Ch#90
Thalia turned to him with a stiff expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means we must stay together from now on,” he replied calmly.
“While on tour, there will be times when I must ride a horse, but I intend to share the carriage with you as much as possible.”
She swallowed hard.
“Then, the accommodations…”
“We will share those as well.”
Her heart sank. She couldn’t tell if it was out of fear or the lingering emotions that had tormented her for so many years.
Twisting the jade ornament on her wrist, Thalia spoke irritably.
“Is that really necessary?”
Varkas didn’t answer. Thalia immediately began to lash out.
“It’s not like you didn’t know what people would whisper if you married me. Now that the whole world knows the truth behind our marriage, it’ll look even more ridiculous if we pretend to be a happily married couple.”
“There is no need to look like a happy couple.”
Varkas let out a long breath.
“It is enough if we appear to be a couple capable of an intimate relationship.”
Thalia, looking bewildered, suddenly widened her eyes in shock.
By ‘intimate relationship,’ did he mean what she thought he meant?
She blankly stared at his stoic face, which showed not a trace of human desire, as he continued nonchalantly.
“Regardless of the circumstances, we have become husband and wife, and Your Highness must know what duties follow a married noble. Simply appearing as a normal couple will help your position as well as mine.”
Thalia’s face turned beet red. It seemed that the ‘intimate relationship’ he spoke of was indeed what she had imagined.
Stupid words tumbled out from between her trembling lips.
“So, what you’re saying is… we need to look like we’re sleeping together?”
Fine lines creased the corners of his eyes. It was a strange expression, somewhere between a smile and a frown.
“To put it bluntly, yes.”
Thalia bit her lip hard and slowly scanned him from head to toe.
Underneath the lustrous, thin silk, his lean, powerful physique was clearly defined.
Broad shoulders, a chest knit tight with refined muscle, a slender waist, and legs as long and sturdy as a stallion’s…
Feeling a sudden shortness of breath, she hurriedly cast her eyes down. Her own gaunt legs were faintly visible through her thin skirt.
Her stomach churned. It was a scar so hideous her own mother had frowned in disgust. Even the nanny who had raised her since she was an infant couldn’t hide her distress whenever she had to wash Thalia’s body.
The mere thought of exposing such ugliness to him made her break out in a cold sweat.
She tore at the fabric of her dress, her voice sharp.
“I won’t do it. Just let them talk. People are going to talk anyway; that’s what mouths are for. Why should I have to perform such a ridiculous farce just to mind the servants’ opinions—”
“Thalia.”
A large hand covered the back of her stiff hand. Thalia flinched and looked up at him.
Varkas, gripping her ice-cold hand firmly, spoke with resolve.
“I am not asking you to put on a performance.”
“…”
“I only need it to be known publicly that we are spending time together.”
Varkas’s words sounded more like a request than a command. That fact choked back the words of refusal rising in her throat.
With trembling eyes, Thalia studied his face, which bore a trace of faint fatigue. Judging by Duke Shearkan’s attitude, Varkas’s own position might be unstable. While she had been cooped up in her bedroom, he must have been driving himself relentlessly to solidify his standing.
Suddenly, her mouth felt dry. If Aila had been here, she would have rolled up her sleeves for Varkas. She would have used her natural leadership and dignity to help him secure his position.
He never would have had to make such a request. The two of them would have spent a normal first night together and naturally continued their marital life.
Thalia bit her lower lip. Self-deprecating thoughts followed one after another. How would Varkas have treated Aila? If he could be this generous toward Thalia, whom he used to snarl at like an enemy, he would have been even more so with Aila.
Just as he tried to touch Thalia at every opportunity, he would have laid hands on Aila’s body without hesitation. She pictured Varkas caressing Aila’s cheek or ear, or wrapping an arm around her waist. In her imagination, the two of them did even more than that. The more she thought about it, the more her heart ached as if scorched by fire.
Thalia yanked her hand out of his grip. She turned her gaze out the window, struggling to suppress her boiling emotions.
“Do whatever you want.”
A heavy silence settled between them. She wanted to check his expression, but for some reason, she was afraid.
Thalia rested her elbow on the windowsill and pretended to watch the cavalrymen.
Before long, with the loud blast of a horn, the carriage began to move forward.
Thalia poked her head slightly out of the window. As the carriage passed through the castle gates, a vast field unfolded before her. A fierce wind swept across the plains that met the sky.
Watching the meadows turn to shades of ocher, Thalia stole a glance at him.
Varkas was also looking out at the fields. The white sunlight cast a dazzling backlight over his face.
A strange emotion tightened her chest.
In this unfamiliar and beautiful land, she had to spend time with him.
Would she be able to protect the walls she had barely managed to build?
Lucas whipped the reins without hesitation.
It was his first time riding in nearly a week. Turgan, who had been neglected for days and was as irritable as could be, snorted loudly as he galloped across the plains.
Lucas could feel the stallion’s taut muscles surging beneath his thighs.
He stood up in the stirrups and let out a boisterous cheer. The dry wind scraped harshly against his body. It was terribly refreshing.
“Do not break formation!”
Tyrone, who had caught up to him, shouted. Lucas looked back at him with a dissatisfied expression.
“What’s the big deal over this much!”
“I barely managed to get permission for you to come along under the pretext of teaching you a retainer’s conduct! What does it make me look like if you act so recklessly!”
Lucas clicked his tongue and pulled the reins. Once he finally calmed the frenzied horse, Tyrone slowed down as well and closed the distance.
“As I said before, you will be serving as His Grace’s squire for the time being. Do not stray far from the carriage.”
“You don’t get it. I’m doing this for my brother’s sake,” Lucas said sarcastically.
“Brother would hate me loitering around even more, wouldn’t he? And that woman would be the same.”
He spoke in a barbed tone, looking back at the carriage slowly crossing the hill far behind them.
The face that had been struck by that woman felt itchy. His cheek, which had been swollen red for a while, had only subsided after two days.
He pouted.
“You saw what that woman did to me that day.”
“I also saw you putting your nose to the back of her neck.”
He flinched, his face turning red.
“Saying it like that makes me sound like a total pervert! I just smelled a strange scent and was checking it out!”
“…No matter how you say it, it sounds perverted,” Tyrone said, shaking his head.
“As His Grace said, you both need to learn the etiquette of the nobility. You’ve lived far too freely under the excuse of the former Duke being bedridden.”
Lucas glared at him with a spiteful look. He was annoyed by the way Tyrone was subtly taking Varkas’s side.
“You’ve completely fallen for my brother, haven’t you?”
Tyrone didn’t particularly deny it. It seemed he had already accepted Varkas as his lord.
This wasn’t just true for Tyrone. While the stuffy old elders expressed concern over Varkas’s aggressive moves, the hot-blooded warriors offered their enthusiastic support. They were all starved for strong leadership.
To be honest, Lucas himself was half-fascinated by the overwhelming power Varkas had shown. But he didn’t want to admit it so easily.
“Fine. I’ll admit I was a bit rude. But that woman wasn’t exactly easy either! Why are we the only ones getting punished?”
“She is a member of the Imperial family,” Tyrone said flatly.
“Furthermore, she is now the Grand Duchess. So, you’d better watch your words from now on. You heard what Sir Daren said earlier, didn’t you?”
He made a gesture of slitting his throat with his fingertip.
“She’s someone who doesn’t even blink while spewing venom in front of the Grand Duke himself. She could probably skin someone like you alive with just her tongue. So, for the sake of peace in the East, don’t go provoking her temper for no reason.”
