Ch#181
181
The provocative look in her eyes made the back of his neck tingle.
He soon gave up on rational thought and bent down in front of his wife.
As he knelt on one knee and hooked his arm under the crooks of her knees, her slender arms naturally wound around his neck.
Barkas took a moment to steady his breathing as the sweet scent of her skin flooded his lungs. He wrapped his other arm around her back and stood up straight. At that, the wolf that had been sitting beside her like a sentinel lifted its haunches off the floor.
Barkas watched the wolf warily.
Contrary to his concerns, the dire wolf showed no particular aggression. It simply stayed close as if checking on its master’s well-being, staring intently at Talia’s face.
He took long strides, trying to distance himself from the beast that was nudging its snout toward her.
The creature, wrinkling its nose in a brief display of displeasure, quickly followed at his heels.
“Go through the back door, not the main entrance. I don’t want to run into your siblings.”
Talia spoke in a whisper, her head resting against his shoulder.
Barkas flinched at the breath tickling his jaw, then immediately changed direction toward the rear of the building.
“Are my siblings still being disrespectful to you?”
“Lucas is fine. He gets on my nerves sometimes, but he maintains basic manners. But your sister is truly annoying.”
“What exactly did Laina do?”
Perhaps sensing the chill in his voice, the woman mumbled in an ambiguous tone.
“It’s not like she did anything grand…. She just complains about me to the vassals or picks petty, childish fights.”
“I will call her aside and give her a stern warning.”
“Don’t.”
She suddenly arched her brows.
“What would that do to my pride? It would look like I ran straight to my husband to tattle just because a child was being spiteful. I’m being just as mean to her, so just leave it be.”
To my husband.
Barkas chewed on those words internally, suddenly gritting his teeth. He loathed how easily he was swayed by a single, casual remark from this woman.
He consciously quickened his pace. This moment of holding her in his arms felt dizzyingly ecstatic, yet so agonizing that he wanted to escape it as soon as possible.
He strode through the hallway and entered the bedroom that had once been his.
“How are your legs?”
“They’re fine. Just a bit stiff. More importantly….”
As he walked toward a long chair cushioned in velvet, she tightened her grip on his neck. Then, she whispered into his ear.
“Take me to the bed, not the chair. I want to lie down.”
Barkas jerked his head back and glared at her with sharp eyes. As if finding his reaction amusing, she crinkled her cat-like eyes.
He knew this expression well. Back when they lived in the Imperial Palace, she often wore this face when she held men in the palm of her hand to toy with them.
With his jaw set firm, Barkas stepped toward the side of the bed. He lowered her onto the plush sheets and tried to stand up quickly to leave the room, but her hand clung to his shirt like glue.
“Where are you going?”
The woman, her rich wheat-gold hair scattered across the white sheets, looked up at him with damp, lingering eyes.
“This is your bed. You lie down, too.”
In an instant, his patience hit its limit.
Barkas snatched her wrist, pinning it to the bed, and let out a low, growling voice.
“What exactly are you trying to do right now?”
“……What did I even do?”
Her face, which had been so nonchalant it felt brazen, now showed a faint flush and a hint of anxiety. Even that looked agonizingly seductive, which only fueled his irritation.
“What do you plan to achieve by dragging me into bed?”
At his sharp interrogation, her cheeks flushed even deeper.
The woman bit her lip nervously and stammered out her words.
“I… I just wanted you to rest a little. You’ve been wandering battlefields for the past two years. Even after coming back, you’ve done nothing but work late into the night on official business…. So….”
“So, you’re suggesting we take a nap together in the same bed?”
Her eyes flared at his sarcastic remark.
“Why? Is that not allowed?”
In response to her defiant question, his gaze darkened as he slowly scanned her body.
Beneath her disheveled, thin dress, her delicate yet feminine curves were fully revealed. She looked so sensual that it was hard to believe she was the same woman who, two years ago, had been turning pale while coughing up blood on this very bed.
He felt his lower abdomen tighten with unwanted heat and bit the inside of his cheek. Even in the past, he hadn’t welcomed his physical reactions to her, but now, it felt almost disgusting.
He pulled away from her, his voice hardening.
“I have no need for rest.”
Then, throwing her a suspicious look, he pressed further.
“Why are you suddenly concerned about me in the first place?”
“You’re… you’re my husband. Why is it strange to be concerned?”
Perhaps embarrassed to have said it herself, her ears turned bright red. However, Barkas could not bring himself to mock those words.
It felt as though a hot lump was stuck in his throat. He soon realized the name of that sensation was longing. Pushed by that unwelcome realization, he spat out the words he had been repeating only in his mind.
“Didn’t you say that just looking at me makes you feel suffocated?”
Her complexion turned pale in an instant.
Looking up at him with shadowed eyes, the woman carefully pushed herself up into a sitting position. She pulled her knees to her chest and murmured.
“Not… anymore. Actually, I….”
He stood perfectly still, waiting for the rest.
Talia, nervously stroking her knees, added in a slightly hoarse voice.
“I… I worried about you a lot. This time… you were gone for a particularly long time. You didn’t come back for six whole months….”
The woman, murmuring incoherently, began to pick at her lips with her trimmed fingernails.
He reached out to cover her hand and looked intently into her face.
“Is it no longer painful to be with me?”
The woman shifted her gaze as if anxious, but eventually nodded.
Barkas felt something he had been barely holding onto snap, and he knelt on the bed.
He slid one hand into her thick hair and gently stroked her white nape, where her pulse was racing. Her steady breathing faltered noticeably. She certainly seemed nervous, but she didn’t look like she disliked his touch.
Staring fixedly at her reaction, Barkas cupped her small chin and lightly rubbed his thumb against her scarred lower lip. Then, as if inviting him, her plump lips parted slightly.
Feeling a familiar thirst burning his throat, he cupped her soft cheeks with both hands and slowly lowered his head. Watching her reaction closely, he pressed his lips against her slightly parted ones, and her soft tongue brushed against him.
Trembling at the sensation of his heart being seized, he drew that soft flesh into his mouth. But just as he was gently pushing her back to lie on the bed, a heavy thud and a loud commotion erupted.
Startled by the sudden noise, she flinched away. He clenched his fists tight to keep from grabbing her again and glared toward the entrance. The door was shaking violently as if the hinges were about to fly off.
Barkas jumped up and crossed the room in a single stride.
As he yanked the handle with a rough hand, a massive beast burst through the gap in the door.
He stared in disbelief at the monster that shoved him aside and leaped onto the bed.
The beast took over the wide bed as if it were its rightful place and shoved its massive head into her arms.
“Khan!”
Talia, hugging the wolf, looked at him uncertainly, not knowing what to do.
Barkas watched the scene while gripping the doorknob, then slowly turned his gaze to the hallway.
A swarm of soldiers had gathered, likely drawn by the commotion the wolf had caused.
Feeling his feverish head cool down in an instant, he ran a hand through his mess of hair.
