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Chapter 27
His eyes, gleaming with anticipation, adhered ‌‌wetly to her chest before sliding downward with deliberate slowness. They ‌traced the contours revealed above her thin garments, lingering there for an eternity, before crawling back up to fix upon her own gaze with unwavering intensity.
Talia felt her muscles stiffen throughout her entire body. She ‌‌‌knew ‌‌‌she should flee immediately, yet her legs refused to obey.
The Nobleman crept closer, moistening his lower lip.
"If ‌‌‌Your Highness would only permit me...."
A callused, crude hand descended upon the hair draped across her shoulder. She watched in terror as her golden strands became ensnared around those thick, wooden fingers.
She could scarcely breathe. Though she ought ‌‌‌to have cried out in indignation, her parted lips emitted no sound whatsoever.
Interpreting her silence as consent, the Nobleman—who had been tenderly caressing each golden strand—now extended his hand toward her face.
His sandpaper-rough palm scraped painfully against her delicate skin. Paralyzed by fear, she shrank her neck inward when suddenly, from the darkness, a gauntleted hand seized the Nobleman's wrist with crushing force.
Talia recoiled as though awakening from a trance. When she lifted her gaze, she beheld eyes of brilliant silvery-blue burning with an icy light.
In that instant, her heart ‌‌‌plummeted.
She instinctively pressed herself against the wall. Barcas, regarding her with an expressionless face, slowly turned his gaze toward the Nobleman.
Whatever ‌‌‌‌the Nobleman glimpsed ‌in those eyes, he began to tremble violently as though confronted by a ‌‌specter.
"I, I was merely... Your Highness...."
"Silence."
A ‌‌heavy, low voice cut ‌‌off the Nobleman's excuses. His face, drained of all color, ‌‌contorted in agony. Though his grip appeared light, Barcas was clearly applying enough force to shatter bone.
Barcas spoke slowly, directly into the face of the Nobleman who was now drenched in cold sweat.
"Neither of us wishes to create a larger problem. ‌‌‌Return quietly to your quarters."
The ‌‌‌Nobleman, groaning in pain, nodded frantically.
Barcas released his arm and added:
"It would be wise ‌‌for you to remain out of my sight until ‌‌‌we depart this place."
"Y, yes. I shall remember."
The Nobleman cradled his swollen, bruised wrist and whimpered.
Barcas jerked his chin dismissively. The Nobleman did not hesitate and fled in panic. After watching his pathetic retreat for a moment, ‌‌Barcas turned his gaze back toward her.
Talia instinctively lowered her eyes. Though she had done nothing wrong, her mouth had gone dry and heat crept up the back of her neck. As she nervously gauged his reaction, his voice fell like a chill.
"Come with me. I shall escort ‌‌you to your quarters."
Talia, who had been holding her body rigid with tension, ‌‌‌felt an ‌inexplicable wave of ‌‌‌‌exhaustion wash over her, and her arms went ‌limp. In that moment, a strange indignation mingled with sorrow surged through her.
I nearly suffered something unspeakable. I was terrified beyond measure. Yet why are ‌you so utterly unmoved?
With an angry ‌‌expression, Talia bit her lip and abruptly strode past him. She would rather die than show him her weakness.
With her head held high in ‌‌defiance, she crossed the Garden with long strides. Before long, beyond the Long Corridor, the Female Dormitory came into ‌‌view.
With her gaze fixed forward, she called out curtly.
"We've arrived. Stop following me!"
Knights stood guard around the building. She would not suffer such an ordeal again.
She quickened her pace as though fleeing, but within mere steps, she found herself trapped between him and the building's outer wall.
Talia looked up at him with wide, startled eyes.
"What, what is this.... Suddenly...."
"If one plays with fire and burns oneself badly once...."
His voice ‌was rough, as though scraping the inside of his throat. He seemed to notice this himself, for ‌‌‌he paused briefly. When ‌‌‌he spoke again, his voice was considerably more composed.
"Is it not time you learned caution?"
She felt the color drain from her face. Barcas, scrutinizing her with such sharp eyes as though dissecting her very being, twisted his lips. ‌‌‌‌
"Or do you truly wish to roll around carelessly?"
Talia's hand flew without hesitation, ‌‌‌but once again her wrist was caught before it could reach his face. Barcas added slowly.
"If that is your intention, I ask that you ‌‌‌exercise restraint for now. Until this journey concludes, I would prefer to avoid troublesome complications."
She clamped her trembling lips shut. He released her arm and turned away slowly.
"I trust you understand."
In that moment, ‌‌had a blade been in her hand, she would have driven it into his ‌‌‌back without hesitation.
Like a fish gliding through water, I watched his retreating figure with murderous intensity, my gaze ‌‌‌silent and deadly. Then I felt my vision blur and turned away in panic.
Though I knew he would never look back, I feared he might catch a glimpse of my ‌‌tears. I ‌‌rubbed ‌‌‌‌my eyes roughly with my sleeve and fled into ‌‌‌the Female Dormitory as if escaping.
* ‌‌‌‌* *
The next morning, the ceremony proceeded as though nothing had transpired.
From the window of my assigned Bedroom, I looked down at the twin siblings making their way toward the Altar, with Barcas following behind them like a guardian.
By rights, I should have been among them. But I had excused myself with the pretense of illness—refusing a ceremony that the royal family was obligated to attend with an absurd excuse.
Ordinarily, the ceremony should have been postponed, but the Crown Prince's firm resolve ensured it proceeded as scheduled. Perhaps the Monastery welcomed this turn of events. After all, bestowing divine blessing upon a bastard was hardly something they desired.
'...I should have just ‌‌‌‌participated.'
My quiet laughter faded as I watched Ayla and Barcas standing side by side before the Altar. ‌‌‌‌
Had I joined them there, I could not have predicted what I might have done. I might have rushed at one of them, screaming that I would ‌‌‌‌kill them.
'I no longer know which one I despise more...' ‌
I habitually brought my fingers to my ‌‌‍‌‌lips, then lowered my arm again, unwilling to ‌‌‌damage my newly ‌‌grown nails.
I could not bear to watch any longer. I drew the curtains and threw myself onto the bed.
Huddled in the dim darkness, memories of last night circled through my mind. The lustful gaze, the hand reaching toward me, ‌‌‌‌and Barcas's ‌‌‌cold eyes....
"Should you not exercise caution after being burned once while playing with fire?"
I pulled the blanket over my head.
Barcas believed I had seduced that ‌‌‌‌man. Perhaps he was not entirely wrong. I had always been foolish, trapping myself in impossible situations.... And it had been his role to extract me from danger. Now that I had finally escaped that tedious duty, it was only natural ‌‌‌that I felt nauseated when something similar occurred again. He must surely be sick of me now.
I had finally freed him from that burden, yet here I was, repeating the same mistakes. Of course he was exhausted.
I buried my face in the pillow and laughed quietly.
The moment he walked out of my life came to mind. Perhaps it was because something similar had happened yesterday.
Staring at the beam of light filtering through the curtains, I slowly closed my eyes. Buried memories ‌‌unfolded chaotically in my mind.

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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To ‌‌‌‌‌support ‌‌our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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