Chapter 213
## THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL) – Chapter 213
The knight, blinking in astonishment, looked toward his companions and then advanced toward the Duke.
For his part, Baridon, who remained in silence observing the scene, moved again, driven by the urgency of the emissaries.
And in an instant, the silhouettes of the Duke and Edrick Robon vanished from his sight.
What could they be discussing?
He cast an inquisitive glance for a brief moment, but soon straightened his head.
He did not possess the necessary leeway to waste his energy on other people’s affairs.
Was he not in a situation where he had to struggle to cope with his own assigned duties? The young man cast aside that shred of curiosity and silently guided the emissaries toward the main keep.
A week later, the hosts of knights deployed by the lords of the eastern fiefs assembled in Calmore.
Banners of multiple colors representing each lineage waved fiercely across the plains adjacent to the walls, and thousands of mounts equipped with bards covered the vast hills.
Varkas contemplated that imposing military force from the top of the castle tower, then descended the stairs, heading toward the training ground.
Raidgo Castle also bustled with warriors and armored horses.
He advanced between the disciplined lines of soldiers and examined the supply wagons stationed in front of the castle gate.
The four-wheeled carts were saturated with piles of provisions, weaponry, and military gear, extending in a long line that stretched beyond the castle boundaries.
“Your Excellency, all preparations for the march have been concluded.”
When he finished his inspection on the esplanade, Perov, who had just concluded the outer surveillance round, approached him to present his report.
Varkas raised his head to estimate the position of the sun, and then dictated his instructions in a measured tone:
“Distribute the rations to the soldiers ahead of time. It is better for them to restore their energy before departure if we intend to march toward our destination without interruptions.”
“At your command.”
While the knight ran to convey the order, Varkas left the barracks and headed toward the annex pavilion.
Unlike the din that enveloped the castle, the backyard remained deserted, plunged in a subtle stillness.
He walked over the accumulated snow and approached the building located at the northern end of the inner courtyard.
“You have arrived, Your Excellency,” the guards at the gate presented their greeting solemnly.
Varkas passed right by them and entered the building, heading straight for the stairs. However, he stopped his pace upon spotting Edrick Robon sitting on an elongated divan in the reception room.
“What are you doing here?”
The man, who was stirring the logs with the fire tongs, stood up with timidity and bewilderment:
“What do you mean by ‘what am I doing’…? Did you not entrust me to watch over Her Grace the Grand Duchess?”
Varkas frowned.
To be precise, he had entrusted him to watch over her after his departure.
He fixed a displeased gaze on the man, who had prepared his luggage and presented himself promptly even before he had departed; then he drew a leather pouch from his chest and threw it to him.
“Since you have saved me the trouble of looking for you, it is better this way. I will cover a full year’s fees for you in advance.”
“There is no need for you to do that…”
“There is no set date for my return. It will be simpler for both parties to settle the matter beforehand,” Varkas firmly interrupted the man’s formal refusal, then turned and went up the stairs.
The resolution to keep Edrick Robon by her side had been a somewhat impulsive determination. He wished for someone with whom she felt a certain familiarity to remain in this castle, which he too was preparing to leave.
In less than a year, she had lost the people she was close to, one after another.
The two healers, and the wolf she esteemed so much…
And even though that nanny remained present, she did not profess the slightest shred of affection for Talia.
Had he not strictly forbidden her from assisting in any task other than preparing the food, for fear that his wife would suffer a shock and abstain from food and drink again if she learned the truth?
Instead of keeping that detestable woman by her side, it was preferable to turn Edrick Robon into a source of comfort for her.
Varkas stopped at one side of the corridor and directed a somber gaze toward the door of his bedroom. Suddenly, a maid who was dozing in the opposite antechamber stood up with a terrified face.
“Oh, you have arrived, Your Excellency.”
“How is Her Grace?”
“I presented the food to her just as you arranged this morning. However, she did not consume much…” The maid lowered her head with sorrow.
Varkas tapped his temple with the tip of his finger, then pulled the handle of the bedroom door.
And with the sound of the friction of the hinges, the interior of the room was revealed, plunged into absolute disorder.
He examined the carpet, upon which dark stains remained as if an inkwell had been thrown, and the stained duvet that gave off the smell of wine; then he spotted Talia curled up in a corner of the chamber and advanced toward her.
Surely she perceived his presence, but she made no movement.
He contemplated her plunged in her silence, her face hidden between her knees, then he leaned down, gripped her chin with one hand, and lifted it.
And upon the face that was raised by force, two blue pupils brimming with animosity gleamed.
He met those glances that resembled daggers, to which he was fully accustomed, and spoke with composure:
“I heard that you have not ingested your sustenance correctly again. Have you perhaps grown weary of the food that woman prepares?”
“…”
“If that is the case, let me know. I will order her expulsion and appoint a new cook.”
She struck his hand forcefully, causing a snapping sound.
“I am not cattle. I am under no obligation to stuff my mouth with whatever is presented to me.”
He narrowed his eyes.
Perhaps thanks to the demand of making her ingest food and medicine for weeks, color was beginning to return to her pale face, but she remained gaunt to an alarming degree.
If not for the medicinal magic he had applied to her regularly, she would not possess the energy to offer resistance the way she did now.
Varkas checked his sigh and lightly lifted the woman’s body.
And immediately she began to thrash ferociously, like a wild animal that has fallen into a hunter’s net.
He forced the woman, who continued her desolate and fruitless resistance, to sit in front of the fireplace; he pinned her small chin and brought his face close to hers with severity.
Then he pronounced clearly, as if embedding the words into her head:
“I will be absent from the castle for a time.”
The body of the woman, whose chest rose and fell with indignation, froze. And he added in a low, admonishing voice:
“You had better give up the idea of inflicting harm on your body by executing some foolishness. If it reaches my ears that you have undertaken a hunger strike again, I will not be responsible for what I might do.”
“Let go of me!”
She exerted greater pressure against him while trying to break free from his hand, and he said in a tone of rebuke:
“Engrave my words precisely. I will not allow any more inconveniences to break out because of you.”
The woman’s features distorted sharply.
And she said, squeezing her lips stained the color of blood, as if spitting out the letters:
“Go away and die there.”
Varkas drew a cold, ironic smile:
“Magnificent. A wife pouring curses upon her spouse about to engage in combat.”
Her face, flushed with indignation, turned pale in an instant.
She gave the impression that she would attempt to protest, but the next second she lowered her pupils and bit her lip.
Varkas contemplated her fixedly, then let out a dry laugh and stood up.
“I will verify for myself the effectiveness of your prayers.”
The woman’s face crumbled with bitterness upon hearing his sarcasm.
She murmured in a voice mixed with a rattle while pinning him with her gaze with her reddened eyes:
“Get out of my sight immediately. Go away and never return.”
Varkas contemplated that face for a moment as if pinned to his spot, then left the room.
And no sooner had the door closed behind him than he heard the crash of an object breaking inside. Everything indicated that she was venting her indignation against the furniture once more.
He exhaled a low sigh and imparted his instructions to the maids stationed in the corridor in a calm tone:
“I will arrange for a cleric to remain alert at all times on the lower floor, so that you execute measures immediately if her condition experiences a relapse.”
“W-We will exert ourselves in it.”
He descended the stairs and left the annex pavilion.
At that instant, he felt a freezing sensation brush his cheek.
He raised his head.
Light, whitish clouds dropped subtle snowflakes.
Varkas brushed them off with his hand and continued his march.
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