Chapter 128
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 128
“Isn’t it stunning? My brother hunted it himself just to cheer me up.”
Thalia turned her gaze toward the source of the voice. Beyond the railing, she saw Laina with a shimmering silver fur draped over her shoulders.
The girl was twirling in front of her maids, boasting with a triumphant lilt in her voice.
“If I have winter clothes made from this, I’ll be able to ride Saika as much as I want, even in the dead of winter, right?”
“Of course, My Lady! They say the Drakar is a monster that nests inside glaciers. This fur will easily ward off any cold snap.”
“Seeing as he sent such a magnificent gift, His Excellency the Grand Duke must hold you in very high regard.”
Laina beamed at the maids' flattering words. “Do you really think so?”
“Why else would he part with such a precious treasure?”
Life finally returned to the girl’s face, which had been a mask of despondency ever since the funeral.
Watching the scene from the top of the stairs, Thalia silently turned away.
To think she had actually believed he’d braved such danger for her sake. How shameless had she become in just a few months? She had almost made a complete fool of herself.
Thalia trudged back to her bedroom.
However, the bitter taste in her mouth—like she had swallowed a handful of ashes—began to subside slightly as dusk approached. She had vowed a thousand times not to expect anything from him. It was ridiculous to feel disappointed over something like this.
Even if the gift was nothing more than an afterthought, it was an undeniable fact that he had sent her something precious.
As a matter of decency, I should at least offer my thanks.
Otherwise, it would look unnatural. Acting like a sulking child would only imply she was hurt, and being hurt would mean she’d had expectations of him after all.
Having finally made up her mind, Thalia tossed the book from her lap and climbed out of bed.
When she reached his quarters, the junior knight guarding the door quickly announced her arrival. It seemed he was trying to head her off before the Grand Duchess, who was notorious for flinging doors open, could barge in.
But Thalia pulled the doorknob anyway, not waiting for permission to enter.
As she limped inside, the sight of the brightly lit bedroom filled her vision.
He was a man who usually sat in the dark while waiting for her. Did he think she wouldn’t come today?
Frowning, she scanned the room and saw two shadows stretched out in front of the fireplace. Thalia’s breath hitched. She gasped sharply when she saw a young woman touching Barkas’s bare torso as he sat there, half-naked.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The woman scrambled to her feet, her face flushing with panic.
“G-Grand Duchess…”
Only then did Thalia recognize her. She was the healer of the Grand Duke’s household—the very person whose incompetence had once caused Thalia to cough up blood.
The woman bowed her head hurriedly, stammering out an excuse. “I was... I was in the middle of treating His Excellency’s wounds.”
Thalia, glaring at her with narrowed eyes, turned her gaze toward Barkas.
“Have you forgotten what a terrible healer this woman is? Why would you let someone like her—!”
Her voice cut off abruptly. Her eyes fell upon two long, deep lacerations carved diagonally from his shoulder to his chest. Her heart sank at the sight of the wounds; they were far more serious than she had anticipated.
She rushed to his side. “W-what happened? You said it was nothing!”
“It only looks bad; it’s not that significant an injury. No bones were broken, and the major muscles and nerves weren’t damaged,” Barkas said apathetically.
Thalia stared at him, unable to believe her ears. The purple veins bulging around the red, swollen skin made the injury look severe even to an untrained eye. The pain must have been immense.
Unable to bring herself to hit him, she let out a burst of pure irritation.
“Do you even hear yourself? If this isn’t serious, then what is, you fool!”
The healer covered her mouth in horror at Thalia’s tone. Barkas, however, remained composed. He gave a slight nod to the healer.
“You may leave now.”
“B-but the bandages…”
“I can manage the rest myself.”
After a moment of hesitation, the woman bowed and hurried out of the room. Without sparing her a second glance, Thalia reached out toward him.
“Give me the bandages. You can’t wrap them properly with one hand.”
“It’s fine.”
“Fine, my foot! Stop talking and give them here.”
The man stared at her intently before finally surrendering the bandages. Thalia snatched them away and pulled up a chair to sit across from him.
Up close, the wound was even more gruesome. Fluid seeped from the lacerations, which glistened with ointment, and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin.
She bit her lower lip firmly and began to carefully wrap the cloth around his chest. Perhaps thanks to her habit of checking the bandages on her own legs every day, she was able to bind the wound with practiced ease.
“Are you sure you’re really okay? What if it gets infected later…”
“Once the venom is drawn out, it can be treated with magic. Do not worry.”
“Who said I was worried? If something happens to you, my life gets complicated, too…”
“I know. I said it to reassure you. Your Highness need not worry about becoming a widow just yet.”
Thalia fell silent at the calm reply, looking as if she were at a loss for words.
Barkas, who had been leaning back in his chair watching her with a thoughtful gaze, lightly grasped her wrist. “Why did you come today?”
For a moment, her heart hammered against her ribs as if she’d been caught in a surprise attack. Does he mean he’s not happy I’m here?
She stole a glance at his face. The firelight flickered over his handsome, expressionless features.
He tilted his head to one side. “You said you wouldn’t share a bed with me for the time being. Have you changed your mind?”
She reflexively shook off his hand. “I haven’t! Do you think I’m so desperate that I’d roll around with someone in your state?”
“Then why are you here?” He leaned his upper body closer to her.
Her eyes darted around in panic before she finally remembered her excuse. “The gift you gave… I just came to say thank you.”
The man looked down at her in silence for a long time, as if weighing the sincerity of her words, before finally speaking.
“Did you like it?”
“Who wouldn’t like a gift like that?” For some reason, she found it hard to look him in the eye and awkwardly lowered her gaze. “Still, don’t go hunting monsters anymore. No matter how much you pitied your sister, for the ruler of the East to be so reckless as to get injured…”
“What kind of man goes this far for his younger sister?”
Thalia, who had been nagging him, faltered and looked up.
Before she knew it, Barkas was playing with her hair. His touch was light, like a cat toying with a ball of yarn. He continued calmly, stroking her hair with his fingertips.
“Your Highness used to catch colds often, even in the middle of summer. The winters here are harsher than in the central regions. You’ll need something like that fur to get through it safely.”
“…That was when I was a child,” Thalia muttered, swallowing hard and looking away. “Everyone survives the winter; there’s no need to be so dramatic about it.”
“It is not dramatic at all.”
His pale blue eyes slowly scanned her from head to toe. Thalia unconsciously clutched the shawl draped over her shoulders. Even though he surely knew how thin her body had become since the accident, she felt a renewed sense of shame.
She hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway, don’t even think about hunting monsters ever again. Just make your subordinates do it. Do you still think you’re some lowly knight? You’re the Grand Duke now. What do you have soldiers for?”
“It was more efficient for me to do it myself. Above all, I couldn’t very well make my soldiers risk their lives for a gift intended for my wife, could I?”
Her ears turned hot at him referring to her as his wife so casually. Hoping the sunset glow would hide her blush, she acted unnecessarily irritable.
“If it’s something you can’t ask your soldiers to do, then don’t do it yourself either, you idiot!”
“…Weren’t you here to thank me?” he pointed out, arching an eyebrow.
Thalia let out a snort. “I came to give you a scolding, too. Your body isn’t just yours anymore. If you handle it recklessly without my permission again, I won’t forgive you.”