The Forgotten Field

At the damp sensation brushing against her face, she barely managed to pry open her eyelids, stiff as though they had been glued shut.

The very first thing that entered her hazy vision was a pair of pale blue-gray eyes.

She stared blankly at the jewel-like blue eyes shining from a tiny face covered in soft gray down, when a little pink tongue touched the corner of her eye once more.

Only then did she realize that her face was soaked in cold sweat.

The painkillers had apparently worn off during the night, leaving her feverish and aching until dawn.

She gently gathered the little bundle of gray fur that kept licking her face into her arms and slowly pushed herself upright.

Early morning sunlight slanted through the window.

Squinting against the brightness, she rubbed her throbbing forehead before pulling the cord hanging beside the bed. Yvonne immediately opened the door and stepped inside.

"Did you sleep well last night, Your Grace?"

"Prepare something Khan can eat."

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Talia gave the order in an indifferent tone.

The maid's troubled gaze settled on the young wolf cradled in her arms.

"Shall I prepare goat's milk like last time?"

"Do I really have to tell you every little—"

Talia stopped herself midway through the rebuke.

Her thoughtful gaze drifted down to the gray wolf looking quietly up at her.

Only about two weeks had passed, yet the wolf had already doubled in size.

Considering that he had barely been able to walk when she first took him in, his growth was astonishing.

Perhaps it's because he isn't an ordinary beast.

She studied the young creature resting calmly in her arms before gently opening his long muzzle.

Tiny teeth had begun breaking through his gums.

"I think it's time he started eating meat. Mince some lamb for him. Warm some milk as well."

"Yes, Your Grace. I'll bring it immediately."

After the maid left, Talia set the wolf down on the floor and climbed out of bed.

She walked behind the folding screen to wash herself, and the wolf promptly trotted after her.

Looking down at him, Talia smiled softly.

Khan truly was a strange magical beast.

For nearly a week, he had slept like the dead, worrying her endlessly. Yet whenever he was awake, he refused to leave her side even for a moment. Sometimes he fought off overwhelming drowsiness just to keep his eyes on her.

He's probably afraid I'll abandon him.

Her gaze softened with pity.

Bending down, she gently stroked the fluffy head covered in soft gray fur.

"I'm not going to leave you anywhere, so don't worry. Let's eat first, then we'll take a walk in °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° the garden together."

As though he understood every word, the wolf's pointed triangular ears perked up.

She scratched behind his ears as he obediently sat on the floor before walking behind the screen, removing her nightclothes, and washing herself.

By the time she had changed into fresh clothes, Brisa and Yvonne entered the bedroom carrying trays of food.

"Good morning, Your Grace. We've brought Khan's meal and your breakfast."

Brisa cheerfully announced as she began arranging the dishes on the table.

Meanwhile, Yvonne carefully placed the finely minced lamb into Khan's bowl.

Despite undoubtedly being hungry, Khan ignored his own food completely, staring only at Talia.

His blue eyes never once left her.

Talia crouched beside him and gently pushed the bowl closer.

"Go on, eat. You need to eat a lot if you're going to grow big."

Only after remaining motionless for quite some time did the wolf finally lower his head toward the bowl.

She watched him with curious eyes.

Unlike what one would expect from a magical beast cub, Khan ate quietly and with remarkable composure. Without the slightest hurry, he emptied the bowl with refined, almost dignified manners.

Apparently she wasn't the only one surprised by the sight, because a small exclamation escaped one of the maids.

"He eats so politely."

"Doesn't he?"

Pleased by the compliment directed at Khan, Talia smiled faintly.

"I think Khan is rather special. He's still so young, yet he's already so well-behaved. He doesn't bark noisily or make a mess of the room, either."

"That's true. He must be exceptionally intelligent."

Brisa eagerly agreed.

The maids, who had initially viewed the idea of raising a magical beast with concern, had ultimately been won over by Khan's intelligence and lovable nature.

Before long, they had begun enthusiastically helping care for him.

Sometimes they would watch Khan nestled in Talia's arms with warm smiles.

But not everyone accepted her eccentricity so generously.

Remembering the way Raina had exploded in outrage the moment she saw Khan, Talia's expression darkened instantly.

Her sister-in-law's biting words still seemed to echo in her ears.

"You truly are incredible. After driving your own husband out of the castle with one outrageous stunt after another, this is what you choose to do? Spend your days cuddling a magical beast!"

A sharp pain twisted through Talia's chest, and she bit her lower lip.

It wasn't only her young sister-in-law who disapproved of her actions.

Though they rarely showed it openly, most of the retainers living in Laedgo Castle harbored resentment toward her.

It was understandable.

An illegitimate Imperial Princess had become the Grand Duchess instead of the legitimate First Imperial Princess.

That alone was enough to offend them.

Then she had failed to produce a proper heir.

Worse still, she had blamed the responsibility on the Grand Duke, committed one outrageous act after another, and eventually driven him to leave on campaign.

As if that weren't enough, she had thrown the entire castle into turmoil by insisting on raising a magical beast.

To the people of the East, she was likely nothing less than the world's worst wife.

Even so...

Meeting the blue eyes now looking back at her after finishing their meal, Talia smiled gently.

There was something in that gaze—as though he were looking upon the most precious thing in all the world—that filled her heart with joy.

Within the wolf's eyes shone that beautiful light which had cursed the eight-year-old version of herself with something she could never escape.

Counting the pale silver flecks glimmering across those blue irises, Talia could no longer contain the emotions swelling inside her.

She suddenly wrapped the wolf tightly in her arms.

Perhaps everyone whispering behind her back was right.

Perhaps she truly had gone mad.

She knew perfectly well that a dead child could not return to life as a wolf.

She understood how impossible such a thing was.

But her heart insisted otherwise.

Pressing a kiss against Khan's face, Talia whispered silently,

Khan is my child.

Anyone who looked carefully into this child's eyes would understand.

This tiny life she had pulled from the muddy water loved her more than anything else in the world...

* * *

As she slowly stepped through the castle's rear gate, the brilliant light of late spring flooded into his eyes.

For a brief instant, his vision turned completely white.

Blinking slowly, he took in the garden spreading before him through eyes far broader than any human's.

Everything appeared faintly blurred, as though wrapped in a thin veil of mist, yet his vastly expanded field of vision allowed him to see everything around him without even turning his head.

He noticed the servants whispering behind her back.

Before he realized it, he had bared his teeth.

A beastlike growl rumbled from his twisted muzzle before he could stop himself.

"What's wrong, Khan?"

Talia, who had been walking carefully along the garden path, asked in a worried voice.

The killing intent wrapping around his body vanished in an instant.

He quickly lifted his head.

Her delicate face, luminous as a pearl, her radiant golden hair, and those deep sapphire-blue eyes immediately filled his vision.

Why was it that even through the eyes of a beast, she alone appeared so vividly clear?

Nothing about this made sense.

"Are you scared because it's your first time outside in a while?"

He stared at her without blinking as her voice, gentle as a dream, tickled his ears.

He had known her for many years.

Yet he had never realized she was capable of speaking in such a soft, tender voice.

She gently stroked the back of his neck as though trying to comfort him before stopping in front of a flower bed.

"Do you see these flowers?"

She set him down on the ground and pointed toward a lush cluster of blossoms.

"Your father gave these to me before he left the castle. He said they're supposed to calm the mind and body."

He quietly gazed at her profile, shadowed with sorrow.

An indescribable flood of emotions welled up from the depths of his heart.

It felt as though he were dreaming a dream that was unbearably sad, cruel... and beautiful.

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