Free Web Novel“If you would allow it, I shall examine the ingredients. That would put Your Highness's mind at ease as well.”
Without either agreeing or refusing, Talia simply waved her hand as though telling her to leave. The woman immediately bowed her head and exited the room.
Sitting before the fireplace and watching the crackling embers, Talia was overcome by a heavy exhaustion and rose from her seat.
As soon as she lay down upon the soft mattress, the pain spreading through her knee gradually began to subside. It seemed the ointment was finally taking effect.
Staring with blurry eyes at the stained ceiling overhead, Talia slowly turned her head toward the window glowing red.
Before she realized it, the sky had changed from bright amber into the color of dark wine.
The blazing sunset would soon be swallowed by darkness. Once that happened, it would become much easier to launch a surprise attack against the enemy.
For a brief moment, worry arose in her mind at the thought that Varkas might be injured in battle, but she quickly dismissed it.
He was a man who had risen to the position of Commander of the Roem Knights before even reaching twenty, surpassing hundreds of knights. Exterminating a group of raiders would be nothing to him.
Forcing away her wandering thoughts, Talia gently closed her eyes. As consciousness slowly blurred, the bell announcing the end of the day seeped into her senses.
Listening to the faint resonance spreading from the bell tower, Talia eventually slipped into sleep as though she had fainted.
When she regained consciousness, it was the predawn hours, with darkness still blanketing the world.
Feeling a burning thirst, Talia opened her eyes and instinctively tugged at the collar of her linen dress as a sudden suffocating pressure seized her.
Yet the crushing heaviness constricting her chest refused to disappear. Crawling to the edge of the bed, she seized the lamp.
At that moment, a reddish glow flowing along the wall entered her vision. Following that tiny trace of light, Talia turned her head and discovered the nearly extinguished fireplace. Taking a deep breath, she found the dying light strangely refreshing, as though it itself were fresh air.
Climbing out of bed, she walked over to the hearth. Beneath the black ashes, several embers still glowed faintly. To revive them, she stacked several logs together and vigorously pressed the bellows resting on the floor.
Soon smoke rose from the wood, and bright flames blossomed anew.
Relaxing her shoulders in relief, Talia suddenly turned her head.
A strange sound had reached her ears.
Only after several seconds did she realize it was the cry of an animal.
Had a wild dog appeared?
Walking over to the window, Talia carefully opened it. Dry wind carrying the chill of the night struck her face.
Shuddering at the cold, she peered into the darkness, following the now clearer sound.
A sorrowful cry echoed across the moonlit hill, drenched in silver light. Yet nowhere could she see the beast crying its heart out.
Just as she was about to turn her gaze toward the edge of the grasslands, wondering if the sound had come from the forest—
Knock, knock.
Someone was at the door.
Talia immediately became alert.
“Who is it?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. I heard movement and wondered if perhaps your pain was preventing you from sleeping.”
It was the healer from House Siorcan.
Relaxing her guard, Talia answered indifferently.
“I merely woke up. Leave.”
Silence lingered for a moment.
The woman seemed to hesitate outside the door before speaking carefully.
“If it pleases Your Highness, would you like me to prepare some herbal tea to help you sleep?”
Talia frowned. Irritation surged within her when the woman failed to obey her command immediately.
“I don't need—”
She stopped herself.
She remembered having said she would pass the medicine prepared by the healer from House Taren to her.
Not that she truly suspected this woman of secretly feeding her suspicious concoctions, but caution never hurt.
After a moment's consideration, Talia spoke curtly.
“Fine. Come in.”
Upon receiving permission, the healer entered carrying a small bundle in one hand.
Talia quietly examined her with probing eyes.
Apparently having just risen from bed, the woman wore nothing but a loose linen dress that looked like sleepwear beneath a gray robe.
Embarrassed, she tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear and approached the fireplace.
“Please wait a moment. I'll prepare it right away.”
She hung a brass pot over the flames and took out several bundles of herbs from the package.
Selecting several kinds, she mixed them together and lightly roasted them in the pot before picking up the kettle and pouring water over them.
Not long afterward, the fragrance of chamomile and lavender drifted through the room.
“There, it's ready.”
The woman poured out an appropriate amount of the richly brewed tea and carefully offered the cup.
Holding it in her hands, Talia silently looked down.
Apparently honey had been added, for a sweet aroma gently tickled her nose.
As she quietly savored it, the long cry sounded again.
Talia let out a small groan.
Apparently, that beast had decided to howl throughout the entire night.
“Close the window. Draw the curtains too.”
The woman immediately obeyed.
Yet the cries of the wild beast easily pierced through the thick glass and curtains.
The healer let out an awkward smile.
“It seems a wolf is yearning desperately for someone in this village.”
Talia snorted in disbelief.
“Are you trying to joke with me right now?”
“Not at all...”
Startled by her sharp response, the woman continued calmly.
“In the East, there is an old belief that those who die without receiving baptism are reborn as wild beasts. The cries heard at night are said to be songs calling out to those they loved in life.”
Talia scoffed.
“Souls that die without baptism simply fall into the abyss and perish. Don't you know even the most basic doctrine?”
“...I know the teachings of the Church well.”
Bitterness flickered around the woman's lips.
“But isn't it far more comforting to believe that the person you loved has returned to your side, even in the form of a beast? Even the priests tend to overlook such beliefs.”
Talia looked puzzled.
“Are there truly so many who die without baptism?”
“Like all citizens of the Empire, we easterners receive baptism within one hundred days of birth. But stillborn children are not granted such blessings, are they?”
Reading the pain hidden within the woman's voice, Talia awkwardly shifted her eyes.
Had this healer once lost a child?
Not knowing what to say, she sat uneasily while the woman smiled gently, as though trying to lighten the mood.
“The tea will grow cold. Please drink it.”
Watching the woman's expression, Talia finally swallowed the lukewarm tea.
After silently observing her, the healer placed several medicine bottles on a shelf and left the room.
Lying back upon the bed, Talia listened to the gradually fading cries.
Perhaps that woman had once heard such a song calling out to her.
Maybe that was why she had remained unable to sleep all this time.
She absentmindedly entertained the thought before quickly shaking away such pointless musings.
Bearing her own pain was difficult enough.
She had no strength left to concern herself with anyone else's.
* * *
Perhaps the herbal tea had helped, because she slept deeply without dreaming.
Awakening with a refreshing feeling she could no longer remember experiencing, Talia gazed with sleepy eyes at the brightly growing light beyond the window.
Then—
She sensed someone's presence nearby.
Thinking the nurse had brought water for washing, Talia turned her head—
And nearly jumped when cool fingers gently cupped her cheek.
Her eyes flew open.
Sitting on the edge of the bed was Varkas.
Blinking in a daze, Talia hastily pushed herself upright.
The moment she was about to inspect him from head to toe, wondering whether he had been injured anywhere, her chin was lifted upward.
And before she could react—
His lips descended without warning.
