Chapter 109
The healer, who had been looking down at her silently, carefully opened her mouth.
“His Grace stayed by Your Highness’s side the entire time, but when he heard that raiders had appeared outside the castle walls, he hurriedly left.” At the unexpected words, Thalia stiffened.
She had no time to feel ashamed that her feelings had been seen through. Thalia abruptly pushed herself up and grabbed the hem of the healer’s robe. The sudden movement sent severe pain through the pit of her stomach, but at that moment, she did not care in the slightest.
“R-raiders? When exactly?”
“About four hours ago.”
The healer replied calmly.
Thalia urged her anxiously.
“How many appeared? Is it very dangerous? How many troops are there...”
As Thalia poured out questions like rapid fire, she suddenly felt her vision turn white and bit her lip.
Before she could even realize it, her body tilted forward. If a tanned, firm hand had not caught her shoulder, she would have fallen straight out of the bed.
She looked at the healer with cold sweat on her face. The woman firmly laid her back down on the bed.
“I will cast recovery magic on you, so please rest for now.”
“Varkas is......”
“His Grace will be fine. The raiders number only a few dozen at most, and His Grace has the strongest mounted warriors of the East with him.” At the healer’s calm reply, her reason finally returned.
Thalia steadied her rough breathing and looked at the glass window glowing white.
If he had left two hours ago, he might have finished suppressing them by now.
Yes. Even during the large-scale subjugation before, had he not returned within half a day as if nothing had happened? There was no need to feel anxious for no reason.
As she repeated that inwardly and tried to calm her anxiety, a thin, calloused hand settled over the back of her hand. Soon, a lukewarm heat flowed into her body.
“I have also cast healing magic on you, but magic does not work well on wounds inside the body. Please refrain from strenuous movement for a while.” Instead of answering, Thalia slowly closed her eyes. After quietly watching over her condition for a moment, the healer left the room.
A while later, Nanny returned to the room carrying a tray of food.
Unable to withstand her fussing, Thalia barely managed to swallow a few spoonfuls of vegetable porridge. As the food entered her, her insides stung as if she had swallowed needles. Thalia tossed and turned in bed for a long while and was only able to fall asleep around sunset.
When she regained consciousness again, deep darkness had begun to settle all around.
Waking from a burning thirst, Thalia discovered a large shadow cast in front of the fireplace and shrank her shoulders.
At some point, Varkas had returned and was standing by the window in only a thin shirt.
Fortunately, he did not seem to be injured anywhere.
Thalia let out a long sigh of relief, then suddenly stopped breathing.
Eyes as silent as a frozen lake were staring at her.
She had no way of knowing why her heart had dropped when he appeared no different from usual at first glance.
The man, who had stood without moving for a long while, approached with slow steps. Thalia swallowed dryly without realizing it.
The man, who had been looking at her with an eerily still gaze, turned toward the shelf. Then he picked up a pitcher from the tray and poured her a glass of water.
“How is your body?”
“I’m fine.”
Thalia, awkwardly accepting the cup, replied in a tone that tried to sound calm.
Originally, she had meant to scold him to her heart’s content. See, what did I tell you? I said I didn’t want to take that medicine. This happened because you forced me to take it. The words she had intended to pour out scattered inside her mouth.
Thalia glanced at him, who seemed more sunken than usual, and cautiously added,
“It’s nothing serious. They said my stomach is just a little damaged.”
For an instant, something like a flash crossed Varkas’s face. He sent her a fierce look and snapped sharply.
“It is not a little damaged. It was serious enough for you to vomit blood.” At his sharp reaction, Thalia looked bewildered. Varkas grabbed her shoulders and continued pressing her.
“If I had found you even a little later, your airway might have been blocked and you could have suffocated. Why did you not tell me earlier that you were unwell?”
“That’s because...... I’m usually in pain anyway, so I didn’t know it was that serious.” At the words she spoke like an excuse, Varkas’s facial muscles stiffened even more.
Varkas, who had clenched his jaw as if enduring something, walked to the window and inhaled the cold air. When his voice flowed out after a long while, it had settled much more calmly.
“For the time being, we have decided to stay in this castle while you recuperate.”
“What about the inspection schedule?”
“We have already visited all the major cities.” He replied bluntly, rubbing his temple with his index finger.
“Your Highness should focus only on recovering your body.”
Thalia nodded with a reluctant face.
His overbearing tone annoyed her, but she did not want to argue with him when he looked tired. She muttered in a somewhat subdued tone,
“I said I understand, so stop being angry. It’s already hard enough as it is.”
Varkas parted his lips as if about to say something, then closed his jaw again.
The wavering firelight greedily licked over his fatigue-soaked face. He stroked the back of his neck with one hand and sat on the edge of the bed.
“Do not just hold it. Drink it quickly. You lost a great deal of blood. Even if your stomach feels uncomfortable, you must keep taking in fluids.” At his noticeably softer tone, Thalia relaxed and emptied the glass of water.
The sudden stimulation made her stomach clench tightly, causing a sharp pain, but she did not show it and buried herself beneath the blanket.
Then she felt warmth behind her back. Thalia stiffened.
Varkas, who had lain down behind her, naturally pulled her closer. Then, with one hand, he gently rubbed the tight knot at the pit of her stomach.
At the tender touch, her eyes grew hot. Was this an action born of pity? Thalia, who had begun digging for hidden meaning in his actions out of habit, soon stopped thinking.
She no longer wanted to torment herself with self-harming thoughts. She simply wanted to accept this warmth as it was.
Blinking in the darkness, Thalia turned her body and burrowed into his arms.
Varkas wrapped an arm around her back. Beyond the thin shirt, she heard the dull sound of his heart.
Listening to the strong heartbeat ringing out steadily, Thalia carefully wrapped her arms around his waist.
***
The castle, which had been quiet as death, was noisy.
Lucas, stepping into the hall, looked around the kitchen crowded with peddlers and frowned. Among the merchants who had brought in all sorts of ingredients, there was a familiar face.
He strode into the crowded space.
“What are you doing in a place like this?”
“Ah, Young Master Lucas.”
Daren, who had been negotiating something with the merchants, waved at him with a cheerful expression.
“Have you finished everything His Grace entrusted to you?”
“I finished it all.”
Lucas replied sharply.
“I didn’t miss morning training, and after taking care of the horses, I polished every bit of my brother’s armor and weapons until they shone.”
“Well done.”
Daren stroked his head as if he found him admirable.
Lucas roughly swatted the hand away and asked in a sulky tone,
“So, what exactly is this mess?”
“We separately procured ingredients to serve the Grand Duchess. It seems there are not many foods from the East that she can eat. We had no choice but to buy several ingredients separately from merchants of the central region.”
Lucas frowned as he looked around at the sacks filling the dining hall.
How much could that tiny woman possibly eat for them to have bought this amount?
Surely they were not planning to spend an entire season here?
He looked up at Daren with serious eyes.
“Is her condition that serious?”
“According to the healer, her stomach seems to have been completely ruined.”
Daren said with a troubled face.
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!