The Forgotten Field - Chapter 128

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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 128
“Isn’t it magnificent? My brother hunted this himself to lift my spirits.”
Talia turned toward the voice. Beyond the railing, she glimpsed Raina draped in silver fur across her shoulders.
The girl spun before the Handmaidens, flaunting her prize with unbridled delight.
“With this fur, I could have winter clothing made and ride Saika freely even in the depths of winter, couldn’t I?”
“Of course! Drakar are creatures that nest even within glaciers. They’ll easily withstand the bitter cold.”
“For His Excellency the Grand Duke to send such a magnificent gift, it’s clear he holds you in the highest regard.”
Raina’s face bloomed with radiance at the Handmaidens’ honeyed words.
“You truly believe so?”
“How could he bestow such a precious treasure otherwise?”
Life returned to Aria’s face—a face that had remained hollow since the funeral.
From the staircase’s end, I watched her transformation in silence, then turned away.
So she believed he had risked danger for her sake. How shameless I had become in mere months. I had nearly made a fool of myself.
I trudged back to my Bedroom.
Yet by dusk, the bitter taste—like swallowed ash—had begun to fade.
I had sworn a thousand times never to harbor expectations of him. It was absurd to be disappointed over something so trivial.
Even if it were merely incidental, the fact that he had sent me such a precious gift was undeniable.
‘I should at least offer my thanks as a matter of courtesy.’
Otherwise, it would seem unnatural. Pouting like a petulant child would reveal my disappointment, and disappointment would only prove I had harbored hope in the first place.
Having resolved my heart, I cast aside the book resting on my lap and rose from the bed.
Upon reaching his Sleeping Chamber, the Chamberlain guarding the door swiftly announced my arrival—eager to preempt the Grand Duchess’s usual habit of barging in unannounced.
Yet this time too, I grasped the door handle before permission was granted.
As I limped inside, the brilliantly lit Bedroom filled my vision.
He was the sort of man who always extinguished the lights while waiting for me. Had he believed I would not come tonight?
Frowning as I surveyed the room, I noticed two shadows stretching before the Fireplace.
I whirled around and caught sight of a young woman in a state of undress, her hands caressing Barcas’s bare chest. My breath came sharp and ragged.
“What are you doing?”
The woman startled, rising hastily.
“Y-Your Highness the Grand Duchess….”
Only then did her identity crystallize before me. The Healer of the Grand Duke’s House—the very woman I had made cough blood.
She bowed frantically, her words tumbling out in self-defense.
“I was merely treating His Excellency’s wounds.”
My eyes narrowed to slits as I glared at her, then turned to Barcas.
“Have you forgotten how incompetent this woman is as a Healer? Why would you let her—!”
My words died. Two long diagonal lacerations stretched across his shoulder and chest, and my heart plummeted.
The wounds were far more severe than I had anticipated.
I rushed to his side in a panic.
“How did this happen? You said it was nothing!”
“It appears worse than it is. The bones remain intact, and the major muscles and nerves have sustained no significant damage.”
Barcas spoke with utter indifference.
Talia glared at him as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
The wound looked severe even at a glance—purplish veins bulged around the swollen, reddened skin. The pain must have been excruciating.
She couldn’t bring herself to strike him, so she vented her frustration instead.
“Is that what you call an explanation? If this isn’t serious, then what is, you idiot!”
The Healer clapped her hand over her mouth in shock. Yet Barcas remained composed.
He gave the Healer a casual nod.
“You may go now.”
“B-but the bandages still need….”
“I can manage this much on my own.”
The woman hesitated for a moment before bowing her head and hurrying from the chamber.
Talia didn’t spare her a glance, instead extending her hand toward him.
“Give me the bandages. You can’t wrap them properly with one hand.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“Necessary? Don’t argue—hand them over.”
The man stared at her for a long moment before finally surrendering the bandages. Talia snatched them from his grasp and pulled a chair close to sit across from him.
The wound looked far more gruesome up close. Seepage oozed from the laceration, glistening with salve, and the inflamed skin radiated heat.
She bit her lower lip hard as she carefully wrapped the cloth around his chest.
Thanks to her habit of checking and retying the bandages on his leg each day, she had no difficulty securing the wound.
“Are you absolutely certain you’re all right? If something goes wrong later….”
“Once the poison dissipates, magic can heal it. Don’t worry.”
“Who said I was worried about you? If something happens to you, my situation becomes complicated too….”
“I understand. You needn’t fear becoming a widow, Your Highness. I merely wished to ease your mind.”
At his calm response, Talia fell silent, her expression stunned.
Barcas, leaning back against the chair with a distant gaze, gently grasped her wrist and asked.
“Why have you come today?”
In that instant, her heart sank as if she’d been caught off guard.
Does he resent my visit?
She glanced at his face. Firelight danced across his beautiful, expressionless features.
He tilted his head slightly to one side and continued.
“You said you wouldn’t share my bed for a while. Has your mind changed?”
She reflexively jerked her hand away from his.
“It hasn’t! Do you think I’m so desperate I’d roll around with someone in your condition?”
“Then why did you come?”
He leaned his upper body toward her.
Flustered, Talia’s eyes darted about until she finally recalled the excuse she’d prepared beforehand, stammering it out.
“I came to thank you for the gift you gave me….”
The man studied her in silence for a long moment, as if weighing the sincerity of her words, before finally speaking.
“Did it please you?”
“Who wouldn’t like such a gift?”
For some reason, meeting his gaze directly felt difficult, so she awkwardly looked away.
“Still, don’t hunt monsters like that again. No matter how pitiful your sister seemed, that’s no excuse for the Eastern Territories’ ruler to recklessly court injury….”
“Where else would you find a man who goes to such lengths for his sister?”
Talia, who had been scolding him, faltered and looked up at him again.
Barcas had begun toying with her hair, his fingers moving with the playful grace of a cat batting at yarn. The man continued speaking calmly as his fingertips gently caressed her locks.
“Your Highness frequently caught colds even in the height of summer. The winters here are far harsher than those in the Central Region. You’ll need such things to pass through safely.”
“…That was when I was a child.”
Talia swallowed hard and feigned indifference.
“Everyone endures winter just fine. Why must you be so fussy about it….”
“It’s not fussy at all.”
His pale blue eyes swept over her slowly, from crown to heel.
Talia unconsciously gripped the shawl draped across her shoulders. He surely knew how gaunt and wasted her body had become since the accident, yet she felt a fresh wave of shame wash over her.
She hastily changed the subject.
“In any case, don’t even think about hunting monsters again. Better yet, have your subordinates do it. Do you still think you’re some mere Knight? You’re the Grand Duke now. What are soldiers for if not this?”
“It was more efficient for me to do it directly. Besides, I couldn’t ask soldiers to risk themselves for a gift meant for my wife.”
My ears burned at the way he referred to me so casually as his wife.
I feigned irritation, hoping the sunset’s glow would hide my blush.
“If you won’t ask soldiers to do something, then you shouldn’t do it either, you fool!”
“…Didn’t you come to thank me?”
He raised one eyebrow pointedly.
Talia let out a scoff.
“I came to scold you too. Your body isn’t yours alone anymore. If you recklessly risk it without my permission, I won’t forgive you.”

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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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