The Forgotten Field - Chapter 64

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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 64
“Do you know why I want to marry you?”
Barcas had been gazing at her in silence. He pressed his words against that expressionless face as though stamping them into stone.
“Because I want to watch you suffer. That’s why I want to marry you.”
“….”
“I hope you hurt. Very, very much.”
His eyes sank into fathomless depths.
She held her breath, waiting for his response. She hoped that indifferent face would crumble, that he would rage and recoil, pushing her away in disgust.
Tell me it’s impossible.
Tell me a woman like me could never be your wife.
Though my heart would shatter into formless fragments, at least we might salvage what remained of each other’s lives.
But as always, he betrayed her expectations.
Barcas exhaled a brief sigh as though he had merely heard an unremarkable comment, then straightened himself while removing her hands from his garments.
“The wedding will take place as soon as possible.”
He then walked toward the window and opened the glass pane.
The wind that brushed past him cascaded across her face.
Talia quietly captured his silhouette bathed in the glow of sunset within her eyes. His deep voice reached her as though from a great distance.
“That would be better for both of us.”
What did he mean by that?
Did he mean that troublesome matters were best resolved swiftly?
Talia, who had been searching his eyes for answers, soon felt a heavy weariness wash over her and closed her eyelids.
It mattered little anymore. She would no longer exhaust herself trying to unearth his true feelings.
If he accepted me out of duty, then I chose to stand beside him to repay the wounds I’ve received. So I will not commit the foolishness of expecting anything from him.
She repeated the vow she had made countless times before.
After tonight, I will end this cursed love once and for all.
Yet she knew the truth.
The love I kill today will find me again tomorrow….
* * *
The Imperial Palace stirred with anticipation of the Second Princess’s wedding, which would soon take place.
Under the Empress’s direct command, the Handmaidens of the Main Palace began adorning the ceremonial hall with splendor, while servants ceaselessly shuttled between the granaries and kitchens, preparing wine and food for the guests.
Yet despite all this bustle, a heavy and unsettled atmosphere lingered throughout the palace.
As Edrick emerged from the Supply Base, he spotted a cluster of apprentices huddled in a corner of the Training Grounds, whispering among themselves, and his brow furrowed. An unpleasant conversation had wormed its way into his ears.
“In the end, mother and daughter have both lost men to the same fate.”
He observed the boy laughing frivolously with keen attention. He was the son of Baron Kenden, a troublemaker who had formed factions among the apprentice knights.
The boy continued speaking as he placed a training weapon on its rack.
“I hear the Second Princess is the spitting image of the Empress. With a face like that, it’s no wonder Grand Duke Sierkan fell for her.”
“Does the Commander know you’re saying this?”
A larger boy shook his head vigorously.
“If it weren’t for the Emperor’s command, this marriage would never have happened. Only the First Princess suffered.”
“Oh, you naive fool. What kind of house is Sierkan that they’d swap their betrothed at a mere word from the Emperor?”
Kael clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“Come on, she accepted because she was willing to! Besides, Grand Duke Sierkan was the Second Princess’s Guard Knight, wasn’t he? When you think about it, didn’t those two have eyes for each other from the start? People who attended this pilgrimage ceremony say there was something odd between them….”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you know how much the Second Princess tormented the Commander when he was her Guard Knight? What good is a pretty face? I watched his temperament up close, and there’s no way their eyes met.”
An apprentice organizing archery training arrows let out a loud scoff.
“Besides, the Second Princess became disabled because of this accident. Who would willingly marry such a woman when the First Princess exists? There’s no doubt some sinister scheme was at work behind the scenes….”
“It seems training is done with the mouth these days.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Edrick interjected abruptly, and the apprentice knights startled, straightening their postures.
He swept his cold gaze across the young men.
“Do you realize that what you were just discussing could be considered lèse-majesté against the Imperial Family?”
The apprentices’ faces turned pale in an instant.
Edrick, carefully observing each of their expressions, added sternly.
“The Roem Knights are an organization established to protect the Imperial Family. If you intend to become one of us, you should at least understand that you must not speak carelessly about the Imperial Family in public places.”
“We, we apologize, Sir Rubon.”
The young men bowed deeply with rigid expressions.
Edrick observed them in silence for a moment, then slowly turned and walked toward the Knights’ Barracks.
At that moment, a heavy forearm dropped onto his shoulder.
Turning his head, Edrick’s eyes widened at the sight of Sir Theodric Hart, his senior knight.
He grinned and spoke.
“Discipline is certainly tight around here.”
“What brings you to the Training Grounds at this hour, Sir Hart?”
Edrick looked up at the bell tower with a puzzled expression.
It wasn’t yet noon. Surely the senior knights were occupied with their duties at the Main Palace during the busiest part of the day.
At his questioning gaze, Sir Hart chuckled and ruffled his hair with his large hand.
“I came running with good news. Your confinement has finally been lifted. Starting tomorrow, you’ll be back on duty with my direct unit.”
Edrick hesitated, looking up at him. Though the news was certainly welcome, complex emotions suddenly washed over him.
He asked hesitantly.
“Then, who will be assigned to guard the Second Princess?”
His superior’s eyes narrowed slightly.
He withdrew his arm from Edrick’s shoulder and released a heavy sigh.
“The Roem Knights have been completely excluded from the Second Princess’s protection. Her Majesty the Empress raised the issue that we deliberately neglected the Second Princess’s guard duty. She’s even made it clear that the Second Prince’s protection won’t be entrusted to the Roem Knights either.”
Edrick’s face hardened. It was as though the honor of the Roem Knights had been dragged through the mud.
Since the founding of the Empire, the Roem Knights had served to assist and protect the Imperial Family at their side. Their very identity had been denied.
Edrick hung his head helplessly.
“I apologize. The Order has suffered such humiliation because I failed in my duties….”
“It’s not your fault. This was an accident no one could have foreseen. So don’t blame yourself.”
Theodric patted his shoulder in comfort.
When his expression still didn’t brighten, Theodric, as if contemplating something, absently touched the back of his neck before suddenly leading his subordinate out of the Training Grounds. Edrick followed him with a bewildered expression.
After walking in silence for some time, he finally spoke when they reached a sparsely populated clearing.
“I know you’re someone with a strong sense of responsibility. But this matter truly isn’t your responsibility, so don’t waste your energy worrying about it.”
Edrick furrowed his brows.
“I was his Guard Knight. When you think about it, the primary responsibility for the failure to protect him falls on me. So how could I…!”
“That day’s attack happened because of the Empress’s scheming.”
Edrick froze mid-motion, staring at his superior’s face with vacant eyes.
Theodric Hart, who had been gazing downward with a dark expression, continued in a measured tone.
“Don’t you find it strange? That Wyverns would swarm and attack the army at such a time…. Normally, large monsters like Wyverns don’t attack armed forces unless their territory is invaded. Moreover, our campsite was located far away from their habitat.”
“Well, I did think it was strange, but… even so, I can’t definitively say the Empress orchestrated it….”
“Before the attack, there was a report that the Second Princess’s attendants exhibited suspicious movements.”
His tone became clipped.
“Furthermore, traces of high-level magic were discovered in the vicinity of the incident. Someone likely deliberately disturbed the Wyvern habitat.”
Edrick’s mouth fell open in shock.
As the meaning of his superior’s words became clear, cold sweat beaded down his spine.
“But the Second Princess was also participating in this pilgrimage journey. How could she commit such an act when her own daughter could have been harmed….”
“That’s precisely how she easily evaded suspicion.”
Edrick stared at him, his face drained of color, at a loss for words.
He continued in a somber tone.
“The Empress is frighteningly meticulous. I’ve been conducting discreet investigations since right after the incident, but she left not a single decisive piece of evidence—only circumstantial clues. Moreover, the greatest victim of this incident is the Empress’s own daughter. In such circumstances, who would dare raise questions?”
Edrick slowly lowered his gaze.
The image of the First Princess buried beneath rubble, tears streaming down her face, surfaced in his mind.
He recalled how she writhed in agony throughout the emergency treatment.
That woman had been reduced to such a state by her own mother.
His stomach churned.

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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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