The Forgotten Field Novel - Chapter 91
Chapter 91
Lucas let out a scoffing snort, loud enough to be heard.
—”Since when does the people of the East care about something like peace?”
—”It is about time they start caring.”
A trace of warning vaguely appeared on Tyron’s face. The mounted warrior, who observed him with sharp eyes as if wanting to pierce through him, continued speaking seriously.
—”While His Excellency was in bed, the cohesion of the East has weakened notably. On the contrary, the Zram have been steadily increasing their power. If they decide to attack with determination, the East will become a sea of fire in the blink of an eye. We are not in times to be fighting over nonsense.”
Lucas wiped away the twisted smile he had on his lips.
—”Aren’t you exaggerating too much? The Zram are a headache, but we possess the most powerful cavalry in the Empire. Those barbarians who were expelled to the border cannot have gained that much power.”
—”Even that cavalry is nothing more than a disorganized mob if it does not have a strong leader.”
Tyron let out a sigh of frustration.
—”While the Grand Duke has been retired from the front line, the lords of various parts of the East have been increasing their own forces. The warriors they lead render loyalty to their own lords, not to the Siokan family. If by chance the lords were to unite to rebel, the East would fragment in an instant.”
Faced with the consecutive pessimism, Lucas squeezed his lips.
He also knew that some vassals were showing suspicious movements. However, he had never thought the situation was as serious as Tyron said.
Lucas replied with a firm tone:
—”If the vassals attempt a treason, the Imperial Palace will not stand by with crossed arms. The Siokan family is also a vassal of the Emperor. Opposing the house of the Grand Duke is the same as rebelling against the Roem Empire.”
—”You still do not understand what I am saying.”
Tyron clicked his tongue abruptly.
—”What I mean is that we must prevent the rebellion from happening in the first place. By the time the Imperial Palace has to intervene, the East will already be an absolute chaos. Before that happens, we must restore discipline.”
Lucas remained silent, finding no words to rebut. Tyron, who observed him with a severe gaze, sentenced firmly:
—”The takeover of the new Grand Duke will be the opportunity to unite the East again as one. You too, as a member of the Siokan family, must cooperate.”
—”……In the end, what you mean to say is that I should docilely obey my brother’s wishes.”
—”Having been born as the second son, isn’t that something inevitable?”
Tyron threw those words with a double meaning.
Lucas, who looked at him fixedly in silence, shook the reins to get rid of the annoying sermonizer.
He was still only fifteen years old. He did not want to worry just yet about the complex political situation of the East or his duties as a second son.
He spurred the horse as a sign of rebellion.
As he galloped swiftly through the prairie, a vast grassland spread under the sun that was tilting toward the west.
Lucas stopped his horse on the crest of a hill. After observing the hundreds of horses grazing peacefully, he directed his mount toward a large-scale camp located nearby.
As he approached what appeared to be a large meeting tent, a robustly built man wearing an ostentatious cape came running out to receive him.
—”Welcome! I have been anxiously awaiting your arrival!”
He was a vassal of the Siokan family whom he knew well. Lucas jumped from the saddle and shouted with energy toward the man:
—”Kun Badera! It’s been a long time!”
—”It has been some time, young master Lucas. You have grown so much in this interval.”
—”And you have gotten fatter since the last time I saw you.”
The man let out a laugh and roughly ruffled his hair.
—”That bad talking habit remains the same as always.”
The man, who maintained a relaxed smile on his bearded face, suddenly looked around.
—”By the way, where are the others? I was informed that His Excellency the new Grand Duke would come with the mounted warriors……”
—”They will arrive soon.”
Lucas threw those words with disinterest while pointing toward the hill.
—”They had me so fed up with their sermons that I got ahead and came alone.”
Almost as soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of riders appeared over the crest of the hill.
Kun Badera immediately gave instructions to the servants to prepare to receive the guests. Lucas also walked toward the hill to fulfill his duty.
At that moment, Varkas stepped down from the travel carriage that had just arrived in front of the meeting house.
Lucas, who was running to attend to him, stopped dead in his tracks. The Second Princess was in his brother’s arms.
Varkas, who held the woman who seemed completely exhausted with a single arm, looked around calmly and asked:
—”Where can we stay?”
Kun Badera, who observed the two of them astonished, ran hurriedly and lowered his head.
—”F-first time seeing you, Most Excellent Grand Duke. I am Kun Badera, in charge of managing His Excellency’s horses.”
The man, who was stammering with a face full of nervousness, turned around and added:
—”Follow me, please. I will guide you to the lodging where both of you will stay.”
Varkas, who pressed the woman’s head —fallen without strength— onto his shoulder, followed the man. Lucas, after hesitating a moment, also followed him.
The place to which the man took them was a large tent located in the center of the camp. Inside the conical tent, covered with fabric waterproofed with tar, there was a large bed and luxury furniture arranged in the place.
Varkas, who examined the interior calmly, laid the woman down on the spacious bed and then gave Lucas an order.
—”Go and call a servant. Among Her Highness’s maids there should be a quarter-dwarf.”
—”……I understand that my job is to attend to my brother.”
Varkas, who was lowering the canopy over the bed, let out a dry laugh as if he could not believe it.
—”And didn’t I just give you an order?”
—”What my brother has asked of me is a trivial errand that any servant could do. My job is to take care of my brother’s horse or his weapons……”
—”Your job is to obey my orders without saying a word.”
Varkas stood up and walked with large strides toward him. Lucas stepped back without realizing it.
Varkas grabbed his shoulder with one hand and pushed back his messy hair while speaking slowly.
—”Lucas, from now on you will learn to obey me. It is a virtue you should have learned from the moment you started riding a horse.”
Lucas froze like a mouse in front of a snake. Varkas, who looked at him with icy eyes, added calmly:
—”From now on, if you question my words, you will receive the corresponding punishment. Understood?”
Lucas swallowed saliva and nodded slowly. Varkas made a gesture with his chin immediately.
—”Then, go bring the maid right now.”
Lucas shot out of the tent.
It seemed that this tour was not going to be precisely a pleasant stroll.
He walked away with heaviness while ruffling his hair with frustration.
A stabbing pain that was born in his knees went up to his hip.
Talia, who tossed and turned on the thick sheets, lifted her heavy eyelids with difficulty.
An unfamiliar ceiling, where the reflection of a light danced, filled her field of vision.
Talia blinked and sat up slowly. Suddenly, she realized that she was only wearing a thin linen dress and was startled.
Touching her legs with urgency, she felt the bandages she had wrapped around herself in the morning. Fortunately, it seemed they had only removed her outer clothing. The moment she let out a small sigh of relief, she heard the faint sound of water very close by.
Talia turned her head sharply and froze upon discovering Varkas, who was washing his face with a bare torso.
He scooped water with the palms of his hands and passed it over the back of his neck. The transparent water flowed slowly down his well-defined muscles. Talia observed the scene astonished until she finally managed to articulate a word.
—”W-what are you doing now?”
Varkas, who rubbed his face with his wet hands, turned his head toward her. His pale body, drenched in water, filled her vision.
Talia turned red as a tomato and quickly covered her chest with the blanket.
—”W-why are you naked?! Pervert!”
Varkas, who looked at her in silence, let out a deep sigh.
—”One cannot wash with clothes on, right?”
—”N-no, what I mean is why are you washing HERE……!”
Talia, who was shouting with a sharp voice, stopped breathing the next instant. Varkas had leaned over the bed and covered her mouth with one hand.
—”Lower your voice.”
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