Chapter 173
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL) – Chapter 173
Chapter 173
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
He watched the scene intently, and when the wolf showed no further aggression, he shifted his gaze toward her.
“What on earth are you doing?”
“…I was just trying to show you that Khan isn’t dangerous,” she murmured timidly.
Varkas intended to rebuke her harshly, but he fell silent upon noticing that her neck had flushed red.
Suddenly, it dawned on him that this was the first time he had held her so close in nearly two years.
She seemed to realize it too, as she stammered in a trembling voice:
“Khan would never hurt me. So there is no need for such a fuss, put me down.”
He glanced sideways at the “giant wolf,” which remained on high alert, and then lowered her to the ground a little further away.
Talia immediately took a step back.
However, she did not seem to intend to move any further away; instead, she began to examine him leisurely from a distance that allowed them to share the same air.
Varkas’s insides stirred under the gaze of her eyes, which possessed a singular brilliance.
Although she looked a bit anxious, she did not display the excessive hostility of the past.
Nor did she seem to experience pain simply by seeing him; on the contrary, she fixed her firm eyes on him without blinking, as if trying to capture every single detail of him.
He also gazed intently at her face, framed by her wet, golden hair.
Her blue eyes, from which the shadow of sadness had vanished, cast a captivating glow under the summer sun. Furthermore, her cheeks, bursting with vitality, looked a bit fuller compared to the last time he had seen her.
“She looked exactly like this when she was pregnant with my child.”
The instant that thought crossed his mind, he felt as though he had swallowed fire and ice at the same time, which constricted his throat.
Varkas’s face contorted with a slightly distorted expression and, moved by a strong impulse, he extended his hand to her once more.
At that exact moment, the beast approached, swaying, and shook its body forcefully.
Varkas received a massive amount of water that fell over him like rain, so he directed a sharp glare at the wolf. The animal, for its part, feigned innocence as if nothing had happened and began to wag its tail for its mistress.
“Just as you said, let’s return to the castle first.”
Talia, who was just as soaked as he was, let out a sigh of relief and turned around. The “giant wolf” followed her, sticking to her side as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Varkas watched the scene dumbfounded, exhaled a deep sigh, and followed them in silence.
Upon arriving at the main palace, Lucas and the servants, who were awaiting their return, approached.
“Were you also enjoying playing in the water with my brother?” Lucas murmured in astonishment as he examined his brother, soaked from head to toe.
Varkas did not answer him; he passed right by and entered the palace.
Talia had gone ahead of them toward the great hall and was drying the wolf’s body with a large towel in front of the kitchen fireplace.
Varkas approached her and snatched the towel from her hands.
She was a woman who had lived her entire life being attended to by others, to the point that the times she had bathed herself could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand. Therefore, it caused him deep displeasure to see her serving a mere beast.
“Leave the care of this wolf in the hands of the servants and go up to your room right now. I wish to hear an explanation from Your Highness about what occurred during this time.”
“I can’t. Khan hates for anyone other than me to touch him.”
“Didn’t you just claim a moment ago that this wolf does not harm others?” he pointed out coldly. “If your words are true, there will be no problem if we leave him in the care of the servants for a brief moment.”
Talia found no answer, so she looked at her wolf out of the corner of her eye.
Varkas read the uneasiness in her gaze and asked her severely:
“Or is it that Your Highness is also not certain that this wolf is harmless?”
“It’s not that!” Talia denied loudly, and then directed a look full of resentment at him. “And stop calling him ‘wolf, wolf.’ I told you his name is Khan. Would you like someone to call you ‘human, human’? If you are going to address him, call him by his correct name.”
“…”
He suppressed a sigh that was about to escape his throat.
If most of the nobles of the East knew that the Grand Duchess, coming from the people of Ossiria, had given the name “Khan” to a beast, they would feel insulted. Was she demanding this while being aware of that reality?
Feeling somewhat exhausted by his wife, who caused disputes even over trivial matters, he handed the towel to the servant waiting for orders, almost throwing it at him.
“Take good care of this wolf.”
When he was about to guide her out of the kitchen, Talia grabbed his arm tightly.
“I said his name is Khan. Pronounce it clearly, Khan.”
Varkas saw her stubborn face and furrowed his brow.
He did not understand why she clung so tightly to the wolf’s name, but since it was something very important to her, he gained nothing by crossing her.
He murmured as if sighing:
“Khan.”
It was then that her face lit up. Talia drew him in front of the wolf and said in a cheerful voice:
“Would you like to touch him? His fur is extremely soft and fluffy.”
Varkas shifted his gaze to the beast that remained sitting quietly before the hearth with its paws together.
The wolf, sitting on its hindquarters and resting on its front paws, looked like a loyal hound. However, he could read an intense hostility in its blue eyes, which did not take their sight off him.
“Go on, touch him,” she urged him candidly, as if she did not notice the murderous intent emanating from the wild beast.
He extended his hand toward the wolf, driven by that gaze of hers filled with strange expectations. Although it was evident that he ran the risk of being bitten, he was unable to reject her request.
Remaining on maximum alert to withdraw his arm at any instant, he cautiously stroked the face of the wolf, which had not yet dried completely.
At that moment, murderous intent flashed in the animal’s eyes, but it did not show its fangs or growl suddenly. It seemed to be suppressing its fury with a supreme effort for the sake of its mistress.
“What do you think? Isn’t he very gentle?” she said with an air of triumph.
Varkas contained a bitter smile and withdrew his hand carefully.
It was evident that this wild beast possessed great aggressiveness, but apparently, it also possessed an intelligence and a capacity for self-control that allowed it to evaluate the situation.
“…However, it is impossible to predict when and how its temperament might change.”
Perhaps it was possible to control him when he was a puppy, but now that he had become an adult, dealing with him would not be as simple as before.
Varkas contemplated the enormous wolf with an expression deep in thought and then turned around.
“Let’s go to the room.”
The woman, who was watching him expectantly, became disappointed and the features of her face changed. She probably expected him to show a greater interest in her pet.
He felt a pang of discomfort in a corner of his heart upon seeing her crestfallen expression, but he left the kitchen, maintaining his coldness with great effort.
“It’s better to change out of wet clothes first.”
When they finally arrived in front of the bedroom they used to share, Varkas gently pushed her inside and told her in a polite tone:
“Call the servant so you can change your clothes. I will go wash up and then I will come see you.”
She stood by the door and cast a bewildered look at him, then nodded her head.
He immediately moved to the adjoining room, where he stripped off his wet armor and the gambeson made of wyvern leather.
Meanwhile, the servants brought water for washing and a change of clothes.
He washed his body quickly and dressed in a clean tunic and cotton trousers of oriental style. After changing his mud-stained boots for new ones, he returned to her bedroom, being received by Talia, who wore a blue dress of a perfectly luxurious and elegant design.
He stood dumbfounded on the threshold of the door and examined her thoroughly. This was the first time he had seen her dressed up that way since the night she had gone to sleep with him.
Did she usually wear this type of clothing normally? Or did she…?
“What are you doing standing there? Why don’t you come in and sit down?”
Talia, sitting in a plush chair with thick cushions, directed a serene gaze at him.
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL) – Chapter 173
Chapter 173
THE FORGOTTEN FIELDS (NOVEL)
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