The Forgotten Field - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 103
“If you would permit it, I shall examine the composition myself. That way, Your Highness can rest assured.”
Talia neither affirmed nor denied, instead gesturing for the woman to withdraw. The Sierkan Healer immediately bowed and departed the chamber.
Talia, who had been watching the crackling flames dance before the fireplace, rose from her seat, overwhelmed by profound exhaustion.
As she lowered herself onto the plush sheets, the pain radiating through her knees gradually subsided. The medicinal salve was clearly taking effect.
Through half-lidded eyes, Talia gazed at the stained ceiling before turning her head toward the crimson-tinted windowpane.
The sky had already transformed from brilliant amber into a deep wine-dark hue.
The fiercely burning sunset would soon be consumed by darkness. When that came to pass, it would prove advantageous for a surprise assault.
A fleeting worry seized her—what if Barcas sustained an injury during the battle?—but she swiftly dismissed it.
He was a man who had surpassed hundreds of Roem Knights before reaching twenty and ascended to the position of Knight Commander. Eliminating a band of marauders would be nothing to him.
Talia deliberately banished her wandering thoughts and closed her eyes firmly. As her consciousness gradually dimmed, the tolling of the bell marking day’s end permeated her mind.
Listening to the distant resonance echoing from the bell tower, Talia suddenly succumbed to sleep as though losing consciousness.
She regained awareness in the deep darkness of early dawn.
Seized by a burning thirst, Talia opened her eyes only to be gripped by an unexpected suffocation. She clawed at the neckline of her linen dress.
When the oppressive tightness in her chest persisted, she crawled to the foot of the bed and seized the lamp.
At that moment, a crimson glow flowing along the wall caught her eye. Following that faint trace of light, Talia turned her head and discovered the nearly extinguished flames in the fireplace, drawing in a deep breath. The fading light felt as refreshing as fresh air.
Talia descended from the bed and walked toward the fireplace. Within the black ash, a few embers sizzled visibly. To revive them, she stacked several logs and forcefully pressed the bellows resting on the floor. The wood began to smoke and burst into bright flames.
As Talia’s shoulders relaxed in relief, she suddenly turned her head. A peculiar sound drifted from somewhere. Only seconds later did she recognize it as an animal’s cry.
Could wild dogs have appeared?
Talia walked to the window and carefully opened the glass pane. A cold, dry wind struck her face.
Shuddering at the chill, Talia scanned the darkness, pursuing the increasingly distinct sound.
A mournful cry echoed across the moonlit hill. Yet nowhere could she find the form of the beast wailing so desperately.
Just as she turned her gaze toward the far edge of the steppe, wondering if the sound came from the forest, someone knocked upon the door.
Talia’s nerves instantly tensed.
“Who is it?”
“Forgive me, Your Highness. I heard a sound and wondered if perhaps you were unable to sleep due to pain, so I came to inquire.”
It was the Sierkan Healer.
Talia, her wariness eased, responded in an indifferent tone.
“I simply could not sleep. You may withdraw.”
A brief silence followed. The woman lingered hesitantly before the door and offered a careful suggestion.
“If it pleases you, shall I prepare an herbal tea to help you rest comfortably?”
Talia’s brow furrowed. Irritation flared as the woman failed to obey her dismissal immediately.
“There is no need——”
Just as Talia was about to refuse as she normally would, she abruptly fell silent. She recalled that she had promised to deliver the medication prepared by the Taren Healer to this woman.
She did not truly suspect this woman of administering suspicious drugs, yet caution could do no harm.
After a moment’s deliberation, Talia spoke curtly.
“Very well. Come in.”
With permission granted, the Healer entered the chamber, clutching a small bundle in one hand.
Talia examined her carefully with an appraising gaze.
As though she had just risen from bed, she wore only a loose linen nightdress beneath a gray robe.
Aria tucked her disheveled hair behind her ear with an embarrassed gesture and walked toward the fireplace.
“Please wait just a moment. I’ll have it ready shortly.”
She hung a brass pot over the flames, then withdrew a bundle of medicinal herbs from her bundle.
After blending several varieties into the pot and lightly roasting them, she picked up a kettle and poured water over the mixture.
Before long, the delicate fragrance of chamomile and lavender drifted through the air.
“There, it’s ready.”
Aria carefully poured a portion of the steeped tea into a cup and offered it with cautious hands.
Talia held it in her grasp and gazed down quietly. A sweet aroma wafted subtly to her nose—honey, perhaps, had been added within.
As she savored it slowly, a prolonged howl pierced the night once more.
Talia let out a small groan. It seemed the beast had resolved to bay throughout the entire night.
“Close the window for me. Draw the curtains as well.”
Aria immediately obeyed the command. Yet the wild creature’s cry penetrated easily through the thick glass and heavy curtains.
The Healer offered an awkward smile.
“It seems the wolf must be yearning desperately for someone in this village.”
Talia let out a hollow laugh, as if the notion were absurd.
“Are you trying to jest with me now?”
“That’s not what I meant….”
Aria, flustered by the sharp response, continued in a measured tone.
“In the Eastern Territories, there is a folk belief that those who pass away without receiving baptism are reborn as wild beasts. The cries heard at night are thought to be their songs calling out to those they loved in life.”
Talia scoffed.
“Unbaptized souls simply fall into the abyss and cease to exist. You don’t even know such basic doctrine?”
“…I am well versed in the teachings of the Religious Order.”
A bitter edge crept into Aria’s expression.
“Yet wouldn’t it bring far greater solace to believe that a beloved has returned to one’s side, even in the form of a beast? The priests themselves often turn a blind eye to such faith.”
Talia’s expression grew puzzled.
“Are there truly so many who die without receiving baptism?”
“Like all citizens of the Empire, we in the Eastern Territories receive baptism within one hundred days of birth. However, stillborn children are denied such blessing, are they not?”
Detecting the sorrow woven through Aria’s voice, Talia’s eyes widened in discomfort.
Had this Healer lost a child?
Uncertain what to say, Talia fidgeted awkwardly until Aria, as if to dispel the heavy mood, offered a gentle smile.
“The tea will grow cold. Please, drink it while it’s warm.”
Talia, reading Aria’s subtle cue, drank the lukewarm brew.
The Healer, who had been quietly observing, set several medicine bottles on the shelf and departed.
Talia lay upon the bed, listening as the howls gradually faded into the distance.
Perhaps that woman had heard the song calling out to her. Perhaps that was why she had been unable to sleep until now.
Lost in such musings, Talia soon swept away the idle thoughts from her mind.
She could barely bear to confront her own suffering. She had no energy left to concern herself with another’s.
* * *
Whether the herbal tea had helped or not, she slept deeply and without dreams.
Talia awoke with a sense of refreshment she hadn’t felt in ages, her drowsy eyes taking in the bright morning light streaming through the window.
At that moment, I sensed a presence nearby. Turning my head, thinking perhaps the Nursemaid had brought water for washing, I felt cool fingers envelop my cheek and flinched in surprise.
As my vision cleared, Barcas came into focus, perched on the edge of the bed.
Blinking with a dazed expression, I hastily pushed myself upright.
The instant I began to examine him from head to toe, searching for any sign of injury, my chin tilted upward, and without warning, his lips descended upon mine.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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