Chapter 129
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129
"And if I can’t?"
His voice suddenly dropped an octave.
Thalia bit her lower lip, feeling the muscles in her shoulders tighten. His blue eyes, now inches away, reflected her own frozen, tense expression.
He nonchalantly wound a lock of her hair—which he had been toying with—around his finger and continued calmly.
"Will you come find me to scold me again, just as you did today?"
The heat flushing her cheeks spread to the nape of her neck and her earlobes. It was impossible for her hair to have nerves, yet she felt a tingle shoot through the back of her head as if he had actually bitten her neck.
Thalia masked her agitation by deliberately putting on an angry face. She wanted it to look as if her flushed skin was due to rage rather than embarrassment.
"Yes. If you come back injured again, I won’t let it go. I’ll torment you to death."
For a fleeting moment, the corners of his mouth quirked upward.
Thalia’s eyes widened, but the ghost of a smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
He rose leisurely from his seat and picked up the shirt he had cast aside. Sliding his arms into the linen sleeves, he replied in his characteristically blunt tone.
"Since you’re threatening me so severely, I suppose I’ll have to be extra careful from now on."
Thalia glared at him, irritated.
"You’re not taking me seriously, are you?"
"I am taking you very seriously."
Barkas, now draped in his shirt, replied half-heartedly as he fastened the buttons.
"Since this body belongs to Your Highness now, you’re telling me to handle it with care so it doesn’t get scratched, aren’t you?"
"I didn’t put it that way!"
"That is exactly how you put it."
Thalia snapped to her feet.
"I’m leaving."
She shot him a furious glare and began limping toward the door, but he immediately caught her by the wrist.
Thalia tried to push him away, but she flinched and pulled her hand back when she felt the texture of the bandages through his thin shirt. Worried that she might have hurt him, she searched his face, but Barkas naturally led her back to the bed.
"You haven’t fed me my medicine yet."
His soft breath tickled her forehead.
Thalia glared at him, her face turning bright red. Barkas looked perfectly composed, as if he were merely asking for something he was entitled to.
Has he developed some distorted idea that feeding medicine mouth-to-mouth is a normal thing to do? While she was preoccupied with that ridiculous worry, he opened a drawer and pulled out a medicine vial.
"Here it is."
He sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her from escaping.
Thalia looked down at the man, baffled by how strangely brazen he had become lately. He tilted his head slightly.
"Do you dislike it?"
"…Who said I disliked it?"
Feigning reluctance, she took the vial and opened the cap, revealing a purple liquid inside.
She brought the bottle close to her face and sniffed it. Instead of the bitter scent of Mandrake extract, she smelled only thick honey and a faint hint of mint.
"Is this the right medicine?"
"It is. They said it’s a reagent that purifies the blood. I kept it because it’s also supposed to be effective at neutralizing monster venom."
Despite his explanation, Thalia did not withdraw her suspicious gaze.
"That healer from earlier gave this to you, didn’t she? Can that woman really be trusted? If she prescribes the wrong medicine again…"
"I received that medicine from Daren," Barkas interrupted. "But if you’re that worried, you don’t have to put it in your mouth."
He reached out to take the vial back from her hand.
Thalia instinctively hid the bottle behind her back.
"Who said I wouldn’t do it? I’m just worried…"
She caught herself mid-confession and peeked at his reaction. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to realize that it was his well-being she was worried about.
Barkas, who had been watching her with a serious, furrowed brow, spoke gravely.
"Don’t worry, that healer’s medicine will never touch Your Highness’s lips again. After that incident, she was already dismissed from her primary duties."
"You should be careful too! What do you mean 'dismissed' when she’s acting as the Grand Duke’s physician!"
When she snorted, he let out a faint sigh.
"I only called her in this once as an exception. They say there is no one in the East more knowledgeable in pharmacology than her. Since she has a history of treating wounds that magic couldn’t heal, I decided to let her manage my injury only until the venom is gone."
His calm response made her stomach twist.
Thalia replayed the image of the healer in her mind. She was a young woman with large, clear eyes like a doe’s.
Even though she knew Barkas—who hadn’t even blinked at the famous beauties of the Imperial Palace—would never spare a glance for such a woman, her anxiety wouldn’t fade.
She felt this way even though she knew that, to him, most humans were little more than living, breathing inanimate objects.
Since they were very young, Thalia could never stand other women lingering around him. She had gone as far as kicking out every single maid who cast a fervent gaze his way.
In the end, she succumbed to that hideous jealousy once again.
"I don’t trust her. One mistake leads to another, and then another. What on earth are you thinking, entrusting your body to her?"
Barkas, who had been staring intently at her face, slowly nodded.
"If you feel that way, I will send her away from the castle immediately."
Startled by his easy compliance, Thalia blurted out in a hurry.
"Who told you to go that far? It’ll just make me look like the bad person again. I’ll be called a wicked villainess who ruthlessly cast out a loyal vassal of the Grand Duke’s household."
He narrowed his eyes, giving her a peculiar look.
Since when did you care about your reputation? He was likely thinking something along those lines.
Thalia sharpened her gaze.
"I’ll allow the treatment for now. However, every part of the process must happen before my eyes. If I catch you alone with that woman when I’m not around…"
Thalia, who had been speaking at a rapid-fire pace, suddenly fell silent. She realized her words were exposing her raw jealousy.
Stealing a glance at his expression, Thalia quickly added, "If something happens to you, my position becomes precarious too. This is a matter of my own safety."
Barkas’s brow furrowed at her rambling excuses. He stared at her with a persistent gaze, as if trying to dissect her thoughts, before finally speaking after a long silence.
"If that makes you feel more at ease, I will do as you wish."
His strangely submissive answer actually made her more anxious.
She bit her lower lip, her eyes darting around.
Why are you putting up with all my tantrums? Is it just because I’m the woman you married, and you’re treating me well out of a sense of duty?
Or have you started to like me even a little? Is that why you want me to stay with you?
She swallowed the countless questions. To ask would be to beg, and she would never fall that far.
I don’t expect anything from you anymore. As she struggled to hold onto that tattered lie, Barkas pulled her onto his lap.
Thalia curled her body as much as possible to avoid touching his wound. However, he seemed not to care about the injury at all.
Holding her back firmly, Barkas naturally took the vial from her.
"Open your mouth."
Following his instruction unconsciously, she watched as he brought the glass vial to her lips and tilted it carefully.
Soon, a liquid so sweet it felt like her tongue was melting began to flow in.
Barkas, looking down at her with shadowed eyes, leaned in. His tongue scooped up the sweet liquid pooled in her mouth.
Lapping at the soft interior of her mouth like a cat with milk, Barkas began to explore her more deeply and persistently.
Thalia naturally wrapped her arms around his neck. The intense sensation of their lips and tongues brushing against each other made her feel as if her brain were melting.
"Haa…"
Barkas, who had been savoring the small amount of liquid for a long time, pulled his lips away. As she tried to catch her breath, the glass vial pressed against her lower lip again.
Following his silent demand, she opened her mouth once more, and the honey-thick liquid seeped in. Then, as if it were the natural next step, his tongue pushed inside.
The kiss, which had begun under the pretext of medicine, did not stop until the sunset was swallowed by darkness.
"…When will the wound be fully healed?"
Thalia, catching her breath with her head resting on his uninjured shoulder, asked softly.
His gaze, now so dark it appeared deep blue, landed on her face. A voice laced with a metallic rasp grazed her forehead.
"Four days."
His long, elegant fingers brushed away the hair clinging to her face. She felt his eyes, heavy and intense, fixate on her sweat-dampened neck.
He added, "If the medicine works well, the treatment will be finished in three days."
Unable to meet his eyes, she hid her gaze beneath her lashes.