Ch#129
“And if I don’t forgive you?”
His voice suddenly dropped.
Talia felt the muscles in her shoulders tighten as she bit her lower lip.
Reflected in the blue eyes that had drawn close enough to touch was her own face, frozen with tension.
He nonchalantly wound a strand of her hair around his finger, the very hair he had been idly teasing, and continued calmly.
“Will you come find me to scold me again, just as you did today?”
The heat that had been flushing her cheeks spread down to her neck and earlobes. Though there were no nerves in her hair, her scalp tingled as if he had bitten the nape of her neck.
Hiding any trace of her agitation, Talia feigned an angry expression. She hoped the redness of her face would be mistaken for fury.
“Yes. If you come back injured again, I won’t let it slide. I’ll make your life a living hell.”
For a split second, the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Talia’s eyes widened. However, that fleeting ghost of a smile vanished instantly.
He rose leisurely from his seat and picked up his discarded shirt. Sliding his arms into the linen sleeves, he replied in his characteristically flat tone.
“Since you’re threatening me so severely, I suppose I must be exceptionally careful from now on.”
Talia glared at him, her eyes sharp with irritation.
“You’re not taking me seriously, are you?”
“I am taking you very seriously,” Barkas replied dismissively as he buttoned his shirt. “Is this not about how this body now belongs to Your Grace, and therefore must be handled with care to avoid any scratches?”
“I didn’t say it like that!”
“You said it exactly like that.”
Talia sprang up from her seat.
“I’m leaving.”
After shooting him a glare, she limped toward the door, but he immediately caught her by the wrist.
Talia moved to push him away, but her hand flinched back at the sensation of the bandages beneath his thin shirt. Worried that she might have hurt him, she searched his face, but Barkas naturally led her back toward the bed.
“You haven’t given me my medicine yet.”
His soft breath tickled her forehead.
Talia glared at him, her face turning beet red. Barkas wore an nonchalant expression, as if he were merely asking for something obvious.
Surely he hasn’t developed the distorted idea that being fed medicine by mouth is the norm? While she was preoccupied with that ridiculous worry, he opened a drawer and pulled out a small vial.
“Here it is.”
He sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping one arm around her waist to ensure she couldn’t flee.
Talia looked down at the man with incredulous eyes; he had become strangely brazen lately. He tilted his head slightly.
“Do you dislike it?”
“…Who said I disliked it?”
Feigning reluctance, she took the vial and opened the cap, revealing a deep purple liquid inside.
She brought the bottle close to her face and caught its scent. Instead of the bitter aroma of Mandrake Extract, she smelled only heavy honey and a faint hint of peppermint.
“Is this actually the right medicine?”
“It is. It is a reagent meant to clear the blood. I obtained it because it is said to be effective in neutralizing demonic venom.”
Despite his explanation, Talia did not withdraw her suspicious gaze.
“The healing sorceress from earlier gave you this, didn’t she? Can that woman really be trusted? If she prescribes the wrong medicine again…”
“I received that medicine from Daren,” Barkas interrupted. “But if you are so concerned, you need not put it to your lips.”
He moved to take the vial back from her hand.
Talia instinctively hid the bottle behind her back.
“Who said I wasn’t going to do it? I was just worried that…”
She bit her tongue, realizing she had let her guard down, and peeked at his reaction. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to realize that it was his body she was worried about.
Barkas, who had been watching her with a serious furrow in his brow, spoke solemnly.
“Do not worry; that healing sorceress’s medicine will never touch Your Grace’s lips again. Since that incident, she has already been relieved of her primary duties.”
“You should be careful too! What do you mean ‘relieved,’ when she’s acting as the Grand Duke’s personal physician?!”
When she snorted roughly, he let out a shallow sigh.
“I only called for her this once as an exception. They say there is no one in the Eastern Region more knowledgeable in pharmacology than her. She has a history of treating wounds that magic could not heal, so I decided to leave the management of my injury to her only until the venom is cleared.”
His calm response made her stomach twist.
She replayed the image of the healing sorceress in her mind.
A young woman with large, clear eyes like a doe.
Even though she knew well that Barkas—who hadn’t even blinked at the famous beauties of the Imperial Palace—would never spare a glance for such a lowly woman, the feeling of anxiety would not fade.
She knew that to him, most humans were little more than living, breathing inanimate objects.
Yet, ever since she was very young, Talia could not stand other women lingering near him. She had gone so far as to kick out every maid who cast a lingering gaze his way.
In the end, she succumbed to that wretched jealousy once again.
“I don’t trust her. A single mistake turns into two, and two turn into three. What on earth are you thinking, entrusting your body to her?”
Barkas stared intently at her face before slowly nodding.
“If you feel that way, I will have her sent away from the castle shortly.”
Startled by his easy compliance, Talia blurted out.
“Who told you to go that far? It’ll just make me look like the bad person again. People will call me a wicked villainess who ruthlessly cast out a loyal vassal of the Grand Ducal house.”
His brows narrowed as he gave her a peculiar look.
Since when did you care about your reputation? He was likely thinking something along those lines.
Talia’s eyes sharpened.
“I’ll allow the treatment for now. However, the entire process must take place before my eyes. If I catch you alone with that woman when I’m not around…”
Talia stopped abruptly mid-sentence. She realized her words were baring her raw jealousy for all to see.
Glancing at his expression, she added quickly.
“If something happens to you, my position becomes unstable too. This is a matter concerning my own well-being.”
Barkas’s brow furrowed at her rambling excuses. He watched her with a persistent gaze, as if trying to dissect her thoughts, before finally speaking after a long silence.
“If it puts your mind at ease, I will do as you wish.”
His strangely submissive answer only made her more anxious.
She bit her lower lip, her eyes darting back and forth.
Why are you indulging all my tantrums? Is it just because I’m the woman you married, and you’re treating me well out of a sense of duty?
Or have you started to like me even a little? Is that why you want me to stay with you?
She chewed over and swallowed a myriad of questions. To ask would be to beg. She would never fall that far.
I don’t expect anything from you anymore. As she struggled to hold onto that tattered lie, Barkas pulled her onto his lap.
Talia curled her body as much as possible to avoid touching his wound. He, however, seemed not to care about the injury at all.
Holding her back firmly, Barkas naturally took the vial from her.
“Open your mouth.”
Unconsciously obeying his command, she opened her mouth, and he tilted the glass vial carefully against her lips.
A liquid so sweet it felt like her tongue might melt began to trickle in.
Barkas, looking down at her with darkened eyes, leaned in. His soft tongue lapped up the sweet liquid pooling in her mouth.
Like a cat delicately licking at milk, he teased the tender membranes of her mouth before beginning to explore her more deeply and persistently.
Talia naturally wound her arms around his neck. The intense sensation of their mouths meeting made her feel as if her brain were melting.
“Haah…”
Barkas pulled his lips away after savoring the tiny amount of liquid for a long time. As she tried to catch her breath, the glass vial pressed against her lower lip again.
Following his silent demand, she opened her mouth once more, and the honey-thick liquid seeped in. Naturally, his tongue followed immediately after.
The kiss that had begun under the pretext of medicine did not stop until the sunset was swallowed by the darkness.
“…When will the wound be fully healed?”
Talia asked idly, catching her breath while leaning her head against his uninjured shoulder.
His gaze, now dark enough to appear navy blue, settled on her face. His voice, laced with a slight rasp, grazed her forehead softly.
“Four days.”
His long, elegant fingers brushed away the hair clinging to her face. She felt his eyes, heavy as metal, linger on her sweat-dampened neck.
He added.
“If the medicine works well, the treatment will be finished in three.”
Unable to meet his gaze, she hid her eyes beneath her lashes.
