The Forgotten Field Novel - Chapter 59, 60
## CHAPTER 59: THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
“It seems the court mages have bought another monster,” whispered the lady-in-waiting who followed her with a sigh.
Talía felt an irresistible attraction and approached. The creature, wrapped in black wings, raised its head.
Talía startled and shrugged her shoulders.
The head of a human woman was attached to the monster’s enormous body, which was covered in dark brown feathers. But it looked less like a living face and more like a patched-up corpse.
She stared at the pale face, with blue veins visible beneath the skin, and a foul, fish-smelling voice hissed in her ear:
“Do you feel an affinity in suffering?”
Talía turned around abruptly.
Gareth was standing right behind her, dressed in a crimson doublet. A cruel smile played on his lips as he spoke slowly.
“The face of a woman on the body of a monster… doesn’t it remind you of someone?”
His narrowed eyes traveled down her body, lingering on the legs hidden beneath her dress.
Her half-brother’s smile darkened.
“I heard the scars are hideous… Even so, you are lucky to be able to cover your body, unlike that monster.”
Bile burned bitterly in Talía’s throat.
She turned around and crossed the face of the deceased crown prince with a slap.
Beside her, a choking sound echoed, like that of a pig being slaughtered. It must have been the lady-in-waiting following her, foaming at the mouth. Out of the corner of her eye, Talía caught a glimpse of her stumbling backward.
Despite everything, Talía dug her nails into her half-brother’s tanned face, which was still mottled with bruises. Four bright red lines appeared from his eyes to his jaw. It was not a wound deep enough to fully satisfy her.
She reached out again. Immediately, the guards came running to restrain her from both sides.
Talía thrashed like a trapped beast, but escape was impossible.
Overwhelmed by helplessness, tears welled up in her bloodshot eyes as she glared at her half-brother.
His strong, perfect physique… no longer seemed perfect.
Seeing the blood run down his face, Talía burst out laughing.
“Try speaking again. I will make sure your face is one with which you will never smile again. I have nothing left to lose, so I fear nothing.”
Gareth clutched his cheek with his eyes wide in surprise and contorted his face into a hideous grimace.
He grabbed her by the hair, the braid that had been woven so painstakingly for hours. He pulled it with savage force, as if he wanted to break her neck.
“How dare you… how dare someone like you touch my face?”
His bloody face flushed a comical bright red.
Talía laughed even louder.
Rationality abandoned her brother’s eyes. He grabbed her face with his other hand, squeezing as if to crush her bones. Even through the burning pain in her head, Talía did not stop laughing.
Then, a strong hand intervened, pulling Gareth away from her.
Talía collapsed, and her vision cleared as the crushing pressure vanished. Familiar silhouettes entered her field of vision.
Blinking, she sat up, supporting herself on the ground; her heart was beating so violently she felt it would burst her eardrums.
Trembling hands hurriedly pulled her dress down to her feet, as a controlled voice whispered beside her.
“Ah… yes, it was about time you showed up.”
Gareth ground his teeth, jerking his wrist free. His dark green eyes burned like hellfire.
“So you intend to betray us, all because of that woman?”
“…The Emperor ordered me to bring the Second Princess before His Majesty,” Talía replied.
“You always hide behind that excuse…!”
“The answer to your question will be given after we have an audience with His Majesty,” Varkas intervened.
Gareth’s bloody face contorted horribly at Varkas’s words. The grinding of his teeth emitted a bone-chilling screech.
He grabbed the heir by the shoulder, roaring with rage.
“Fine. I look forward to the answer you will give.”
And with that, he pushed his way through the crowd and stormed out.
Varkas looked at Talía, and his mere presence overwhelmed her.
She felt goosebumps crawling across her body. Her pitiful reflection, mirrored in his abyssal gaze, seemed to shatter her completely.
Pressing her trembling hands against the ground, she forced herself to stand, feeling his steady hand supporting her back.
She pushed his body away by instinct.
“N-No…!”
Her weak protest was ignored.
Varkas slid an arm beneath her knees and lifted her gently.
Talía swallowed a scream, clutching the hem of her dress to ensure her legs remained covered. Even upon confirming that the long skirt reached her feet, the uneasiness persisted.
Her voice was a trembling whisper.
“I-I can walk on my own… put me down.”
Varkas did not answer.
Talía swallowed hard; his silence was suffocating.
“Put me down!”
As she raised her voice slightly, she felt the arm holding her tighten faintly. She realized he was holding himself back and closed her mouth.
Varkas fixed his gaze ahead, speaking in a low, calm voice.
“You don’t want to draw more attention, do you? Endure me a little longer and you will avoid humiliation under their gazes.”
Talía looked around with wide eyes.
Dozens of gazes, wide with surprise and horror, fell upon her.
She bowed her head, hiding from their eyes. A soft sigh escaped from the crown of her head. Tears threatened to well up again, but she clenched her teeth.
“Endure just a little longer,” he whispered, quickening his pace.
Soon, the massive doors leading to the Emperor’s audience hall came into view.
The chamberlain guarding the doors gasped upon seeing Varkas carrying the Second Princess.
Ignoring him, Varkas nodded slightly.
“The Emperor has summoned us. Open the doors.”
The chamberlain opened them hastily, revealing the wide, brilliant hall and the golden throne.
Talía raised her head to look toward the throne.
A man of imposing presence, who looked sculpted by power itself, was examining a scroll with a weary expression.
Beside him, Senevia tilted her head, her eyes fixed on Talía and an elegant smile on her pearl-like face.
“You have finally arrived.”
Only then did the Emperor’s gaze land on her.
Talía’s dry lips tightened as his somber eyes examined her thoroughly. She could no longer bear the shame and struggled with her limbs.
“Put me down.”
Varkas ignored her plea and strode toward the throne.
She looked at him in confusion. Why was he acting this way? Was it acceptable for her fiancé, Ayla’s fiancé, to behave like this before the Emperor?
A rebuking voice pierced her ears as she looked back toward the throne.
“I heard that walking posed no problem…”
Talía tensed and murmured an excuse without thinking.
“I only stumbled on the way; Lord Sierkan helped me.”
She pushed him firmly in the chest, and Varkas, steady as a statue, finally lowered her.
—
## CHAPTER 60: THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
Talía planted both feet on the ground and tried to straighten her back as much as possible.
A sharp, throbbing pain radiated from her knees to her spine. She must have hurt herself when she fell. She wanted to collapse immediately, but she forced herself to look composed and looked her father straight in the eyes.
It had been almost half a year since the last time she saw his face, and even then, only from a distance. It felt like looking at a complete stranger.
The man before her seemed to feel the same way. The emperor, showing signs of discomfort, averted his gaze as he spoke.
“I heard you have endured a difficult ordeal.”
His voice was flat, as if he were speaking about someone else.
“And that you have suffered wounds to your body.”
Talía looked at him with hostility. This man was practically a stranger. How dare he lightly mention her private suffering? Rage surged within her.
“Is that why you sent for me?”
Talía let a sharp, mocking smile play on her lips, slightly adjusting the hem of her dress.
“Do you want to see for yourself what kind of damage I have suffered?”
The man’s thick eyebrows furrowed.
Contrary to what she expected, which would be a fierce reprimand, Virus Roem Gyrta simply pressed his lips together and stared intently at her face. It was as if he were seeing his daughter’s face for the first time.
“There is no need for me to confirm it with my own eyes.”
The man spoke bluntly, then shifted his gaze toward Varkas. A faint uneasiness crept into his otherwise complex expression.
Why had he summoned her and Varkas at the same time?
Talía looked at him with suspicion. After a pause, the emperor suddenly spoke in a tone of reproach.
“Varkas Raedgo Sierkan, I entrusted the safety of my children to you. And this is the result I have before my eyes.”
A chill ran through Talía’s entire body.
The emperor, tapping the armrest of his chair with his fingertips, continued in a heavy voice.
“The Second Princess was not only severely injured due to your failure to protect her, but she has also suffered permanent damage. Do you recognize your responsibility in this?”
Varkas’s gaze crossed briefly with hers before turning away.
“I recognize it.”
There was no emotion in his voice. No resentment, no guilt, no trace of excuses; just a calm statement of facts.
“I will accept any punishment.”
Talía took a step forward unconsciously.
Varkas had done nothing wrong. She wanted to scream it, but she kept her mouth closed.
Had he really done nothing wrong?
She looked down at her trembling legs and then looked back at his face. She saw the image of him running away with his back turned to her, and that memory stole all her words.
“Since you recognize it so easily, the matter will proceed quickly.”
The emperor let out a heavy sigh.
“The engagement between the count’s family and the Second Princess has been broken due to this incident. Finding a suitable marriage of imperial level for her in the future will be difficult, given her many imperfections…”
He looked briefly at Talía’s pale, frightened face as if she did not exist, then continued slowly.
“You will take responsibility. Break your engagement with Ayla Roem Gyrta and take the Second Princess Talía Roem Gyrta as your wife.”
Talía’s breath caught.
She stared at the emperor, unable to fully comprehend what she had just heard, then turned to Senevia. A predatory smile, like that of a snake swallowing its prey, appeared on the woman’s face.
Chills ran down Talía’s spine and sweat broke out from her every pore. She did not even dare to check Varkas’s expression.
He would not accept such an absurd demand. He was the son of a duke. No emperor had the right to force the heir of an eastern duchy to marry. Of course he would refuse.
Talía clutched her dress tightly with trembling hands. After a few seconds of tension, he finally spoke.
“If the Second Princess consents, I will comply.”
Talía raised her head abruptly.
He looked at her, weighing each word deliberately before continuing slowly.
“Then I will take her as my wife.”
Her heart seemed to stop.
Talía stared at his lips in incredulity. Had she really heard correctly? Or was it an hallucination? No. Varkas would never say something like that.
“Is that so, Princess?” The emperor’s low voice pulled her out of her confusion and brought her back to reality. “If you agree, the title of Duchess Sierkan will be yours. Now, what is your decision?”
His tone carried a sharp mockery.
Talía realized that the emperor expected her to refuse. Perhaps he had proposed this reluctantly under pressure from the Empress, but he certainly did not want his illegitimate daughter marrying Ayla’s fiancé. Perhaps Varkas would resist, and the emperor expected it. No, without a doubt he would.
Her mind suddenly grew calm.
If she accepted, the man she had desired for so long would finally be hers. But did she really want that?
She looked at her legs hidden beneath her dress. The mere thought of revealing herself to him made her stomach turn. If she saw even the slightest expression of disgust or rejection on his face, she would lose her mind completely. She might fall apart right then and there.
Talía raised her eyes to him again.
He had always ignored her. The man who saved Ayla instead of her. The man who would never, even in death, love her.
Could she spend her life by his side? Could she willingly crawl toward such torment?
“I… I…”
Her cracked lips parted. She could not bear this. She did not want to be hurt anymore.
As she struggled to speak, her eyes fell upon Senevia’s face. The woman’s gaze silently warned her that if she disappointed her, she would never forgive her.
Her chest constricted painfully.
“I…”
She alternated her gaze between Varkas, the emperor, and Senevia. Their faces blurred together.
A sharp dizziness hit her; she pressed her head with her hands. Her forehead was drenched in sweat. She wiped it with her sleeve, but the droplets stung her eyes as they ran down.
She shook them off nervously, but suddenly her vision wavered and her legs gave way.
Talía held her breath as her body hit the floor.
From a distance, sharp cries reached her. Senevia’s maids were panicking.
She lay face down on the floor, making an effort through her blurred vision. Beyond the curtains, Varkas’s pale, stoic face was vaguely visible.
Was his paleness real, or a trick played by her foolish heart? Yes, it must be that. He had shown no disturbance even when she was a mess. Why would he turn pale because of her pathetic state?
Suddenly, exhaustion overcame her.
Talía, who had desperately tried to hold onto him, let it all go.
The news that the engagement between the heir of the duchy and the First Princess had been broken, and that the Second Princess would take her place, spread like wildfire throughout the imperial palace.
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