Ch#121
121화
That night, what greeted him upon his return to the bedroom was a bed bearing distinct bloodstains.
The moment he saw them under the bright light, his chest tightened and a chill seeped into his very bones.
He wanted to go to her again and check her wounds, but the memory of her face as she pleaded to be left alone kept his feet from moving.
He stood there for a long time, paralyzed, staring down at the cold bed. Suddenly, he was seized by an impulse to break something.
Everything was grating on him. The woman who swayed him at her whim, himself for being swept up by her, and his own body, which refused to calm down while gripped by an uncontrollable heat.
Varkas ground his teeth. She always pushed him to the brink with her reckless and thoughtless actions. That night had been no different. He repeated this to himself, but his frayed nerves showed no sign of returning to normal.
“What would you like to do about the rest of the schedule?”
Just as they reached the castle gates, Daren, who had been following silently, suddenly spoke up.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Varkas frowned as he looked up at the sun dipping behind the castle towers.
Normally, he should have been attending a meeting hosted by the Aristocratic Alliance right about now. However, the main agenda would have already concluded. Showing his face this late would be nothing more than a waste of time in a futile power struggle.
Reaching a quick conclusion, Varkas turned around immediately.
“We’ll call it a day.”
With that, he swung into the saddle and spurred his horse.
By the time he reached the castle, the sky was already beginning to be stained a faint purple.
Varkas looked up and narrowed his eyes at the light clouds gathering from the east. He thought it might rain again. If it did, the tracks left by the wolves would be washed away, and the subjugation would face difficulties.
‘Nothing seems to be going right lately.’
With a bitter smirk, Varkas leaped lightly from Torque’s back and climbed the stairs.
As he entered the main castle, servants waiting near the door stripped him of the cuirass and cloak that draped his body.
He dismissed their cumbersome touch with a light gesture and strode straight across the wide hall. It was then that his eyes caught sight of the Quarter Dwarf descending the stairs, clutching a bundle of clothes in her arms. Varkas stepped up to the woman, who had frozen at the sight of him, and asked point-blank.
“How was Her Highness today?”
The woman, her shoulders twitching, began to chatter away.
“During the day, she had some fruit and honey wine, and for dinner, she took a few spoonfuls of oat porridge with herbs. She also had a drink made from fermented goat’s milk as a snack. Her stomach seems much better than before, and her appetite has grown a bit. It’s all thanks to your care, Grand Duke.”
Varkas listened silently to the rambling explanation before asking in a cautious tone.
“How did her mood seem?”
“Her mood was…”
A look of distress crossed the woman’s face. Varkas’s lips twisted as he looked at the clothes in her arms. Colorful, luxurious fabrics were rolled up, torn to shreds.
It seemed his wife, upset by something, had taken her temper out on her belongings.
“I suppose I don’t need an answer.”
“Ah, the young lady was just feeling a bit sensitive. But today, she changed her mind and…”
The woman, who had been hurriedly defending her mistress, suddenly fell silent and awkwardly lowered her gaze.
Varkas waited for her to continue, but realizing she had no intention of finishing her sentence, he resumed his walk with a faint sigh.
When he reached the door to his room on the second floor, he saw the light of the setting sun streaming through the high windows, casting long shadows on the marble floor. He turned his eyes toward the stairs leading to the third floor.
For a brief moment, the thought of going to see her personally crossed his mind, but he gave up on it, certain he would be turned away at the door. Since that night, she had kept her door locked, adamantly refusing to see him.
Rubbing his stiff neck, Varkas turned back toward his own bedroom.
Then, suddenly, he froze as a powerful fragrance brushed against the tip of his nose.
A strange tremor ran up his spine. Before he could even realize it, he had grabbed the doorknob and pulled it open roughly.
“You’re back sooner than I thought.”
The moment he stepped into the bedroom, a cool, beautiful voice reached him. He turned his gaze toward the bed. A woman dressed in a thin, deep blue dress sat on the white sheets, her voluminous skirts spread out around her.
She set aside the book she had been holding on her lap and spoke nonchalantly.
“I heard you’ve been busy with official business lately, so I thought you wouldn’t return until the middle of the night.”
“…Is that why you are here?”
He spoke as he closed the door behind him almost instinctively.
“Because you thought I wouldn’t be here?”
“If I didn’t want to run into you, why would I bother guarding an empty room? What I meant was… I thought I’d have to wait a long time for you to arrive.”
She spoke while nibbling on her red-painted lips.
He realized she was only pretending to be composed and was actually extremely nervous, so he crossed his arms over his chest.
As the dense fragrance filling the room seeped into his lungs, his already frayed nerves sharpened even further.
He glared at her warily, trying to steady his scattering mind.
“You waited for me?”
“I told you I did.”
She snapped irritably and moistened her parched lips. He caught a brief glimpse of them before turning his eyes toward the window.
He felt his lower abdomen tighten and his body temperature gradually rise. Feeling annoyed at himself for being as restless as a stallion smelling a mare, he asked sharply.
“Why?”
His voice came out sounding accusatory, though he hadn’t intended it to.
He strode over to the bed and looked down at her overbearingly.
“You’ve been blatantly avoiding me for the past few days.”
“That… I just needed some time.”
Anxiety flickered in her deep blue eyes. A faint flush rose to her pale cheeks and white neck, and her scent grew even stronger.
Varkas clenched his sweaty fingers and pressed her fiercely.
“Time for what?”
She gripped her skirt with trembling hands.
“Time to recover…”
The voice that squeezed out instantly softened his aggression.
Varkas leaned down in front of her with a serious expression.
“That night, there were bloodstains left on the sheets. Was the injury significant?”
“No, it’s fine. I heard it’s just a natural occurrence.”
His relief at her answer was short-lived, as her following words made him freeze again.
“The wound is all healed now, and we can sleep together without any problems.”
He looked down at her face, temporarily lost for words. She continued dryly.
“We need to have regular relations to conceive a child. Nanny said… it’s best to do it as often as possible.”
Varkas stared blankly for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh.
It seemed this woman intended to treat him strictly as a breeding stallion.
He picked up the robe lying beside the bed and threw it over her.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not particularly interested. Please leave my room.”
“I told you that you don’t have the right to refuse.”
She straightened her back and shot him a sharp look.
“This is an obligation. It’s something you have to do, whether you like it or not.”
His brow furrowed.
Mentally, he knew she was right. It was certainly his duty to leave an heir.
The reason he hadn’t demanded to share her bed until now was that he knew all too well how much she dreaded a man’s touch.
As long as Lucas was 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. Hadn’t he secretly hoped that one day this woman would be able to accept him? If she was reaching out first, there was no reason to refuse.
So why did he feel this sense of resentment?
“You’ll follow my words, won’t you?”
Thalia pressed him in an arrogant tone, like a queen. But in her eyes, a fear she couldn’t quite hide flickered.
He spoke somewhat impulsively.
“If that is what you wish.”
Shame and relief crossed her face. Varkas, watching her intently, added in a firm tone.
“However, this time, we will do it my way.”
