“Be... careful.”
His eyes widened slightly.
Seeing him react so strongly to such a trivial remark made her chest tighten.
She quickly added gruffly,
“If something happens to you, my position will become unstable. So just... don't overdo it.”
Something resembling both a smile and a frown briefly appeared on his face before vanishing.
Talia hid herself beneath the blanket again.
Then she heard his heavy footsteps approaching.
“Don't worry. I'll return soon.”
Leaning over the bed once more, Varkas carefully stroked her hair.
The unexpected touch made her heart sink.
For some reason, that gentle caress made her chest ache far more than their passionate kisses.
A little while later, he left the room.
Like a snail poking its head out of its shell, Talia slowly raised her head.
Walking over to the window, she saw hundreds of soldiers waiting in formation outside the residence.
Before long, Varkas joined them.
Talia watched for a long time as he led the army toward the outskirts of the village.
Even after his figure disappeared beyond the hills, she remained rooted at the window.
Then a familiar voice sounded from outside the door.
“Your Highness, I've come to apply your medicine.”
“...Come in.”
The moment permission was granted, the healer from House Taren entered.
Limping, Talia sat down in a chair before the fireplace.
Kneeling in front of her, the woman carefully lifted the hem of her dress.
“How are you feeling?”
“The same as always.”
The healer skillfully removed the layers of bandages and carefully examined the damaged skin.
“So it has finally begun to ulcerate. It would be better to leave the bandages off tonight.”
Talia glared sharply at her.
“No. Wrap them properly.”
“His Grace isn't here tonight anyway. There's no need to hide the scars—”
“Who says I'm doing this because of Varkas?!”
Talia suddenly raised her voice.
The healer's expression stiffened.
Staring at her tense face, Talia muttered in a low voice,
“It's because I hate looking at it. So wrap it properly.”
Letting out a short sigh, the healer reluctantly took out fresh bandages.
After carefully spreading a sticky ointment over the scars, she wrapped them as loosely as possible.
“Do the medicines made by the eastern healers seem effective?”
The woman suddenly asked while wiping the ointment from her hands with a towel.
Talia answered indifferently.
“It doesn't seem completely useless. The medicine is so strong that it upsets my stomach a little, but I feel better the next day after taking it.”
“Do you know what herbs are in it?”
“They only told me that it was made from various herbs to replenish vitality.”
Talia looked down at the healer suspiciously.
“Why are you interrogating me like that? Don't tell me you think someone's poisoning me?”
“...Her Majesty instructed me to pay close attention to Your Highness's condition.”
The healer spoke cautiously.
“And there are many people here who do not welcome Your Highness's existence. There's no harm in being careful.”
Still staring at her with a hardened expression, Talia replied coldly,
“If they wanted to poison me, they would've put it in my food or wine. Why would they mix it into medicine when it'd obviously be discovered right away?”
The woman fell silent with a thoughtful expression.
Was something bothering her?
Looking slightly uneasy, Talia added generously,
“If you're that suspicious, I'll leave some of the medicine behind. Take it and check it yourself.”