TFM 127

Chapter 127

***

The fingers that had been stroking her hair slid down the nape of her neck.

Talia tilted her head back without realizing it. The tongue that had always spewed hurtful words at the slightest opportunity now gently swept across every corner of her mouth.

Her breathing grew increasingly ragged, and her vision grew hazy. She could feel their bodies burning with a heat so intense it was almost unbearable, but she simply couldn’t stop.

She moved her tongue slowly and sensually, following Varkas’s lead.

How long had they been like that? Just as her lips began to tingle, he lifted his head.

Talia looked up at him, gasping for breath. Unlike her own body, which was throbbing with heat, there was no trace of desire on the serene face gazing down at her. That inexplicable disconnect made her uneasy.

Talia, trying to steady her ragged breathing, quietly turned away.

“I… I’m going to go now.”

Just as she was about to step off the bed, he wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Stay a little longer.”

The sweet, deep voice pouring into her ear made her feel as if her very bones were melting. The man, who had wrapped himself tightly around her from behind, pressed his lips to the nape of her neck.

Talia stiffened with tension.

The reason she had come here was to bear an heir for the Grand Duke’s family.

Surrendering herself to him in the darkness was nothing more than a necessary step to accept him without pain.

Those lies, bordering on self-hypnosis, were about to crumble helplessly at a single gentle touch. She desperately steeled her resolve.

“There’s no reason for me to be here.”

“There’s no reason for you not to stay, either.”

He said this as he stroked her hair.

“I’m a patient, after all. Just stay by my side until I fall asleep.”

Hearing the slightly languid tone in his voice, Talia bit her lip.

Why do you want me to stay by your side?

She wanted to ask him that point-blank, but she was afraid of receiving a disappointing answer.

Hesitating, Talia ended up saying something else entirely.

“……Then go to sleep quickly.”

She could feel his lips move ever so slightly.

Could he have been smiling?

No, that couldn’t be. Weren’t the corners of his mouth usually completely still, except when he’s sneering or scoffing?

Suppressing the urge to turn around, she stared intently at the windowpane where raindrops were splashing. Just then, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by a rumbling sound.

“Are you afraid of thunder?”

He asked suddenly.

Only then did Talia realize she was trembling.

She had never once felt fear of storms or lightning, but she didn’t deny it. She didn’t want him to notice that she was unsettled by the emotions he stirred in her.

A moment later, she heard his steady breathing. Her pounding heartbeat also gradually slowed.

Had he fallen asleep?

But maybe not.

She dragged out the moment for quite a while, silently speculating on a fact she could verify simply by turning her body, when drowsiness swept over her like a tidal wave.

She gradually sank into the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness. Then, at some point, she was sucked in as if sinking into a dense darkness.

The warmth that had so pleasantly enveloped her body faded in an instant, and the darkness struck her entire body like a sledgehammer.

She struggled to reach the light, but only the creaking sound of her crushed bones echoed pitifully. Just then, a growling breath mingled with the sound.

She saw two eyes flashing in the darkness.

A red-eyed monster crawled slowly toward her, intent on devouring her. The hideous form of the scaled beast came into faint view. The monster opened its mouth and chewed on her mangled lower body. Not even a scream escaped her lips.

With eyes wide with terror, Talia watched as the monster, shrouded in darkness, tore into her body.

But something was off. The monster’s form gradually shrank and transformed into a shape that seemed somehow familiar.

A woman with a strange smile on her lips embraced her blood-soaked upper body with a hand that glowed pale. Then, parting her blood-soaked lips, she tore a chunk of flesh from the nape of her neck.

At last, Talia could make out the monster’s face.

It was her mother.

Senevere devoured what little remained of her body, bit by bit.

In the blink of an eye, only Talia’s head remained, and she wept.

A delicate hand lifted the severed head.

How pitiful.

Senevere whispered as if she were genuinely sorry, then kissed her wet cheek.

“Talia!”

At that moment, someone shook her violently.

Talia opened her eyes wide, gasping for air as if she’d just been pulled from the water.

Through her panicked vision, the scene of the dark bedroom came into view. For a moment, she couldn’t clearly grasp where she was.

As she trembled like an aspen tree, someone stroked her head.

“Shh, shh……. It’s okay.”

Talia turned her head. She saw a beautiful face clouded with worry.

He cupped her cheeks with both hands and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with his thumbs.

“Calm down. It was just a dream.”

“………………A dream?”

Talia, who had been rolling her eyes to shake off the lingering image of Senevere stuck to her retinas, let her shoulders slump. But the trembling wouldn’t subside.

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and stroked her back in a steady rhythm. Her heart, which had been pounding so violently it felt as if it might burst from her chest at any moment, gradually regained its normal rhythm.

She murmured in a voice choked with tears.

“Have you ever had a nightmare?”

The hand patting her back paused for a moment.

“A very long time ago.”

“What kind of dream was it?”

“Well…………….”

Just as she noticed his voice had grown a little quieter and was about to lift her head, his hand pressed down on the back of her head.

“It was so long ago that I don’t remember it very well.”

But you clearly remember that you had a nightmare, don’t you? It must have been a very distressing dream.

“Go back to sleep. If another nightmare comes, I’ll wake you up.”

He whispered as he pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. Talia naturally burrowed deeper into his embrace.

It occurred to her that she hadn’t planned on sleeping here in the first place, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. Right now, there was no way she could pull away from his arms.

She closed her eyes, resting her cheek against his bare chest.

***

The next day, she learned exactly how he had been injured.

A large box containing well-groomed silver fur had been placed in front of her door.

The servant who had delivered it personally explained proudly.

“This is the hide of a Drakar that His Highness the Grand Duke personally hunted down. It’s a top-quality material that won’t burn in fire and perfectly blocks even the harshest winter winds. He ordered that a coat be made for Her Highness the Grand Duchess from this.”

The nanny stroked the fur with trembling hands, her mouth agape.

The silky white fur glowed with a subtle blue sheen in the sunlight.

“My goodness, it’s so beautiful.”

The maids who had come to help her get dressed also burst into exclamations of admiration.

And with good reason. The Drakar was one of the highest-ranking creatures among the dragon-type monsters. Its only weakness was its abdomen, covered in soft fur.

Consequently, even top-tier hunters had to risk their lives to obtain a pristine pelt free of any damage. Perhaps not even her mother had ever seen such top-grade material.

Yet, as Talia gazed down at that precious treasure, her face had turned as cold as ice. It was because, upon recalling him waging a reckless battle just to obtain this trifle, rage surged through her to the very tips of her hair.

She shot a cold glare at the servants.

“Where is His Highness the Grand Duke right now?”

“Well… he’s in his office, attending to official business.”

A servant, sensing her displeasure, replied with a dejected expression.

Talia left the room without delay. She intended to snap at him that she had no use for such a gift and to tell him never to do anything so pointless again.

But as she descended the stairs, a scene unfolded before her eyes that seemed to mock her anger.