Ch#223
He immediately summoned the head maid. Before long, a middle-aged woman with a sturdy build opened the door and stepped inside.
“You called, Your Excellency?”
Varkas stared silently at her face, which was clearly taut with tension, as he filled an empty glass with liquor before speaking.
“I want to know what has been happening with Her Grace. In just a few months… she seems to be in much better spirits.”
When he trailed off ambiguously, unable to find the right words, a complex and subtle expression flickered across the head maid’s face.
After a moment of pensive silence, the head maid spoke cautiously.
“I do not know exactly what caused her change of heart. For a long while after your departure, Her Grace refused meals and remained confined to her bed… then, one day, she suddenly expressed a desire to attend the dawn prayer services hosted by the Cathedral.”
Varkas narrowed his eyes. Considering the conflict that had existed between her and the Eastern Diocese, it was an action that defied logic.
The head maid also seemed to find her behavior difficult to understand, as she continued slowly with a furrowed brow.
“Since that day, she has become as calm as a different person. She began requesting meals herself and started spending her time on small pastimes, such as tending to flowers or embroidering.”
Varkas’s hand, which had been reaching for his wine glass, froze mid-air.
“She is sewing?”
“Recently, she even began learning how to weave at the textile workshop. Although she is still quite clumsy, her aesthetic sense is so exceptional that she manages to create unique and beautiful patterns. The reception has been quite favorable,” the head maid said calmly.
A hollow laugh escaped Varkas’s lips as he stared blankly for a moment.
Embroidery was a common hobby among noblewomen, but she had never once shown interest in such trifles. Furthermore, weaving was backbreaking labor usually reserved for servant girls.
Perhaps sensing his displeasure, the head maid added as if making an excuse.
“I knew it was not work befitting a Grand Duchess… but I could not bring myself to stop her. I believed having something to do would be more beneficial for Her Grace.”
“Her stamina is weaker than that of an average person. What if she ruins her health with such grueling work?”
“Forgive me, Your Excellency, but I believe you need not worry about that. Everyone is taking care to ensure the work is done only within the limits of Her Grace’s health, and the physician even suggested that moving her body would be more helpful in restoring her vitality.”
The head maid’s tone grew somewhat firm. She seemed concerned that he might restrict the Grand Duchess’s access to the textile workshop.
The woman added, emphasizing every word.
“In fact, Her Grace is gradually regaining her stability. Her relationships with the maids working in the inner castle have become much more harmonious than before. So…”
“I have no intention of interfering with what she does, so cease your unnecessary persuasion.”
Varkas cut her off stiffly. He felt a strange sense of irritation at the head maid’s attitude, as if he were a threat to the woman’s peace.
Emptying the rest of the wine into his glass, Varkas gave a cold nod.
“You may leave.”
The head maid bowed respectfully and left the room with a steady gait.
Varkas leaned back in his chair and looked out the window. Beyond the darkening sky, he could see black clouds rolling in.
Suddenly, a strong bitterness coated his tongue.
My return might be nothing more than a dark cloud looming over her.
With that thought, he brought the glass to his lips.
He felt the fire-like liquid slide down his throat and pool heavily in his stomach. Yet, no matter how much he drank, he could not feel the slightest hint of intoxication.
He leaned his head against the back of the chair and let out a deep sigh.
As the head maid had said, she was enjoying a simple and peaceful daily life.
The vassals still seemed to view her with disapproval, but the animosity of the maids who spent time with her had noticeably softened.
The employees treated her with a much more comfortable demeanor than before, and Talia also seemed less inclined to be needlesly defensive.
Occasionally, Varkas would spot her in the garden, chatting with the maids. She looked so gentle and soft that it was impossible to believe she was the same woman who had always been on edge, bristling like a porcupine at others.
What on earth had changed her?
His thoughts naturally drifted toward Edric Luvon.
The man had a talent for mingling effortlessly with anyone. Despite the weakness of coming from an obscure family, had he not blended naturally into the Imperial Guard, where territorial behavior was rampant? He had likely used that characteristic sociability to break down her guard.
He looked out the window with a bitter gaze.
As she always did in the afternoon, Talia had come out to the garden and was walking along the path with her attendants. Naturally, Edric Luvon was among them.
He was chattering away incessantly at her side.
He must have told a fairly amusing story, as the maids were seen covering their mouths and shaking their shoulders to suppress their laughter. Even on Talia’s face, which had been expressionless at first, a faint smile appeared.
Varkas watched the scene for a while before turning his gaze back to his desk.
Piled on the wooden desk were official documents and reports that required immediate signatures. It seemed they were only sending him the minimum amount of work out of consideration for his return with injuries, but even that was a formidable amount.
He meticulously reviewed the proposed legal amendments from each region, stamped them with his seal, and handed them to the waiting attendant. Then, as he was reviewing the list of nobles to be invited to the engagement ceremony, he heard a sharp knock followed by hurried footsteps outside.
He spoke without even lifting his head.
“What is it?”
“I came because there is something I want to ask you, Brother.”
A shrill voice, thick with suppressed anger, came through the door.
Varkas gave a slight chin gesture to the attendant, signaling that he could open the door.
Soon, Laina burst in, her face distorted with rage as she stomped her feet.
“Is it true that you’ve decided to grant Allen an estate, Brother?”
He frowned. He had recently granted estates to more than one or two people, so he couldn’t immediately recall who she was talking about.
A few seconds later, he remembered it was the name of the young man who would become his brother-in-law and nodded.
“Yes. There is a castle in the southeast of a size suitable for you to live in. It is a region with a city that collects a significant amount of taxes and a large horse ranch. You will be able to live there without wanting for anything.”
“I clearly told you I wanted the grand mansion east of Kalmor!”
His sister protested in a harsh voice, stepping closer to the desk.
“Father built that mansion for me! He said he would let me live there when I got married…!”
“I am currently offering you a dowry twice that size.”
Varkas put down the documents he was holding and cut his sister off in a cold tone.
“What exactly is your grievance?”
“Don’t pretend you’re doing this for me! You just want to kick me out of Kalmor.”
Laina glared at him, swallowing back tears.
“You took Father from me, you took Lucas, and now you’re trying to take away the home I’ve lived in all my life. How can I not be aggrieved!”
“Laina.”
At the sound of his low, calm voice, his sister’s shoulders flinched and stiffened.
Varkas continued in a tone that was composed yet chilling.
“If I set my mind to it, I could marry you off to an old noble in the borderlands without a single penny. Considering the insolence you’ve shown toward me and my wife, it would be strange if I didn’t.”
Laina’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
He continued indifferently, unbothered.
“I am not throwing you out empty-handed only because you are a lady of the Shekan family and my own blood. So, accept the generosity while it is being extended.”
