Chapter 220
## CHAPTER 220: THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
Varkas emphasized it with a glacial look.
The Crown Prince, who under normal circumstances would have trembled before that gaze, seemed this time completely incapable of containing his fury; he began to rage, viciously trampling the clothes thrown on the floor.
—You sacrificed me for that damn bastard! You have betrayed me for a second time because of her!
The wine bottle thrown by the Crown Prince shattered at Varkas’s feet, scattering a dark red liquid.
Varkas contemplated the stains spreading across the carpet like traces of blood, and then a sigh denoting annoyance and weariness escaped his lips.
—How much longer do you intend to keep behaving like an immature child?
The Crown Prince’s face deformed in an ugly manner due to the humiliation he felt.
Varkas addressed him severely, emphasizing each word as if driving a nail:
—You are the Crown Prince of this Empire. Receiving the daughter of a family chosen by the Council is an inevitable duty. If that appeases the inhabitants of Balto and strengthens the cohesion of the Empire, you must willingly accept it…
—The daughter of a family chosen by the Council? —An openly mocking laugh escaped Garis’s mouth. He strode forward, stepping on the fragments of broken glass—. Ha! You mean a girl from a family that raised arms against the Imperial Family. At a time when taking all the traitors of the North to the guillotine would not be enough to slake my thirst for revenge, you ask me to make that dirty blood the wife of the Crown Prince? Don’t make me laugh!
Garis pushed Varkas’s shoulder hard. His green eyes flashed in front of Varkas’s face as if sparks were flying from them.
—Besides, do you think you are in a position to talk to me about duty? You, who keep a woman with no hopes of giving birth to an heir in the position of Duchess, and limit yourself to protecting and pampering her, how dare you lecture me?
Varkas’s face became completely free of expressions, as if he were wearing a mask.
It seemed that Garis did not realize that the other’s anger had reached its limit, so he continued with his verbiage:
—If you want to command and forbid me things, go first and expel that woman. If you were to renounce Talia Rom Gerta now and marry Ayla so that she becomes the Duchess, I would do everything you asked of me, whether it was a marriage or anything else.
At that precise moment, Varkas felt the rope of patience he was clinging to break completely.
With a hand that extended before his mind could process it, he grabbed the Crown Prince by the lapels.
Garis’s body tensed and his thoughts stopped from the shock; no one had ever dared to treat him in such a rough manner.
Varkas pulled him violently toward his face and pronounced in a low tone covered in frost:
—I have begun to grow tired of listening to your complaints.
The Crown Prince’s face paled from the impact. Varkas looked directly into his dilated eyes and added in a terrifying tone:
—If you really do not wish to marry, do as you please. I too am very anxious to see the reaction of His Majesty the Emperor, who struggles to avoid the division of the Empire. And anxious to see what the North will do, having suffered the humiliation of the cancellation of the engagement, and whether the rest of the nobles will continue to support a reckless and irresponsible Crown Prince as the next Emperor, and what intrigue the Empress will plot this time, she who yearns to crown her youngest son on the throne…
—……..
—I think observing all of that will be highly entertaining.
A flash of fear crossed the face of the Crown Prince, who moments ago was overflowing with arrogance. The man clenched his teeth trying to hide his fear; Varkas looked at him steadily and coldly, and then released his hand. As he prepared to turn to leave the tent, a muffled voice came from behind his back:
—Now… do you plan to abandon me?
Varkas turned back to him with a gaze full of disdain.
On the Crown Prince’s face, disfigured by the feeling of betrayal, the image of a small child crying for the loss of his mother was superimposed. The man, whose body had grown but remained trapped in that era, shouted with resentment:
—It was my mother who saved you! My mother gave you shelter and took care of you when even your own biological father had abandoned you! She did everything possible to turn you into a decent human being after you were completely broken…! How can you turn your back on me and Ayla for the daughter of that damn harlot who drove my mother to her death?!
Varkas closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. He drew a dividing line with a voice that did not show the slightest tremor:
—I have done everything possible to fulfill my promise to the late Empress. It is you who has crushed those efforts of mine every single time.
—Enough nonsense! You prefer that bastard over us…
—Do not involve her in matters that have nothing to do with her. Talia has committed no fault against you.
The Crown Prince trembled and closed his mouth at his fierce tone. Varkas continued, as if chewing each of his words:
—If you want to take revenge on Snefyer, I will cooperate with you to whatever extent is necessary, I can even make that woman kneel before you. But my wife is a red line. She is not “Tarin” or “Gerta”. She is “Shirkhan”.
As the intensity of his tone increased, the Crown Prince’s eyes became bloodshot. Varkas averted his gaze from that face overflowing with murderous desires and added coldly:
—If you want me to remain by your side until the end, you had better accept this reality.
It seemed that his warning had taken effect; shortly after, Garis left Jotunheim leading the main force.
Varkas watched from the top of the watchtower as the Crown Prince’s banner moved away, and then ordered his soldiers to dismantle the camp.
The soldiers immediately began folding the tents and pulling up the stakes. Since they had been prepared to withdraw for weeks, packing the luggage did not take long.
While the soldiers loaded the boxes piled on hundreds of wagons, he walked through the camp to check the quantity of remaining supplies. There were enough provisions to hold out for several months, but it was not possible to take them all; he had to deliver a large amount of them to the army of the Northern Alliance, which would assume the defense duties of Jotunheim.
He called the supply officer and ordered him to transfer two-thirds of the total inventory to the Alliance’s side, and then headed toward the tent where the unit commanders met.
At that moment, he saw Darin approaching, making his way through the barracks. Noticing the dispatch he carried in his hand, Varkas stopped dead in his tracks. He had asked him to monitor the situation in the East; had bad news arrived?
Varkas turned around and headed toward him immediately:
—What is happening now?
—Ah, the regular report from the East has arrived and I just wanted to deliver it to you. —The man pulled out a letter sealed with the family crest and added in a calm tone—: I took a quick look at it and there doesn’t seem to be any problem. It seems the news of your injury caused some chaos for a while, but things have already stabilized. However, there seem to be many demands from the vassals regarding the need to expedite the marriage of Lord Lucas and Miss Reyna.
Varkas took the leather document and opened it; slight wrinkles appeared around his eyes. Just as Darin had said, most of the content of the letter referred to the marriage of Lucas and Reyna.
—It seems Lord Lucas’s marriage project remains stalled, but Miss Lina seems to have chosen her partner. She wishes to hold an engagement ceremony with the second son of the Scart family.
The Scart family was one of the noble families that had demonstrated long-standing loyalty to the Duke’s family for many years.
He flipped through the pages quickly and nodded his head:
—She has chosen a suitable partner. Inform them of my approval.
—The vassals expect the Duke himself to oversee the ceremony.
Varkas raised his head and looked at him as he finished reading the letter. Darin leaned against the fence and continued in a persuasive tone:
—This is the second time you have been on the verge of death. Wouldn’t it be good to show your strength and presence on this occasion?
Varkas looked at the last page of the letter with a gaze lost in thought.
The news related to her did not exceed a few lines. He read that cold phrase stating that she spent her time quietly without causing any trouble, and then crumpled the leather document with his hand.
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