Chapter 133
“Anything?”
At the cautious voice, something inside him was stirred for an instant.
Back when he had served as a guard knight, this woman had ordered him around with the tip of her chin.
Had he not felt something called fatigue for the first time in his life while putting up with all kinds of absurd demands, tantrums, and spiteful acts whose purpose he could not understand?
He did not like that a woman who had always made unreasonable demands with shameless confidence was hesitating over something as trivial as food.
He wrapped his hand around hers, curled up like a snail shell, and spoke firmly.
“Tell me anything you want. I will obtain it by any means necessary.”
“Then… I want apricots too. Not dried ones, but fresh ones. And bring me candied violets and citron too. I don’t like them soggy. I like them crunchy.”
She chattered as if she had been waiting for that.
At the sight of her begging for snacks with her eyes shining like a child, his stomach tickled as if he had swallowed a handful of feathers.
She was someone who had frowned as though filth had been placed before her even when all sorts of delicacies were laid out.
How many times had he suppressed the impulse to pry open her stubbornly closed mouth and push food in?
Suddenly, he realized that he had wanted to see her eat her fill for a very long time.
At the time, he had thought he was merely irritated by her spoiled complaints over food, but in truth, he had simply been anxious.
“And what else?”
When he gently urged her while touching her cheeks, warm from fever, the blush coloring her face deepened.
The woman, whose moist eyes moved here and there as she hesitated, awkwardly opened her mouth.
“You know, that drink we had during the tour of the East. The one made by fermenting goat’s milk… I want that too.”
Compared to the things she had mentioned earlier, it was an utterly trivial request.
For a moment, he wore a displeased expression at how she was having such difficulty asking for a simple food that even commoners enjoyed, but then he remembered that he had personally fed her that drink and swallowed dryly.
When he recalled the sensation of that small tongue wrapping around him stickily like honey, his lower abdomen hardened like stone.
He inhaled deeply and slowly rose.
If he kept lingering, he felt he might force her to do something she did not want.
“If it is that drink, it can be prepared immediately. I will tell a maid, so drink as much as you like.”
“You bring it to me yourself.”
The hand that had been defensively curled up suddenly clung to his clothes.
Varkas, who had been about to turn away, stopped and looked down at her.
Her voice grew so small it was difficult to hear.
“Not now. Later, in the evening.”
For an instant, a sensation like dizziness rushed over him.
He slowly closed and opened his eyes.
Fortunately, a calm answer flowed out.
“Understood. I will bring it myself.”
The woman, who had been looking up at him clearly, slowly nodded and let go of the clothes she had been gripping.
“Good. Then go now.”
Then she made an arrogant gesture with her head.
Unable to resist the impulse sweeping through his body, Varkas finally caught the nape of her neck.
Her eyes, widened in surprise, melted loose in an instant.
Looking into her sticky pupils, like a bottomless swamp, he pushed his tongue deep into her mouth.
Her hot mucous membranes clung to him.
At the stimulation that he could not tire of no matter how many times he repeated it, it felt as though his insides were melting into mush.
He grasped her small chin and repeatedly thrust his tongue deeply in and out as if performing the act of penetration.
Only after repeating that act until his mind nearly went blank, and after his body grew unbearably hot, did he barely lift his head.
The two eyes he met in the bright light were like a pure mineral without any impurities mixed in.
As he sank into those strangely deep-blue irises, the woman, breathing hard, pushed against his shoulder.
“Go now. You said you were going to the military affairs office in an hour.”
He turned his gaze toward the window.
It did not seem that much time had passed, but if he lingered any longer, he felt he might never be able to leave.
Swallowing a sigh, Varkas reluctantly rose.
“Then rest.”
“…See you later.”
She leaned her face against her knees and murmured in a hoarse voice.
He painfully turned away with feet that would not move easily.
Before entering the conference room, he first stopped by the kitchen and instructed them to prepare the food she had said she wanted to eat.
Fresh fruit would have to be requested from southern merchants, but preserved foods such as candied violets or citron should not be difficult to obtain.
He also counted in his mind other foods she might like.
If possible, he wanted to feed her nutritious food such as meat or vegetables, but for now, it was satisfying enough that she had become interested in food.
After instructing the butler to summon a trader as quickly as possible, he left the main castle at a brisk pace.
When he entered the building used by the mounted warriors, a practical space without even a common display cabinet spread out before him.
These days, most of the mounted warriors were stationed on the outskirts of the territory to subjugate magical beasts and raiders, so the inside of the building was quiet and empty.
He passed through the hall where various weapons were displayed and climbed the stairs.
Inside the conference room, three well-built warriors were waiting.
After offering them formal greetings, Varkas went straight to the main point.
After all, the only countermeasures they could take immediately were to strengthen the defenses along the northern border and secretly stockpile weapons and military provisions.
He wrote orders in cipher and gave the knights several precautions.
They were mainly instructions about keeping their mouths shut.
“Would it not be better for us to summon additional troops as well?”
A young knight, who had been silently listening to his instructions, carefully offered an opinion.
Varkas stroked his chin for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“It would be best to prepare within a range that does not attract attention. Secretly send messengers to the lords in each region and tell them to reorganize their forces.”
Suddenly, a premonition that this might not be enough stabbed the back of his head.
“And gather useful scouts. It would be best to thoroughly investigate the Balto borderlands.”
“…Do you truly believe Balto will wage a war of independence?”
“Those people will bare their teeth whenever they have the chance.”
Varkas added while examining the map spread out on the table.
“The best course would be to prevent war from breaking out beforehand, but there is nothing wrong with preparing for the worst.”
He picked up a pen, quickly marked the investigation areas, then moved on to the next agenda.
To determine how far House Heimdal’s influence had spread, he too had to mobilize the family’s intelligence network in full.
After that, he would have to cautiously remove their hands and feet one by one.
Since one could not burn down the entire house just because rats were swarming, there was no choice but to go through the trouble of laying poison and traps to gradually dry them out.
“It would be best to buy off the guildmaster of the White Silver Alliance in advance. Arrange a meeting soon.”
“It will not be easy. The current guildmaster is known to come from a noble family of Balto.”
“Even so, he is a merchant. If he holds the position of representative of a merchant association with powerful influence over the entire northeast, then he must have the nature of a trader down to his bones.”
Varkas leaned back against the chair and spoke conclusively.
“If he is foolish enough to reject my proposal, then we can simply replace the guildmaster with an easterner. I saw a few suitable people during the tour of the East, so contact them at the same time.”
Surprise appeared and disappeared on the faces of the staff officers at his blunt statement.
The man who had raised the question nodded with a solemn face.
“I understand what you mean.”
After giving several additional instructions, Varkas rose from his seat.
It was too early to judge rashly, but House Heimdal probably did not intend to start a war immediately.
They, too, were likely to try to secure enough time to prepare.
The general direction would likely be decided this winter.
He pressed down on his burning eyelids and left the conference room.
By the time he finished handling several official duties and returned to the main castle, the sun had already tilted beyond the castle walls.
As always, it had been a day without even a moment to catch his breath, but today had felt especially unbearably long.
Varkas strode into the great hall and headed straight to the kitchen.
He came out carrying the drink prepared in advance and a few snacks to feed her, when a familiar voice came from behind him.
“Your Grace.”
Varkas turned his head and narrowed his eyes at the neat face, which showed clear signs of tension.
The family healer was looking up at him with worried eyes.
“There is something urgent I must tell you.”
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