This love is like a curse (3)
As a man who does not like to attract unnecessary attention to himself, Barkas raised his hand to stop the servant who was about to announce his name, and with grace and dignity began to descend the stairs.
However, despite his efforts, all eyes were on him. Even the presence of the future emperor faded in the shadow of his appearance.
Talia looked at him hungrily from head to toe.
He, as always, was impeccably dressed in the full uniform of the Imperial Guard. But under the luxurious cloak issued by the order, instead of the usual golden armor symbolizing the knights of Roem, there was a black cuirass [1] with the coat of arms of the Black Horse. This meant that he arrived at the banquet as the heir of Duke Siekana and Ayla's fiancé.
As Thalia expected, Longboat headed straight to the center of the hall, where Gareth and Ayla were.
“Greetings to your Highness, the Crown Prince,” he bowed to Gareth with restraint, without excessive respect, but also without insolence, and then turned to the shyly smiling Ayla.
My fingertips began to tremble. Thalia gripped the bowl so hard that her knuckles turned white.
When Longboat extended his hand to the “rightful princess,” Ayla modestly put hers in it. In an instant, Talia was pierced by a sharp pain, her insides seemed to be twisted into a tight knot.
Don't touch. Don't you dare touch Barkas.
She wanted to scream, but she had no right to do so. I had to bite my lip so as not to expose myself to ridicule.
“Perhaps it would be better for you to leave the hall?” — the man who was watching her face cautiously suggested. The words of the man who seemed to be enjoying himself sobered Thalia. She remembered that she had not come here to run away shamefully.
The girl, instantly controlling her trembling expression, crossed the hall with an elegant gait. The people surrounding the crown prince, the first princess and the aristocrat from the Eastern Lands themselves parted to clear the way.
They were undoubtedly hungry for something exciting. And Talia had no intention of disappointing them.
- Hello, dear brother and... dear sister.
Deliberately ignoring Longboat, she slowly bowed to just the two of them. She felt that if she met his gaze, she would lose the remnants of her self-control.
Turning her back to him, Thalia looked only at Ayla. Then she said mockingly:
- Glad you have regained your health. After all, last time... you didn’t look your best.
“Thank you for your concern,” Ayla answered with a gentle smile on her lips, in which there was not a shadow of malice.
Thalia got goosebumps.
This woman could not help but know that it was her stepsister who poured the medicine into the glass. But despite this, there was not even a grain of anger in her gaze - only cold indifference, as if she was looking at an ordinary object like plates or candlesticks scattered around the hall...
How can a person be angry about something like that?
There was something so painful in her calmness, which bordered on indifference, that Thalia was overcome with deep regret.
It was not an emetic [2] that should have been given, but a deadly poison. Even if it was worth execution... Even if I had to burn in eternal hellfire...
Compared to Ayla, even her hot-tempered brother, who did not hide his rage, seemed humane.
- How dare you come here! - Gareth growled, towering over her. His sparkling eyes looked at her from head to toe with disgust. - And in such a vulgar form! Your mother, like some kind of whore, ordered you to seduce my subjects?
- Vulgar? How rude,” Talia defiantly straightened out the folds of her outfit. “My mother wore this dress on the day she first appeared before His Majesty.” A very symbolic outfit, don’t you think?
Dead silence hung in the hall.
A fire flashed in the crown prince's eyes. Unfortunately, Thalia was too fond of playing with fire.
“Our father must have really liked that dress.” Don't you agree?
Gareth's shoulders twitched as he barely restrained himself from hitting her. But his wise sister would not allow this to happen. At the right moment, Ayla gently placed her hand on his forearm and turned to her half-sister with a serene smile.
- Yes. It really suits you.
Surprisingly, there was not a drop of anger in her voice. She spoke as if something obvious, with utmost calm, as if she was simply stating a fact. And that’s what pissed me off the most. Perhaps this woman generally believed that it was beneath her dignity to react to the provocations of some bastard.
Ayla, giving her twin brother a look full of a calm appeal to restraint, approached her fiancé. And, gently clinging to his side, she said with a face beaming with immense happiness:
- Anyway, thanks for coming. This day is very important for us... especially for me. I would like as many people as possible to share our joy.
Her fragile hand gently fell on the forearm of the man standing like a statue. Thalia looked at this hand, dreaming of tearing it to shreds. She didn't dare look up - the sight of his smile addressed to Ayla would have driven her mad.
“The official date for our wedding has finally been set,” the first princess continued, her voice as soft as the rustle of feathers. “On the day the wind season begins, I will go to the East to become part of the Siekan clan. Of course, first I will need to make a pilgrimage [3] to receive the blessings of the elders. We'll have to hurry before it gets too hot. Perhaps today is the last time we see each other.
She skillfully feigned regret.
“It’s so good that we were still able to see each other before I left the palace.” I wanted to at least say goodbye.
Then, making it clear that the conversation was over, she gently bowed her head to Barkas’s shoulder and added:
“I hope you really enjoy today’s celebration in our honor.”
With a condescending smile, Ayla had already begun to turn around, but Thalia, who had not taken her eyes off her all this time, suddenly spoke:
“Since this is our last meeting... I want to bless your future, sister.”
As soon as she stepped forward, the man, who had previously calmly watched the silent war between the two women, immediately reacted. He held out his hand as if he was going to protect his bride. The world before my eyes flashed with a scarlet flame.
Talia managed before Barkas completely blocked her path: with a quick movement, she splashed the wine directly onto Ayla’s chest.
A dark ruby liquid stained the top of a snow-white dress, generously strewn with pearls, and slowly flowed down to the hem, like blood gushing from a pierced heart.
“I will pray every day that such a fate will befall you, sister.”
The audience gasped at the words that sounded like a terrifying curse.
Even Ayla, who had been cold and dignified all this time, turned pale. Her face was distorted with sincere fear, and Thalia could hardly contain her laughter - she looked so ridiculous.
But the fun didn't last long. Someone's strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her sharply towards herself. And now Thalia found herself face to face with the man she had so desperately avoided.
Pale blue eyes looked at her, in which the icy fire of rage flickered.
Notes:
1. Cuirass - a piece of protective armor that covers the chest and back, usually made of metal. Widely used in European knightly equipment, as well as in the ceremonial armor of the nobility.
2. An emetic (from the Greek emein - “to tear”) is a substance or drug that causes vomiting.
3. A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to sacred places associated with religious traditions for the purpose of prayer, ritual or worship.