This love is like a curse (20)
He alternately cast glances at the cold back of his boss and the condemning glances of the crowd, and then, sighing heavily, spurred his horse.
The second princess, who, as if observing a silent protest, remained locked in the carriage all the time and appeared only in the evening, when they left the capital and stopped for a rest near the river.
The servants, busy setting up camp and preparing for the night, glanced nervously at Thalia. The words that she was going to change clothes several times a day were clearly not an exaggeration: instead of the dress in which she left the palace, she was wearing a silk outfit embroidered with gold embroidery.
Moreover, on her thin white neck sparkled a necklace worth a whole castle, and on her wrist, fragile as a birch branch, sparkled a bracelet studded with diamonds.
Seeing her from afar, Edric just grinned in complete bewilderment. It was time for dinner and preparations for the night. Why on earth was she dressed up like that? Her behavior was so incomprehensible that he already felt tired.
He suppressed a sigh, handed the reins to the squire and walked up to the princess. She, looking around, threw an angry look at him.
The knight's throat was dry. Illuminated by the sunset light, Thalia seemed like a creature woven from fire and gold. Hair the color of ripe wheat, blowing in the strong river wind, formed a shining golden veil around her face. And her flawless white skin, as if carved from milky agate, radiated a pale glow even in the fiery sunset.
He involuntarily took a step back. Everything about this woman was so fragile that it seemed like another moment and she would crumble into thousands of sharp fragments.
Swallowing the dry lump in his throat from an inexplicable premonition, he heard an irritated voice come out of her blood-scarlet lips:
- I don’t like it here. Move camp.
Such a ridiculous order brought him to his senses.
He straightened up as if he had swallowed a stick. This woman is nothing more than a poisonous mushroom hiding under a bright hat. If you let her beautiful appearance fool you, you may pay dearly.
In a restrained tone he replied:
“This place was chosen by the guard for security reasons.” It is no longer possible to spontaneously look for something else.
- Who asked your opinion? - She gave him an icy look. - I gave the order. And you must fulfill it!
He took a deep breath to control his irritation.
“All decisions on this campaign are made by Lord Siekan. I repeat once again: you cannot leave the ranks without permission.
- So, Barkas’ permission is enough?
She abruptly interrupted him and immediately turned around, as if from the very beginning she was looking for a reason to grapple with Sir Siekan.
Edric quickly followed her. He could not understand a woman who, almost from the first day, sought to cause a scandal.
He quickly overtook her and stood in the way:
- What exactly do you not like here?
- Yes, that's it! - she snapped angrily. - Too close to the water, and to the forest too. There must be a lot of insects here!
— How can you set up a camp away from water? In addition, griffins and harpies live in these places. The forest serves as a natural defense in case of attack by large monsters...
- What other protection?! I've already been bitten twice by some bastards! If I spend the night in this place, these creatures will eat all my skin! And this noise from the forest? Even the rustling of the leaves disgusts me, and now the birds are screaming - how can you even sleep here?!
Edric looked at her in amazement. Even a capricious five-year-old child would not throw such tantrums. He could hardly contain his irritation.
“We’ll have to spend the night on the road for a few more days.” If you don't get used to it...
“It’s enough just to move the camp!” Why on earth should I tolerate something I don’t like?!
She squealed and, like a racehorse, rushed forward without looking around.
Edric had to clench his fists so as not to forcefully stop her.
— People are exhausted after a whole day of travel. We can't break camp and look for a new place for no reason. Stop acting childish. Return to the carriage and rest.
He blocked her path and said this with deliberate severity. Her frighteningly beautiful face was barely noticeably distorted. The next second he heard a whistle, as if from a whip, and felt a burning pain in his right cheek.
He looked at her with grim determination. He knew in advance that being this woman's knight meant being ready for slaps. But it still turned out to be much more disgusting than he expected.
- How dare you order me?!
Swallowing the humiliation with difficulty, she grabbed him by the collar and hissed with rage right in his face:
“I am the emperor’s daughter, and you all exist only for my convenience.” If I order you to walk all night long, you will walk until the sun rises. So shut up and get out of sight.
She abruptly pushed him away and walked along the river bank again.
Edric stared at the tiny back of her head, stone-faced. Most of all, he wanted to do the same as his commander - throw this obnoxious girl over his shoulder and throw her back into the carriage. But he did not have such influence that would allow him to touch the body of a member of the imperial family with impunity.
He saw off the rapidly retreating figure with a long, bitter sigh. Will he be able to endure this witch's antics for the rest of the journey? The back of my head was already starting to hurt.
While she was walking along the riverbed, she felt someone’s prickly gaze on her. Turning around, Thalia noticed how the people caught peeping immediately turned away, pretending to be busy with their own affairs.
The reaction was quite usual. People have always treated her like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. But this time, despite the outward restraint, the looks seemed especially suspicious to her.
“Surely among them there is a spy sent by Senevier.”
She carefully peered into the faces of those accompanying her. Perhaps they are all spies. Her mother is quite capable of this.
Thoughts were rapidly carried away in an alarming direction.
Senevier spent years trying to undermine Gareth's authority. Perhaps she has now decided to use this chance to remove from her path all the obstacles that hinder her son.
Her heart began to beat anxiously.
If her mother's target was Gareth or Isla, she cared little. If necessary, she was even ready to help with this. But what if Senevier is planning something against Longboat...
At this point, Thalia nervously looked around the dense row of military tents.
No, the camp must be divided. Just create a physical distance and it will be much more difficult for Senevier’s spies to operate at night.
She quickened her pace. Soon, in front of one of the large tents, she saw Torque, Longboat’s favorite war horse, tied to a ring. The gray stallion snorted loudly when he recognized her. Ignoring him, Thalia stepped into the darkness of the tent.
Inside, the tent was neatly decorated, like a temple: faint candlelight, expensive cabinets, a rack of armor. Taking a quick glance at the space, the girl noticed a thick shadow behind the screen and resolutely headed there.
— I want to move my camp to another place. But my “valiant” knight said that without Sir Siekan’s permission we cannot go anywhere. Apparently, your subordinates believe that the commander of the Roema knights is superior to the members of the imperial family. I don’t understand how the imperial guard could turn into a pathetic bunch of ignoramuses who don’t know the true hierarchy...
Pulling back the screen and still continuing her indignant tirade, Thalia suddenly turned to stone. Longboat stood in front of her, stripped to the waist, wiping his face with a towel.