It was around the time the red sunset began to seep in through the bars that she opened her eyes again.
Thalia looked up at the rattling sound and instinctively curled up upon spotting a dark shadow opening the iron gate and entering. The intruder, who paused for a moment at the sight, cautiously approached the table and placed something down.
Thalia turned her head to look at it. Bread, soup, and a water pitcher were placed on a tray. As she stared at them as if seeing them for the first time in her life, a familiar voice was heard from nearby.
"I will come back tomorrow morning. Please let me know in advance if you need anything."
Thalia turned her head, met Brisa's youthful face, and hurriedly sat up.
"What happened to Barcas? Is he okay now?"
A complex mix of emotions flashed across the maid's face at the urgent question. Brisa, rolling her eyes in embarrassment, awkwardly averted her gaze and spat out.
"He is still unconscious."
"Then... Is he still in a dangerous state?"
Thalia, staring down at the floor with a face as pale as a ghost, asked in a cracked voice. Brisa hesitated for a long time, unable to answer readily, before slowly nodding her head.
"I heard that we need to monitor the situation for the time being."
Thalia leaned her back against the wall listlessly. She could no longer shed tears. It felt as if her insides had completely emptied out. As she hung limply like someone whose soul had departed, Brisa, who had been observing her complexion, quietly took a step back and spoke.
"If you do not need anything else, I will take my leave now."
Then, she took a step toward the door. Thalia, who had been staring blankly into the air, urgently clutched the hem of her skirt.
"Tiuran is..."
She was well aware that mentioning Tiuran's name now could bring even her under suspicion, but she simply could not suppress the stifling feeling in her heart. Thalia swallowed hard and continued speaking.
"What did Tiuran say? Did she not leave any separate remarks regarding Barcas's condition?"
Suddenly, Brisa's expression darkened noticeably. She tightened her lips and lowered her gaze to the floor. That unusual reaction sent a shiver down her spine.
Thalia clutched Brisa's skirt even tighter.
"What's wrong? Did something happen to Tiuran?"
"Lady Tiuran has passed away."
Thalia blinked blankly, unable to understand what she had heard.
Brisa, who had been biting her lip as if suppressing something, turned back around. Thalia desperately grabbed the maid who was about to walk out the door.
"Wait, wait a moment. What on earth are you talking about? Tiuran is dead..."
"...It is exactly as I said. Tiuran was found dead in the cabin early this morning."
The maid replied with teary eyes. Thalia, who had been frozen in despair, struggled to open her lips.
"W. Why suddenly..."
"Last night... taking advantage of the fact that His Excellency the Grand Duke was hovering between life and death, pagans invaded the castle."
Brisa spoke in a choked voice.
"Not only Lady Tiuran but also many residents within the castle lost their lives. The castle is now in total chaos..."
Brisa covered her mouth with her palm as if trying to hold back tears after saying that much. Thalia let her hand drop listlessly.
The maid, who had been shrugging her shoulders slightly for a while, soon left the room as if fleeing. Thalia, staring at the firmly closed iron door with lifeless eyes, soon collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Beyond her hazy vision, she saw a sky where all light was fading away. Standing in profound despair, she watched endlessly as the darkness gradually encroached.
***
Lucas shuffled along the castle wall, his boots covered in dust.
Throughout the castle, the traces of the tragedy that had taken place a few days ago remained vivid. Broken stones and shattered timber were piled haphazardly around the battlements, and patches of unremoved blood stained the walls.
Lucas, surveying the scene with a somber gaze, soon lowered his eyes to the foot of the castle wall. Soldiers returning from a search were gathered in small groups on the parade ground. Everyone looked utterly exhausted from wandering through the mountains and fields for days without proper rest.
Lucas let out a heavy sigh. For the past few days, he had led his soldiers in a thorough search of the area near Kalmor, but to no avail. The thugs who had dared to raid the castle of Raedgo had vanished without a trace, taking the pagan prisoners held in the dungeons with them, and they had failed to locate the raiders' stronghold.
Lucas gritted his teeth in despair. The fact that the subjugation plan of the past few weeks had fallen apart was a problem, but even more serious was the fact that the authority of the Grand Duke's family had been severely tarnished. The head of the family was hovering between life and death, having narrowly escaped being poisoned by the Grand Duchess, and the castle had been ravaged by barbarians. Could there be a greater humiliation than this?
He clutched his throbbing forehead. If his older brother were never to wake up like this, he would have to clean up this mess himself.
Can I really get through this crisis with my own abilities?
Lucas, who had been gazing at Raedgo Castle and the vast estate beyond while gripping the battlements tightly, turned toward this true nature.
As he crossed the inner gate and reached the entrance of the Great Hall, a scene quite different from usual came into view. The hall, usually bustling with servants and visitors, was eerily deserted, and the faces of the attendants walking through the corridors all clearly showed signs of tension.
Lucas walked past them and went straight up the stairs.
Just then, the head butler was seen passing through the upstairs hallway. He ran up the remaining stairs in a single sprint and blocked the man's path.
"How is my brother? Has he regained consciousness?"
“Not yet.”
The butler, who had become noticeably gaunt in the past few days, rubbed his dark circles and added.
"However, since they say the dangerous critical point has passed, he will wake up soon."
Lucas briefly relaxed his stiff shoulders at the hopeful news he hadn't heard in days, but his face hardened again at the words that followed.
"Now that His Excellency's condition has stabilized to some extent, it seems you should soon decide on a disposition regarding that person."
He glared at the butler's hardened face with a cold gaze.
"By that person... are you talking about my sister-in-law?"
"Who else could it be?"
The man, who had replied in an angry voice, took a deep breath and exhaled as if trying to suppress his rage, and continued speaking.
"Voices demanding the punishment of the Grand Duchess are growing louder even among the retainers."
"The guilt has not been confirmed yet."
Lucas flinched as a voice sharper than he had expected burst out. He wondered if he wasn't the only one flustered. The butler looked up at him with a surprised expression.
"Didn't she confess that she personally put the poison in His Excellency the Grand Duke's wine glass? Even so, are you saying that her guilt is not clear?"
Lucas fell silent, unable to find a rebuttal. He didn't even understand why he was defending that woman in the first place.
Wasn't that woman the very one who drove his older brother to the brink of death? Furthermore, it was suspicious that the pagans had invaded immediately after the Grand Duke collapsed. Most of the retainers had already concluded that she was an accomplice, and he, too, did not believe Thalia was innocent. Nevertheless, Lucas could not bring himself to agree with the demand to severely punish her.
Lucas, who had remained silent for a long time, opened his mouth heavily.
"What matters right now is that my brother wakes up safely. It won't be too late to decide on how to treat his wife after that."
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