Chapter 121
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 121
That night, what greeted him upon his return to the bedroom was a bed marked with vivid bloodstains.
The moment he saw them under the flickering light, a tightness seized his chest, and a visceral chill seeped into his very bones. He wanted to go to her, to check her wounds himself, but the memory of her face as she pleaded to be left alone held him back. His feet refused to move.
He stood there for a long time, paralyzed, staring down at the cold bed. Suddenly, a violent impulse to break something surged through him.
Everything grated on his nerves: the woman who jerked him around at her whim, himself for being so easily swept up in it, and his own body, which remained restless, gripped by an uncontrollable heat.
Barkas ground his teeth. She was always pushing him to the edge with her reckless, thoughtless actions. That night had been no different. He repeated this to himself like a mantra, but his frayed nerves refused to settle.
“What would you like to do about the rest of the schedule?”
As they reached the castle gates, Daren, who had been following silently, finally spoke up.
Snapped out of his dark thoughts, Barkas frowned as he looked up at the sun dipping behind the castle towers. Normally, he should have been attending the assembly hosted by the Noble Alliance by now. However, the main agenda would have already concluded. Showing his face late would result in nothing more than wasting time on pointless power struggles.
Reaching a swift conclusion, Barkas turned his horse around.
“We’re done for today. Let’s head back.”
With that, he vaulted into the saddle and spurred his horse forward.
By the time he reached the castle, the sky was beginning to bruise with a faint purple hue. Barkas looked up, his brow furrowing as he spotted thin clouds rolling in from the east. He suspected it might rain again. If it did, the tracks left by the wolves would be washed away, and the subjugation operation would run into difficulties.
Nothing has gone right lately.
Letting out a short, bitter laugh, Barkas hopped down from Torque’s back and climbed the stairs.
As he entered the main castle, the servants waiting near the entrance moved to strip him of his breastplate and cloak. He dismissed their fussy movements with a sharp gesture and strode across the wide hall. It was then that he spotted a quarter-dwarf descending the stairs, clutching a bundle of clothes. The woman froze the moment she saw him.
Barkas stepped toward her and demanded without preamble, “How was Her Highness today?”
The woman flinched, her shoulders hitching, before she began to ramble.
“She had a bit of fruit and honey wine during the day, and for dinner, she took a few spoonfuls of oat porridge with herbs. She also had a fermented goat milk drink as a snack. Her stomach seems much better than before; her appetite has grown a little. It’s all thanks to Your Excellency’s care.”
Barkas listened to the long-winded report in silence before asking in a measured tone, “And how was her mood?”
“Her mood was…”
A look of distress crossed the woman’s face. Barkas’s lips twisted as he looked at the bundle of clothes in her arms. Colorful, luxurious fabrics were rolled up, torn to shreds. It seemed his wife, displeased by something, had taken her frustration out on her possessions.
“I suppose I don’t need an answer.”
“O-Oh, the young lady was just feeling a bit sensitive. But she changed her mind today and…”
The woman, who had been hurriedly defending her mistress, suddenly fell silent and awkwardly lowered her gaze. Barkas waited for her to continue, but realizing she had no intention of finishing her sentence, he let out a faint sigh and resumed his walk.
When he reached the door to his room on the second floor, he saw the light of the setting sun streaming through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the marble floor. He glanced toward the stairs leading to the third floor. For a fleeting moment, he considered going to her personally to check on her, but he dismissed the thought, certain he would be turned away at the door. Since that night, she had kept her door bolted, stubbornly refusing to see him.
Rubbing his stiff neck, Barkas turned back toward his own bedroom. Then, he froze as a potent fragrance brushed against the tip of his nose.
A strange shiver raced up his spine. Before he could even process the sensation, he had gripped the doorknob and yanked it open.
“You’re back sooner than I expected.”
The moment he stepped into the bedroom, a cool, melodic voice reached him. He turned his gaze toward the bed. A woman draped in a thin, deep-blue dress sat upon the white sheets, her voluminous skirts spread out around her. She set aside the book she had been resting on her lap and continued nonchalantly.
“I heard you’ve been busy with official business lately, so I thought you wouldn’t return until the middle of the night.”
“…Is that why you are here?” he asked, almost instinctively bolting the door behind him.
“Because you thought I wouldn’t be?”
“If I didn’t want to run into you, why would I bother guarding an empty room? What I meant was… I thought I’d have to wait a long time for you to arrive.”
She spoke while nibbling on her red-painted lips. He realized she was only pretending to be composed; in reality, she was incredibly tense.
He crossed his arms over his chest. As the dense fragrance filling the room seeped into his lungs, his already frayed nerves sharpened even further. Barkas fought to steady his scattering focus and glared at her warily.
“You were waiting for me?”
“I told you I was.”
She snapped back irritably and licked her dry lips. He watched her mouth for a moment before averting his eyes toward the window. His lower abdomen tightened, and he felt his body temperature begin to rise. Annoyed at himself for acting like a stallion catching the scent of a mare, he barked back a question.
“Why?”
His voice came out sounding more accusatory than intended. He strode toward the bed and looked down at her with an overbearing presence.
“You’ve been blatantly avoiding me for the past few days.”
“That was… I just needed time.”
Anxiety flickered in her deep-blue eyes. A faint flush rose to her pale cheeks and white neck, and her scent grew even more intoxicating. Barkas clenched his sweaty fingers into fists and pressed her ruthlessly.
“Time for what?”
She gripped her skirts with trembling hands.
“Time to recover…”
The voice that squeezed out of her instantly blunted his aggression. Barkas leaned down toward her, his expression turning grave.
“That night, there were bloodstains on the sheets. Was the injury severe?”
“No, I’m fine. I was told it’s only natural.”
His relief at her answer was short-lived, as her next words made him freeze again.
“The wound has healed now, and we can share a bed without any issues.”
He stared down at her face, momentarily lost for words. She continued in a dry, hollow tone.
“If we want to conceive a child, we have to have relations regularly. The nanny said… it’s best to do it as often as possible.”
Barkas stared blankly for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh. It seemed this woman intended to treat him as nothing more than a breeding stallion. He picked up the robe lying beside the bed and threw it over her.
“I’m sorry, but I find myself lacking the appetite for this. Please leave my room.”
“I told you, you don’t have the right to refuse.”
She straightened her back, her eyes flashing with a sharp light.
“This is a duty. It’s something that must be done, whether you like it or not.”
His features contorted. Logically, he knew she was right. Producing an heir was undoubtedly his responsibility. The reason he hadn’t demanded her bed until now was that he knew all too well how much she loathed a man’s touch. As long as Lucas remained an alternative, there was no reason to place an unnecessary burden on her body.
But if she was the one demanding it, the story changed. Hadn’t he secretly hoped that one day this woman would be able to accept him? If she was the one reaching out first, he had no reason to refuse.
And yet, why did he feel such resentment?
“You will follow my lead, won’t you?” Thalia pressed him with the arrogant tone of a queen. However, a fear she couldn’t quite hide shimmered in her eyes.
Barkas spoke, somewhat impulsively.
“If that is what you wish.”
Shame and relief crossed her face in quick succession. Barkas watched her intently before adding in a firm, decisive tone:
“However, this time, we will do it my way.”