## THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL) - Chapter 148
"I have called the priestess just in case. It is better for her to examine you."
Talia felt her face flush with embarrassment and shot a sharp look at Varkas.
"It is nothing serious. I only lost my balance for a moment."
"Your waist was hurting until yesterday. Stay still."
Varkas held her more tightly as she resisted, and then directed a frigid gaze at Edrick.
The man tensed and froze, blinking in bewilderment, as if Varkas were pointing a sword directly at him.
"It would be best for you to leave now. Is this not too crucial a moment for you to waste it chattering?"
"...I was just about to withdraw right now," the man said in a strained voice, swallowing hard.
Varkas stared at him with a completely expressionless face, then turned toward the exit and added, "Then get moving immediately. I have already ordered the stable master to prepare a good horse for you; you may use it for your journey."
"Ah... I thank you for your consideration."
Varkas left the reception room without responding to Edrick's polite greeting.
Talia looked over Varkas's shoulder at the man, who had remained as motionless as a statue, and then looked up at her husband. She shuddered upon meeting his grey eyes with bluish undertones, which were observing her intently and in silence.
His expression was as serene as usual. But why, suddenly, had she felt that chill?
"What were you talking about with Robon?"
"Nothing... We didn't talk about much."
Varkas's eyes narrowed at her vague response.
"What do you mean by 'nothing'?" he questioned her in a harsh, accusing voice.
Talia averted her gaze uncomfortably.
There was no reason to hide what she had spoken about with Edrick Robon, but she thought Varkas might get upset if he discovered she had been prying and inquiring.
She reflected for a moment and then murmured, attempting to justify herself, "We only exchanged a passing greeting."
"..."
"He is a curious man by nature. Apparently, he was concerned about whether I was well..."
As she added that, hesitating due to his prolonged silence, a flash of sudden severity crossed Varkas's eyes.
Talia understood at that instant that her husband was not in a good mood at all. However, she could not decipher the exact reason.
Could he be angry because their child almost faced danger due to her carelessness?
As Talia observed his features with unease, Varkas murmured in an emotionless voice while climbing the stairs, "It seems you had a very close relationship with Robon."
"He was only my personal guard for a few months," Talia blurted out as a reflex. "That man only meddles on his own accord! He is the most persistent chatterbox I have ever met in my life! I believe the occupation of a nanny would suit him much better than that of a knight."
For some reason, the more she exerted herself to criticize him, the colder and more unyielding Varkas's face became.
'I thought they got along poorly because he treated him harshly, but could it be that he was actually a highly esteemed subordinate to him?'
While keeping silent and watching his reaction, Varkas reached their bedroom and signaled the servant in the hallway, "Open."
The servant, who was cleaning a window, cast his cloth aside and opened the door immediately.
Varkas entered the room, laid her down on the bed, and removed her coat with complete naturalness.
"How is your waist now?"
"I am fine. It hurts less than usual, perhaps because I slept well last night."
The man, from whom a minimum of relief was expected at her words, remained silent.
Varkas contemplated her belly with his face deep in thought, and then rose slowly. Right after, he poured her a cup of the herbal infusion that the healers had left prepared in advance.
Meanwhile, the priestess who had been summoned by Varkas's order arrived accompanied by two healers to evaluate her health status.
As expected, both she and the baby she carried in her womb were in perfect condition.
The priestess, who had been forced to come from the castle chapel, commented with a sigh, "Given that you have entered a stage of stability, it is no longer necessary for you to maintain absolute rest as before. Moving a little and gradually, always within your comfort limits, will help mitigate your waist pains."
Talia looked at Varkas as if saying, "See?"
Varkas frowned as he looked at her with his arms crossed over his chest, and inquired, "What exactly do you mean by 'comfort limits'?"
"To the level at which Her Highness does not experience fatigue," responded the priestess while putting away her belongings, with a face that expressed neither joy nor annoyance. From how much they had importuned her in recent weeks, she seemed to view the feared Duke Shierkan simply as any young husband, anxious and unsettled by his first child.
She added in an affectionate tone, "Walking regularly between ten and thirty minutes will also relieve pelvic pains. However, she must always be accompanied by someone to serve as support. If she happens to fall and her belly receives an impact, the fetus could suffer damage."
The priestess shot her a warning look. Talia brought her arms to her belly upon feeling a twinge of unease.
As soon as the priestess left the room, the healers began to examine her. Marischen placed a temporary screen, applied an ointment to her legs, and changed her bandages, while Tieuran helped her by arranging cushions under her waist so she could adopt a comfortable posture.
When all that commotion finally ended, Varkas made them all leave at once.
Talia tensed upon noticing that he had stayed in his place because he had something to say to her.
The man, who remained standing with his arms crossed over his chest, contemplated her intently for a long time without articulating a word, until he finally spoke, "Now you are the Grand Duchess of the East and my wife."
Talia looked at him with bewildered eyes.
'Does he not see my swollen belly?'
She blinked slowly, wondering why he mentioned something that everyone already knew, to which Varkas added coldly, "I will not tolerate you staying to chatter with men as you used to do in your foolish adolescence. Behave as benefits a Grand Duchess."
Talia's face flushed at that sudden accusation. Anger rushed to her head immediately.
"I only exchanged a few words with my former knight. What is wrong with my behavior?"
"Staying alone in a room with a strange man is inappropriate. Do you not know that?"
That was true. Married noblewomen always had to be accompanied by their maids, especially when meeting with a man who was not their husband.
However, Talia, who since her childhood had never had anyone by her side except her nanny and Varkas, could not stand the idea of someone following her everywhere. It felt as if she were under surveillance.
She looked at him with defiant eyes.
"Do not speak as if I had a secret tryst. There are more than two hundred people residing in this castle alone! And there were also servants passing outside the reception room."
"Everyone saw you with a young man who comes from outside. Do you not think about the fact that they could speak ill of you?"
"If anyone dares to spread filthy rumors, I will cut out their tongue!" Talia exclaimed vehemently.
She was so furious that her eyes had become bloodshot. She began to lash out fiercely against that man, who was as cold and rigid as ice:
"I am an invalid and I am pregnant. Do you think anyone is going to be interested in me? Even if I ran naked before them, no one would blink! I would be lucky enough if they didn't run away to save their lives!"
"Do not speak that way," Varkas leaned toward her and whispered harshly.
Talia shuddered and shrugged her shoulders. There were few occasions on which he adopted such a threatening attitude since they had married.
Realizing that she was frightened, Varkas took a step back and took a deep breath. Soon, a much calmer voice was heard:
"...I have been too apprehensive. I offer an apology if I have upset you."
That was a formal apology to end a useless debate, not a sincere repentance for his mistake.
Talia pressed her lips together and lowered her gaze. Seeing the redness in her eyes, Varkas sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. Then, he drew her into his arms and stroked her head.
Despite the fact that he acted by employing the method of giving a blow and then a caress, Talia did not push him away. She felt an enormous relief upon seeing that Varkas stopped being that cold and severe rival to become her devoted protector once again.
"...Let us go for a short walk after eating," Varkas suggested once he made sure that she had calmed down.
Talia, remembering what she had heard from Edrick, shook her head.
"It is not necessary. Do what you have to do. I will just sleep a little."
Varkas moved his lips as if he wanted to say something, but immediately settled her back into bed and left the room.
Talia listened to his footsteps fading away, then sat up stealthily and approached the window. She could barely distinguish the silhouette of Edrick Robon guiding his horse across the extensive courtyard of the castle.
Shortly after, the man mounted and began to cross the great hill. She saw how the snow-laden clouds gathered slowly over him. Yearning for that not to be a omen of misfortune, she contemplated the knight's back for a long time.
Winter vanished in the blink of an eye.
Talia no longer had the luxury of worrying about the northern rebellion or the war, for the pain in the lower part of her legs, caused by the increase in the size of her belly, had reached an unbearable level.