Chapter 192
Varkas swallowed a quiet sigh.
Since their argument that evening, she had shut herself inside her room without showing her face even once. Ever since childhood, whenever something displeased her, her first instinct had been to lock herself away. There was nothing surprising about it. Given enough time, her mood would gradually improve.
Letting out another heavy sigh, he climbed the stairs.
"Bring my dinner to the study. And prepare a change of clothes."
"Yes, Your Grace. I'll see to it immediately."
Leaving the steward's reply behind, he headed straight for the study.
The room was already brightly lit by candlelight.
Even the servants now seemed to regard his staying there as part of the daily routine.
A bitter smile crossed Varkas's face.
He removed his rain-soaked outer garments, tossed them into the laundry basket, and lowered himself into the chair beside the window.
Only then did the exhaustion he hadn't even realized he was carrying come crashing over him.
His unfocused gaze rested on the rain splattering against the windowpane.
Tomorrow he would have to ride through that relentless downpour for at least half a day.
At the end of that journey awaited a battle that would scarcely deserve to be called one—a massacre would be more accurate.
No matter how fierce the Zram warriors might be, they were ultimately nothing more than a disorderly mob.
Their crude weapons would never leave so much as a scratch on the heavy armor of House Siorcan, forged with the finest dwarven craftsmanship.
If the enemy's numbers remained within their estimates, the battle would be over before sunrise.
He leaned his head against the back of the chair and reached for the wineglass the servants had already prepared.
Just then, the sound of the doorknob turning shattered the silence.
For an instant, unannounced entry irritated him.
Assuming it was merely a servant who hadn't yet learned that he had returned, he spoke without even looking back.
"You've come at a good time. Pour me a glass of wine."
He lifted the goblet without turning his head.
Soft footsteps approached.
The moment he noticed the uneven, awkward rhythm of them, Varkas straightened immediately.
At the same time, an impossibly sweet fragrance brushed against his nose.
He turned sharply.
Talia stood there, dressed in a thin gown that revealed every delicate curve of her slender figure, leaning toward him with a large wine bottle clasped in both hands.
"You'll be eating soon, so don't drink too much."
After pouring only a little wine into his goblet, she whispered softly.
Varkas stared at her blankly before finally coming back to himself and rising to his feet.
"What are you doing here?"
A flicker of uncertainty rippled through her eyes.
But it disappeared almost instantly behind a faint smile.
"I was waiting for you to come back."
She pointed toward the bedroom connected to the study.
Following her gesture, Varkas looked through the half-open doorway and frowned.
On the large round dining table stood a vase overflowing with colorful flowers and elegant silver candlesticks.
"We haven't eaten together once since we came back."
"So... I prepared this."
Her voice carried unmistakable nervousness.
Varkas let out a tired sigh.
"This won't change my mind. Please stop making unnecessary efforts."
Even to his own ears, the words sounded harsh.
To her, they seemed even crueler.
The smile lingering on her crimson lips quietly disappeared.
"I didn't prepare this to change your mind."
"I just... heard you'd be leaving the castle for several days..."
She nervously fidgeted with one of the ornaments sewn onto her skirt before continuing haltingly.
"I wanted to apologize before you left."
"I... went too far that day."
"I shouldn't have driven you out like that..."
Varkas simply looked at her in silence.
He wasn't sure whether he should accept this invitation.
He no longer wanted to be helplessly swept along by her whims.
Turning his gaze away from her anxious face, he said,
"You have nothing to apologize for. I should have made my feelings about having children clear from the beginning. But I..."
"We don't have to talk about that anymore."
She hurriedly interrupted him.
"I still want children... but if you truly don't, then I won't force you anymore."
"That's really not why I came."
"I only..."
Lowering her eyes awkwardly, she finished in an almost inaudible voice,
"I just wanted to have dinner with you."
"..."
"If you don't want to, you can refuse."
"I'll just eat by myself."
When he remained silent, she flushed red and abruptly turned away.
Almost instinctively, Varkas caught her wrist.
A sigh of resignation escaped him.
"Please wait a moment."
"I'll change my clothes first."
Only then did color return to her face.
Smiling brightly like a child, Talia nodded repeatedly before hurrying into the bedroom.
As soon as the door closed behind her, he stripped off his damp clothes, dried himself with a clean towel, and changed into fresh indoor attire.
Standing before the mirror, he smoothed his disheveled hair and straightened his clothing.
Having finished in moments, Varkas draped the silk Tunka hanging on the wall over his shoulders before stepping into the bedroom where she was waiting.
"You finished faster than I expected."
"Come, sit here."
Talia, who had been nervously rearranging the tableware over and over, hurriedly stood up.
Varkas walked to the chair opposite hers and sat down.
The table had been carefully laid with steaming soup, perfectly roasted meat, and an assortment of colorful fruit.
Talia placed small portions of each onto his plate while chatting in a tone so obliging it almost felt unnatural.
"You must be hungry."
"Go ahead and eat."
"The steward said you've been skipping meals lately."
"You always lectured me about my eating habits, so how can you be the one doing that now?"
He reached across the table and gently caught the hand busily moving back and forth.
"I can serve myself. Please sit down."
"You always took care of my meals."
"I wanted to do the same for you today."
Without taking her eyes off the flickering candlelight, she murmured in a trembling voice.
Realizing she was afraid he would reject her again, Varkas quietly released her hand.
Soon afterward, Talia awkwardly cut the meat into tiny pieces before generously smothering it with several different sauces.
She was obviously trying her hardest.
But a woman who had spent her entire life being waited upon could hardly be expected to prepare food skillfully.
Varkas silently looked down at the ruined meal.
The pie had been crushed beyond recognition.
The meat looked more butchered than sliced.
Sticky jam and several sauces had mixed together into an unidentifiable mess.
"What's wrong?"
"Don't you like it?"
"No."
Picking up his fork, he calmly placed the soggy mixture into his mouth.
"How is it?"
"Is it good?"
He honestly had no idea what he was eating.
Even so, he nodded calmly.
"You should eat too, Your Highness."
He served a reasonable portion onto her plate.
A delighted smile immediately bloomed across Talia's face.
She slowly ate the lamb and fruit he had neatly prepared for her before taking several more spoonfuls of the light chicken soup.
She still picked at her food.
But compared to the days when she treated every meal like an enemy, it was tremendous progress.
"When are you leaving tomorrow?"
As he quietly watched her eat, Talia dabbed her lips with a napkin before asking.
"At dawn."
He answered absentmindedly.
"Lucas said you're going to wipe out the raiders..."
"How many soldiers are you taking?"
Varkas slowly chewed the lamb that had been covered in peach jam before looking at her with a slight frown.
He had assumed she'd been hiding in her room this whole time.
When exactly had she found the chance to speak with Lucas?
Suppressing his displeasure, he answered bluntly,
"Roughly seven hundred."
"Isn't that too few?"
She looked genuinely startled.
A faint smile escaped him.
"Seven hundred mounted warriors are more than enough to wipe out nothing more than a band of raiders."
"But..."
"You'll be staying behind to command them... right?"
Without confirming or denying it, he quietly continued eating the food she had served him.
Watching him anxiously, Talia suddenly stood up and picked up the silver wine pitcher from the cabinet.
"Aren't you thirsty?"
"I'll pour you some wine."
Before he could stop her, she filled his goblet nearly to the brim with a dark crimson liquor.
Varkas frowned as the powerful aroma reached his nose.
It wasn't ordinary wine.
Beneath the pungent scent of strong alcohol lingered the unmistakable fragrance of numerous herbs.
"It's a special wine that restores your strength."
"It contains lots of medicinal herbs..."
"It should help with your fatigue."
She explained awkwardly.
Looking suspiciously at the crimson liquid, Varkas cautiously took a sip.
It wasn't nearly as dreadful as he'd expected.
He drank several more mouthfuls of the remarkably strong wine until it burned his throat before finally setting the goblet back down.