## THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL) - Chapter 127
His fingers, which were caressing the strands of her hair, slid slowly along her neck.
Talia could not help but tilt her head back involuntarily.
Her breathing became more labored, and her vision blurred into a distant mist. She felt his body, pressed against hers, burning with an unbearable heat, but she was completely unable to stop herself.
How long were they like that?
When her lips began to ache a little, he finally raised his head.
Talia gasped repeatedly and then looked up at him.
Unlike his body, which throbbed with a feverish pulse, there was not the slightest trace of desire on that serene face looking down at her. That mysterious discrepancy between his body and his face awakened a vague anxiety in her.
She caught her breath and turned around slowly.
"Well... I will leave now."
As soon as she made a move to get out of bed, he wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Stay a little longer."
His deep, sweet voice leaked into her ear, making her feel as if her very bones were melting. He pressed firmly against her from behind and placed his lips on the nape of her neck.
Talia tensed with nerves.
Originally, she had come here to give birth to an heir for the Grand Duke's family. Surrendering her body to him in the darkness was nothing more than a necessary procedure to accept him without pain. Those lies she repeated to herself like a mantra were on the verge of crumbling with a single delicate touch.
She clenched her teeth in desperation.
"I have no reason to stay here."
"And you have no reason to leave," he said as he stroked her hair. "I am sick. Stay by my side just until I fall asleep."
A hint of laziness crept into his voice, and Talia bit her lip.
Why did he want her to stay by his side?
She wanted to ask him openly, but she feared an answer that might disappoint her. She hesitated for a long time and then said something completely different:
"...Then, fall asleep quickly."
She felt a slight movement in his lips.
Had he laughed?
No, impossible. Weren't those lips that only moved when he mocked or flashed a cold smile?
She suppressed the urge to turn around and fixed her gaze on the windowpane, where raindrops were pounding. Suddenly, a flash of lightning gleamed, and then a roar-like rumble echoed.
"Are you afraid of thunder?" he asked her out of the blue.
Only then did Talia realize that her body was trembling. She had never been afraid of a storm or lightning, but she did not deny it. She did not want him to know that her agitation was due to the emotions he himself provoked.
Shortly after, she heard him breathing at a regular pace. The heavy thumping of his heart gradually slowed down.
Had he fallen asleep?
But he could well be feigning it.
She kept putting off the moment to turn around and check, until sleep invaded her like a towering wave. She floated aimlessly between consciousness and unconsciousness, and then suddenly sank into a dense darkness.
The gloom struck her like an iron hammer, shattering her entire body. She struggled to reach a lit place, but the only thing she heard was the sound of her own bones being crushed, emitting a pitiful crunch.
At that moment, she heard the bustle of the forest and a breath similar to a roar. She saw two eyes glowing in the darkness.
A beast with red eyes approached her slowly to devour her. She seemed to see the distorted silhouette of a creature covered in scales. It opened its jaws and tore at the shattered lower part of her body. Not even a scream came out of her.
Talia watched, her eyes filled with terror, as the monster submerged in the shadows devoured her body.
However, something was wrong.
The shape of the beast gradually shrank until it transformed into a familiar figure. A woman wearing a strange smile embraced her with two pale, blood-stained arms; then, she opened her bloody lips and tore a piece of flesh from her neck with one bite.
Finally, Talia could distinguish the monster's face.
It was her mother.
Cinefere ate what was left of her body slowly and pleasurably. Nothing was left of Talia except her head, and tears welled up in her eyes. A delicate hand lifted her decapitated head.
"Poor thing," Cinefere whispered, as if she truly felt sorry for her, and then kissed her soaked cheek.
"Talia!"
Suddenly, someone shook her hard.
Talia opened her eyes in a panic, gasping as if she had just been rescued from underwater. The scene of the dimly lit bedroom entered her panic-blurred sight. For a few moments, she could not understand where she was.
She was shaking like an aspen leaf, so someone reached out and stroked her head.
"Shh... Shh... It's okay."
Talia turned around. She saw a beautiful face, clouded with worry. He gently cupped her cheeks with both hands and, with his thumb, wiped the corners of her wet eyes.
"Calm down. It was just a nightmare."
"...A nightmare?"
Talia moved her eyes to chase away the remnants of Cinefere's image burned into her retinas, and then relaxed her shoulders. However, the trembling would not stop.
He pulled her tight against him and ran his hand down her back at a steady pace. Her heart, which had almost leaped out of her chest, gradually regained its rhythm.
Talia whispered, her voice cracked with crying:
"Have you ever had a nightmare too?"
The hand patting her back stopped for a moment.
"A long, long time ago."
"What kind?"
"Well..."
She felt his voice fade a bit and tried to raise her head, but he gently pressed the nape of her neck.
"Many years have passed, so I don't remember it well anymore."
But at least he remembered having a nightmare. It must have been a very painful one.
"Go back to sleep. If the nightmare returns, I will wake you up," he whispered as he pulled the blanket up to cover her shoulders.
Talia snuggled into his lap quite naturally. It crossed her mind that, initially, she had no intention of sleeping there, but she erased the thought immediately. Now, it was impossible to escape those two arms. She closed her eyes and rested her cheek against his bare chest.
The next day, she knew exactly how he had been injured.
There was a large box placed in front of her room's door, containing a silver fur, soft and cared for with dedication. The servant carrying it in person explained proudly:
"This is the hide from the belly of a drakar that His Highness the Grand Duke himself hunted in person. It is not burned by fire and completely blocks the freezing winter wind; it is one of the finest materials in existence. His Highness ordered a coat to be made for Her Highness the Duchess with it."
The nanny opened her mouth in astonishment and stroked the fur with a trembling hand. The white fur, soft as silk, emitted a faint bluish glow under the sunlight.
"Heavens... It's beautiful."
The maids who had come to help her dress also marveled. And it was no wonder.
The drakar is a creature of the dragon lineage, situated at the top of the food chain even among monsters of its class. Its only weak point is its belly, covered in soft fur. Therefore, even the most skilled hunters risk their lives to obtain an intact fur, without a single scratch. Probably, not even her own mother had seen such high quality in her life.
However, Talia's face, as she contemplated that precious treasure, froze like ice.
As soon as she imagined that he had engaged in such a reckless battle because of that object, displeasure boiled in her veins to the tips of her hair. She directed a goggle-eyed, icy gaze at the servants.
"Where is His Highness the Duke now?"
"I think... he is working in his study," the servant replied in a low voice, realizing that she was in a bad mood.
Talia left the room immediately. She intended to scold him severely:
"I don't want stupid gifts like this, so don't put your life in danger again!"
However, as soon as she went down the stairs, she came across a scene before her eyes that seemed to mock all her indignation.
