Ch#132
He was worried she might fall ill from being out in such a cold wind.
Leaning his shoulder against the window frame, Barkas followed her movements with his eyes.
Her gait was much steadier now. When she walked slowly at a constant pace, it was almost impossible to tell that her legs were uncomfortable.
However, that state did not last long. Her weakened muscles cramped at even the slightest overexertion, and after about ten minutes, her stride became noticeably unnatural. Though she didn’t show it outwardly, the pain seemed to persist.
Crossing his arms and tapping his forearm with his fingertips, Barkas finally picked up his discarded coat. He felt he could only be at ease if he checked on her condition personally.
He rounded the solid wood desk and crossed the carpeted room. As he opened the door and stepped into the hallway, he ran right into Daren, who was coming up the stairs.
“Your Grace.”
The man, clutching a small slip of paper that looked like a telegram in one hand, strode toward him. Sensing a bad omen, Barkas furrowed his brow.
“What is it?”
“The informants dispatched to the North have sent an express letter. It would be best to convene an emergency meeting.”
The man held out the rolled-up paper with a grim expression.
Taking it, Barkas quickly scanned the cipher, which was composed of a mix of Eastern script and the Imperial common tongue.
The contents of the report were clear. The North was preparing for war. And they were being quite serious about it.
“No word from those planted in the capital yet?”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
That meant the unsettling movements in the North had not yet reached the central regions. It also signified that the Heimdal family was moving with extreme caution.
He ran a hand somewhat roughly through the hair draped over his forehead.
“This information alone is insufficient. We must take care to prevent rumors from spreading until we grasp the exact situation. Select the most reliable staff officers and gather them at the meeting hall.”
“Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Beyroff, Lergen, Rabomir… that should be enough.”
As he named the subordinates he had been keeping an eye on, Daren stroked his chin and nodded.
“They are all tight-lipped. They will handle the matter with discretion. I will have them standing by in the conference room shortly.”
As the man turned to leave, Barkas tucked the telegram into his inner coat pocket and headed straight down the stairs.
His mind was instantly filled with the precarious political situation of the Northeast.
He considered several possibilities. By principle, he should report the current situation to the Imperial Palace. But would that be the wisest course of action?
The Heimdal family wouldn’t have started such a dangerous tightrope walk without some form of insurance. It was highly likely they had recruited major imperial officials, as well as numerous other nobles.
If even a single lord among the vassal families turned traitor, the order of the Empire would collapse in an instant.
Now was the time to gather intelligence and quietly tighten the noose around Balto beneath the surface.
He rubbed his eyes, feeling a sharp sensation spread from his temples to the bridge of his nose. Just then, a cool, beautiful voice reached him from nearby.
“Barkas?”
Barkas, who had just left the Great Hall and was heading toward the Military Office, came to a dead stop.
His wife, who had been walking in the rear garden until just a moment ago, was now sitting near the pavilion in front of the main castle.
She stood up abruptly from her seat.
“What brings you here at this hour? I naturally assumed you were tending to official business outside…”
The woman, who had been moving toward him hurriedly, stumbled heavily. He quickly caught her by the waist.
As he pulled her slender body—which felt as though it carried almost no weight—into his arms, he felt his throat constrict and his mouth go dry.
He looked down at her flushed face with a look of disapproval.
Seeing the faint blush on her neck and earlobes, his body had an unwelcome reaction. Ignoring it, he steadied her wobbling frame.
“Please, be careful.”
“I’m usually careful. It’s only because you appeared so suddenly.”
She grumbled softly with her eyes downcast. It was her usual prickly tone, but somehow she seemed drained of energy.
Neatly adjusting her disheveled collar, he lightly pressed the back of his hand against her reddened cheek.
“Your fever hasn’t completely subsided yet. Why aren’t you resting in your room?”
“It’s suffocating just staying in the bedroom. My throat is stinging from the smell of burning wood, too…”
He narrowed his eyes. It was true that her dry cough had become more frequent since they started lighting fires. It seemed he would have to prepare heating equipment using magic stones soon.
“Still, do not stay outside too long. The air is cold.”
“Then when am I supposed to use this coat?”
She glared at him as if he were being ridiculous. After a brief pause, Barkas replied flatly.
“You can use it when you go out with me.”
Perhaps because it was an unexpected answer, her eyes, the color of an autumn sky, widened slightly.
As if hiding a trace of agitation, she lowered her long eyelashes and said indifferently, “You’re busy enough to lose your mind. I don’t know when you’d ever find the time.”
“Soon…”
He was about to say he would make time, but he shut his mouth as the news from Balto flashed through his mind.
Rubbing the bridge of his nose with a feeling bordering on irritation, the woman, who had been watching his expression, took a step back and spoke bluntly.
“Forget it. You don’t need to worry about me, so just go about your business.”
With that, she turned back toward the entrance of the main castle. He caught her almost reflexively. His reflection was mirrored once again in her wide eyes.
“I will take you to your room.”
“It’s fine. I can walk on my own…!”
Ignoring her words, he swept her small body up into his arms.
After sending him a momentary resentful look, the woman soon leaned her head against his shoulder with an expression of resignation. Supporting her back firmly, he jerked his chin toward a Quarter Dwarf who was waiting awkwardly a short distance away.
“Go to the Military Office and tell them to wait; I’ll be there in about an hour.”
“U-Understood!”
Passing the woman who was bowing frantically with a flustered face, he entered the hall, drawing the gazes of the servants hurrying to and fro.
Ignoring the looks that watched them as if they were some rare spectacle, he strode up the stairs and spotted a maid hovering near his bedroom.
“What are you doing there?”
When he approached and spoke, the young maid, who had been fidgeting in front of the door, jumped in surprise and bowed.
“Greetings, Your Grace. The Grand Duchess asked for some fresh fruit this morning, so we hurriedly brought some in from the market. However, she seemed to be away for a moment, so I was waiting.”
He lowered his gaze to the tray held in the maid’s hands.
Inside the silver bowl were a cluster of wild grapes and a few neatly peeled slices of pear.
Originally, she mostly consumed fruit or honey-sweetened drinks, but even then, it was only at the level where she barely ate anything after that woman she called Nanny begged and pleaded. Since he had never heard her say she wanted to eat something of her own accord, he felt a sense of relief.
He adjusted her in one arm and took the bowl with his other hand.
“Thank you. I’ll take care of it, so you may go.”
He then opened the door and stepped into the bedroom.
“Did you want some fruit?”
As he set her down on a thickly cushioned chair and knelt before her, he saw her face looking anxious.
Talia, setting her lips firmly as if to hide her emotions, said primly, “That’s not the kind of fruit I said I wanted to eat.”
“Then what did you want?”
The woman couldn’t answer readily and just toyed with the hem of her clothes. Only after a long while did she mumble softly.
“Strawberries…”
His brow furrowed. It was a fruit that had been out of season for a long time.
As if she knew that fact well herself, she added quickly in defense, “I just told them to try and find some if they could. I wasn’t being difficult or throwing a fit. Just asking them to check the market isn’t an unreasonable order.”
“You may send them on as many errands as you like,” he said in a firm tone.
A surge of something like frustration washed over him at her attitude, which seemed to be gauging his reaction.
Did she think he would scold her over something so trivial? Feeling the sensation that had been tightening his throat move down to the pit of his stomach, he lightly lifted her chin.
“You want strawberries?”
“I just… thought of them suddenly…”
“It will be difficult today, but I will have them for you within a few days.”
The woman, who had been avoiding his gaze, slowly met his eyes.
He added, somewhat urgently, “If there is anything else you wish to eat, please tell me anything.”
