Chapter 19
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: Diva Chapter: 19 Chapter Title: Excessive Luggage -----------------------------------------------------------------
Having chased away everyone sent from the Main Palace up until now, she now had fewer than ten maids attached to the Detached Palace. And since she'd kept even them at arm's length, the number of attendants she could bring along was barely enough to count on one hand.
Because of this, Talia found herself surrounded by the servants Senevia had sent, forced to embark on the long journey. Temper-wise, she wanted to chase them all away, but seeing Gares and Aila each with their hundreds of attendants, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
Talia glared at the crowd surrounding the Crown Prince and 1st Princess's carriages, biting her lip irritably.
She had spent years keeping everyone but Barkas and her Nurse away from her side, hating anyone hovering around her. She didn't want people nearby who might try to trample her in any way at any time.
But imagining her own pitiful appearance, trailing along with just a handful of attendants while her two half-siblings flaunted their imperial dignity with hundreds of servants each, made her stomach churn.
In the end, Talia had no choice but to accept the maids Senevia had sent. But she couldn't relax for even a moment, wondering what schemes they might be plotting. She watched their every move obsessively, as if surveilling them while they handled her luggage.
At that moment, a stunned voice came from right beside her.
"Are you really planning to take all this luggage with you?"
She looked up at the man who had approached her side, her gaze sharp as a blade.
It hadn't been long since she'd chased away the foolish Guard Knight who had groveled before the Crown Prince, and this newly assigned knight had the nerve to speak to her so casually. Talia didn't like his attitude one bit.
She shot back coldly at the man scratching the back of his head with an awkward expression.
"Do you have some complaint about my baggage?"
"I understand your desire to maintain dignity as royalty. But isn't this a bit excessive? Hundreds of dresses and expensive jewelry... Unless you plan to change outfits five times a day, it's unnecessary baggage."
"You don't get it. I'm not just changing five times a day—I'll change ten if I feel like it. Spending the whole day traveling in a carriage means I'll be covered in dust, and I have no intention of wearing soiled clothes on my body even for a moment."
"Come on, that's got to be a joke..."
The knight let out an awkward laugh. He still hadn't realized she never spoke idly.
Talia ignored the foolish-looking man and walked toward the carriage she would board.
Her carriage, positioned toward the rear of the long procession, was nearly as large and ornate as the Crown Prince's.
The doors and roof were lavishly decorated with gold and ivory, the interior featured a spacious seat large enough to serve as a bed, and atop it lay thick wool felt and silk cushions.
She climbed into the carriage and pulled back the curtain at the rear of the seat. This revealed a fairly roomy changing area and a large storage cabinet.
Talia opened the drawer connected to the luggage compartment and inspected its contents meticulously. She had packed all her finest dresses made from the most luxurious fabrics and various jewelry, but nothing caught her eye. To outshine Aila, this wasn't enough.
She rummaged through the drawers haphazardly, chewing her lower lip in frustration.
She should have stolen the diamond necklace Senevia got from the Emperor. No, she should have taken her mother's entire jewelry box.
Senevia seemed to want her to ruin Aila's engagement. Wasn't that why she'd so openly egged her on? If she'd asked to borrow outfits and jewelry to achieve that goal, Senevia would have lent them willingly.
'Should I go to the Empress Palace even now?'
Talia glanced anxiously at the drawers before stepping down from the carriage. She turned toward Senevia's residence, but amid the soldiers, she spotted Barkas in the uniform of the Roem Knights.
Talia froze in her tracks. Even with over 150 men in the same uniform filling the castle courtyard, her eyes saw only Barkas.
Her obsessive gaze clung to his straight back, broad shoulders, and faintly gleaming ash-blond hair.
Barkas crossed the courtyard with precise steps, issuing orders to his subordinates. It seemed he was inspecting the procession before departure.
Talia swallowed dryly. The closer Barkas got, the more her throat stung, as if she'd swallowed a handful of glass shards.
His indifferent gaze, which had been scanning the long procession starting from the castle gates, finally fixed on her carriage.
Even from a distance, Talia could see the faint furrow in his brow—the expression he always wore when facing her.
That coldly handsome face, which had hurt her so deeply every time, drew slowly nearer.
"Haven't you finished preparing for departure yet?"
Barkas rebuked her Guard Knight without so much as glancing at her. The man scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"As you can see, we might need an extra baggage wagon."
At the knight's sigh-laden reply, Barkas's pale blue eyes turned toward the servants struggling to cram the mountain of luggage into the carriage. Talia could see irritation flicker across his expressionless face.
His gaze finally reached her.
"This procession will pass through six major cities. You can procure anything you need along the way, so lighten the unnecessary load."
She lifted her chin defiantly, as if to say "watch me."
"No. How would you know what I might need?"
"Clothes or jewelry, anyway."
He spoke in a dry tone.
"The northwest has many cities with developed commerce. You can buy as much as you like there—enough to fill the castle—so restrain yourself from exhausting the servants before we even set out."
Talia scoffed.
"Don't make me laugh. You plan to make me look like some extravagant, unworthy princess indulging in luxury on a pilgrimage, just to compare me to Aila? You think I'll fall for that?"
"Since when have you cared about your reputation...?"
His lips twisted faintly in disbelief.
"No one would ever put you on the same level as 1st Princess Highness to begin with. So put aside your needless worries."
They were words she never wanted to hear from his mouth, even if she died.
Talia raised her hand, her face flushing with anger. But Barkas wasn't one to just take it. He swiftly grabbed her wrist and nodded toward the servants.
"Leave only the essentials and unload the rest. We'll depart in a moment—hurry up."
"Who do you think you are?!"
Talia thrashed wildly, trying to yank her arm free as she shrieked. But the man didn't budge an inch.
Her rage boiling over, Talia kicked his shin and screamed.
"How dare a wretch like you order my things around? Already acting like you're something special? You're not Grand Duke yet! You're just a Guard Knight in the Imperial service! A mere knight daring to... to a princess of the Empire...!"
"What are you waiting for?"
Ignoring her outburst, he shot a cold glare at the servants. They hurriedly began unloading the luggage from the carriage, glancing around nervously.
Nothing could demonstrate more clearly that Barkas's orders—as heir to the east and Commander of the Imperial Guard—outranked those of a princess in name only.
Talia glared at the servants with furious eyes before losing all reason and lunging at one of the maids.
"Hands off my luggage right now! If even one item goes missing, I'll hang you all by...!"
Her words cut off abruptly. Barkas scooped her up with one arm and shoved her into the carriage like an annoying bundle of baggage.
Forced onto the seat, Talia's face burned red with fury.
Barkas was a man whose loyalty to the imperial family ran through his very bones. He would never lay a hand on Aila carelessly.
This man could treat her so roughly because he didn't see her as true royalty.
Her eyes welled up with hot tears from sheer indignation. It was unbearable how this man, always so courteous to her half-sister, treated only her with endless rudeness.