Forgotten Fields - Chapter 252

She just saw things that weren't there due to the side effects of the medicine.

Repeating those words to herself while pressing her eyelids, she reached for the shelf and picked up the perfume bottle. Then, she poured the entire bottle of rose oil onto the rippling surface of the water and submerged it up to her head.

How long had she been doing that? She felt an urgent hand pulling her. Thalia turned around with a surprised look on her face.

"What?"

Tiuran, who had been frozen in a daze while clutching her arm, let go of her hand with a bewildered look on his face.

"I, I am sorry. Since there was no sign of anyone for a while, I thought Your Highness had lost consciousness..."

"If you've confirmed it's fine, you can leave."

The woman nodded once without saying anything and walked behind the partition.

Thalia leaned her head against the edge of the bathtub and traced the spot where the woman's handprints remained. Then, she noticed a pair of blue eyes staring at her with a worried expression and gave a wry smile.

Perhaps she looked abnormal even to the wolf's eyes, because Khan, who was pressed tightly against the edge of the bathtub without caring that his soft fur was getting wet, was stretching his head out toward her.

Thalia stroked the wolf's face with her wet hands, then slowly rose and walked out of the bathtub. She did not want to make Khan anxious any further.

She roughly threw on a new nightgown over her wet body and trudged down onto the bed. The sheets and pillowcases were soaked, but she didn't mind much.

Thalia, who had been staring blankly at the ceiling, felt a sense of helplessness weighing heavily on her body and lowered her eyelids. Then, at some point, she seemed to have dozed off.

Thalia, who lifted her eyelids at the sound of clattering, frowned at the sight of Tiuran lighting the fire in the brazier.

"What are you doing?"

"Ah... I'm sorry. It looks like I woke you up."

The woman who replied kindly brought the lit brazier next to the bed and added.

"This is an aromatic herb that helps neutralize the effects of medicine."

Thalia, who had been looking at the incense burner with a suspicious gaze, glanced up at the woman's gentle-looking face.

The woman, giving a wry smile at the wary gaze, turned toward the fireplace and continued speaking calmly.

"Detox tea is also prepared. May I pour you a cup?"

Thalia, who was about to habitually blurt out words of refusal, felt something tapping her body and lowered her gaze.

Khan looked up at her with anxious eyes, pressing his long front paws against jer belly. He looked exactly like he was pestering her to eat something. After hesitating for a moment, Thalia mumbled in a reluctant tone.

"...Give me just a little."

The woman immediately scooped up the steaming liquid from the pot and put it into her small bowl.

"This is tea made by boiling willow bark with mint and ginger. I’ve added a little honey, so it should be easy to drink."

She brought the glass close to her face, sniffed it a little, and then cautiously took a sip.

Although the spiciness was a bit off-putting, it wasn't so bad that it was difficult to eat. Thalia, having sipped half her tea, handed the cup back. She took it, gulped down the remaining tea, and then held out the bowl containing the porridge.

"I heard you skipped lunch. Even if you don't have an appetite, please try a little."

"Never mind. Just bring me some fresh fruit."

"I apologize, but eating only fruit on an empty stomach may upset your stomach. Please have a proper meal, even if it is just a little."

Thalia glared with a displeased expression. Then, noticing the worry and anxiety in the woman's eyes, she reluctantly accepted the bowl.

However, when she saw the gooey liquid filling the bowl, she felt so disgusted that she couldn't bring herself to eat it.

She stirred the bowl with a spoon and examined the contents closely. Finely ground nuts and mushy grains were stickily mixed together.

After confirming that there were no foreign substances mixed in, she scooped up a little of the broth and smelled it. She felt a gaze staring intently at her.

"What are you watching? What are you staring at?"

"I'm sorry. It's just..."

The woman, who had rarely shown signs of fluster, cautiously continued speaking.

"I was worried that Your Highness might be having trouble eating...”

Thalia, who had stiffened in surprise, let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.

"What's so hard about eating food? I'm just checking to make sure you didn't put anything weird in it."

"...Have you ever experienced something like that before?"

Thalia glared at the woman with a fierce expression. The healer wore a look of pity, as if she had already reached a conclusion.

At that moment, an intense sense of shame overwhelmed her. A wave of misery washed over her, as if she had been exposed for being considered insignificant enough to deserve such treatment.

Thalia threw the bowl on the floor.

"I don't need this kind of crap, so get lost!"

The woman, who had been frozen and motionless for a moment, eventually left the room. Thalia, who was breathing heavily, saw Khan stiffen up as if startled by her violent behavior and contorted her face.

Khan must have realized it by now. That I'm not a good person... that I'm a total piece of trash and a mean human being... But please, at least you don't hate me.

She hugged the wolf tightly in her arms as if pleading.

***

After stopping painkillers, she began to suffer from severe chronic pain again.

Barcas could painfully realize what it felt like to be roasted alive. He felt as though he were going insane at the fact that he could do nothing while she was suffering.

She repeatedly lifted her face, drenched in cold sweat, and let out a low sob.

She stroked his head and gave a faint smile.

"It's stifling, isn't it? I'm sorry I haven't been able to take you out often lately."

He stared at her face with a pained look. Thalia, who had been trying hard to act fine, furrowed her brows again and tossed and turned.

Ever since she started applying diluted ointment, her skin had been itching so severely that she frequently scratched and pinched it, causing her legs to be completely red and swollen.

He tried to thrust his head in to stop her from digging her nails into herself again, but it was no use stopping her from tearing at her scar until it bled.

He changed his approach, approached the door where the healer was stationed, and barked loudly. A moment later, Tiuran opened the door and entered.

"Your Highness, you must not scratch your skin even if it itches."

The woman approached the bedside, firmly stopped her hand, and cast a healing spell on the scratched area. Then, picking up a glass bottle from the shelf, she applied peppermint oil to the inflamed area.

Perhaps the stinging sensation somewhat relieved the itching, as her face relaxed slightly. However, cold sweat beaded on her forehead, as if the pain remained. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Thalia spoke in an anxious tone.

"I can't stand it anymore. Please call Marisen. I need to use the painkiller again."

"Your Highness, I know this is painful, but please endure just a little longer. If you continue to rely on strong painkillers..."

"How can I endure this pain! Stop talking nonsense and call Marisen!"

A fleeting look of hesitation crossed the healer's face.

He paced restlessly around the bed. From what he had observed, she was overusing highly toxic herbs such as opium poppies, belladonna, and saripul.

These were all medicinal herbs commonly used to alleviate the suffering of severely wounded soldiers, but they had to be used with extreme caution due to the severe side effects that followed. After all, weren't they ingredients that could turn into deadly poisons if the dosage was misused?

When he first realized that she had been abusing something no different from a poisonous herb on her, all she wanted to do was tear that utterly incompetent healer to shreds. However, seeing her in such agony, he found it hard to resist the urge to relieve her pain, even if it meant using the poisonous herb itself.

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