Ch#86
Unable to contain her boiling rage, Thalia grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him.
“If you have something to say, just say it! Stop torturing me!”
The fabric pouch full of feathers struck the back of his head with a dull thud. Varkas, who had been opening medicine bottles on the shelf to inspect their contents one by one, cast a cold glance over his shoulder.
Thalia shrunk back, pressing her body tightly against the headboard. She was tense, unsure of what kind of retaliation might come her way, but Varkas merely let out a small sigh and knelt beside the bed.
“Give me your hand.”
Thalia just blinked blankly. He pulled her hand toward him and held it up to the light. The skin on her palm was swollen and red.
Tsk. Varkas clicked his tongue and poured a viscous liquid onto her hand. At the stinging sensation, Thalia reflexively tried to pull her arm away. However, her wrist was held firmly in his grasp, leaving her unable to budge.
She glared at him with an annoyed look in her eyes.
“What are you doing?!”
“It is medicine that works well on bruises.”
Responding in a blunt tone, Varkas spread the liquid evenly across her palm.
The strange sensation made Thalia curl her toes. Every time his long, elegant fingers rubbed against her swollen skin, a tingling sensation spread through her. She felt heat rising to her ears and twisted her arm.
“Th-that’s enough.”
“Be still.”
His low bass, deeper than usual, sent a shiver down her spine.
She stared at him with an uneasy expression before casting her gaze down again. He slowly traced the faint lines etched into her palm.
Was this really just treatment?
The way his touch lingered obsessively over every line of her palm felt strangely suggestive.
“There are bruises on your wrist as well.”
Suddenly, his voice dropped an octave. Thalia struggled to swallow past her constricted throat.
She had no idea why her heart had suddenly shrunk in her chest.
Stealing a glance at him, Thalia put more strength into her arm and pulled it out of his grasp.
“That’s enough, so get out of my room.”
She turned her back to him to lie down, but her body was suddenly flipped back around.
Thalia looked up at him with a startled face. Leaning his upper body over her, Varkas asked accusingly, “Why did you show up at the banquet hall today?”
Her face contorted.
So that was why he was so angry after all. Shooting him a venomous look, Thalia asked sarcastically, “Why? Am I not allowed to go to the banquet hall?”
“…….”
“You said it yourself. That I am the highest-ranking person in this castle. So why do you want me locked up like a prisoner?”
“……You were the one who was reluctant to appear before others.”
“Do you really not know why I’m reluctant?”
Suddenly, the resentment she had kept suppressed in her heart reared its head.
Roughly pushing his shoulder away, Thalia pulled her knees to her chest and glared at him reproachfully.
“It’s because I’ve ended up in this state!”
A deep shadow fell over his eyes. She shouted at those eyes like a debt collector demanding payment.
“But even if I am ashamed of myself, you shouldn’t be. Just because I hide myself doesn’t mean you should try to hide me too!”
The tendons in his throat tightened. His face was a mask of gathered patience. That look of him forcing himself to endure her presence gouged at her insides even more.
Thalia snatched the remaining pillow and swung it at him. Varkas winced slightly in one eye. She beat his face repeatedly with the pillow, pouring out her accusations.
“You ask why I went to the banquet? I went to hear what you people were saying about me! I need to know what’s being said about my treatment so I can find a way to survive! That’s why, instead of dressing up in a gown, I crawled in secretly wrapped in a robe like a rat!”
He grabbed the incoming pillow and pinned her down onto the bed. Under his forceful grip, the thin fabric tore, sending white feathers fluttering everywhere.
Thalia looked up at the feathers scattering like snow, breathing heavily.
Gripping her wrists and pinning them to the bed, Varkas sent her a dark look. His suppressed voice poured over the bridge of her nose.
“I understand perfectly what you mean.”
Taking a deep breath, Varkas added slowly, “The succession ceremony will be held within a few days. At that event, I will formally introduce you as the Grand Duchess of the East.”
Thalia felt the fine hairs on her body stand on end. She couldn’t tell if it was because of the fate looming over her or because of the man right in front of her.
He gently brushed away a strand of hair stuck to her cheek and continued softly.
“So, stay quiet until then.”
She kept her mouth shut, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. A few feathers landed on his shoulder. Brushing them off with a light touch, Varkas slowly stood up.
Soon after, the sound of the door opening and closing echoed. Thalia stared blankly at the spot where he had been before pulling the blanket up to the top of her head.
After the cruel welcoming ceremony, a heavy tension began to hang over Raedgo Castle.
The maids, who used to be stiff, now behaved cautiously as if walking on thin ice, and the guards held their breath and lowered their eyes whenever she stepped out of her room.
It seemed a rumor had spread that treating the Second Princess poorly would incur the wrath of the Young Family Head.
It was a misunderstanding born from the death of the vassal who had insulted her. That beast-like man had simply paid the price for challenging the heir of the Grand Ducal house, but Thalia didn’t bother to correct their mistaken assumptions.
It was safer to be an object of fear than to appear an easy target. If she took a half-hearted, groveling attitude to win others’ favors, she would surely have her head stepped on. That was the way of the world she had mastered over many years.
“I don’t need any service, so don’t bother me and get out.”
Thalia waved a hand arrogantly as she turned the page of a book.
The maids standing at the doorway exchanged troubled glances. When those who would usually retreat immediately stayed put, Thalia sharpened her voice.
“Did you not hear me tell you to leave?”
“Highness, the succession ceremony is scheduled for this afternoon.”
The Head Maid spoke with a solemn face. Thalia’s eyes widened.
“Already?”
She had heard from Varkas that the succession ceremony would be within a few days, but she hadn’t expected him to hold the rite before even a week had passed.
Turning pale, she lowered her feet from the bed.
“Where is Varkas right now?”
“The Young Family Head is currently meeting with the High Priest who will preside over the ceremony. He plans to begin the rite immediately after the coordination regarding the ritual is finished.”
Thalia arched her eyebrows.
“Why are you only telling me this now?!”
“There was an instruction from the Young Family Head not to let it reach Your Highness’s ears until the day of.”
The Head Maid said as if sighing.
Thalia’s face contorted. She could guess what he was thinking when he gave such an order.
He probably thought she would hide or run away. Every time something she didn’t want to do came up, she had a habit of vanishing. Now was no exception. Thalia looked out the window, overcome by an urge to flee right this second. The Head Maid spoke in a gentle tone as if to soothe her.
“There is still time, so you do not need to be so anxious.”
Thalia glared at her with a nervous look, then eventually muttered in a deflated voice.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“We have prepared the traditional attire of the East for Your Highness to wear.”
The Head Maid, letting out a small sigh of relief, stepped aside. Soon, hulking servants entered the room carrying piles of colorful clothes decorated with elaborate embroidery.
“Since these styles will be unfamiliar to the maids from the Central region, we ask that you entrust your grooming to us this time.”
