Where are you going at this hour?
Thalia turned her gaze in the direction she was heading and frowned upon spotting another figure through the forest path behind the garden. Even from a considerable distance, she could tell that it was not a soldier.
'Is she perhaps chasing that person?'
She turned her gaze back to Tiuran. She was moving at a certain distance while hiding behind thick bushes. At first glance, she looked as though she were tailing someone.
In that moment, a faint sense of unease seeped into her heart.
Thalia, who had been watching the two disappear into the forest path, soon took her coat out of the closet. She might be overthinking it, but she couldn't shake the worry that Tiuran might have gotten involved in something dangerous.
She hurriedly threw a loose coat over her pajamas and approached the door. Then, Khan, who had been hovering anxiously beside her, quickly blocked her path.
Thalia lightly pushed Khan's head away and spat out firmly.
“You wait here.”
If she took Khan out, he would immediately catch people's attention.
She hurried to the door to escape the wolf and quickly pulled the doorknob. Then, before Khan could follow her out, she quickly locked the door and hurriedly exited the hallway. She had to hurry out of the castle before the maids could confirm that she was gone.
Thalia, with the hood of her coat pulled down low over her head, went down the narrow stairs leading to the back door, relying on the dim light of dawn.
Fortunately, the inside of the castle was deathly silent. She couldn't gauge the exact time, but it seemed like it would still be a long time before daylight fully broke.
She kept scanning her surroundings as she quietly stepped into the garden. Tiuran was nowhere to be found, presumably having slipped off the forest path in the meantime.
Thalia, rolling her eyes nervously, soon began walking along the dark forest path. Not long after, the back gate of the castle emerged from the bluish darkness.
She hid behind a tree and carefully looked in front of the door. She could faintly see a sentry sleeping soundly with his back against the wall.
After a moment of hesitation, Thalia cautiously approached him. If Tiuran had slipped out of the castle, the sentry must have recorded her name. Otherwise, it would mean she was still inside.
She lightly tapped the shoulder of the soldier who was snoring loudly, unaware that she was approaching. Then, suddenly catching a familiar scent, she stiffened her body.
'The smell of sleeping herbs...!'
Thalia, who had been carefully observing the almost unconscious soldier, crouched down and quickly scanned the surroundings. Soon, she discovered a wine bottle lying at his feet.
Thalia picked it up, brought the tip of her nose to the opening, and furrowed her brows seriously. The distinctive bitter smell of sleeping herbs was mixed in with the strong scent of wine.
Thalia dropped the wine bottle as if tossing it down and went straight to the back door to examine the bolt. The lock was unlocked.
Feeling a chill run down her spine, she swallowed hard. If it was Tiuran who had given the soldier medicine and secretly slipped out of the castle, she would not be able to escape punishment.
Thalia, who had been nervously biting her lip, soon shook her head.
It is still too early to say for sure. Tiuran was following someone. There was even a possibility that the person who put the sentry to sleep was the very person she was chasing.
She flung open the door in a panic. It would have been wise to call the guards to search, but she couldn't bring herself to do so, fearing that it might cause harm to Tiuran. She wanted to find out first what kind of trouble they had gotten into.
Thalia began walking along the narrow slope leading behind the castle. However, no trace of human life could be found anywhere on the gently sloping dirt path.
Thalia, rolling her eyes nervously, soon turned westward. To avoid people's eyes, she would have headed toward the forest. Although it would be impossible to search the entire vast forest covering the west of Kalmor, it would not take much time to examine the forest entrance closest to Raedgo Castle.
She limped down the hill where the bushes had begun to grow thick.
Before long, she became breathless, and her legs began to lose strength. Thalia leaned on a tree for a moment to catch her rough breath. It seemed her physical condition was deteriorating again.
'Do I have to go back?'
As she was looking back at the path she had taken and deep in thought, a sharp shout was heard.
Startled, Thalia turned her head and spotted a familiar figure from behind at the edge of the forest, which was beginning to be tinged with a bluish light, and quickly hid behind a tree. Crouching low and peeking her head out, she saw Tiuran confronting someone.
She shifted her gaze to the opposite side. The face was hidden by a tree trunk, but judging by the build, it appeared to be a woman.
Thalia, who had been watching them with wrinkles around her eyes, soon cautiously approached them to a distance where she could eavesdrop on their conversation.
At that moment, Tiuran's sharp voice reached my ears once again.
"Don't even think about denying it! I know you have been cunningly ruining Her Highness's body all this time."
"Don't frame me without evidence!"
At the voice that followed, Thalia stiffened.
As she craned her neck forward, she caught sight of Tiuran's face, pale enough to be clearly recognized even in the darkness. She took a step back and retorted in a sharp tone.
"I am a healer assigned to Her Highness by the Empress. Why would I harm Her Highness?"
"We'll know once we investigate."
Tiuran retorted fiercely.
"I have only been watching all this time because there was no evidence, but things are different now. It turns out you failed to completely erase the traces because you used drugs recklessly recently. I discovered a large quantity of Aristolochia leaves and Ruta roots under your bed. In addition, several other types of herbs could cause infertility if taken for a long period."
"Are you saying you just rummaged through my room without permission?"
"Is that the issue right now? You have been deliberately harming Her Highness the Grand Duchess. What on earth was your purpose in doing such a thing? Are you planning to prevent her from having children?"
Tiuran stepped closer to Marisen and raised his voice.
"Her Highness's miscarriage is your doing, isn't it?"
Marisen's face turned as pale as a corpse. Just by seeing that face, Thalia could tell that Tiuran's suspicions were true.
Unable to contain the anger engulfing her entire body, Thalia, panting heavily, approached them with staggering steps.
“Is that true?”
The two people turned their heads at the same time.
"Your Highness, how did you end up in a place like this...?"
Marisen stared blankly at her with terrified eyes.
Thalia took another step closer and interrogated him.
"Is it your fault that I had a miscarriage?"
“I, I...”
Marisen stepped back, her thin lips trembling.
Thalia, seeing her face flush with guilt, trembled violently, feeling a rage that made her vision turn bright red.
"Why? Why did you do that? Did Mom make you do it?"
"..."
Marisen rolled her eyes in a flustered manner, then slowly shook her head.
Thalia, staring at her with icy eyes, continued to press her.
"Then, were you instigated by the Crown Prince?"
After hesitating for a long time, Marisen finally nodded.
"... You're right."
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