"Really?"
"Sure."
She smiled gently as she tucked the hair clinging to her cheek behind her ear.
"That is likely why she tried so recklessly to ruin Your Highness's health. She must have intended to completely cut off Your Highness's chances of bearing an heir before His Excellency the Grand Duke returned."
Thalia's expression clouded over. Tiuran gently patted her shoulder and continued speaking in a low voice.
"In other words, it also means that Your Highness's fertility has not yet been completely impaired. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for such a cautious person to take such a reckless risk that would endanger their own life."
At that logical explanation, Thalia felt her scattered reason gradually return to its place.
As Tiuran said, if the objective had already been achieved, there was no reason to use highly toxic medicines, even at the risk of being hanged. Perhaps there had been strong pressure from Gareth recently.
Once the peace talks made some progress, Barcas's long exile would come to an end. It was entirely possible that Gareth, anxious that his plan might be approved, had pressured Marisen.
Thalia bit her lip. If she were judged incapable of producing an heir, demands for divorce from the retainers would pour in.
The entire Eastern Noble Alliance might rise up. If Barcas succumbs to their pressure and signs this divorce document, the Imperial Family will push for his remarriage with Ayla as if they had been waiting for this moment. Thinking this far, Thalia clenched her fists so tightly that her joints turned white.
Could Ayla have joined this plan as well?
Suddenly, the last conversation she had with Ayla echoed in her mind.
The hateful gaze that had shimmered darkly like a swamp also came back vividly to life. Perhaps that woman was the one who orchestrated all of this.
Thalia, looking down at her long shadow stretched across the floor with a dark gaze, soon shook her head. She was a woman too proud to dirty her hands with such dirty work. She might have instigated Gareth, but he probably didn't set the stage herself.
'Still, if Barcas divorces me, she will try to snatch him up as if she had been waiting for this moment.'
Thalia gritted her teeth.
She absolutely could not let things go according to their will. If Gareth did not want an heir between her and Barcas so much, she intended to make that fear a reality no matter what.
More than anything, she wanted to reclaim the happiness they had taken away from her.
"You can really fully restore my body, right?"
Thalia clutched the hem of her dress tightly and checked again.
"Of course. However, the process won't be easy."
Tiuran's expression suddenly darkened.
"Your Highness, you have relied on various types of sedatives and painkillers for several years. When you stop taking the medication, you will experience severe withdrawal symptoms while your body adapts to the change. You may experience insomnia, chills, cold sweats, vomiting, or muscle pain. During the first few weeks, pain or hallucinations may actually become more severe than they are now."
Thalia swallowed hard.
"...How long does that state last?"
"About two weeks. But once you get past that period, the symptoms will gradually subside, and your body will slowly regain stability."
Tiuran said in a confident tone.
Thalia, who had been staring intently into her serious eyes, finally nodded.
"Okay. I'll do as you say."
A faint smile flickered across Tiuran's lips, as if satisfied with her answer.
"Your Highness will be able to endure it fully. I will be by your side to help you, so please do not worry too much."
Tiuran patted the back of her hand as if to encourage her, then turned around and started walking again.
After following it for a while, an iron gate finally appeared at the end of the tunnel.
Tiuran, standing in front of it, looked out through a small hole and then pulled the handle hanging on the wall. At the same time, a clanging sound echoed, and the iron door slid open, revealing the outline of the dark interior of the warehouse before his eyes.
"It is a warehouse connected to the castle. Just go outside from here and go up the stairs."
"What should I say if someone asks where I went?"
"Please say you were at my cabin. You often spend time there, so no one will find it strange. If anyone asks, I will answer that way too."
Thalia looked at her with a speechless expression for a moment.
Had there ever been anyone who stood by her side without expecting anything in return, like Tiuran? Feeling a sudden lump in her throat, Thalia tightly grasped Tiuran's hand.
"Thank you."
Then, she took Khan and went out of the warehouse.
As Tiuran had said, the warehouse was connected to the main castle. After passing through the dark corridor, Thalia took the steep stairs used by the servants to go up to the second floor. Then, a murmuring sound could be heard from not far away.
Thalia slowed her pace and cautiously stepped into the hallway. In front of the Grand Duke's bedroom, servants in their pajamas and armed guards had gathered together.
Thalia cautiously made her way there and stifled a groan at the sight of the door torn off hinge-on and lying on the floor. She wondered how Khan had managed to escape the room, but it appeared he had smashed the door down and run out.
She furrowed her brows as she looked back at Khan, who was still staring down at the floor with his ears and tail hanging limply.
'Surely, they didn't leave the city gate in that state, did they?'
If Khan caused a disturbance while leaving the castle, the excuse that they were in Tiuran's hut would not work.
She tried hard to hide her nervousness and took a big step forward in front of them.
"What is all this commotion about?"
"Your Highness!"
The captain of the guard pushed past the servants and approached, questioning in a voice laced with accusation.
"Where on earth have you been?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I went for an early morning walk with Khan, and I'm on my way back after getting a cup of tea at Tiuran's hut."
A look of suspicion settled on the man's menacing face.
He gestured toward the broken door with his chin and spoke in disbelief.
"You mean you even broke down the door to go for a walk?"
"I tried to go outside, but the lock wouldn't budge—I think it was broken. That's why I had Khan break it."
Thalia, holding her chin up, nonchalantly made an excuse.
As she looked down at him with narrowed eyes, the man crossed his arms in front of his chest and continued to interrogate her.
"How did your clothes get wet?"
"I played in the spring in the back garden during my walk."
Thalia stroked Khan's wet face and replied indifferently. However, contrary to her detached exterior, she was burning with anxiety inside, fearing that the man might notice the bloodstains or the smell of blood that she hadn't been able to completely wash away.
Fortunately, the captain of the guard did not seem to find anything unusual. The man, who had been frowning in displeasure, finally let out a heavy sigh.
"From now on, please inform us before going out. If anything happens to Your Highness, the responsibility will fall entirely on us."
"Alright, you can go now."
Thalia replied somewhat irritably and turned toward the stairs located in the center of the castle. Then, she calmly gave instructions to the maids lined up in the hallway.
"I will use the room on the third floor until the door is fixed, so bring the bathwater over there."
Then, without waiting for an answer, he took Khan up the stairs. As soon as she managed to step into the bedroom, the composure she had barely managed to maintain crumbled, and the strength drained from her legs.
She leaned against the door and let out a long sigh. Khan approached her and rested his head on her shoulder. Thalia, tightly hugging the nape of Khan's neck, whispered in a weary voice.
"It's okay, everything will be better from now on."
The wolf stared silently at her with blue eyes like shards of ice. Thalia gazed into those eyes, filled with sorrow and pain, for a while, then quietly closed her own eyes.
***
Tiuran immediately gathered up the medicine bottles piled up in her bedroom. This included not only those prepared by Marisen, but also the sedatives and painkillers she had been taking for a long time.
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