Ch#177
A sharp ray of light forced its way through his eyelids.
Squinting up at the brightly shining glass window, Barkas slowly pushed himself upright.
For a moment, he couldn’t quite place where he was. It took several seconds for the memory to return: he had come back to Raedgo Castle.
He let out a long breath and swung his feet down from the bed. Perhaps thanks to the long sleep that had lasted until the sun was high in the sky, his body, which had felt like lead, now felt light. However, his mind remained groggy, as if shrouded in a thick fog.
He stood up, roughly raking his fingers through his messily disheveled hair.
He must have tossed and turned violently in his sleep, for the formal attire he had worn the previous day was wretchedly wrinkled. Unbuttoning his creased shirt with one hand, Barkas shook the bell beside the bed to summon the servants.
“Prepare water for washing and a change of clothes.”
A young valet rushed into the room and immediately prepared a bath and Eastern-style formal wear, tailored to Imperial standards.
Barkas stripped off his heavily wrinkled clothes and immersed himself in the water infused with mint leaves.
Since he had wasted most of the morning, he needed to hurry his preparations, yet he found himself reluctant to leave the tub.
Even after obsessively scrubbing himself from head to toe, he continued to linger until he sensed a presence outside the door, pacing anxiously. Only then did he step out of the water.
“Good morning, Grand Duke.”
As he stepped into the hallway, impeccably dressed in his formal attire, Daren’s nephew, Baredon, bowed his head with a face full of stiff tension.
“I hope you fared well through the night. I know you must be incredibly fatigued from attending to official duties immediately upon your return, and I am sorry to bring this up, but…”
“Just the main point.”
Barkas cut him off mid-sentence and began walking down the corridor. The young man followed hurriedly, continuing in a clumsy tone.
“M-my apologies. A sacramental ceremony is scheduled to be held at the Great Cathedral today at six o’clock (12:00 PM). To uphold the Grand Priest’s prestige, it would be best to hold this regular service at the Great Cathedral rather than the castle chapel…”
Barkas gazed out the window for a moment at the temple tower rising high within the grounds of Raedgo Castle, then gave a nod.
“Fine. Have the carriage ready. We leave immediately.”
“As for your meal…”
“No need. Time is short if we are to arrive on time, so let us hurry.”
“Understood. I will call for the coachman right away.”
The man rushed past him and hurried down the stairs.
It would take at least ten minutes for the carriage to be ready. Thinking he might handle a few official matters in the meantime, Barkas stopped by his office, handed a letter he had written the previous day to a messenger, and checked the documents requiring urgent signatures.
By the time he scrawled his signature on the last document and set down his pen, a servant sent by Baredon arrived to announce that all preparations were complete.
He handed the documents for the council to his secretary and exited the office.
As he descended the stairs and crossed the hall, the sight of the garden under the intense glare of the sun unfolded before him. It seemed he was already too late to arrive on time.
He frowned at the sun, which was already directly overhead, when a familiar voice called out from behind him.
“This is a surprise. You, oversleeping.”
Startled, Barkas turned his head and widened his eyes when he spotted his wife sitting near the pavilion.
Talia slowly stood up and walked toward him, accompanied by the massive wolf.
“I’ve been waiting for you to come out until my neck felt like it would snap.”
Barkas watched her red lips as she grumbled softly, then slowly scanned her attire.
Wearing a lavish silk dress favored by Eastern noblewomen, cinched with a belt adorned with intricate metalwork, she looked like a pagan goddess.
In that moment, Barkas felt he could understand why so many Easterners thought of an earth spirit when they saw her.
For some reason, he felt a flush of heat rise to his head as he asked stiffly, “…You were waiting for me?”
She nodded with a nonchalant expression.
“You said you were going to the Great Cathedral, right? I’m going too.”
Barkas furrowed his brow as if he were listening to a foreign language.
When he didn’t respond, the corners of her eyes tilted upward.
“What? Am I not allowed to attend the ceremony? It’s a matter of principle that the Grand Duchess accompanies you.”
Since when did you care about principles?
Looking down at her with an incredulous expression, Barkas let out a soft sigh.
“There is no need to force yourself into an uncomfortable situation out of a sense of duty. Didn’t you say you were treated unpleasantly at the Great Cathedral?”
“That’s exactly why I’m going.”
She flashed a mischievous smile.
“I want to see if that old man can still spout sermons criticizing me while you’re right there.”
Barkas let out a hollow laugh as he stared down at her face.
Evidently, this woman intended to use him as a shield to pick a fight with the Grand Priest. It was clear this would interfere with his plan to appease the Grand Priest and smoothly resolve the conflict with the Church, but in the end, Barkas conceded.
“As you wish.”
A flicker of relief crossed her face. Only then did he realize that, deep down, she had been afraid of being rejected.
“Well then, let’s go.”
Talia held out a hand toward him. When he merely stared blankly at her slender arm, a somewhat irritable voice snapped at him.
“What are you doing? Support me.”
Only then did he realize she was requesting an escort, and he carefully wrapped his hand around her soft forearm. As he did, she naturally leaned her weight against him. The sweet scent wafting from her made his already confused mind even more dizzy.
Why was she suddenly acting like this?
Unable to hide his agitation, he looked down at her with bewildered eyes, and she urged him on impatiently.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
Barkas searched her face as if trying to uncover her hidden intentions, then finally began to walk. The Dire Wolf, which had been sitting quietly on its haunches, followed behind them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He immediately maneuvered himself to block the path between the wolf and her.
“You cannot take that wolf… Khan, with you.”
“I know that much.”
Answering rather curtly, she whispered tenderly to the beast wagging its tail.
“Wait here just a moment. I’ll be back soon.”
Then she gestured toward the maids waiting a short distance away.
“What are you doing? Take care of Khan.”
No sooner had her instructions been given than the maids surrounded the wolf.
Barkas watched the Dire Wolf’s reaction closely. Its eyes flashed as if it were unhappy about being separated from its master, but it showed no aggression, such as baring its teeth or growling.
Still, for the safety of the maids, he ordered the soldiers to keep a close watch on the wolf before leading her to the carriage.
“Hold onto my shoulder.”
Talia obediently gripped his shoulder and carefully climbed into the carriage. Barkas followed, taking a seat opposite her, and signaled the coachman.
Before long, the carriage began to move across the castle grounds.
He leaned back against the slightly vibrating seat and gazed at his wife. She was pressed against the window, looking out as if she had discovered some magnificent spectacle.
She seemed to be trying her best not to show it, but she appeared extremely awkward and uncomfortable being in the same space as him. He couldn’t fathom her intentions—why she was so insistent on accompanying him.
Had she realized her position as Grand Duchess was unstable and decided to change her attitude?
But as of last year, she hadn’t seemed to care in the slightest about the status of Grand Duchess.
Two years ago, hadn’t she even tried to sneak out of the castle?
