The Forgotten Field - Chapter 129

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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 129
“What if I cannot forgive you?”
His voice dropped suddenly, becoming dangerously low.
Talia felt her shoulder muscles tighten as she bit her lower lip.
His blue eyes had drawn so close that she could see her own reflection frozen with tension within them.
He casually wound a strand of her hair around his finger, continuing with perfect composure.
“Will you come to scold me again, just as you did today?”
The heat that had flushed her cheeks spread down to her nape and ears. Though his attention was merely on her hair, the sensation shot through the back of her head as though he had bitten her neck.
Talia suppressed all traces of her turmoil, forcing an expression of anger onto her face. She desperately wished her flushed complexion would appear to stem from rage rather than anything else.
“Yes. If you return injured again, I won’t let it slide. I’ll torment you relentlessly.”
In that instant, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Talia’s eyes widened. But the smile that had flickered across his face vanished in an instant.
He rose leisurely from his seat and retrieved the shirt he had discarded. As he threaded his arms through the linen sleeves, he responded in his characteristic impassive tone.
“If you frighten me so thoroughly, I shall have to exercise exceptional caution henceforth.”
Talia glared at him with exasperated eyes.
“You’re not taking what I say seriously, are you?”
“I am taking it seriously.”
Barcas buttoned his shirt as he replied dismissively.
“You mean that I now belong to Your Highness, and I should handle myself with care to avoid any blemishes, yes?”
“That’s not what I said!”
“That is precisely what you said.”
Talia shot to her feet.
“I’m leaving.”
She glared at him with an angry expression and limped toward the door, but he immediately seized her wrist.
As Talia attempted to push him away, she felt the texture of bandages through his thin shirt and hesitated, withdrawing her hand in concern that she might cause him pain. While she examined his complexion worriedly, Barcas smoothly guided her back toward the bed.
“You have not yet given me my medicine.”
His warm breath tickled her forehead.
Talia glared at him, her face flushed crimson. Barcas wore an expression of perfect composure, as though making a perfectly reasonable request.
Had he somehow developed the distorted belief that administering medicine orally was a natural thing to do? While she entertained such an absurd worry, he opened a drawer and retrieved a medicine bottle.
“Here it is.”
He then settled onto the bed, keeping one arm around her waist to prevent her escape.
Talia looked down at the man who had recently become inexplicably brazen with astonishment. He tilted his head quizzically.
“Do you dislike it?”
“…Who said I dislike it?”
She reluctantly accepted the bottle and opened the cap, revealing a deep purple liquid within.
She brought the bottle close to her face and inhaled. Instead of the bitter scent of mandrake extract, she detected only the rich aroma of honey and a faint hint of mint.
“Is this actually proper medicine?”
“It is medicine. It is said to purify the blood and is effective in neutralizing monster toxins, so I obtained it.”
Despite his explanation, Talia’s suspicious gaze did not waver.
“This is from that Healer, isn’t it? Can you really trust that woman? If she misprescribes the medicine again…”
“I obtained that medicine from Darian.”
Barcas cut off her words.
“If you remain concerned, there is no need to consume it.”
He then reached for the medicine bottle in her hand, intending to take it away.
Talia instinctively hid the bottle behind her back.
“Who said I wouldn’t take it? I’m simply worried….”
She blurted out the confession without thinking, then studied his expression carefully. Fortunately, he seemed not to have noticed that her concern was for his well-being.
Barcas, his brow furrowed with creases and his eyes grave, spoke with utmost seriousness.
“Rest assured, Your Highness will never again consume medicine prepared by that Healer. Following that incident, she has already been removed from her primary duties.”
“You should be careful too! You’re actually serving as the Grand Duke’s personal physician—what do you mean she’s been dismissed!”
As she let out a harsh laugh, he released a shallow sigh.
“This time, I made an exceptional exception to summon her. Apparently, there is no one in the Eastern Territories more versed in pharmaceuticals than she is. Since she has a record of treating wounds that magic cannot heal, I decided to entrust my wound care to her only until the poison dissipates.”
His calm response twisted something inside her.
She recalled the Healer’s appearance in her mind.
A young woman with large, clear eyes like a cow’s.
Though she knew well that Barcas, who had not spared a glance for the Imperial Palace’s renowned beauties, would never turn his attention to such a lowly woman, the unease would not fade.
Even knowing that to him, most humans were little more than inanimate weapons, she could not help herself.
Since earliest childhood, Talia could not bear to see another woman lingering at his side. She had driven away every handmaiden who cast eager glances at him.
In the end, she succumbed once more to that repugnant jealousy.
“I don’t trust that woman. One mistake becomes two, and two mistakes become three—that’s how it always goes. How can you possibly entrust your body to her?”
Barcas, who had been staring intently at her face, slowly nodded.
“If that is truly your wish, I shall have that woman removed from the castle shortly.”
Startled by his ready compliance, Talia spoke urgently.
“Who asked you to go that far? I’ll only end up looking like the villain. I’ll be branded a heartless shrew who ruthlessly cast out the Grand Ducal House’s loyal servant.”
He narrowed the space between his brows, sending her a peculiar look.
Since when have you concerned yourself with reputation? That must be what he was thinking.
Talia sharpened the corners of her eyes.
“Fine, I’ll permit the treatment. But every step of the process must occur before my eyes. If I ever catch that woman alone with you….”
Talia, speaking in rapid succession, suddenly fell silent. She had realized that her words were laying bare her raw jealousy.
Glancing at his expression, Talia quickly added.
“If something happens to you, my position becomes precarious as well. This concerns my own safety too.”
At her rambling excuses, a furrow deepened between Barcas’s brows. He regarded her with a persistent gaze, as though attempting to dissect her thoughts, before finally speaking after a long pause.
“If it brings you peace of mind, I shall do as you wish.”
His unusually compliant response only intensified her anxiety.
She rolled her eyes about and bit her lower lip.
Why does he indulge every whim I display? Is it simply because I am his wife, and he treats me well out of obligation?
Or have I come to matter to him? Is that why he wishes for my company?
She ground countless questions between her teeth and swallowed them down. That would be begging. She would never sink that low.
I expect nothing from you anymore. Even as she clung desperately to that tattered lie, Barcas pulled her onto his lap.
Talia curled herself inward, careful not to touch his wounds. Yet he seemed entirely indifferent to his injury.
Barcas, his arm wrapped firmly around her back, smoothly claimed the medicine bottle from her grasp.
“Open your mouth.”
Without conscious thought, she obeyed his command, and he brought the glass vial to her lips, tilting it with deliberate care.
A syrupy liquid, sweet enough to dissolve her tongue, trickled slowly into her mouth.
Barcas lowered his head, his shadowed gaze fixed upon her, and his soft tongue swept up the honeyed liquid pooling within her mouth.
Like a cat lapping milk, he teased the delicate membranes with languid strokes before gradually deepening his kiss, growing more insistent and thorough.
Talia’s arms wound naturally around his neck, and her mind seemed to dissolve at the intense sensation of their membranes meeting and sliding against one another.
“Ah….”
After drawing from the vial for what felt like an eternity, Barcas withdrew his lips. As she caught her breath in that brief reprieve, the glass vial pressed against her lower lip once more.
At his silent demand, she parted her lips again, and the honey-thick liquid seeped in. Inevitably, his tongue followed.
What had begun as a pretext of medicine continued until the sunset was swallowed by darkness.
“…When will the wound be fully healed?”
Talia asked absently, her head resting against his uninjured shoulder as she steadied her breathing.
His gaze, darkened to a deep blue, settled upon her face. His voice, threaded with metallic resonance, gently grazed her forehead.
“Four days.”
His long, elegant fingers brushed away the hair clinging to her face. She felt the weight of his gaze—heavy as steel—fix upon her sweat-dampened neck.
He continued.
“If the medicine proves effective, the treatment will be complete within four days.”
She could not bring herself to meet those eyes directly, her gaze retreating beneath her lashes.

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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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