“P-pleased to meet you, Your Highness. I shall serve you with all my heart from now on.”

Talia scrutinized the girl, whose appearance inspired little confidence, with narrowed eyes. At a glance, she looked like an inexperienced maid.

Did they assign a newcomer to her in order to establish dominance? She snapped coldly.

“My nanny will attend to all my needs. Go and bring her.”

“By nanny, do you mean that {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} half-dwarf woman?”

The woman who had introduced herself as Areta furrowed her brows.

“My apologies, Your Highness, but you are destined to become the mistress of the East. You ought to be attended by servants befitting your station.”

Talia caught the contempt hidden in her voice and raised the corners of her eyes.

“My nanny even attended the Empress herself. Surely you don't believe a Grand Duchess ranks above an Empress?”

The woman's face stiffened.

Talia pressed sharply.

“Did you not hear me? Bring my nanny at once.”

After stubbornly keeping her mouth shut, the woman eventually lowered her head.

“As you wish. We shall leave Your Highness's preparations to the attendant you brought with you. Once you are ready, please summon us. We will guide you around the castle.”

“I don't need a guide.”

The woman's expression visibly hardened at the blunt refusal.

Talia continued coldly without caring.

“Have you forgotten that I traveled a great distance? I intend to rest in my room for several days, so do not disturb me.”

The chief maid's lips twitched as though she wished to say something, but she soon took the young maid with her and stormed out.

The insolent attitude made anger rise inside Talia, but she had no desire to earn a reputation for tormenting servants from the very first day.

She flung herself onto the bed.

A while later, her nanny entered the room, yawning. Her hair was a mess, and there was even sleep crust around her eyes.

The undignified appearance irritated Talia. Wasn't that why people openly looked down on her?

She shouted sharply.

“Look at your face! How can you be so sloppy? Wash yourself immediately.”

“Oh, why are you in such a temper first thing in the morning again?”

Pouting her lips, the nanny poured water into the basin by the window and washed her face.

Then she roughly combed her hair with her plump hands before beginning to light the fireplace.

Meanwhile, two sturdy laborers brought in a large tub filled with water. After they placed it behind the screen and left, Talia locked the door securely and stepped into the bath.

The nanny immediately took a soft towel and soap and washed her from head to toe.

Her rough hands, as though merely dealing with a bothersome chore, left Talia's skin flushed red, but she endured it in silence. Showing her scars to strangers would have been a hundred times worse than being handled harshly.

Drying herself with a towel, she tried not to dwell on how noticeably colder the nanny had become ever since her body had been ruined.

“None of your clothes fit anymore. You've lost far too much weight.”

The nanny sighed repeatedly while dressing her in an elaborate silk gown.

At last, Talia could not hold back.

“Stop sighing. I hate hearing it.”

“I can't even breathe as I please now?”

“I said stop sighing when you look at me! You're doing it because you can't stand looking at me.”

The nanny said nothing.

Talia, who had secretly hoped to hear a denial, glared at her with wounded eyes.

The nanny had acted as her mother in Senevier's stead. She had raised her since she was an infant who could not even speak.

The thought that even the nanny found her hideous tore at her insides.

Swallowing the sorrow rising to her throat, Talia pushed her toward the door.

“That's enough. Leave.”

“Fine. I'll go, so stop pushing.”

The nanny brusquely shook off her hand and left without a trace of hesitation.

Once she was alone, the anger boiling inside her immediately turned into anxiety.

In this foreign land, the nanny was the only person she could trust and rely on. If even she turned away from her, then she would be utterly isolated.

She regretted losing her temper so suddenly. She should have endured a little longer...

“Your Highness, I have come under the Young Lord's orders. May I come in for a moment?”

As she anxiously bit her lip, an unfamiliar voice came from outside.

After hesitating briefly, Talia spoke.

“Come in.”

No sooner had she answered than a young woman with dark honey-colored skin entered.

“It is my first time meeting you, Your Highness. My name is Tiuran. The Young Lord instructed me to monitor Your Highness's health closely.”

Talia examined her warily.

She was a pretty woman with long, strong-looking limbs, taut skin that made her seem around thirty years old, and intelligent dark brown eyes.

“You're the grand ducal family's healer?”

“Yes.”

The woman answered calmly.

Talia frowned suspiciously. She looked far too young to be the healer of the most powerful house in the East.

Perhaps noticing her distrust, the woman's smile dimmed slightly.

She asked carefully,

“I heard that you suffer from chronic pain because of a severe injury to your leg. May I examine the injured area for a moment?”

Talia instinctively stepped back.

She had not the slightest intention of showing her scars to someone she had never met before.

“I already have a personal healer. Find something else to do.”

“But the Young Lord instructed—”

“I'll speak to Varkas myself, so leave.”

The woman bit her lower lip thoughtfully before speaking carefully.

“If showing your leg makes you uncomfortable, could you extend your hand for a moment?”

“My hand? Why?”

“I'll send mana through it and examine your body. After confirming Your Highness's condition, I'll prepare medicine suited to your constitution.”

Talia knitted her brows. She had never heard of such a bizarre method of examination.

“You can really do that?”

“I have trained to become my clan's healer since I was seven years old. If you grant me just one chance, I will do my utmost to help Your Highness.”

The woman seemed sincere.

After studying her face closely, Talia decided to trust her once and held out her hand.

The woman enclosed her palm with a calloused, sturdy hand.

Talia flinched in surprise at the rough texture, like tree bark, but soon felt warm energy spreading through her palm like flowing water.

Shivering at the strange sensation, she felt the mild warmth spreading down into her abdomen and abruptly pulled her hand away.

The woman stared intently at her face, wrinkles forming between her brows as though she were considering something.

“Before rehabilitating your leg, you must first recover your strength. Your body is in a greatly weakened state.”

“...And what am I supposed to do?”

“First, you need to eat well and sleep well. I'll prepare medicine that should help, so please take it every day without fail.”

Talia had hoped for some unusual treatment and looked disappointed.

“I didn't spare you my time just to hear something so obvious.”

“......”

“That's enough. You may leave. As you said, my vitality is depleted, so I need to rest.”

As she collapsed onto the bed, the woman left with the expression of someone who had no other choice.

Pulling the blanket up over her shoulders, Talia tried to make up for the sleep she had missed.

But before long, the pain that had quieted down began creeping through her bones again. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After tossing and turning for some time, she could endure it no longer and rang the bell.

Not long afterward, the young maid she had been introduced to earlier came running inside. Talia couldn't remember her name.

She haughtily jerked her chin toward the girl.

“Go and summon the healer I brought from the Imperial Palace. Immediately.”

* * *

A cold wind swept harshly across the vast plains.

Riding through the grazing lands with the reins clenched in his hand, Varkas slowly turned his head and surveyed his homeland.

The last time he had set foot on this land had been ten years ago, when he heard the news of Tesalin's death, the mother of Lucas and Raina.

Back then, the entire land had been covered in gray.

Since he had never visited Kalmor afterward, his homeland had remained forever colorless in his memories.