* * *
After the unwelcome visitor left, Talia pressured the healer into filling the room with pale smoke.
As she inhaled the acrid air that shimmered like a heat haze, the sensations boiling inside her gradually began to settle.
A profound sense of relief washed over her.
If she waited a little longer, the hazy fog would invade her mind as well.
Then she would not have to think about anything.
She only wanted to sleep as though dead.
She lay sprawled across the bed and closed her eyes.
But no matter how long she waited, the final thread of consciousness refused to snap, keeping her tethered to reality.
Trying desperately to fall asleep, she leaned closer to the brazier and inhaled the sharp smoke even more deeply.
All it accomplished was making her cough.
The violent fit shook her entire body, and the faint drowsiness gathering around her eyes vanished.
Overcome with frustration, Talia looked out the window.
At some point, the sky had become drenched in deep crimson.
She stared at the dizzying sunset that sent chills crawling down her spine.
After an unknown amount of time, she climbed out of bed as though pulled by an invisible force and planted both feet on the floor.
The medicine seemed to be working properly.
She felt almost no pain.
Experimentally, she took a few steps.
Her left leg lagged behind by half a beat, dragging across the floor, but the agony that usually accompanied every movement of the joint remained silent.
This much would be enough to walk.
She slipped her thin feet into a pair of slippers and retrieved a hooded robe from the wardrobe.
Throwing it loosely over herself, she left the bedroom with a swaying gait.
At this hour, the nanny would probably be lounging in her room.
The healer would have finished her work and returned to her own quarters.
The maids would likewise be resting in their rooms.
Just as she expected, she encountered no one while passing through the long corridor and descending the stairs.
Crossing the spacious hall, Talia slipped out of the detached palace through the servants' side entrance.
A cool breeze brushed gently across her face.
Breathing in the cold air scented with grass and flowers, she wandered forward.
How long she roamed without direction, she did not know.
Then she suddenly realized she had arrived near the training grounds.
A faint question surfaced through the numbness clouding her mind.
Why did I come here?
Staring blankly at the open field bathed in red light, Talia sensed movement and instinctively hid behind a cluster of bushes.
Several knights were sparring at one end of the training ground, their swords flashing through the air.
She watched them vacantly for a moment before moving on.
She continued wandering aimlessly, not knowing where she was going.
Eventually, her clear vision began rippling like disturbed water.
The herbs were finally taking effect.
Dragging her weakened leg behind her, Talia continued forward at a pace slower than a worm.
Then suddenly, she noticed her elongated shadow disappear into deep darkness.
She looked up.
At some point, she had wandered inside a gloomy building.
Where am I now?
Frowning in confusion, she found her gaze drawn to a door standing at the end of a long corridor.
Staggering toward it, she carefully knocked.
A moment later, a low voice answered from within.
“What is it?”
Talia blinked slowly.