The Forgotten Field Novel - Chapter 95
## Chapter 95: THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
Varkas, who had been observing for a moment the red gem that shone as if it were on fire, approached the merchant and paid the price.
Talia lowered her gaze toward the ruby brooch she held in her hand, her eyes clouded with frustration.
Varkas asked in an indifferent tone:
— “Anything else?”
Surely they were words thrown out without much intention, but why did it feel as if he were trying to read her inside?
She forcefully contained her gaze, which tried to turn toward the moonstone.
— “I don’t need it. Everything else is mediocre.”
The merchant’s face distorted slightly. Pretending not to have seen it, she turned around toward the entrance, and Varkas followed her, wrapping his arm around her waist. He seemed to want to hold her, as she used to stagger at the slightest provocation.
Accepting his touch, to which she had already become accustomed, they left the shop and saw other vassals waiting, in addition to Daren Dru Sionkan.
One of them approached and handed over a report.
— “We have finished the inspection of the market. The supply of goods is stable and the trade of the main items seems active. However, there were quite a few complaints that security is somewhat unstable.”
Varkas, who was passing through a notably deserted corridor, looked at him.
— “Is there any problem with the guard?”
— “More than a problem with the guard, it seems that bands of thieves have been making their move recently. It is said that successive attacks against merchants have occurred.”
A slight frown appeared between Varkas’s eyebrows. The man added cautiously:
— “To discuss that matter, the lord of Dorken Castle has requested an interview. What do you wish to do?”
— “…It’s fine. First we will meet with the lord of the castle.”
Varkas, caressing his chin, nodded naturally. Talia, who was watching the scene stealthily, looked back slyly.
The gem she had left behind, almost as if she had discarded it, remained engraved in her mind.
She tried to console herself thinking that it didn’t matter if she didn’t have an insignificant gem like a moonstone, but the feeling of regret did not disappear. By the time she left the market and got into the carriage parked on the main road, even anxiety invaded her.
Perhaps she would never find a gem with that color again. Talia, sitting in the seat looking at the ruby with discontent, looked out the window.
Varkas was discussing something with his vassals. He seemed to be transmitting the decisions made a moment ago to the knights.
Since it did not seem like they were going to leave immediately, Talia rummaged through the storage compartment of the carriage. After rummaging through Varkas’s belongings at random, she managed to find a leather bag full of gold coins. She quickly tucked it into her clothes and went out carefully.
The soldiers seemed busy loading into the carriage the wedding gifts delivered by influential people of the city. Talia, watching their reactions, quickly crossed the main road.
Upon entering the commercial market again, she saw the merchants packing up their stalls.
She pulled her hood down deeply and advanced through the crowd in the streets. Perhaps because her rushed movements took their toll on her, a pain spread from the tense muscles of her calves to her pelvis. Ignoring it, she ran toward the jewelry store and stopped in front of the counter.
The gem that resembled Varkas’s eyes emitted a faint glow on a red cushion. After observing it for a long time, she raised her head toward the merchant.
— “I will buy this gem.”
The man, who was looking at her with an expression of surprise, flashed a smile from ear to ear.
— “You really have a good eye. This moonstone is a rare piece with a very unique color and pattern. Originally I should charge 35 soldems, but for Your Highness the Grand Duchess, I will especially leave it for you at 30 soldems.”
Talia listened abstractedly to the merchant’s words while opening the leather bag. At that moment, a sharp voice was heard behind her back.
— “This is a total scam. How can a moonstone cost thirty gold coins?”
Talia turned around and opened her eyes wide upon discovering Lucas Raedo Sionkan.
He looked at the gem in her hand and mocked:
— “It wouldn’t even be worth five gold coins.”
— “What… what kind of absurd words are those?!”
The man raised his voice as if he felt aggrieved.
— “This moonstone is a top-class product difficult to see! Do you know where objects with this color and pattern are commonly found?”
— “Even so, 30 soldems is not the price.”
— “30 soldems is a cheap price! If it were put up for auction, it could reach a higher price than that…!”
In front of the merchant, who gasped with a flushed face, Talia poured out the gold coins.
With a clink, the coins minted by the royal family piled up on the counter. At a glance, there seemed to be much more than 30.
She put the gem into her bag and said arrogantly:
— “It’s annoying to count them one by one. Keep them all.”
Having said this, she turned around and left the shop.
In front of the premises, several horsemen with severe expressions were waiting.
Talia passed by them with her head held high. However, before taking a few steps, she was caught by Lucas.
— “Hey, if you go around in such a reckless way…!”
— “Hey?”
When she threw a fierce glance at him, the boy stepped back surprised and lowered his gaze. It was the result of having polished him diligently over the last few days.
The boy corrected his words with an expression that seemed to repress his irritation.
— “You must not walk at your own whim without an escort, sister-in-law.”
— “I was going to return immediately.”
— “Even so, you should have told us. What if you escape stealthily?”
Talia brushed away roughly the hand that was on her shoulder.
— “I am not a prisoner of the Sionkan family. I have no obligation to report each of my movements.”
— “I didn’t mean it with that intention. What would happen if something serious occurs…!”
Talia ignored the meddlesome lectures and headed toward the plaza.
Meanwhile, the knights were already all mounted on their horses, as if they had finished preparations for the departure.
Talia hurriedly approached the carriage. Then, Varkas, who was conversing with a nobleman nearby, threw a frigid look at her.
Talia swallowed hard.
Would he be angry because she disappeared without saying anything?
While she was highly tense, Varkas let out a small sigh and gave her a slight gesture with his chin.
— “Get in. I must transfer to horseback.”
Having said this, he walked toward the knights. Talia climbed into the carriage, letting out a small sigh of relief.
Shortly after, the carriage that was stopped began to move along the main road.
Talia took out the gem she had kept inside her coat. The silver-blue mineral emitted a pale light in the dimness of the shadow.
She looked at it for a long time, like someone who possesses a jewel for the first time in their life, before putting it back into her chest and looking out the window.
In the sky, which until a few hours ago shone intensely, light gray clouds had formed. The smell of dry grass mixed in the cold air, where the heat of summer had already completely dissipated. Judging by the humidity in the air, it seemed it would rain soon.
Just as she predicted, by the time the carriage left the center of the city and crossed the walls, the dense clouds began to pour a drizzle.
Talia leaned her cheek against the cold glass of the window and observed ahead.
Over a gentle hill covered by the mist of the rain, a fortress of a somewhat rough shape loomed. It seemed that place was Dorken.
— “Thank you for coming!”
As soon as they arrived in front of the fortress gate, a man with a bear skin over his shoulders came running out of the building. He was a middle-aged man with a thick black beard.
He made a formal bow to Varkas, who was at the front.
— “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency the Grand Duke. I am Uzan Darken, the one in charge of administering this region.”
Varkas, who jumped off the horse, accepted his welcoming greeting with an impassive expression.
— “I am Varkas Raedo Sionkan.”
The man, who observed his new lord with curious eyes, flashed a warm smile.
— “It must have been an exhausting journey. Please, come in. We have prepared a splendid banquet for Your Excellency.”
— “Thank you for the attention.”
Varkas, who showed courtesy with an appropriate greeting, handed the reins of the horse to a servant and approached her.
Talia, who was standing dazed receiving the drizzle, shrugged her shoulders. Varkas extended the edge of his cape and created a shelter over her head.
The lord of the castle, who observed the scene with a look full of interest, spoke to her cautiously.
— “It seems this beautiful lady is Your Highness the Grand Duchess. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness. Please, feel comfortable to call me Uzan.”
Talia replied simply by nodding her head once.
The man, who showed a trace of slight bewilderment, quickly recovered his smiling face and began to flatter her.
— “It is an infinite honor to receive such noble people. I will do my best so that your stay is without inconveniences.”
— “Enough formalities, guide us to our room soon. How long are you going to keep us under the rain?”
At her blunt words, the man hurriedly climbed the stairs.
— “Oh, I’m sorry, Your Highness the Grand Duchess! This way, please.”
Upon following him into the interior of the huge stone building, the smell of burning firewood and candles hit their noses.
Talia, stuck to Varkas’s side, looked around the old castle that gave off a gloomy atmosphere.
As if it were a building constructed in the era of the Warring Kingdoms, the interior of the old castle was permeated by a dense darkness and a sticky humidity.
— “You can use this room.”
The lord of the castle guided them to a room located on the second floor. It was a bedroom that was decorated in a quite cozy way.
Comments for chapter "Chapter 95"
MANGA DISCUSSION
Madara Info
Madara stands as a beacon for those desiring to craft a captivating online comic and manga reading platform on WordPress
For custom work request, please send email to wpstylish(at)gmail(dot)com
English