But the door did not budge.
After tugging on the handle over and over again, Talia finally realized the latch had been locked from the inside and clenched her teeth.
‘That damned Aila.......’
The fury she had suppressed throughout the night boiled up as though it might erupt at any moment.
Biting down on her scabbed lips, Talia glared at the tightly shut door before finally turning away.
Perhaps this was for the best.
If she acted impulsively without any preparation and somehow failed, she alone would end up dying like a dog.
She needed to prepare more thoroughly before putting anything into motion. There was still a long road ahead, and sooner or later another opportunity would reveal itself.
Steadying her ragged breathing, she quickly slipped out into the corridor. She had just started down the stairs toward her room when she heard the faint sound of rattling from somewhere nearby.
Talia hurried behind a pillar and concealed herself.
A dim shadow stretched across the corridor as dawn light slowly began to seep inside.
Hidden in the darkness, Talia cautiously leaned out and peered down the hall. A slender woman was standing in front of the room directly beside her own.
Talia narrowed her eyes and studied the woman’s face. She was a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair and plain, unremarkable features.
Only after staring for some time did Talia recognize her as one of the attendants her mother had assigned to her.
The woman carefully shut the door, pulled a deep brown hood over her head, and silently disappeared down the corridor. Talia stared fixedly at her retreating figure before quietly following after her.
The woman left the building and hurried across a muddy road filled with puddles. Judging by the nimble precision of her movements, she looked as though she had received espionage training.
After carefully scanning her surroundings, the woman stopped near a small rear garden behind the main chapel building.
Talia concealed herself behind an arcade pillar and secretly observed her.
The woman lingered in front of a pavilion as though waiting for someone. Then, upon spotting something, she immediately strode forward.
Following her movement with her eyes, Talia narrowed her gaze when she saw a priest in black robes slowly emerging from the darkness.
His face looked vaguely familiar. Judging by that, he was probably one of the monks who had attended the banquet.
The monk, who appeared to be around forty years old, pulled out something resembling a small medicine vial from inside his robes and handed it to the woman. She accepted it, opened the lid to inspect the contents, then sealed it again and slipped it into the sleeve of her robe.
Afterward, she turned around and began retracing her steps.
Talia immediately broke into a run toward the lodging building.
She hurried up the stairs and threw herself into her bedroom, her legs giving out the instant she crossed the threshold.
Leaning against the door, Talia struggled to steady her breathing while listening closely to the sounds outside. A moment later, she heard a door open and close, after which silence settled over the corridor like death.
Talia swallowed dryly.
She had no idea what exactly the scene she had witnessed meant.
What had that monk been?
One of her mother’s secret accomplices? If so, then what exactly had he handed over? Surely they were not planning a poisoning.
She forced herself to swallow against her constricted throat.
If it were poison, there would have been no need to seek outside assistance. They could have obtained something like that easily enough on their own. If they had resorted to such a complicated method, then it had to be something that could not even be brought into the capital at all.
‘What exactly is she plotting?’
Talia ran through countless possibilities in her mind.
But no clear picture formed.
‘One thing is certain. Something enormous is about to happen.’
Senevier always accomplished whatever she set her mind to. If she had truly decided to eliminate the people who had long stood in her way, then the Crown Prince was already as good as dead.
And if fortune favored them, perhaps Aila would disappear from this world as well.
Feeling her heart pound violently with excitement, Talia slowly curled her lips into a satisfied smile.
* * *
The long and tedious journey began once more.
The escort force, made up of hundreds of knights and infantry soldiers, marched silently beneath the blazing sun. At this pace, they would cross the borders of the former Kingdom of Osiria within ten days.
Edrick Rubon unfolded a map and estimated the remaining distance before turning his head toward the carriage, which was as silent as a coffin.
As always, the Imperial Princess had sealed herself inside with thick curtains drawn over the windows, refusing to emerge.
He guided his horse closer and carefully examined the faint silhouette cast against the curtains.
Even the horses were panting heavily beneath the sweltering heat. At this rate, he worried she might eventually be discovered boiled alive inside the carriage.
“Your Highness, perhaps you should at least let some air inside.”
“......Get lost.”
Thankfully, she was still breathing.
Letting out a small sigh, Edrick urged his horse forward toward the front lines.