Chapter 133
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133
"Anything?"
Her tentative voice stirred a sudden, turbulent emotion deep within him.
Back when he served as a personal guard, this woman had ordered him around with nothing more than a tilt of her chin. He recalled the sheer exhaustion of dealing with her endless, nonsensical demands, her whining, and those inexplicable bouts of spite. It had been the first time in his life he’d ever truly felt fatigued.
It grated on him that a woman who used to make the most outrageous demands with such shameless confidence was now hesitating over something as trivial as food.
He reached out, covering her hands—which were curled tight like snail shells—and spoke firmly.
"Tell me whatever it is you desire. I will obtain it for you, no matter what it takes."
"Then... I want apricots. Fresh ones, not dried. And buy me some sugar-preserved violets and citron, too. I don’t want them soggy; I like them crisp."
She chirped the words as if she had been waiting for the invitation.
Watching her plead for snacks with eyes sparkling like a child’s made his stomach churn with a strange, tickling sensation, as if he’d swallowed a handful of feathers.
This was the same woman who used to sneer at a full feast as if she were looking at filth. How many times had he suppressed the urge to force her stubborn mouth open and shove food down her throat?
Suddenly, he realized he had wanted to see her eat her fill for a very long time.
At the time, he had thought he was simply annoyed by her ungrateful pickiness, but in truth, he had just been anxious for her.
"And what else?"
As he pressed her, cupping her feverishly warm cheek with one hand, the flush staining her face deepened. Her moist eyes darted back and forth in hesitation before she spoke awkwardly.
"You know, that drink we had during the tour of the East. The one they said was made from fermented goat milk... I want that, too."
Compared to her previous requests, this was incredibly modest.
For a moment, he looked dissatisfied that she was asking so tentatively for something so humble that even commoners enjoyed. But then, he remembered personally feeding her that drink and swallowed hard.
The memory of her small tongue, licking at the thick, honey-sweet liquid, made his lower abdomen tighten until it was hard as stone.
He took a deep breath and slowly stood up. If he lingered any longer, he felt he might end up forcing her into something she wasn’t ready for.
"I can have that drink prepared immediately. I will instruct the maid, so drink as much as you like."
"You bring it to me yourself."
Suddenly, her hand caught the fabric of his clothes. Barkas, who had been about to turn away, paused and looked down at her.
Her voice dropped so low it was almost inaudible.
"Not now. Later... this evening."
For a moment, a sensation akin to vertigo washed over him. He closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. Fortunately, his voice came out calm.
"Understood. I will bring it myself."
The woman, who had been looking up at him with clear eyes, nodded slowly and released her grip on his sleeve.
"Good. Now, you may go."
She gave a haughty toss of her head.
Barkas watched her for a moment. Then, unable to resist the impulse surging through his body, he seized the nape of her neck.
Her eyes, wide with surprise, went soft in an instant. Staring into her pupils—which were as dark and inviting as a bottomless swamp—he thrust his tongue deep into her mouth.
The heat of her mouth clung to him. It was a sensation he could never tire of, no matter how many times they did this; it felt as if his very entrails were melting. He gripped her small jaw and thrust his tongue deep, mimicking the act of possession, withdrawing and pushing back in again and again.
He repeated the act until his mind felt frayed, and only after his body became unbearably hot did he finally pull away.
In the bright light, her eyes looked like high-purity minerals without a single impurity. As he remained submerged in those strangely deep blue irises, the woman, gasping for breath, pushed against his shoulders.
"Go now. You said you had to be at the Military Affairs Office in an hour."
He turned his gaze toward the window. It didn’t feel like much time had passed, but he knew that if he lingered any longer, he would never be able to leave. Swallowing a sigh, Barkas reluctantly stood up.
"Then, please rest."
"...See you later," she murmured in a hoarse voice, leaning her face against her knees.
He forced his heavy feet to turn away.
Before entering the meeting room, he stopped by the kitchen and ordered them to prepare the food she had asked for. He would have to commission Southern merchants for the fresh fruit, but long-term storage items like preserved violets or citron wouldn’t be difficult to find.
He mentally cataloged other foods she might enjoy. Ideally, he wanted her to eat something nutritious like meat or vegetables, but for now, he was satisfied just by the fact that she was showing an interest in eating at all.
After instructing the head butler to summon a trader as soon as possible, he left the main castle.
As he entered the building used by the Wolfram Lancers, he was met with a functional space devoid of even a single decorative cabinet. Since most of the warriors were currently stationed on the outskirts of the territory to subjugate monsters and raiders, the interior of the building was quiet, almost desolate.
Barkas passed through the hall where various weapons were displayed and climbed the stairs. Three heavily built warriors were waiting in the meeting room. After offering them a formal greeting, Barkas got straight to the point.
In any case, the only measures they could take immediately were to strengthen the defenses of the northern border and stockpile weapons and military rations. He wrote out orders in cipher and assigned tasks to each of the knights. His instructions were to double the number of informants and hire reliable merchants and mercenaries so that military supplies could be procured at a moment’s notice.
"Shouldn’t we also call up additional troops?" a young knight, who had been listening silently, offered his opinion.
Barkas stroked his chin and nodded slowly.
"It would be wise to prepare, provided it doesn’t draw too much attention. Send secret messages to the lords of each region and tell them to bolster their forces."
Suddenly, a premonition that even this might not be enough pricked at the back of his neck.
"And gather some capable scouts. We need to conduct a thorough investigation of the Balto border."
"...Do you truly believe Balto will start a war of independence?"
"Those people will bare their teeth whenever they see an opportunity." Barkas rubbed his brow as he looked down at the map spread across the table. "It would be best to prevent a war from happening in the first place, but there’s no harm in preparing for the worst."
He picked up a quill, quickly marked the areas to be investigated, and moved on to the next agenda item.
To determine how far House Heimdall’s influence reached, he would have to mobilize his own family’s entire information network. After that, he would have to carefully eliminate their henchmen. You couldn’t burn down the whole house just because it was infested with rats; however tedious it might be, the only way was to set traps and use poison to wipe them out bit by bit.
"It would be best to bribe the guild leader of the Silver Alliance in advance. Arrange a meeting soon."
"That won’t be easy. The current guild leader is known to be from a noble family in Balto."
"Even so, he is a merchant. To have reached the position of chairman of a guild that holds sway over the entire northeastern region, he must be a businessman to his core." Barkas leaned back in his chair and spoke coldly. "If he’s such a fool that he rejects my offer, then we can simply replace the guild leader. I saw a few suitable candidates during the tour of the East, so contact them in advance."
His bold statement caused a flicker of surprise to cross the faces of his advisors before it vanished. The man who had raised the question nodded with a solemn expression.
"I understand perfectly."
Barkas gave a few more instructions and then stood up.
It was too early to say for certain, but House Heimdall likely didn’t want to start a war immediately either. They, too, would want to secure a sufficient preparation period. He had to sufficiently weaken their influence this winter.
He pressed down on his burning eyelids and left the meeting room.
By the time he had finished several tasks and returned to the main castle, the sun had already dipped below the castle walls. As always, it had been a breathless day, but today felt exceptionally, agonizingly long.
Stepping into the Great Hall, Barkas headed straight for the kitchen. He was coming out with the drink the servants had prepared and a few snacks for her when a familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Your Excellency."
Barkas looked over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes at the sight of a neat face clearly marked with tension.
The Eastern Healer spoke with a grim expression.
"I have something urgent to tell you."