TFM 22

Chapter 22

***

The pale, muscular body illuminated by the light filled her field of vision, and she remained motionless, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth.

She swallowed dryly and slowly scanned him from head to toe.

As if he had just washed off the dust he had picked up during the march, his faint blond hair was dripping with water, its color darker than usual, and his sculpted shoulders and broad back were also covered in translucent moisture.

Talia's eyes followed the water droplets sliding down the contours of his taut muscles, and she blushed and quickly looked up.

His generously cut trousers were also soaked, clinging to his long, strong legs.

It was the first time she had seen him so defenseless since she was 14, when she had ordered him to go into the lake on a whim.

Talia moistened her dry lips and struggled to gather the shattered words in her throat.

At that moment, a dry laugh came from nearby.

"The word 'hierarchy' coming out of your mouth? That's laughable."

Her confusion faded like an outgoing tide, replaced by irritation. She glared at him with sharp eyes and snorted.

"Hierarchy exists for superiors to remind their subordinates of their place. And you knights are in a position where you must obey me, a member of the royal family. So make sure your subordinates know whose orders to prioritize. Unless you want to be whipped for disrespect."

Varkas shot her an icy glare as he was pushing his arm into his shirt sleeve.

Talia tensed up. She knew from experience how ruthless this man could be with his words once he set his mind to it.

Watching his mouth intently, as if wary of a snake that might spit venom at any moment, Varkas picked up the robe hanging on the wall. Then, without even glancing at her, he walked out of the tent.

Talia stared blankly at his receding back, then immediately followed him. If he had hurled cruel words at her or glared at her angrily, she would not have been so angry. But she could not bear to be treated like a piece of trash lying on the roadside and ignored.

Talia caught up with him in an instant and raised her voice.

"Do you have to ignore everything I say to feel good about yourself?"

Hearing her loud voice, the soldiers who had been busily moving supplies stopped and turned to look at them.

But Varkas pretended not to hear her. He walked silently, staring straight ahead as if she were not worth his attention, which made her head spin with rage.

Talia roughly grabbed his sleeve. Perhaps not wanting to suffer the humiliation of having his clothes torn in front of the servants, Varkas finally stopped walking.

Looking at his indifferent face, Talia spoke slowly, as if chewing each word.

"How much have you been holding back inside? It must feel so good to not have to obey that annoying girl's orders anymore, right? That's why you don't even pretend to listen to me!"

"If it were something worth listening to, I would at least pretend to listen."

He coldly responded, roughly pulling her fingers off his sleeve.

Talia gritted her teeth. She felt humiliated as he brushed off his shirt as if something dirty had touched it.

Perhaps it would be better if this man disappeared from the world. Then she wouldn't have to feel this miserable.

Talia, who had been glaring at him with hostility, suddenly burst out laughing.

"Doesn't my speech sound like speech to you? Then shall I speak in the language of beasts, as your barbarian ancestors did? Would that make it easier for you to understand?"

The servants, who had been watching them with anxious faces, as if horrified by the outrageous insult, turned pale. But Varkas just stared down at her silently. Talia continued to rant at his cold face.  

"If you want, I can imitate the sound of a horse's neigh. I'm sure you'll understand that better. You like horses more than humans, don't you?"  

"It's better to talk to a horse than to you."

Varkas said with a sneer.

"My stallion has more sense than you. At least he doesn't whine all bloody day and drive people mad."

Talia's shoulders shook with indignation. Seeing this, Varkas twisted his lips in disbelief.

"You blush at this slight retort, yet you don't hesitate to strike at others' weak spots... are you so confident others can’t be as despicable as you?”

She shot him a fierce glance. Her throat bobbed as she wanted to refute his words immediately.

What do you know about me?

Who else in this world knows as much about human baseness as I do? Because I know all too well how ruthless humans can be, I have decided to be cruel myself. If I don't trample you first, you will trample me.

No matter how much she rambled on, it only exposed her own weakness.

She took a step back and put on an indifferent expression, as if she had never used harsh words.

"I didn't come here to engage in useless bickering. As I said earlier, I want to move my camp to another location. Tell the knights to pack their bags immediately."

Varkas took a deep breath, gathering his patience.

"I have no intention of catering to your whims. Stop wasting my time and go back to rest."

"I'm not saying I want to move the entire camp! Why can't I do this?"

"I have no obligation to explain my decisions to you."

"I am the emperor's daughter! If I demand it, you must obey..."  

"Enough."  

Suddenly, a dark shadow fell over her head.  

Talia flinched and hunched her shoulders. Varkas had abandoned even the most basic formalities and spoke coldly to her face.

"I've already exhausted my patience with you for today. At this point, you should know better than to expect tomorrow."

Despite his harsh tone, the face looking down at her was as gentle as ever. He was a man who never lost his dignity, even when enraged. That aspect of him made her feel even more miserable.

"Take the princess to her quarters."

He straightened up and gave orders to the knights standing nearby. Those who had been silently watching their confrontation immediately obeyed his command.

"Let's go, princess."

Talia shot a sharp glance at the knights blocking her way, then turned her gaze back to Varkas.

He was already far away. Talia stared intently at his elegant, unwavering gait, then gritted her teeth.  

That man didn't even ask me why I wanted to move the camp. He probably doesn’t care what I think.

'I wish he would just die.'

She felt ridiculous for making such a fuss over the possibility of something happening to him.

After all, he was a man who would belong to another woman once this trip was over. A man who would never be hers... What did it matter if she saw his corpse tomorrow morning?

Talia turned away abruptly.