Chapter 274

Talia flinched and raised her head, only to find Tiuran looking at her with a sympathetic expression.

She continued quietly.

“If there’s something you want to do, just follow your heart and try it.”

Talia instinctively slapped her hand away. The moment she met those eyes filled with understanding, an inexplicable fear swept over her.

“That’s enough presumptuous meddling. You’re my healer, not my mother.”

At the thorny tone of her voice, the healer flinched and withdrew her hand. As though turning away from the sight, Talia buried her face in Khan’s ruff and said coldly,

“You may leave now.”

The woman stood motionless for a while before straightening the rumpled covers and slowly stepping back.

“Just in case, I’ll remain in the next room. If your condition worsens again, please ring the bell immediately.”

Talia gave no reply.

A moment later, the sound of the door closing echoed through the room. Listening to the footsteps receding into the distance, she slowly sat up and looked around.

The fireplace, freshly stocked with firewood, cast a bright glow.

She stared blankly at the flames for a while, then shifted her gaze to the neatly arranged desk, the medicinal tea on the shelf, and the scented candle giving off a faint lavender fragrance.

For some reason, the traces of thoughtful care scattered throughout the room made her increasingly uncomfortable. Talia worried at her lower lip before pulling the covers all the way over her head.

She couldn’t understand why she felt so anxious. Why did the fact that she had grown too close to someone feel so unpleasant?

She didn’t know how long she had remained curled tightly beneath the covers. Then she felt Khan, lying pressed close beside her, lightly thump her legs with his tail and cautiously raised her head. A pair of blue eyes filled her vision, watching her with apparent concern.

Talia gazed silently into those eyes, which looked so much like Varkas’s, then carefully reached out and stroked the wolf’s face.

“Don’t worry, Khan. I’m fine.”

Khan stuck out his tongue and licked her palm before rubbing his head against the nape of her neck. At that affectionate gesture, the hard knot coiled inside her stomach slowly melted away.

Talia abruptly wrapped her arms around the wolf’s thick ruff. At that moment, something that had weighed on her heart for a very long time rose up her throat and spilled out.

“I once saw a dog that had been abused.”

At those sudden words, Khan raised his head. Even though she knew there was no way this wolf could understand everything she said, Talia began rambling as though pouring out her troubles.

“There was a dog in the rear garden of the detached palace that had lost one of its front legs. It belonged to the communal kitchen and was kept there to dispose of food scraps, but drunken soldiers used to beat it all the time. So it was always covered in wounds. As it grew more pitiful-looking with each passing day, everyone came to hate it.”

Perhaps sensing how gloomy her voice had become, Khan let out a low rumble and licked her face. Talia gave a small, breathy laugh and stroked Khan’s ear as she slowly continued.

“One day, I approached the dog while it was curled up in a corner of the yard and carefully stroked its back. The moment my hand touched it, the dog began screaming desperately. As though I’d stabbed it with a knife.......”

She felt the wolf’s body stiffen slightly.

Talia breathed deeply, taking in the faint scent of grass clinging to his gray fur and the warmth of his body.

“That dog trembled and howled until its throat nearly gave out. I couldn’t bring myself to touch it again, so I just stood there and watched.”

The wolf’s breath brushed the nape of her neck. Still caressing Khan’s face, Talia whispered in a voice barely loud enough to hear.

“...You know. When you’ve been hurt too deeply, even being loved starts to feel painful. Even the gentlest touch feels as though it’s hurting you, until you can’t bear it anymore.”

Khan, who had been holding himself perfectly still, burrowed even deeper into her arms. The gesture made it seem as though he had understood every word she said, and her eyes grew hot.

Talia wrapped her arms tightly around his fluffy back and murmured in a subdued voice.

“I’m fine when I’m with you. Because you don’t hurt me at all.”

A deep sadness appeared in the wolf’s eyes. Talia stared into them for a moment before pulling Khan even more tightly against herself.

“So stay by my side forever. You must never leave me.”

* * *

The next morning, Tiuran entered the room with her usual gentle expression, as though nothing had happened the previous day, and set out Talia’s breakfast.

Secretly breathing a sigh of relief at the sight, Talia polished off every last bite before cautiously speaking, as though gauging Tiuran’s reaction.

“I gave it some thought yesterday.......”

Tiuran, who had been pouring medicinal tea into her cup, stopped and looked at her.

Talia cleared her throat softly and continued hesitantly.

“There are more servants than necessary at Laedgo Castle right now. What do you think about putting that manpower to use and starting a textile business?”

Even the maids busily clearing away the dishes and folding the bedding paused and turned to look at her.

Talia continued with deliberate composure.

“I’ve spent the past few weeks diligently looking around various businesses in Kalmor, and I heard that merchants from the southern regions purchase more than half of the wool produced in the territory. Instead of selling our wool to merchants from other regions for practically nothing, if we process it into woolen cloth ourselves and put it on the market, we could make dozens of times more profit.”

An odd silence followed, prompting Talia to press for an answer with some impatience.

“What do you think?”

“I believe it would be best to discuss something like this with Areta. She oversees the overall management of the castle.”

No sooner had Tiuran answered than Brisa stepped forward, her eyes sparkling.

“I’ll bring the chief maid here at once.”

Talia frowned without realizing it. She was reluctant to discuss a business she had conceived on impulse with that exceedingly strict and taciturn woman. But backing down now would be far too embarrassing.

Talia poked at a piece of well-roasted lamb with her fork for a moment before finally nodding.

“Fine. Bring her to my room right now.”

A short while later, the chief maid entered the room, led there by Brisa.

Talia carefully studied her expression. Faint lines had formed between the chief maid’s brows, as though she was displeased at being summoned during the busiest part of the day. Even so, the way she bent at the waist in a respectful greeting was perfectly composed.

“I heard that you summoned me.”

“I called you because I have a few instructions for you.”

Talia lightly moistened her lips with the medicinal tea Tiuran handed her, then arrogantly raised her chin as she spoke. She had calculated that a unilateral declaration would work better than asking for the woman’s opinion.

“I want to gather the maids who know how to use a loom and set up a workshop. Find as many as you can.”

The chief maid’s eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

“By a workshop, you mean.......”

“I’m thinking of producing woolen cloth directly at the castle.”

Talia deliberately replied in an indifferent tone.

“Now that so many of the knights have left on campaign, the amount of attending they need has been cut in half. Rather than letting the servants sit around doing nothing, we might as well have them contribute to the castle’s income.”

“You are quite right, but there are very few skilled enough to produce cloth of a quality that could actually be sold at market.”

The chief maid thoughtfully stroked her angular chin before answering cautiously.

“Including myself, there are only three or four. With that little manpower, I doubt we could significantly increase the castle’s income.”

“I’m not saying we have to make it a large-scale operation right away.”

Talia countered, sounding somewhat impatient.

“We can start small with only the skilled workers and have the other maids learn by working beside them. Then we can gradually increase the number of people involved.”

Deep lines appeared around the chief maid’s eyes. She seemed to be seriously considering the proposal. Talia added, as though generously bestowing a favor,

“I also intend to give every maid who participates in this work a separate payment consisting of a portion of the profits from the cloth she produces.”