about to rain, and twilight was falling on the overgrown flower beds and roads.
Barcas, who was looking at the desolate scenery with a nonchalant gaze, suddenly stopped in his tracks.
In an instant, a sharp aura spread from the temples to the glabella. The woman who had laid her own on the bed was wandering around the garden alone, without an attendant.
Comments
Post a Comment