The Forgotten Field Novel - Chapter 35, 36
## CHAPTER 35
Without a second thought, Edric lunged inside the carriage and took the woman in his arms.
Her body was alarmingly light, and it was slippery with warm sweat.
Frantically brushing the golden hair away from her pale face, he patted her cheek.
At that moment, the long eyelashes that had cast shadows over her skin fluttered upward, revealing deep blue eyes that sparkled like a sunlit sea.
Edric froze. Those eyes seemed to drag his very soul down as if they were a whirlpool.
As he stared at her, dazed, a sudden burning sensation erupted on his cheek.
He blinked in shock, bringing his hand to his face. The princess had already wrenched herself from his arms and was glaring at him viciously, as if he were some kind of libertine.
—How dare you lay your filthy hands on me?
With his mouth agape, Edric blurted out, raising his voice in protest:
—I thought Your Highness had lost consciousness!
—Oh, really? And what were you planning to do while I was unconscious, then?
—Your Highness! How can you even suggest such a thing…?
Edric stood up abruptly, indignant, only to strike the crown of his head against the roof of the carriage and fall back down with a groan.
Tears welled up in his eyes, half from the pain, half from the fury at such a preposterous accusation.
Holding his skull, he groaned for a long moment. The princess, who watched him as if he were a particularly pitiful spectacle, rubbed her temple and lifted her chin.
—That is enough. Stop annoying me and get out.
—At least go outside to get some air —he said through gritted teeth—. We still have half a day of travel ahead of us. Do you intend to stay in this oven the entire time?
He rubbed the painful area of his head, frowning. The words came out sharper than he intended, but he did not take them back.
The princess shot him a look of incredulity, as if astonished that he never ran out of impudence or lectures.
Edric suppressed the urge to retort: Do you think I am doing this because it amuses me?
He had not chosen this duty of his own free will, but the rebellious princess remained his responsibility. If she fainted during the journey, the blame would fall directly on him.
He held her venomous gaze head-on, silently defying her to resist.
The princess frowned deeply, clearly exasperated, and finally stood up.
Edric’s eyes lit up. He quickly hopped out of the carriage first and turned around to offer his hand to help her down, only for the door to slam shut in his face.
He stood there for a moment, dumbfounded, staring at the closed door. Then, with a sigh of resignation, he turned around.
I will never understand what she hates so much.
Walking heavily toward the edge of the lake, he washed his sweat-covered face with the freezing water and sat down in the shade of a tree.
Even then, the stubborn princess did not so much as poke her head out.
Could she be afraid that someone might try to harm her?
The way she bristled at everyone and everything reminded him of a trapped animal, lashing out at anyone who approached her.
He looked back toward the carriage, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, and then shook his head. There was no point in wasting time trying to understand a woman like her.
He only had to endure this miserable task until the journey ended.
The Second Princess changed personal guards as if they were clean sheets; it would not be long before she replaced him too. He just had to hold out until then.
Cheering himself up, Edric sat with the other knights under the trees, eating bread and wine for a simple dinner. After a brief rest, they mounted their horses again.
Toward noon, the air had grown cooler.
Revived, the pilgrims marched vigorously along the Gaisa mountain range, which divided the western and northeastern regions. Thanks to their steady pace, they reached the Sinai plains —former territory of the old Kingdom of Balto— as the sun was setting.
—We will camp here for the night —Varkas said in his low, firm voice as he scanned the terrain.
Edric looked at his superior with a mixture of weariness and admiration. Despite riding all day, Varkas looked exactly the same as he had that morning: calm, serene, tireless.
He dismounted with calculated elegance and continued to scrutinize the surroundings with sharp eyes.
—Set up barricades around the perimeter and establish sentinels —he ordered.
The knights obeyed without hesitation.
Edric joined the work of raising the fence around the camp. It seemed excessive for a resting place, but the Sinai plains were known to harbor all kinds of monsters.
A large armed contingent rarely suffered attacks, but precaution was never a mistake.
He pulled iron planks with spikes from a supply wagon, fixed them into the ground, and wrapped thin wire with small bells around the edges.
After hours of steady work, the improvised defensive ring was finished.
Shaking off his hands, Edric headed toward the campfire where the princess’s maids were finishing dinner preparations.
The smell of roasted meat made his empty stomach growl. He approached, took a small piece of bacon from a pan, and asked one of the maids:
—Is Your Highness’s food ready?
The young maid, who was stirring a large pot with a ladle, seemed to grow nervous.
—She said… she had no appetite, sir…
Edric frowned as he wiped his greasy hands with a cloth.
So she had skipped lunch and intended to skip dinner too.
His irritation flared up again at that childish obstinacy.
He tossed the towel aside and grabbed an empty basket.
—Fill it with something she can eat.
The maid quickly filled it with a generous portion: thick meat pastries, a stew with bacon, a bottle of wine, and fruit preserves.
In a matter of moments, the basket grew heavy with food. Edric tucked it under his arm and headed toward the princess’s small “fortress.”
He knew perfectly well that there was no point in forcing food upon someone who refused to eat, but he could not shake the image of how fragile she had felt in his arms.
Cursing his own meddlesome nature, he knocked on the carriage door.
—Your Highness, I have brought you dinner.
—I told you I am not going to eat.
—You have barely touched a bite all day. How do you intend to endure such a harsh journey without proper nourishment? Even if it is just a few bites…
—I said leave me alone!
Edric grimaced. Not even a hedgehog was this prickly.
He took a deep breath, forcing his tone to remain calm.
—Then I will leave it here. If you change your mind…
He bent down to place the basket by the door, but recoiled abruptly when it swung wide open all of a sudden.
A pale face, tight with fury, filled his field of vision.
For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. Even under the dying light of the twilight, her blue eyes shone like burning ice.
Edric swallowed hard.
—
## CHAPTER 36
The woman’s eyes burned with fury as she spat out each word through gritted teeth.
—Do I seem ridiculous to you too?
The ferocity radiating from her caused him, by instinct, to take another step back.
The princess, trembling in her slender silhouette, suddenly burst into a sharp scream.
—How many times do I have to tell you to leave me alone?! Do my words amuse you that much?!
—I only brought food because I was worried Your Highness might faint! —Edric protested, raising his voice as the words tumbled out of his mouth in a rush.
The princess mocked him to his face, a cruel smile twisting her lips.
—And who are you to worry about me?
—I am Your Highness’s royal guard! It is my duty to assist and protect you…
The woman abruptly let out a short, bitter laugh.
His face flushed. Never in his life had he been slapped with such mockery; he did not even know how to respond.
Without ceasing to smile with contempt, she spoke in a deliberate, cutting voice.
—You must think I am stupid… Do you think I don’t know that the Royal Knights of Roem are nothing more than the Crown Prince’s lapdogs?
Edric’s face tightened.
She shot a frigid look at the basket he held in his hands, her tone brimming with disdain.
—And how do I know what is inside there? What filth are you trying to force me to eat?
—I am a knight! —Edric finally shouted, unable to contain himself any longer. The humiliation burned inside him to the point of making his ears feel hot.
—Your Highness’s words insult not only me, but the entire Royal Order! We have sworn before God to protect the royal family. I would never…
—And you think I am going to believe that?
He froze, at a loss for words, contemplating the princess’s face, cold and hard as sculpted ice.
Erasing the faint grimace from her lips, she spoke coldly:
—If you want to flatter someone so badly, go to my stepbrothers. It does me no good.
Then, with a heavy slam, she shut the door in his face, ending the conversation.
Edric clenched his fists around the basket. He had to do so, because otherwise he would have flung the door open to scream at her to stop being so stubborn.
Glaring at the carriage door, he finally turned around.
He had already done his part. There was no reason to keep trying to please a woman who went out of her way to insult him.
After tossing the basket onto a shelf outside the shared tent, Edric walked with large strides toward the mess area.
The other knights were already sitting in groups around the camp, eating.
Edric joined them, filled his plate generously, and began to devour the food.
Let that cursed woman starve if she wants to, he told himself.
Talia, who had been tossing and turning restlessly in bed in the dark, sat up slowly.
She drew back the window curtain; a few dim lanterns glowed where sentinels kept watch, but beyond that, everything was buried by the night.
Lifting her gaze toward the black sky where no moon hung, Talia stepped silently out of the carriage.
Her limbs trembled with weakness; surviving for days on nothing more than a few pieces of bread and fruit in syrup had left her exhausted.
Perhaps it would have been wiser to eat what that foolish knight brought.
He did not seem clever enough to plot anything sinister; perhaps she had been too distrustful.
But the memory of his innocent face only made her mock herself.
Had she not learned the hard way that those with harmless smiles were the most dangerous?
That kind of people won your trust before committing atrocious acts.
Casting a wary glance toward the guards patrolling near the perimeter, Talia moved carefully among the tents.
Her eyes had already adapted enough to the darkness to distinguish the faint profiles of the triangular roofs of the tents, the long silhouettes of the wagons, and the shapes of the horses tied in a row.
She walked cautiously, careful not to trip over any stones, as a cool breeze from the hill filtered through her clothes.
The scent of damp grass and half-burned wood mingled in the air. Guided solely by her senses, Talia advanced stealthily in the dark.
At last, she located her maids’ quarters. Narrowing her eyes, she made sure she was in the right place before climbing onto the nearest supply wagon.
Crouching among the piled bundles, she kept her gaze fixed on the entrance of the tent.
She was waiting; waiting to see if the spy her mother had planted would act tonight.
Hugging her knees against her chest, Talia stared into the darkness without blinking.
Around her, she could hear soldiers snoring, grinding their teeth, horses snorting, and insects buzzing. She had not realized that nights could be so noisy.
She forced herself to remain calm, counting each painful minute and second that ticked away slowly.
After what felt like hours, the black sky began to tinge with a faint bluish hue.
It seemed the night would pass peacefully after all.
Talia moved awkwardly, trying to stretch her aching joints. Her bones popped audibly with every movement.
Rubbing her numb limbs, she suppressed a groan, and then she froze.
From between one of the tents, a dark figure emerged.
Talia narrowed her eyes.
It was too dark to see the face clearly, but from the silhouette she knew it was a woman: slender and graceful.
In silence, she stood up and followed her.
After walking a good distance leaving the row of wagons behind, she saw Ayla’s carriage appear.
Her palms were slippery with cold sweat, so she wiped them against her skirt.
If that woman enters Ayla’s carriage…
If only she did what Talia could not…
She riveted her gaze on the woman’s back, silently wishing for her to enter.
But instead, the woman bypassed Ayla’s carriage entirely, heading toward the farthest edge of the camp.
When Talia followed her trajectory, her face hardened.
The banner of the House of Siorcan, embroidered with a black stallion, fluttered in the wind in front of a tent.
Her breath hitched. She hurried over there.
However, by the time she reached the location, the mysterious woman had already disappeared.
Frantic, Talia searched among the tents and then stood staring at the entrance of the command tent.
Could she have entered…?
Her heart plummeted.
If Ayla and Varkas united, Gareth’s position would grow even stronger.
The House of Siorcan wielded enormous influence, not only in the east but also across all northern territories.
If Ayla became the Duchess of Siorcan, Gareth would win the full support of the noble coalition.
It was entirely possible that he had decided to eliminate Varkas to prevent that outcome.
Driven by panic, Talia ran toward Varkas’s tent, pulling aside the canvas without thinking and bursting inside.
There was no room for reason.
She hastily searched the darkened space, drawing back the curtain that divided the room.
The bed was empty.
He always started his days before dawn; perhaps he was inspecting the camp or checking on Tork’s condition.
Even so, anxiety ate away at her.
Running her hands over the blankets, she searched for any trace of blood.
Then she froze upon hearing heavy footsteps.
She snapped her head up.
A tall man silhouetted himself in the entrance.
Talia’s heart leaped; she thought it was Varkas. She stepped forward, but stopped dead in her tracks.
It was not him.
It was Gareth, dressed in light clothing, whose sharp eyes widened in surprise as he scanned her from head to toe.
—What —he said, his voice low and frigid— are you doing here?
He arched the corners of his eyes harshly and swept his gaze over her entire figure.
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