Talia turned to him with a stiff expression.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It means we will have to spend time together from now on.”
He answered calmly.
“There will be times during the tour when I'll have to ride, but as much as possible, I intend to travel with you in the carriage.”
She swallowed dryly.
“Then... what about the lodgings?”
“We will share those as well.”
Her heart sank.
She could not tell whether it was fear, or that old feeling that had tormented her for so many years.
Twisting the jade ornament wrapped around her wrist, Talia spoke anxiously.
“Do we really have to?”
Varkas said nothing.
Talia immediately launched into an attack.
“It isn't like you didn't know what people would say when you married me. Everyone already knows the truth behind our marriage. If we pretend to be some affectionate couple, won't that just look even more ridiculous?”
“We don't need to look affectionate.”
Varkas let out a long breath.
“It will be enough if we merely appear capable of maintaining a marital relationship.”
Talia blinked in confusion, then suddenly her eyes widened in shock.
A marital relationship.
Was he talking about what she thought he was?
She stared blankly at his ascetic face, which showed not the slightest trace of worldly desire, while he continued as if nothing was strange.
“No matter how we came to this point, we are husband and wife. Your Highness is aware of the obligations that follow marriage among the nobility. Merely appearing to be a normal couple will benefit both your position and mine.”
Talia's face turned scarlet.
Apparently, a marital relationship was exactly what she thought it meant.
Foolish words slipped through her trembling lips.
“So what you're saying is... we have to look like we share a bed?”
A faint wrinkle formed around his eyes.
It was an odd expression, somewhere between a smile and a frown.
“If you insist on putting it bluntly.”
Talia bit her lip hard and slowly looked him over.
Beneath the glossy silk, his strong body was clearly outlined.
Broad shoulders, a chest perfectly formed with refined muscles, a narrow waist, and long, sturdy legs like those of a horse...
Suddenly finding herself short of breath, she hastily lowered her eyes.
Through the thin folds of her skirt, her own frail legs were faintly visible.
Her stomach twisted painfully.
Even her mother had frowned at the scars with visible disgust.
Even the nanny who had raised her from infancy had never managed to hide her misery whenever she bathed her.
Cold sweat broke out merely at the thought of exposing something so ugly to him.
Clutching her skirts, she snapped sharply.
“I don't want to. Just let people gossip all they want. That's what people do. They have mouths for a reason. Why should I put on some ridiculous play just because I'm worried about what inferiors think—”
“Talia.”
A large hand covered her stiff one.
Startled, Talia looked up.
Grasping her cold hand firmly, Varkas spoke resolutely.
“I'm not asking you to put on an act.”
“......”
“We simply need to let others see that we spend time together.”
It sounded less like an order and more like a request.
And that realization strangled the words of refusal gathering in her throat.
With trembling eyes, Talia examined his face, which bore traces of faint fatigue.
Judging by the Grand Duke of Siorcan's attitude, perhaps Varkas's position itself was unstable.
While she had hidden herself away inside her room, he must have driven himself relentlessly to secure his place.
Her mouth suddenly went dry.
If Aila had come here instead, she would have rolled up her sleeves for his sake.
Displaying the leadership and dignity she had been born with, she would have helped strengthen his position.
He would never have had to ask for something like this.
After a proper wedding night, the two of them would have naturally continued their married life.
Talia bit her lower lip.
One self-destructive thought gave rise to another.
How would Varkas have treated Aila?
He was patient even with her, someone he had once growled at like an enemy. Surely he would have been even more gentle with Aila.
Just as he constantly found opportunities to touch her, he would have touched Aila without hesitation.
Talia could clearly imagine Varkas caressing Aila's cheeks and ears, wrapping his arm around her waist.
In her imagination, the two of them did far more than that without the slightest hesitation.
The more she thought about it, the more her heart burned.
Roughly pulling her hand from his grasp, Talia turned her face toward the window and struggled to suppress her turbulent emotions.
“Do whatever you want.”
Heavy silence settled between them.
She wanted to see his expression.
But somehow, she was afraid.
Resting her elbow on the window frame, Talia pretended to watch the cavalrymen.
Soon, accompanied by the resounding blast of horns, the carriage began moving.
Talia cautiously leaned out the window.
As the carriage passed through the gates, vast plains stretched before her.
Violent winds swept across the grasslands that touched the sky.
Watching the prairie gradually turning ocher, Talia stole a glance at him.
Varkas, too, was looking out at the fields.
The brilliant white sunlight cast dazzling backlight over his face.
A strange emotion tightened her chest.
In this unfamiliar and beautiful land, she would have to spend time with him.
Would she be able to protect the walls she had only just managed to build?
* * *
Lucas swung the reins without restraint.
It was his first ride in nearly a week.
Neglected for several days and furious because of it, Turgan snorted harshly and galloped powerfully across the grasslands.
Lucas could feel the stallion's taut muscles rippling beneath his thighs.
Rising in the stirrups, he let out a loud whoop.
The dry wind scraped roughly across his body.
It felt unbelievably refreshing.
“Do not leave the formation!”
Tyron shouted as he rode beside him.
Lucas looked over with dissatisfaction.
“What's the problem with this much?”
“I barely managed to get permission for you to come along under the pretext of teaching you how to conduct yourself as a retainer! If you keep acting however you want, what will become of me?”
Clicking his tongue, Lucas pulled on the reins.
After finally calming the excited horse, Tyron slowed down and drew closer.
“As I told you before, Young Master, you will be serving as His Grace's squire for a while. Don't stray too far from the carriage.”
“You just don't understand. I'm doing this for my brother's sake.”
Lucas spoke sarcastically.
“My brother hates having me hanging around. And that woman does too.”
Spitting out the words sharply, he glanced toward the carriage slowly making its way over the hill far behind them.
His face itched where that woman had slapped him.
The swelling had only subsided after two days.
Pouting, he muttered,
“You saw how that woman treated me that day.”
“And I saw you putting your nose against the back of her neck.”
Lucas flinched and blushed.
“When you say it like that, it makes me sound like some pervert! I just smelled something strange and tried to figure out what it was!”
“...No matter how you explain it, it still sounds perverted.”
Tyron shook his head.
“As His Grace said, both of you need to learn noble etiquette. Using the previous Grand Duke's illness as an excuse, you've all lived far too freely.”
Lucas glared at him resentfully.
Tyron's words, which subtly sided with Varkas, irritated him.
“You've completely fallen for my brother.”
Tyron didn't bother denying it.
Apparently, he had already accepted Varkas as his lord.
And it wasn't just Tyron.
The old conservative elders voiced concerns over Varkas's aggressive actions, but the hot-blooded warriors supported him passionately.
Everyone had been starving for strong leadership.
To be honest, even Lucas himself had been half captivated by the overwhelming strength Varkas had displayed.
But he didn't want to admit it so easily.
“Fine. I admit I was rude. But that woman wasn't innocent either! Why are we the only ones being punished?”
“She is royalty.”
Tyron replied indifferently.
“And now she's the Grand Duchess as well. So you should choose your words more carefully from now on. You heard what Sir Daren said earlier, didn't you?”
He drew a finger across his throat.
“She didn't even blink while spewing venom in front of the Grand Duke of Siorcan himself. Someone like Young Master? She could strip the flesh from your bones with that tongue of hers. So, for the peace of the East, don't provoke her temper for no reason.”
