The Forgotten Field - Chapter 40

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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 40
He retrieved the Knight Order coat he had set aside, brushed away the dust, and draped it over his gleaming orichalcum armor. The Tabard, crafted by the fae themselves, bore an embroidered crest of a golden chalice inscribed with ancient runes and sacred flames. A special enchantment had been woven into the fabric to prevent damage from powerful impacts, though it seemed even magic could do nothing about the wrinkles creasing the hem.
He patted the crumpled folds of the trailing garment until they lay flat, wiped away the dirt clinging to his sabatons, and rose to his feet.
After finishing his preparations, he stepped out of the Barracks to find the sky overcast and hazy. The wind had been unusually fierce since afternoon, and it seemed a sudden downpour was imminent.
Edrick, his brow furrowed, grabbed a cloak and made his way toward Talia’s Barracks. Just then, the sound of a sacred bell announcing the ceremony’s beginning echoed from behind him.
He turned his head urgently over his shoulder to see the Crown Prince and First Princess, their preparations complete, leading their Attendants through the Temple entrance.
He hurried across the Camp. Passing between massive columns that appeared carved from stone, he entered through an arched doorway and took in the interior of the Sanctuary, bathed in a bluish light.
Edrick paused for a moment, surveying the Attendants filling the congregation seals and the Knights arrayed in a long line along the walls.
The Crown Prince and First Princess stood before the Altar. It appeared they were receiving a blessing prayer from the High Priest before the ceremony commenced.
Edrick, shifting anxiously on his feet, spotted Lord Sierkan waiting at the transept and swiftly crossed the main aisle.
“Commander, the Second Princess’s preparations should be complete shortly. Would you be willing to wait just a moment longer?”
As he approached and spoke carefully, a composed gaze turned toward him.
Edrick instinctively held his breath.
Barcas wore a black doublet instead of the Knight Order uniform, with a breastplate bearing the House Sierkan crest, and a uniquely styled cloak draped over one shoulder. Even to Edrick’s eyes, the sight was striking enough to send a chill down his spine. Suddenly, he recalled the Princess’s words that he was ugly. If one had grown up seeing men like this from childhood, it made sense that ordinary men would all seem plain by comparison.
Lost in such absurd thoughts, his superior, who had been quietly observing him, released a faint sigh and slowly walked toward the Altar.
“It seems the ceremony should be paused. The Second Princess intends to attend the blessing as well, it appears.”
The priest reciting the prayer looked bewildered, his gaze alternating between Barcas and Edrick, who stood in an awkward posture.
As a member of the Imperial Family, Talia had an obligation to participate in the ceremony. Had she refused, it would be one thing, but if she had expressed her intention to attend, it was only proper to accommodate her. Yet the High Priest could not hastily agree and merely watched Gareth’s expression.
“Are you telling me to wait for that bastard?”
The Crown Prince, his eyes blazing with hostility toward Barcas, spoke each word as though spitting it out.
“Proceed with the ceremony at once! I have no intention of wasting even a single second because of her!”
Edrick’s face hardened. He had witnessed firsthand just how intense the Crown Prince’s animosity toward the Second Princess was. He had anticipated that he might not respond favorably. But he had not expected him to openly refuse in front of everyone. Was not the Second Princess’s participation in the pilgrimage ceremony the Emperor’s own will?
Edrick hesitated, then spoke.
“She too is a member of the Imperial Family acknowledged by His Majesty the Emperor. According to custom, does she not have the right to receive the blessings of the saints?”
The Crown Prince, whose eyes had been blazing, turned his gaze toward Edrick.
Edrick swallowed hard. The Crown Prince, his broad-featured face twisted into a scowl, approached him like a prowling tiger.
“Do you even know who you’re speaking in front of?”
“My apologies, Your Highness. I merely….”
Edrick, hastily bowing his head and attempting to offer an excuse, gasped roughly as a force tightened around his throat. Gareth, gripping his collar, dragged him forward violently.
Edrick did his best not to wince, meeting that savage face directly. As if irritated by this, the Crown Prince, his deep green eyes flashing, growled like an enraged beast.
“How dare a mere Knight presume to lecture me?”
“I—I apologize….”
Edrick clenched his fists to keep from struggling against the hand choking him, forcing words out with difficulty.
Then Barcas placed a hand on the Crown Prince’s shoulder.
“Your Highness.”
At the softly spoken voice, Gareth’s shoulders stiffened. Edrick could see a flicker of subtle tension cross the Crown Prince’s arrogant face.
Barcas spoke in a gentle tone.
“There are many watching.”
A faint flush rose to Gareth’s cheeks. For a moment, he seemed to feel shame at having been intimidated.
The Crown Prince released Edrick’s collar and glared at Barcas with fierce eyes.
“I warned you never to lay your hands on me without permission. How long do you think I’ll tolerate this?”
Gareth shrugged the hand from his shoulder with brutal force, then thrust his face menacingly close to mine, his voice dripping with venom. The Knights, along with the First Princess herself, rushed forward to restrain the Crown Prince, whose demeanor suggested he might attack at any moment.
At that instant, a voice as cold and crystalline as ice shards echoed through the Sanctuary.
“Had I known such entertaining spectacle awaited, I would have attended the last ceremony as well.”
Edrick turned at the sound, his breath catching involuntarily as he spotted me crossing the colonnade with several Handmaidens in tow, moving with deliberate grace.
The woman who seized every opportunity to sow discord now advanced toward the Altar with impeccable composure and refinement.
Pale sunlight streaming through the windows illuminated my face—bearing the Empress’s unmistakable features—and the delicate form draped in platinum silk.
Edrick blinked, momentarily dazed by the surreal sight, before realizing that not only he but everyone seated in the gallery had become utterly transfixed. He glanced at the Crown Prince and the First Princess to gauge their reactions.
The Crown Prince glared at his sister with a demonic expression, while the First Princess maintained an outwardly serene facade—though the white knuckles of her clenched fists betrayed her true state.
Sensing the palpable tension radiating among the three Imperial Family members, Edrick quietly positioned himself beside the Second Princess. Yet no one present spared him a glance. Only Talia Roem Guerta rolled her eyes in his direction once before her attention shifted back to Barcas and Gareth.
But her interest soon returned to Barcas and Gareth.
“What are you standing there for? Were you planning to start a brawl?”
The Crown Prince, grinding his teeth so hard they might shatter, slowly withdrew from Lord Sierkan. Then he raked his gaze over his sister from head to toe, his lips twisting into a sneer.
“I don’t know who you’re trying to impress with that getup, but surely you don’t believe dressing up will conceal your filthy origins?”
“Just days ago, you criticized my attire for lacking propriety. Since you complained so much, I took special care today—I’m hurt you’d say such things.”
The Princess, who had stiffened momentarily, approached him with a meaningful smile playing at her lips.
Edrick watched her with wide, startled eyes. That she would provoke the Crown Prince again after suffering so severely just yesterday filled him with astonishment bordering on bewilderment.
Yet the Second Princess, regardless of his alarm, thrust her face toward the Crown Prince and continued softly.
“Do you know how much effort I put into dressing exactly to your taste?”

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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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