This love is like a curse (48)
“What’s so scary about the fact that I woke up in the middle of the night that I jumped in fear?”
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. But the feeling of suffocation only intensified.
Sucking hard into her narrowed airways, Thalia stood up in desperation. The crushed leg, fixed by the splint, hurt piercingly, but there was no choice - she literally rolled out of the carriage, eagerly opening her mouth to breathe.
Soon she noticed a flickering light nearby. Feeling relief spreading in her chest, she, dragging her stiff leg, approached a large tent, near which a fire was burning.
At that moment, she heard a cheerful voice, tinged with mockery, carried by the wind.
- This is heaven's punishment.
Thalia froze.
A girl was sitting by the fire and, picking at the coals with a long branch, reasoned loudly:
- Everyone knows. That woman cursed the first princess. And not just anywhere, but right on her birthday - she created a scandal there!
The maid's voice trembled with excitement.
Talia looked closely at the face illuminated by the fire. Apparently, the stranger was serving Ayla or Gareth.
The maid took a sip from the goblet, and then, inspired, began babbling again:
- Undoubtedly, this is God's punishment! Her own curse turned against her - so she got what she deserved!
“They say he might end up crippled.” Is it true?
- Very likely! I heard from the second princess's maid that the bones in her leg were crushed to pieces, as if a puzzle had taken hours to put together.
Talia shuddered and automatically looked down at her leg.
The woman's voice became a little quieter:
“And it seems like there are some terrible scars left.” They say that the skin is so distorted that even magic cannot completely remove it. All motley, what a terrible abomination.
“Now you won’t have to see her walking around the palace like a mistress.”
- Of course. The only advantage was his appearance, and now with such a body... will he be able to put on airs like before?
There were jeers full of gloating.
Thalia stood there in a daze, as if spellbound, and then, dragging her leg, walked towards the woman from behind.
Seeing her shadow, those present turned pale. But the chatterbox, carried away by her tales, had not yet noticed her.
“Now she won’t even get married.” Who from the noble family will take a bastard, and even a cripple... kya!
Her scream pierced the silence as Thalia grabbed her by the hair without warning.
Not paying the slightest attention to the screams, she pulled the tightly braided braid with force. When she recognized the princess, her face turned white with horror.
Talia leaned over and raised the corners of her lips in a cold smile.
- What, why did you keep silent?
- Y-Your Highness...
“I’m a crippled bastard—what are you afraid of?”
The woman’s eyes opened wide, and her lips that had just mocked trembled and burst into sobs.
- S-sorry, your highness! I... I committed an unforgivable sin...
- What other sin?
“I... I...” her lips trembled even more until she squeezed out. - I... insulted the princess with my s-blasphemous words... p-please forgive me...
- If you have committed a crime, you will receive punishment. Why did you decide that you deserve forgiveness?
The woman's face turned ashen.
Thalia slowly looked around at everyone gathered around the fire. The maids, like mice in front of a snake, hunched over and did not dare to raise their heads. Among them, the princess noticed one of the knights standing tensely in place, and nodded slightly in his direction.
- You. Come here.
He hesitated, but still reluctantly took a step forward.
Thalia yanked the woman's hair, forcing her to kneel in front of the knight.
“Because she dared to insult a representative of the imperial blood with her dirty tongue, she must be punished.” Come on. Draw your sword and do your duty.
The knight's shoulders tensed noticeably.
A strangled sob escaped from the woman’s mouth, as if she was suffocating. With a gloomy expression on his face, he looked down at her, and then, placing his hand on his chest, bowed deeply.
“Your Highness, now we don’t even have enough people to prepare for the funeral and care for the wounded.” If at such a moment you also execute someone, this can cause unnecessary unrest and panic. Please, calm down your anger...
-Do you want to disobey my order?
The knight pursed his lips and bowed his head even lower.
At this silent agreement, Thalia only grinned, but soon her face twisted with rage.
“If you can’t, then I’ll do it myself.”
The second princess abruptly let go of the woman's hair, as if throwing her into the mud, and rushed towards the knight. He, not expecting this, reflexively grabbed her shoulders. Thalia glared at him, full of rage.
-How dare you touch my body without permission!
As if he had been burned, he immediately pulled his hands away. This moment was enough for her - Thalia grabbed the hilt of the sword hanging on his belt.
But the knight's blade was much heavier than she had expected, and her weakened legs were hardly enough to support its weight. While trying to pull out the sword, she lost her balance and fell to the ground.
There was an eerie, dead silence.
Talia looked up, clutching her trembling leg. The knight and stone-faced maids filled her field of vision.
Old memories flashed through my head. Dozens of cold eyes looking at her, lying helplessly in her own vomit. Shame, humiliation and primal fear burned my mind.
She leaned on the ground with shaking hands and rose sharply. She wanted to stand up like a princess should - proudly and powerfully. But my legs didn’t obey me.
While she was trying to get them to move, she noticed a woman who was looking at her blankly. The same woman who had just mocked her now watched as she crawled on the ground, disgraced.
She couldn't allow this.
Fumbling along the ground, Thalia grabbed a burning log from the fire. The heat burned my fingers, but the physical pain could not compare with the trampled pride.
She hit the woman in the face with a smoldering log.
A heartbreaking scream was heard.
Not satisfied with this, Thalia raised her hand for a second blow, but a black shadow burst out of the darkness and grabbed her.
Talia twitched wildly, like an enraged animal, until a familiar smell hit her nose - and then her whole body went limp.
Longboat, easily lifting her with one hand, looked at her with an icy gaze. Talia, as if chained to him, was breathing heavily while he silently snatched the firebrand from her hand and threw it away.
As before with the knife, he again took the weapon away from her.
Rage boiled in my chest.
This man never takes my side.
He is not going to fight for me - and at the same time he does not allow me to defend myself.