The Forgotten Field Novel - Chapter 85, 86
## Chapter 85
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
Immediately after, a thundering roar shook the training ground.
Lucas exhaled deeply, releasing the breath he had been holding.
Varkas pulled his halberd from the man’s chest and turned his horse around.
As the bright light illuminated his imposing features, the cheers from the crowd grew even louder. Lucas examined the faces of the warriors, ignited with emotion, before directing his gaze back toward Varkas.
Amidst all the uproar, the man seemed completely serene.
With an expressionless face that seemed to betray a slight hint of boredom, Varkas crossed the training ground and leapt from his saddle.
“Find out if there is any other capable man in the Gutvan family.”
Handing his weapon to a servant who had come running over, Varkas gave an order to Daren.
“If there is no suitable heir, you can look among the vassals for another candidate capable of administering the southeastern region.”
“Well… there is a fairly capable warrior among his half-brothers,” Daren replied with a trembling voice. “Originally he was supposed to join the Knights of the Wolfram Lance… but… I heard he attended the Academy in the capital, so he should be capable of fulfilling the role of a lord.”
Varkas removed his iron gauntlets, handed them to the attendant, and then lightly stroked his lips with a thoughtful expression.
“Bring him before me as soon as possible. If I deem him fit, we will hold the investiture ceremony immediately.”
At that moment, two attendants removed the heavy breastplate from his chest. Feeling lighter, Varkas immediately cut through the crowd and approached him.
Lucas took a step back by instinct. Then, when the woman he was holding staggered as if she were going to fall, he instinctively grabbed her by the waist.
In that instant, his head grew hot.
Her waist was so slender that it fit comfortably in his hands, even though he had not yet finished growing. Furthermore, her skin, which glowed white even in the darkness, gave off a sweet scent that he had never smelled before.
What the hell is that smell?
Before he realized it, he was tilting his face toward the nape of her neck and sniffing, but with a sharp slap, his cheek burned.
Lucas covered his face with a dazed expression.
The woman who had pushed him away glared at him, her eyes filled with anger, and shouted:
“What the hell are you doing, you perverted brat?!”
“P-perverted?” He opened his mouth in shock. “I was only trying to hold you before you fell…!”
“If you were holding me so I wouldn’t fall, why were you sniffing me?”
Lucas’s face turned beet red. As she shot him a look of contempt, an intense wave of shame—something he had never felt before—washed over him.
With a look of indignation, he raised his voice.
“I only noticed a strange smell coming from your body…!”
At that, a burning heat spread across his other cheek. Lucas stumbled backward.
What kind of woman is this?
He was no stranger to bruises all over his body from rigorous training, but no one in his life had ever struck him in the face like that.
Frowning from the humiliation, he stared intently at the woman. Just as he was about to snap something at her, Raina came running over and roughly pushed the woman aside.
“How dare you lay a hand on someone’s face! You witch!”
Thanks to the powerful strength in her arms honed by horse riding, the woman’s body fell backward like a piece of paper. Lucas, who had been furious, reacted by reflex and reached out his hand.
Just as he was about to catch her, a long arm snatched the woman away. Lucas looked up in surprise.
Varkas, who had suddenly appeared right before him, was holding her in his arms and looking at him with a cold gaze.
“…It seems everyone needs to relearn the basic rules,” Varkas muttered coldly, then turned to the pale Raina and added: “Both of you are forbidden from riding horses for the time being.”
“B-but that’s impossible…!”
Turning his back on the protesting Raina, Varkas gave an order to Daren.
“Assign a strict tutor to those two. Don’t let them set foot outside the castle until they have mastered proper etiquette.”
Without waiting for Daren’s response, he headed toward the castle.
As he walked away, the enthusiastic cheers of the warriors followed him. It seemed that most of the inhabitants of the East, who worshiped strength, were completely captivated by him.
In contrast, the servants, seemingly frightened by the extraordinary martial prowess he had displayed, murmured prayers or crossed themselves. The nobles, for their part, were engaged in a heated debate about the radical actions of the next leader.
Leaving all that uproar behind, the man calmly walked out of the hall.
Raina, who had been watching his retreating figure with bated breath, let out a delayed protest.
“This is so unfair!” She looked around as if seeking approval. “That woman is the cause of this uproar! So why do we have to be the ones punished?”
Lucas left his younger sister, who was on the verge of tears, and walked toward the center of the chaotic training ground.
The soldiers who had been removing Alec Gutvan’s body instinctively made way for him. Kneeling beside the charred corpse, Lucas minutely examined his brother’s handiwork.
The dead man seemed to have been pierced directly through the heart. Thick, sticky blood welled from inside the shattered breastplate, and brain matter leaked slowly from the skull, which appeared to have been crushed upon impacting the ground.
When the soldiers completely removed his dented helmet, they revealed wide, white eyes, and thick lips covered in bloody foam.
The end of the man who, just this morning, had been hailed as the strongest lancer of the East was truly pitiful.
“He was only big; I guess his skills were nothing out of the ordinary.”
“That cannot be.”
Tyron, who had approached him, shook his head with a bitter smile.
“This is a man who, in his adolescence, brought down a troll with his bare hands, without weapons. He was a warrior who possessed not only that brutal brute strength, but also exceptional skill. No one would have ever imagined that this man would meet such an insignificant end.”
Lucas looked at Tyron with a worried expression.
“Won’t this cause a problem?”
“It was a duel accepted by both parties. If they make a problem out of it, the Gutvan family will become everyone’s laughingstock,” he replied with indifference. “Furthermore, although it was the young lord who proposed the duel, I heard it was this man who first challenged his authority. No one will be able to blame the Shiokan family for this outcome.”
Tyron, who had spoken with such decisiveness, looked thoughtfully at the congregation of nobles.
“However, there could be some discord among the lords.”
Lucas followed his gaze toward the main table. The local nobles seemed bewildered by the fact that the administrator of the southeastern region had been replaced overnight.
Tyron, observing the murmuring nobles, added with a sigh:
“The succession ceremony might be brought forward. In order to resolve all this chaos, we will need a powerful Grand Duke.”
“Why are you so angry?”
Talia, who had been sitting hunched on the edge of the bed with a sullen expression, finally could not contain herself any longer and demanded an answer.
Varkas did not respond, but instead walked toward the shelf and rummaged through the display case. He seemed as calm as ever. But Talia could easily notice that his mood had hit rock bottom. He had returned to the room without saying a word and had not even looked at her.
It was absurd. She was the one who should be angry. Hadn’t this man been the one who had marched off in a fury without even pretending to listen to her?
Talia glared at him with a fierce look.
As the image of that monstrous man charging at Varkas crossed her mind, a chill ran through her body and her stomach twisted in agony.
The events that unfolded after that failed to astonish her in the least. She simply felt like thanking God that he was safe.
At the same time, she wanted to beat this man to death who had made her heart race so much. If her legs had not been shaking so severely that she was on the verge of collapse, she would have run directly toward him and acted upon that impulse.
—
## Chapter 86
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
Incapable of containing her overflowing anger, Talia grabbed a pillow and threw it at him.
“If you have something to say, just say it! Don’t keep me in suspense!”
The cloth bag filled with feathers struck the back of his head with a dull impact. Varkas, who had been opening the medicine jars on the shelf and checking their contents one by one, shot her a cold look over his shoulder.
Talia shrugged her shoulders and pressed herself hard against the headboard. She was tense, not knowing what kind of retaliation she might receive, but Varkas let out a slight sigh and knelt beside the bed.
“Give me your hand.”
Talia blinked in confusion. He then pulled her hand toward himself and held it against the light. The skin of her palm was red and swollen.
Varkas clicked his tongue in disapproval and poured a viscous liquid over her hand. The burning sensation made Talia, by reflex, shrink her arm back. But he held her wrist firmly, so she could not move even an inch.
She looked at him with irritation.
“What are you doing?!”
“It’s a medicine that works well for bruises.”
Varkas replied in a harsh tone while spreading the ointment evenly across her palm.
That strange sensation made Talia curl her toes. Every time his long and elegant fingers rubbed her swollen skin, a tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Feeling the heat rise to her ears, she twisted her arm.
“That’s… that’s enough.”
“Stay still.”
His voice, lower than usual, sent a chill down her spine.
She looked at him with anxiety and then lowered her eyes again. He slowly traced the faint lines etched into the palm of her hand.
Was this really a treatment?
The way his fingers persistently caressed each line felt strangely erotic.
“You have a bruise on your wrist.”
Suddenly, his voice dropped a pitch. Talia swallowed hard, feeling her throat close up.
She had no idea why her stomach had suddenly contracted.
Looking sideways to gauge his reaction, Talia freed her arm from his grip with a bit more force.
“It’s enough. Get out of my room.”
She turned her back to him and lay down, but immediately her body was spun around sharply again.
Talia looked up at him, her face bewildered. Varkas, leaning over her, asked in an accusatory tone:
“Why did you come to the banquet hall today?”
She twisted her face into a grimace.
So, after all, that was what had made him so angry. Talia, casting a venomous look at him, asked sarcastically:
“Why? Am I not allowed to go to the banquet hall?”
“….”
“You said it yourself. That I am the highest-ranking person in this castle. So why do you want me locked up like a prisoner?”
“………You are the one who has been reluctant to appear before people.”
“Do you really not know why I am reluctant?”
Suddenly, the accumulated resentment that she had been suppressing deep in her heart reared its head.
Talia pushed his shoulder sharply, wrapped her hands around her knees, and looked at him reproachfully.
“It’s because we have ended up in this mess!”
A deep shadow fell over his eyes. She shouted at him like a usurer demanding a payment.
“But even if I am ashamed of myself, you shouldn’t be. Just because I am hiding doesn’t mean you have to as well!”
The veins on his neck stood out. His face showed that he was gathering every last ounce of patience. That expression, struggling to contain his anger, hurt her heart even more.
Talia snatched the last remaining pillow and threw it at him. Varkas narrowed the corner of one eye slightly. She struck his face with the pillow, one blow after another, while hurling her accusations.
“Why did I come to the banquet hall? I wanted to hear what you people were saying about me! I need to know what is being said about being your wife so I can find a way to survive! That’s why, instead of dressing in a gala gown, I wrapped myself well in a robe like a rat and snuck in!”
He caught the flying pillow and pinned her against the bed. Under his brutal grip, the fine fabric tore, causing snow-white feathers to scatter in all directions.
Talia gasped for air while looking at the feathers that swirled like snowflakes.
Varkas, who had pinned her wrists and immobilized her on the bed, stared at her intently with a somber gaze. A tense voice brought forth from his nose.
“I understand perfectly what you mean.”
Taking a deep breath, Varkas added slowly:
“We will hold the succession ceremony in a few days. At that time, I will formally present you as the Grand Duchess of the East.”
Talia felt her skin crawl. She had no way of knowing if it was because of the destiny that awaited her or because of the man in front of her.
He brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek and continued softly:
“So, just stay quiet until then.”
She looked at him with bloodshot eyes and tightly pressed lips. A few feathers settled on his shoulder. Varkas brushed them off with a light touch and rose slowly.
Shortly after, the sound of the door opening and closing echoed in the room. Talia stared blankly at the spot where he had been standing and then covered her head with the blanket.
After the brutal welcoming ceremony, a heavy tension began to float over Raedgo Castle.
The maids, who previously showed themselves rigid and formal, now moved with the caution of someone walking on thin ice, and the guards held their breath and lowered their gaze every time she left her quarters.
A baseless rumor seemed to have spread that treating the Second Princess with a lack of respect would provoke the wrath of the future Grand Duke.
It was a misunderstanding born of the fact that a vassal who had been rude to her had lost his life. That monstrous man had simply paid the price for challenging the heir of the Grand Duke’s house, but Talia made no effort to correct their erroneous belief.
It was safer to be feared than to seem easy to manipulate. If one tried to win favor by flattering others, they would inevitably end up with their head trampled. That was the wisdom she had acquired over many years.
“I don’t need helpers, so stop bothering me and get out.”
Talia turned the pages of her book and waved a hand dismissively to send them away.
The maids standing by the door exchanged uncomfortable glances. In normal circumstances, they would have retired immediately, but since they stood their ground, Talia sharpened the tone of her voice.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to leave?”
“Your Highness, the succession ceremony is scheduled for this afternoon.”
The head maid spoke with a solemn expression. Talia’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Already?”
She had heard from Varkas that the succession ceremony would take place in a few days, but she never imagined they would try to hold the ceremony in less a week.
Lost in thought, she got off the bed.
“Where is Varkas right now?”
“The Young Lord is currently meeting with the High Priest who will preside over the succession ceremony. Once the final preparations are defined, the ceremony is scheduled to begin immediately.”
Talia arched an eyebrow.
“Why are you telling me this only now?!”
“The Young Lord gave instructions not to allow this to reach Your Highness’s ears until the day of the ceremony.”
Said the head maid, as if sighing.
Talia’s face contorted in frustration. She could guess what had prompted him to issue such an order.
He probably thought she would hide or run away. Every time she faced something she did not want to do, she had a habit of disappearing without a trace. This time was no exception. Overcome by the impulse to flee at any moment, Talia looked out the window. The head maid spoke in a soft tone, as if trying to soothe her.
“There is still time, so there is no need to be so anxious.”
Talia looked at her nervously and then murmured in a muted voice:
“What am I supposed to do?”
“We have prepared traditional Eastern attire for Your Highness to wear.”
The head maid let out a small sigh of relief and stepped aside. Immediately afterward, burly servants entered the room carrying piles of colorful garments adorned with elaborate embroidery.
“Since this style of dress is unfamiliar to the maids of the central region, we would appreciate it if you would allow us to take care of dressing you this time.”
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