Chapter 26 :

Gareth, who had been observing his half-sister’s profile with suspicious eyes, suddenly felt irritated at himself for paying too much attention to every move this insignificant thing made, and turned his head.

What did it matter what was inside that head?

In any case, on the day he ascended the throne, she was an existence he would erase from this world forever.

He only had to endure her until then.

As though erasing the presence of his irritating sister, he gulped down the strong wine.

***

Thalia brought the wine to her lips while pretending to look bored.

Then, noticing that her fingertips were trembling faintly, she immediately set the glass down.

She hid her hand beneath the table, trying to look as natural as possible, and moistened her dry lips.

The place Varkas had touched burned as though it had caught fire.

Even though their bare skin had not touched, it was still like that.

The sensation of the firm joints she had felt through his cold leather glove seemed to have seeped all the way beneath her skin.

She tensed her shoulders, which kept trying to shrink inward, and rubbed her sweat-damp palm against the hem of her skirt.

She could feel the damp fabric clinging to her skin.

In that instant, a feeling of embarrassment surged over her.

The dress she had chosen to provoke Gareth’s anger felt as though it were strangling her.

Feeling her exposed shoulders and back prickle, she clenched her fist tightly.

Even though she knew very well that the man could not possibly be looking at her, her nerves were on edge to the point of pain.

Thalia desperately suppressed the urge to turn her head over her shoulder and check where that man was looking.

With many years of acting, she could more or less maintain a calm expression, but there was nothing she could do about the sweat slowly seeping over her skin.

Feeling the thin scrap of cloth cling to her skin like sticky liquid, Thalia bit her lower lip.

Choosing this dress had truly been a stupid decision.

“Does the food not suit your taste?”

At the sudden voice, Thalia’s shoulders flinched.

The young monk seated across from her was gazing at her steadily.

Had they said he was the abbot?

Thalia deliberately shrugged.

“It is shabby compared to the food I ate in the imperial palace.”

At the indifferent words she tossed out, the monk’s face twisted faintly.

As if to tell him to stop paying attention to her, she turned her head sharply and picked up a small piece of cake.

If she pretended to eat something, he would not speak to her needlessly.

Thinking that, she pushed the dry, crumbly thing into her mouth and mechanically chewed and swallowed it.

It felt as though she were swallowing sponge.

She swallowed her nausea and took a sip of wine.

Then, noticing that several monks were persistently stealing glances at her, she furrowed her brow.

The gazes clinging stickily to her felt more disgusting than greasy food.

She sprang up from her seat.

“What a disappointing banquet. I will return now and get some sleep.”

Gareth sent her an irritated look.

Normally, she would have thrown a few more words at him to scratch at his temper, but it felt as though bile might rise in her throat at any moment, so she could not keep standing there.

She quickly left the hall.

Once she stepped out of the space filled with the smell of oil, alcohol, and burning candles, her churning stomach seemed to settle a little.

Thalia took a deep breath, swept back her forehead damp with cold sweat, and walked softly along the corridor.

She could feel the cold night air sweep down her back.

Wrapping her arms around her goosebump-covered forearms, she quickened her pace slightly.

Sometimes, she could not understand why she was doing things like this.

What meaning was there in displaying herself under people’s eyes and causing conflict?

“The Crown Prince seems utterly unable to tolerate your existence. Sometimes, it seems he cannot tolerate you even more than me.”

Senevier’s voice, which had once murmured with satisfaction, flickered by her ear.

It was probably on the day of the memorial ceremony for the late Empress Bernadette.

When Gareth saw her enter the hall led by her mother’s hand, he completely lost his reason.

The nobles were horrified and tried to stop him when he screamed and began strangling the young princess, but the Crown Prince did not budge.

Only when two knights rushed in could they barely pull him away.

Thalia, finally freed from his vicious grip, crawled to her mother’s feet and curled up.

Then Senevier wrapped her arms around Thalia as though protecting her.

For a brief moment, Thalia felt so relieved that she nearly cried, but then she saw a look of satisfaction pass over Senevier’s face.

It must have been from that day onward.

From then on, she began provoking Gareth whenever she had the chance.

Her already terrible reputation fell to the very bottom, but it did not matter.

The Crown Prince’s reputation would also take a blow, and then Mother would be pleased.

Suddenly, a hollow laugh burst from her lungs.

Even after things had come to this point, it was laughable that she was still struggling to gain even a handful of her affection.

Even if Thalia dragged the Crown Prince’s honor down into the dirt, Senevier would never love her.

Mother loved no one.

Not the Emperor, and not even Asros, whom she cherished so dearly.

To her, everything was only a tool and a means.

Perhaps Thalia kept repeating these things precisely because she knew that too well.

If she could not prove she was useful, then she would truly become nothing to her...

“Your Highness the Princess.”

At the sudden voice, Thalia snapped out of her thoughts.

When she turned her head, she saw a black shape standing tall on one side of the dark corridor.

Realizing that it was the monk who had been persistently stealing glances at her in the banquet hall, Thalia’s body stiffened.

‘Did he follow me?’

She carefully looked around.

In the long corridor leading to the garden, not even a single rat could be seen.

When she realized he had quietly followed her until she reached this secluded place, chills ran down her spine.

“What business do you have?”

Thalia tried not to show any fear and deliberately put on a dignified voice.

Fortunately, her bluff seemed to work, because she felt the monk hesitate.

She sent him a sharp glare, hoping he would turn around and run away just like that.

“I asked what business you have.”

“It is b-because of what you said a moment ago...”

The monk mumbled.

She furrowed her brow.

“What did I say?”

“Th-that is... Earlier, in the banquet hall...”

The man, wriggling in a disgusting way, blushed over his freckled face and kept glancing at her with a strange, suggestive gaze.

Thalia put strength into her legs so she would not step backward.

If she showed weakness, the other person would only come at her harder.

She arrogantly lifted her chin.

“I have no idea what you are trying to say. If you have no particular business, I will be going.”

“You s-said... you wanted to live up to His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince’s expectations... did you not?”

The man blurted it out urgently.

Thalia, who had been turning toward the garden, stopped and looked back at him.

Surely he had followed her after hearing the words she had thrown out provocatively in response to Gareth’s warning not to play around with the priests.

Suddenly, as though cold water had been poured over her, a chill ran down her spine.