Chapter 69
Varkas, who had been stepping onto the footboard, slowly looked her over with narrowed eyes.
A faint crease appeared between his straight brows.
Before she could figure out the reason, he strode up into the carriage, picked up the cloak that had fallen to the floor, and draped it over her shoulders.
Then, as if it were only natural, he tried to lift her into his arms.
Thalia was startled and shoved his shoulder hard.
“I can walk on my own!”
Because the medicine had worn off, pain was rising again from her knees, but walking for a short while should not be a particular problem.
She threw off the troublesome cloak and carefully lowered her foot so that her scars would not be revealed.
Just then, a firm hand held her shoulder.
“You intend to go out dressed like that?”
His wedge-like gaze drove down into her.
Thalia hunched her shoulders and lowered her eyes to examine her clothes.
Perhaps the dress ties had come undone while she slept, for her bony shoulders and arms were fully exposed.
That was not all. The deeply cut neckline had sagged all the way down to her cleavage.
Thalia blushed and hurriedly pulled up the bodice of her dress.
Varkas silently watched her undignified state, let out a small sigh, and once again draped his coat over her shoulders.
This time, Thalia did not refuse either.
After tying the knot without a gap all the way up to her neck, he easily lifted her into his arms and came outside.
She felt like a well-wrapped doll.
No. It was not something that cute.
He was merely showing pity to a cripple who could not even walk properly.
Thalia deliberately stabbed her own heart with cruel words.
Rather than having every last piece of her heart stolen by him, she thought it would hurt less later if she pierced a hole through it with her own hands.
“Sir, what should we do about the messenger from the East?”
Just as he reached the threshold, one of the men lined up near the entrance spoke.
Thalia peeked at his face through the cloak.
The man, who had a bear-like build and sharp eyes like an eagle, was also glancing at her.
“Must I personally give instructions for even that?”
He pulled the cloak up to the top of her head and spoke coldly.
“Give him lodging somewhere suitable and assign one person to attend him. I will meet him tomorrow as soon as day breaks.”
Then, without even listening to the man’s reply, he strode into the building.
While he crossed the wide hall and climbed the stairs, Thalia tried to assemble the pieces of information she had gathered in her head.
It seemed many people were worried that this marriage would damage the relationship between the Crown Prince and House Siarkan.
While Senevier was preparing the wedding, he had probably been busy cleaning up the aftermath.
He must have had to soothe Gareth, who was trembling with a sense of betrayal, and explain to Marquis Oristein and the conservative nobles that he had not turned against them.
Despite such efforts, people seemed unable to accept the sudden change of bride.
In a way, it was only natural. Even she herself suspected that this situation might be someone’s malicious prank.
“I will call someone to attend you.”
Varkas, who had at some point entered the room, said as he set her down on a long velvet chair.
Thalia looked around the cozily decorated bedroom, then moved her gaze back to him.
Varkas was undoing the buttons of his ceremonial clothes with one hand while pulling the cord hanging beside the bed to summon a servant.
Seeing that, her insides clenched tightly.
She cried out in a shrill voice.
“I don’t need any attendants!”
Varkas looked back at her over his shoulder and narrowed his brows.
Thalia lowered her eyes to avoid that gaze.
“Call Nanny instead.”
“It is late. I will bring her here tomorrow as soon as day breaks, so endure it just for today.”
She immediately shot him a fierce glare.
“I won’t let anyone but Nanny attend me. You brought me here as you pleased, so take responsibility and bring her here!”
His blue eyes took on a cold light.
Thalia clenched her fists so tightly her bones felt like they would break.
He was a man who seemed to set aside a fixed amount of patience for her in advance each day.
She thought he might become fed up and leave just like that.
But perhaps his quota for today had not yet run out, for he walked to the door and stopped a servant.
“Send someone to the detached palace immediately and bring one quarter-dwarf here.”
“Pardon? Right now, sir?”
“Yes. Send the fastest person.”
Varkas closed the door again in the bewildered servant’s face and cast her a sharp look, as if asking whether she was satisfied.
Thalia avoided his eyes.
After letting out a long breath, Varkas picked up a gown from the shelf and handed it to her.
“Until someone comes to attend you, wear this at least.”
Thalia immediately accepted it, put it on over her dress, and demanded in a choppy voice.
“You, leave now. I want to be alone until Nanny comes.”
“This is my room as well.”
At that moment, her vision spun, and her palms became damp with cold sweat.
She gripped the tightly closed front of the gown and moistened her parched lips.
“T-Then I’ll leave. Show me to another room.”
“Your Highness.”
He placed one hand on her shoulder.
When she barely managed to raise her head, she saw blue eyes covered in deep shadow.
“You are the one who said you would go through with this marriage.”
She looked up at his expressionless face with widened eyes.
So, he was going to stay here? With her?
Fear made her stomach shrivel tightly.
She looked down at her aching knees.
She remembered Senevier’s gaze as she looked at her scars.
Her mother’s dark eyes, as if looking at something disgusting, soon changed into Varkas’s silver-blue eyes.
Before she could control it, words tangled in disorder spilled from her mouth.
“Then… then I’ll just cancel it. How can I share a room with you? I only married you to… to torment you. You married me because the Emperor ordered you to. You don’t want to be with me either. So let’s just pretend none of this ever happened and…”
“Thalia.”
He bent one knee before her, cupped both her cheeks, and brought his face close.
Thalia met his eyes as if bound.
Reflected in those beautiful eyes scattered with silver fragments was her pale face drenched in cold sweat.
A voice, as if scraped by something, flowed from his mouth.
“I won’t do anything to you.”
“……”
“It’s only for tonight. I bribed the priest in advance, but I can’t silence every servant’s mouth. At least for the first night, we must use the same bedroom.”
At his calm attitude, her heart, which had been beating unpleasantly, found its rhythm again.
Thalia bit her lip and nodded.
After confirming that she had calmed down, Varkas slowly stood up.
Thalia followed his movements with eyes still unable to erase their wariness.
After throwing off his rain-soaked top, he sat in the chair by the window wearing only a thin shirt.
His sturdy body, which was always without the slightest disorder, sagged with fatigue.
A heavy sigh stretched long through the room.
A short while later, servants brought trays filled with wine and food.
Thalia mechanically managed to force one piece of bread into her stomach.
Then, instead of sleep herb, she drank a glass of strong spirits.
As the alcohol took effect, her stiff muscles loosened and the pain weakened as well.
She poured more alcohol into the golden goblet and drank.
How many more glasses had she emptied like that? Varkas, who had been letting her do as she pleased, took the bottle away.
“Stop drinking now.”
Thalia sprang up from the chair to retrieve the wine bottle.
But her already weakened legs had melted limply under the effects of the alcohol.
She staggered like a person without bones.
Varkas caught her wavering body as if snatching it up and laid her properly on the bed.
Even while half out of her mind from drunkenness, Thalia checked the hem of her skirt first.
Varkas looked down at that with shadowed eyes, pulled the blanket over her shoulders, then walked to the window and drew back the curtain.
The sunset, deepening from scarlet to purple, overflowed over him.
As she watched his shoulders, drawn in solid lines, turn bronze-red, Thalia slowly blinked.
Even in the sunlight like flames, he only looked cold enough to make her shiver.
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