As the pale glow of the lanterns filled her vision with the sight of his sturdy body gleaming white beneath the light, her tongue stuck fast to the roof of her mouth as though glued there.
Swallowing dryly, she slowly swept her gaze over him.
Perhaps he had only just washed away the dust he had been covered in during the march. His faint blond hair held a darker shade than usual as water dripped steadily from it, and moisture glistened white across his sculpted shoulders and broad back.
Talia’s eyes followed the droplets sliding down along the taut ridges of muscle before she abruptly lifted her head, cheeks flushing red.
Even the generously tailored trousers clung damply to his long, powerful legs.
The last time she had seen him so defenseless had been when she was fourteen, when she spitefully ordered him into the lake.
Moistening her dry lips, Talia desperately tried to gather together the words that had shattered apart inside her throat.
Then, from close by, came the sound of a dry laugh.
“To hear the word hierarchy come out of your mouth. Even a dog would laugh at that.”
At the mocking voice, her embarrassment receded like an ebbing tide, replaced instead by irritation. She shot him a sharp glare and sneered.
“Hierarchy exists for those above to flaunt before those beneath them. And you knights are in a position where you must obey me, a member of the imperial family. So make certain your subordinates understand whose orders take priority. Unless you’d like to be whipped for lèse-majesté.”
As he slid an arm into his shirt sleeve, Varkas cast her an icy look.
Talia stiffened immediately. Through bitter experience, she knew all too well how mercilessly this man — usually silent to a maddening degree — could wield his tongue once he made up his mind.
Watching his mouth as warily as one might watch a venomous serpent poised to strike, she saw Varkas pick up the robe hanging on the wall. Without sparing her so much as a glance, he simply walked out of the tent.
Talia stared blankly after his retreating figure before immediately chasing after him.
Had he hurled cruel words at her or glared at her in fury, she would not have been this enraged. But being ignored as though she were nothing more than a stone lying by the roadside — that she could not endure.
Catching up to him in moments, Talia snapped furiously,
“Do you only feel satisfied after pretending not to hear every single thing I say?”
At her ringing voice, the soldiers busily carrying supplies halted and turned toward them.
But Varkas himself showed no sign of listening. The sight of him continuing forward in silence, staring straight ahead as though she were not even worth responding to, sent heat surging all the way to the top of her head.
Talia violently seized the hem of his clothes. Perhaps unwilling to suffer the humiliation of having his garments torn apart in front of the servants, Varkas finally stopped walking.
Staring straight at that detached face, Talia spat out each word as though grinding them between her teeth.
“You must have been dying for this all along. Now that you don’t have to obey the orders of a tiresome little bitch anymore, you must feel absolutely relieved, don’t you? That’s why you don’t even pretend to listen when I speak!”
“It would have to sound like words first before I’d bother pretending to listen.”
Coldly replying, he ruthlessly peeled her fingers off his clothes.
Talia clenched her teeth.
The way he brushed at his shirt as though something filthy had touched it filled her with humiliation.
Perhaps it would be better if this man simply disappeared from the world entirely. Then she would never have to feel this miserable again.
Still glaring at him with hostility, Talia suddenly let out a rough laugh.
“My words don’t sound like words to you? Then should I speak in the language your barbarian ancestors used? Would that help you understand?”
The servants watching anxiously nearby turned pale at the outrageous insult.
But Varkas merely looked down at her in silence.
Staring straight into that cold face, Talia continued viciously,
“If you want, I could imitate a horse’s cry for you too. I think you’d understand that much better. You like horses more than people anyway.”
“It would certainly be better than dealing with you.”
Varkas spoke with a mocking edge.
“At least my warhorse is capable of conversation. Unlike someone who whines endlessly until everyone around her grows sick of it.”
Talia’s shoulders trembled violently with humiliation. Seeing that, Varkas twisted the corner of his mouth as though dumbfounded.
“You flush red from a pathetic little counterattack like this, yet you stab mercilessly at other people’s deepest wounds....... Do you act this way because you believe nobody else is capable of becoming as vile as you are?”
She glared at him viciously. Her throat swelled with the urge to immediately refute him.
What do you know about me.
Who in this world knows human cruelty better than I do?
I know better than anyone how merciless people can become. That’s why I decided I would become cruel first. Because if I don’t trample you down before you trample me, then you’ll destroy me instead.
But no matter how desperately she explained herself, all it would do was expose her own weakness.
Taking a step back, she composed herself as though she had never raised her voice at all.
“I didn’t come here just to trade pointless insults with you. Like I said earlier, I want my campsite moved elsewhere. Order the knights to pack everything immediately.”
Varkas drew in a long breath as though gathering together the last remnants of his patience.
“I have no intention of indulging your whims. Stop chasing fantasies and go back to your quarters to rest.”
“I’m not asking you to move the entire camp! Why can’t it be done?”
“I have no obligation to explain every one of my decisions to you.”
“I am the Emperor’s daughter! If I demand it, then you are naturally required to obey—”
“That’s enough.”
A dark shadow suddenly fell over her head.
Talia flinched, her shoulders shrinking instinctively.
Discarding even the last traces of formal courtesy, Varkas coldly murmured directly before her face,
“I’ve already exhausted today’s quota of patience on you. By this point, you ought to know how to wait for tomorrow.”
In contrast to the roughness of his words, the face looking down at her remained devastatingly elegant.
He was a man who never lost his dignity, not even in anger.
That only made her feel more miserable.
“Escort the Second Imperial Princess back to her quarters.”
Straightening his body, he issued the order to the nearby knights. The men who had silently watched their confrontation immediately obeyed.
“This way, Your Highness.”
Talia shot a razor-sharp glare at the knights blocking her path before turning her gaze back toward Varkas.
He was already far away.
Staring stubbornly at his retreating figure °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° as he walked away with flawless elegance, Talia ground her teeth hard.
That man did not even ask why she wanted the campsite moved.
He simply did not care what she was thinking.
‘He really should just die.’
The fact that she herself had panicked over the possibility of something happening to him now felt laughable.
Once this journey ended, he would belong to another woman anyway.
A man who would never become hers.......
Even if she were to see his corpse tomorrow morning, what difference would it make?
Talia abruptly turned away.
