Chapter 121
That night, what greeted him when he returned to the bedroom was a bed with vivid bloodstains left on it.
The moment he saw them under the bright light, his solar plexus tightened, and a chill seeped all the way into his bones.
He wanted to go to her again and check her wounds, but the face with which she had pleaded to be left alone came to mind, and he could not bring himself to move.
He did not know how long he stood there, unable to do anything, looking down at the cold bed.
Then, suddenly, he was seized by the urge to break something.
Everything grated on his nerves.
That woman who swayed him however she pleased, himself for being swept along by her, and his body, still caught in uncontrollable heat and refusing to calm down.
Varkas gritted his teeth.
She always drove him into corners with reckless and thoughtless actions.
That night had merely been an extension of that.
He repeated that to himself, but his nerves, sharpened to a point, would not easily return to normal.
“What will you do about the remaining schedule?”
Just as they were nearing the castle gate, Daren, who had been silently following him, suddenly asked.
Awakening from his thoughts, Varkas looked up at the sun sinking over the castle tower and frowned.
Originally, by now, he should have been attending the meeting hosted by the noble alliance.
However, the main agenda must already have ended.
Even if he showed his face late, it would only be a waste of time in pointless power struggles.
After quickly reaching a conclusion, Varkas immediately changed direction.
“We will return for today.”
Then he lightly mounted the saddle and spurred his horse on.
By the time he arrived at the castle, the sky was already beginning to stain faintly purple.
Lifting his head, Varkas saw pale clouds gathering from the east and narrowed his brow.
Perhaps it would rain again.
If that happened, the tracks left by the wolves would be washed clean away, and the subjugation would become difficult.
“Nothing has been going smoothly lately.”
With a bitter chuckle, Varkas lightly jumped down from Tork’s back and climbed the stairs.
When he entered the main castle, the servants waiting near the door removed the breastplate and cloak wrapped around his body.
He dismissed the cumbersome hands with a light gesture and immediately crossed the spacious hall.
At that moment, he saw a quarter-dwarf coming down the stairs while holding a bundle of clothes.
Varkas strode up to the woman, who froze as soon as she saw him, and asked without preamble.
“How was Her Highness today?”
The woman flinched her shoulders, then soon began rambling.
“During the day, she ate a little fruit and honey wine, and in the evening, she had a few spoonfuls of oat porridge with herbs. She also drank a beverage made by fermenting goat’s milk as a snack. Still, perhaps her stomach has become much better than before, because her meal intake seems to have increased a little. It is all thanks to Your Grace looking after her.”
Varkas silently listened to the long-winded words, then asked in a cautious tone.
“How did her mood seem?”
“Her mood…”
A troubled look rose over the woman’s face.
Varkas twisted his lips when he saw the clothes in the woman’s arms.
Colorful, splendid fabrics had been torn to shreds and rolled up.
Apparently, his wife, whose feelings had been twisted by something, had taken out her anger on objects.
“It seems there is no need to hear the answer.”
“N-no, Young lady has merely become a little sensitive. Still, today she changed her mind and…”
The woman, who had been hurriedly defending her mistress, abruptly closed her mouth and awkwardly lowered her gaze.
Varkas waited for her to continue, but when he realized she had no intention of properly finishing her words, he let out a faint sigh and resumed walking.
When he reached the door of the room located on the second floor, he saw the sunset light flowing through the tall window and stretching long across the marble floor.
He turned his eyes to the stairs leading to the third floor.
For a moment, the thought crossed his mind that he should visit her himself and check her condition, but he gave up, certain that he would be turned away at the door.
Since that day, she had been locking her door and stubbornly refusing him.
Rubbing his stiff neck, Varkas turned his head back toward his own bedroom.
Then, suddenly, he felt an intense fragrance brush the tip of his nose and stiffened.
A strange thrill climbed up his spine.
Before he was even conscious of it, he was gripping the doorknob and yanking it open roughly.
“You returned earlier than I thought.”
At the same time as he stepped into the bedroom, a cool, beautiful voice rang out.
He turned his gaze to the bed.
A woman wearing a thin, deep blue dress sat on the white sheets, the long hem of her skirt spread out around her.
She moved the book placed on her lap aside and continued calmly.
“I heard you had been busy with official duties lately, so I thought you would only return around midnight.”
“…Is that why you are here?”
He spoke almost instinctively as he closed the door behind him.
“Because you thought I would not be here?”
“If I wanted to avoid running into you, why would I have been guarding an empty room? What I meant was… I thought I would have to wait a long time until you came.”
She spoke while chewing on her red-painted lips.
He noticed that she was only pretending to be calm and was actually extremely tense, then crossed his arms over his chest.
As the rich fragrance filling the room seeped into his lungs, his already sharpened nerves grew even more edged.
He gathered his scattered mind and glared at her warily.
“You waited for me?”
“I said I did.”
She snapped nervously and wet her dry lips.
His gaze rested there briefly before he turned his eyes toward the window.
He felt his lower abdomen tighten hard and his body temperature gradually rise.
Feeling irritated at himself for becoming restless like a stallion that had caught the scent of a mare, he asked sharply.
“Why?”
A voice of accusation slipped out unintentionally.
He strode toward the bed and looked down at her imposingly.
“You have been openly avoiding me for the past few days.”
“That was… because I just needed time.”
Anxiety crossed her deep blue eyes.
As a faint flush rose over her pale cheeks and white neck, her scent grew even thicker.
He clenched his sweaty fingers tightly and questioned her sharply.
“What time?”
She clutched the hem of her skirt with an anxious gesture.
“Time to recover…”
The voice that slipped out as if squeezed from her instantly softened his aggression.
Varkas bent down in front of her with a serious face.
“That night, there were bloodstains left on the blanket. Was the wound severe?”
“No, it’s fine. I heard it was just a natural thing.”
He had only just felt relieved by her answer when the words that followed made his body stiffen again.
“The wound has healed completely now, and I can sleep with you without any problem.”
For a moment, he looked down at her face, at a loss for words.
She continued dryly.
“To make a child, we need to have relations regularly. Nanny said… it is best to do it as often as possible.”
Varkas, who had been staring blankly, let out a dry laugh the next moment.
Apparently, this woman intended to treat him thoroughly as a breeding stallion.
He picked up the robe beside the bed and threw it over her body.
“I am sorry, but I do not find that very appealing. Please leave my room now.”
“I told you that you have no right to refuse.”
She straightened her back and sent him a sharp look.
“This is a duty. It is something you must do, even if you dislike it.”
His eyes distorted.
In his head, he knew her words were correct.
Leaving behind an heir was clearly his responsibility.
The reason he had not demanded intimacy despite knowing that was because he knew very well that she found a man’s touch horrifying.
As long as Lucas existed as an alternative, there was no reason to place an unnecessary burden on her body.
But if she was the one demanding it, the story changed.
Had he not, in his heart, expected that one day this woman might become able to accept him?
If she reached out to him first, there was no reason to refuse.
Then why did he feel this revulsion?
“You’ll do as I say, won’t you?”
Thalia pressed him in an arrogant tone like a queen.
But fear she could not quite hide flickered in her eyes.
Somewhat impulsively, he spoke.
“If that is what you wish.”
Shame and relief crossed her face.
Varkas stared down at it, then added in a firm tone.
“However, this time, we will do it my way.”
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