Chapter 147
The man glared at her as if dumbfounded, then soon let out a resigned sigh.
“Your Highness is still the same.”
At the voice tinged with a bitter smile, Thalia raised the corners of her eyes.
“What exactly do you mean by tha...”
“Y-Your Highness!”
Just as she was about to harshly scold the knight for his insolent attitude, Varkas’s awkward attendant came running over in a panic.
Perhaps he had been quite startled, thinking she was about to fall right before his eyes, because the boy’s face had gone as white as flour dough.
“A-Are you all right? Is there anything wrong with your body...”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
Even at her firm answer, the attendant did not seem reassured, and after examining her with anxious eyes, he quickly turned around.
“Still, just in case, I will call a healer. Please wait a moment!”
Then, before she could stop him, he ran down the corridor.
Thalia frowned as she watched him from behind, then turned her eyes back to the knight.
He, too, was glancing at her bulging belly with a worried expression.
Feeling uncomfortable for an instant, Thalia subtly covered herself with her coat.
“You said you would explain why you came. Don’t just stand there like an idiot. Hurry up and speak.”
“First, it would be better for you to sit somewhere.”
“Never mind. There’s no need to go that far...”
Thalia, who had been about to refuse out of habit, closed her mouth when she felt a slight pulling in her lower abdomen.
The thought occurred to her that perhaps the baby in her belly had been startled.
She gestured with her chin toward the reception room opposite the stairs.
“Fine. Follow me.”
After crossing the corridor lined with a thick carpet and passing through the arched entrance, a cozy space appeared.
She went to the chair beside the fireplace, where embers were still burning, and carefully sat down.
The man, who had been standing at the entrance and looking around, soon took a seat across from her.
For someone who had boldly scolded her just moments ago, he looked terribly awkward.
Thalia threw a pressing question at the restless knight.
“Now, tell me. Who sent you?”
“The person who sent me is Sir Raorik Alderheim, the current commander of the Imperial Knights.”
At the unexpected reply, Thalia raised one eyebrow.
“Why did the commander of the Imperial Knights send you?”
After hesitating for a long while as if unsure whether to say something, the man finally opened his mouth.
“Recently, suspicious movements were detected in the north. Upon learning of this, His Majesty the Emperor instructed that troops be gathered in the region bordering Balto to keep the north in check. His Majesty wishes the East to actively participate in this matter as well.”
Thalia’s body stiffened.
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, and every hair on her body stood on end.
“Does that mean... war is going to break out?”
“No!”
The knight hurriedly waved his hands.
“His Majesty does not want a direct clash. At present, the evidence of treason is insufficient as well... He merely intends to issue an implicit warning by strengthening vigilance against Balto.”
“The northern Noble Alliance might feel threatened by the Imperial Family’s warning and come out even more aggressively.”
Thalia argued sharply.
“The northern Noble Alliance, surrounded by imperial troops, will be gripped by a strong sense of crisis. Since their rebellious intent has been discovered, they may believe the Imperial Family has no intention of letting them live and take a do-or-die approach.”
At her point, the knight blinked blankly.
Thalia snapped at that dull face in frustration.
“If His Majesty truly intends to avoid war, then instead of openly displaying military force and applying pressure, he should secretly gather evidence of treason. It would be safer to secure decisive evidence that no noble could side against, then suddenly arrest the head of the northern Noble Alliance!”
“...Your Highness’s words have merit, but if, by any chance, the north moves first before decisive evidence is gathered, then the situation will spiral out of control. His Majesty the Emperor judged that it was necessary to gather the army in order to prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
Thalia furrowed her brow.
She felt that the Emperor’s response was far too half-hearted.
If he was going to apply military pressure, would it not be better to launch a surprise attack first?
Sending troops to the border region with Balto might only encourage the north to strengthen its military even further.
Thalia was about to argue that, but soon changed her mind and closed her mouth.
Edrick Lubon was, at most, merely a messenger dispatched to deliver the Emperor’s message.
Nothing would change even if she argued with him.
Thalia anxiously bit her lip, then guided her thoughts in a positive direction.
Perhaps internal division might arise within Balto once they saw with their own eyes the overwhelming military power possessed by the Roem Imperial Family.
How many people would want to throw their lives into a war they were obviously going to lose?
If some of Balto’s nobles turned to the Imperial Family’s side, the spark of war would soon die out.
“So, what did Varkas answer?”
“He said he would dispatch cavalry units to the region bordering Balto, as His Majesty instructed.”
Thalia unknowingly let out a sigh of relief.
Only then did she realize that she had been worried Varkas might leave her side.
It is better for him to be here than not.
She made that excuse inwardly, but it was far from enough to explain the fear she had felt.
Putting aside the bitter realization that she was still obsessed with him, Thalia forced herself to focus on the conversation with the knight before her.
“Then you must leave for the Imperial Family again with the reply?”
“Yes, I am scheduled to leave today.”
The man shifted his gaze toward the window as he spoke.
Thalia looked surprised.
“Already?”
“Because of the nature of the matter, not even a moment can be delayed.”
The man rubbed the back of his neck and let out a faint laugh.
“In truth, I should have left as soon as the sun rose, but I delayed a little because I wanted to see Your Highness.”
“Why me?”
Thalia sent him a wary look again.
Seeing that, the man scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression, then finally opened his mouth.
“After returning from the pilgrimage, I never had a chance to see Your Highness, did I? I was curious whether your health had recovered since then.”
At the unexpected words, Thalia widened her eyes.
The man, who gave an embarrassed laugh, added gently,
“I am glad you look healthier than the last time I saw you. According to the maids, Sir Siarkan cherishes Your Highness greatly. I was relieved to hear that you seem to be doing well.”
“Why?”
Thalia stared straight at him, seized by pure curiosity.
“Why do you care whether I’m doing well?”
The smile on his lips faded a little.
The man, who had been stammering in embarrassment, soon revealed his honest feelings with almost rough sincerity.
“I was Your Highness’s guard knight, wasn’t I? The thought that it was my responsibility that Your Highness was injured so badly has weighed on my heart all this time.”
“...So in the end, you wanted to meet me to relieve the burden on your heart?”
Thalia said spitefully.
The man flinched as if stabbed by a blade, then soon admitted it obediently.
“...Perhaps so.”
Then he let out a self-mocking sigh.
Thalia drew her eyebrows together.
This was the first time she had met someone so honest about his own feelings.
Suddenly, she began to feel genuinely worried about this clumsy man.
“...With a personality like that, you won’t last long in the Imperial Palace.”
“People around me say that often.”
The man exaggeratedly played the victim, as if trying to lighten the mood.
“My path to success is already looking bleak.”
It seemed like a joke, but Thalia felt a heaviness in one corner of her heart.
Perhaps he had ended up acting as a messenger because he had fallen out of the Crown Prince’s favor.
With a sympathetic face, Thalia spoke as if bestowing a favor.
“If your future really looks that bleak, come to the grand ducal house. I’ll ask Varkas to hire you.”
“Edrick Lubon is one of the elite knights of the Roem Knights.”
At that moment, a cold voice sounded.
Thalia turned her head and widened her eyes when she found Varkas standing at the entrance of the reception room.
As if he had rushed over, Varkas strode across the room in a somewhat disheveled state and added in a blunt tone,
“It would not do to let a talent who will become His Majesty the Emperor’s guard knight rot away in a remote region like this.”
“...I did not know Sir Siarkan held me in such high regard.”
Edrick Lubon murmured as if amused.
Varkas cast a cold gaze at the knight.
“I heard you helped my wife, who nearly suffered a serious accident. You have my thanks.”
“Not at all. Rather, because I startled her, it nearly became a serious matter.”
Thalia glared at the knight in frustration.
Did he truly not know that this stupidity of faithfully saying things he did not need to say was the reason his path to success was blocked?
As she held back the urge to click her tongue, Varkas suddenly bent down, slid one arm beneath her knees, and firmly wrapped his other hand around her back.
Then he carefully rose to his feet.
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