Chapter 78
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78
Thalia arched an eyebrow at his flat response.
She couldn’t tell if he was brushing her off because he found their bickering tedious, or if he truly didn’t care about his attire and was simply humoring her. After scrutinizing his expressionless face as if trying to dissect it, Thalia eventually let out a deflated sigh.
"Sometimes, just being around you makes me feel like I’m going to explode."
Even at this sudden provocation, he showed no reaction.
The lengthening silence only made her more anxious. Thalia pulled the duvet up to her chin and turned away from him.
"Just leave now."
"I will leave after I see you take your medicine."
"I’m not taking it, so get out."
"I will leave once I’ve confirmed that you’ve taken it and are feeling better."
"I said I’m not taking it!"
When she whipped back around to face him, her cheeks flushed with irritation, his pale eyes—flecked with hints of gold—locked onto hers. He pulled a chair over to the bedside and sat down, his voice slow and deliberate.
"If you continue to be stubborn, I will make you take it by force."
Thalia’s body tensed.
Suddenly, memories of their wedding night clawed at her mind. The blurred line between dream and reality, the chaotic fragments of that night, replayed with vivid clarity.
Was Barkas thinking of that day, too?
Beads of sweat broke out above her lip. Unable to bear the strange tension permeating the room, Thalia awkwardly changed the subject.
"Have you been drinking?"
"A little," he replied nonchalantly, leaning back in the chair.
Watching him with wary eyes, Thalia snapped at him with a sharper tone than usual. "If you’re drunk, you should wash up and go to sleep. Why come into someone else’s room and make a scene?"
"I haven’t drunk enough to be intoxicated. They threw a grand welcoming ceremony, so I merely played along for a bit."
He gave a half-hearted reply and unfastened the cumbersome ornaments around his arm, placing them on the side table. Thalia watched him intently before cautiously asking a question.
"Did anyone say anything about me not showing my face?"
"Who would dare say anything to you?" A crease suddenly formed between his brows. "Your Highness holds the highest rank in this castle. There is no one here whose feelings you need to worry about."
"Who said I was worried? I was just curious," Thalia grumbled, shooting him a glare. It was somewhat absurd to hear such words from a man who had never truly treated her like an Imperial Princess himself.
Just as she was about to tell him to mind his own business, a knock sounded at the door.
"Young Lord, I have brought the medicine."
"Come in."
The door opened, and a petite maid entered. Barkas took the medicine bottle from her hand and dismissed her. Thalia stared at the bottle with a tense expression. For some reason, her stomach tightened. She swallowed hard against her stinging throat as he shook the bottle in front of her eyes.
"Drink."
Thalia looked back and forth between the small blue glass bottle and his face.
If I don’t drink this, will he kiss me like he did that night?
The sudden thought made her heart squeeze painfully. When she averted her gaze, unable to find her bearings, he leaned forward and asked in a low voice, "Are you not going to drink it?"
Her face felt like it was on fire. She felt that if she continued to resist, he would see right through her. She snatched the bottle from him with a trembling hand.
"I—I’ll drink it, all right?"
As if to prove a point, she popped the cork and downed the potent herbal extract. The bitter liquid, which felt as if it were burning her tongue, slid down her throat. Thalia coughed, her eyes welling with tears. It was the bitterest medicine she had ever tasted.
"What on earth is this?"
"It is a medicine prepared by House Sieorkan’s healer," he said, pouring a glass of cider from the side table and handing it to her. "From now on, a healer from this castle will be in charge of your care."
Thalia, who had taken the glass and was hurriedly gulping down the sweet liquid, glared at him in disbelief.
"By whose authority? I already have a personal healer. A high-ranking practitioner trained by House Taren has been treating me—"
"That healer did little more than burn sleep herbs and cast recovery magic. At that rate, your condition would never improve."
Thalia’s eyes sharpened. Her current healer was a skilled professional personally selected and assigned by Senevia. Did he really think a shaman of the Khan people, who knew little more than ancient spells, could compare to a mage of House Taren? Or did he have some other ulterior motive?
After glaring at him suspiciously, Thalia snapped coldly, "No. I will be treated by the healer my mother provided. How can I trust the people here? It’s obvious everyone hates me..."
His lips thinned into a hard line. "Why do you think that?"
"Do you think I’m an idiot? House Sieorkan supports the Crown Prince. I know you can’t be pleased with me for pushing Aila aside and marrying you." Thalia sneered. "Who knows? You might even try to poison me."
"Thalia Roem Sieorkan."
His soft voice scraped against her eardrums with a chilling edge. Thalia flinched. It wasn’t the alien surname attached to her name that froze her thoughts, but the hint of warning in his low voice.
He added stiffly, "I intend to tolerate your tantrums as much as possible. However, do not cross the line."
His cold tone sparked a flare of temper within her. She hurled the glass she was holding at him.
"Who asked you to tolerate my tantrums?"
The sticky cider drenched his chest. A terrible silence descended. Barkas let out a long breath and slowly stood up.
Startled, Thalia scrambled to hide in the corner of the bed. Barkas watched her for a moment before shaking his head.
"Why do things that make you so afraid?"
Thalia flushed with shame.
He lightly brushed off the liquid dripping down his chest and added calmly, "No matter how much of a fit you throw, it won’t work this time. Starting tomorrow, a new healer will examine your condition."
"I clearly said I don’t want to!"
He didn’t even pretend to listen as he walked toward the bedroom door. Thalia raised her voice at his retreating back.
"You liar! You said I was the highest-ranking person in this castle! Then why are you doing whatever you want?"
"You should at least listen to your husband, even if you won’t listen to anyone else." Stopping at the doorway, Barkas looked back at her and spoke as if admonishing a spoiled child. "I’m being quite obedient myself, am I not?"
With that, he pointedly took off his wet coat and draped it over one arm. Thalia stood there with her mouth agape.
He pulled the doorknob and added calmly, "Now, go to sleep. You’ll need to rest for a few days to recover from the fatigue of the journey."
Thalia belatedly snapped out of it and threw a pillow, but he had already left the room. She stared blankly at the bundle of fabric rolling on the floor before collapsing onto the bed. For some reason, she felt a sense of injustice, as if she were the one being bullied in this marriage instead of him.
* * *
The next morning, Thalia woke up feeling relatively refreshed. Perhaps because she had slept almost the entire day, the pain in her legs was less than usual.
Rubbing her bleary eyes, Thalia sat up in bed and looked up at the brilliant blue sky through the window before ringing the bell beside her bed. A moment later, a middle-aged woman with a stern face and a much younger maid entered the room together.
"Good morning, Your Highness. Please forgive our late introduction." The older woman spoke first. "I am Areta, the head maid in charge of the servants in this castle. This is Brisa, the personal maid who will be serving Your Highness from now on."
As the woman pulled the arm of the dazed maid, the girl named Brisa hurriedly bowed her head.