This love is like a curse (26)
The man's eyes, full of greedy expectation, slid stickily over his chest and slowly crawled lower. He looked for a long time and intently at the outlines of the body, visible under the thin fabric, then his gaze rose again and stared straight into her eyes.
Thalia felt her whole body gradually becoming stiff. She knew she had to run—and quickly. But my legs didn’t obey me.
The man, licking his lips, began to get closer.
“If you would only allow it, Your Highness, I would...”
A rough, calloused hand touched the hair that lay loosely on her shoulder. She watched in horror as his gnarled fingers wove themselves into the golden strands.
It became increasingly difficult to breathe. She should have screamed, been indignant - how dare he touch her! But not a sound came out of the open mouth.
Taking her silence for consent, the monk, playing with strands of golden hair, suddenly extended his hand to her face.
His fingers, rough as sandpaper, burned his skin. In horror, she drew her neck in, but then a hand in a plate glove appeared from the darkness and sharply grabbed the man by the wrist.
Thalia, as if waking up from a trance, pulled back sharply. Looking up, she saw sparkling silver-blue eyes.
My heart sank.
Instinctively, she pressed herself against the wall. The longboat, looking at her with a stony face, slowly turned his head towards the man.
It is not known what he noticed in this look, but the monk shuddered, as if he had seen a ghost, and shook as if in a fever.
“I... I just... Her Highness, after all...” he babbled.
- Quiet.
A heavy, low voice abruptly stopped the excuses. The monk's face turned white and painfully distorted. It seemed that Longboat was holding him so easily, but in this grip there was clearly a force that could break bones.
Longboat spoke slowly, looking straight into the eyes of the trembling man:
“None of us want any unnecessary problems.” So go back to where you came from. Calmly.
The monk, writhing in pain, nodded furiously.
Longboat released him and added coldly:
“And while we’re here, you’d better stay out of my sight.”
“Y-yes, of course...” the monk sobbed, clutching his swollen wrist.
The longboat nodded briefly to the side, clearly ordering them to get out. The man immediately rushed away. He looked after him silently for a while, and then turned to Thalia.
She involuntarily lowered her eyes. Although she didn’t do anything wrong, her throat was dry and a fever ran up her neck. Not knowing what to do with herself, she secretly watched him until a disgustingly calm voice sounded in the air:
- Let's go. I'll take you to your chambers.
Her body, tense all this time, suddenly went limp. Along with this came an acute feeling of humiliation and resentment.
“I almost... Almost... I was so scared! And you... Why are you so calm?!”
Clenching her lips and unable to cope with the surging feelings, Thalia overtook him. She would rather die than show him her weakness.
Straightening her back and raising her head high, she quickly walked forward. In less than a couple of minutes, buildings intended for female novices appeared behind a long corridor.
Maintaining a gloomy look, the girl said over her shoulder:
- We've arrived. You don't have to follow me anymore!
There were knights standing around the building - there was definitely no repeat of the recent nightmare.
Thalia hurried to the door, but did not have time to take even a few steps when she found herself sandwiched between the wall and Longboat.
Talia looked up at him with astonished eyes.
- Wha... what are you... Why suddenly?..
- If one day you get burned playing with fire...
His voice sounded hoarse. He himself seemed to understand this and fell silent for a second. A moment later, a much calmer voice broke the silence:
“Isn’t it time for you to become more careful?”
The blood drained from his face. The longboat, studying her with a gaze as sharp as a splinter, smiled wryly.
- Or do you really don’t care who you give yourself to?
Before she even realized what she was doing, Thalia tried to hit him. But this time, her wrist was intercepted before her hand touched her face. Longboat said slowly:
- If this is the case, please refrain at least for a while. Until this journey ends. I don't want any unnecessary problems.
She pressed her trembling lips tightly. He let go of her hand and slowly turned away.
- I hope you understand me.
At that very moment, if she had had a blade in her hand, she would have plunged it into his back without hesitation.
Thalia stared after him with grim determination, like a predator watching its prey disappear into the water. But then her eyes became treacherously clouded, and she turned away sharply.
Although she knew that he would not look back, she was still afraid that he would see her tears. Roughly wiping her eyes with her sleeve, Thalia rushed into the building as if fleeing for her life.
* * *
The next morning the ceremony proceeded as if nothing had happened.
Thalia sat on the windowsill of her room and looked down to where the twins were approaching the altar, and behind them, as always, Longboat followed.
According to the rules, she had to be there too. But she refused, citing illness. It was unheard of audacity for a member of the imperial family to evade a mandatory ritual.
In fact, the ceremony was supposed to be postponed, but at the insistence of the Crown Prince, it was held as planned. Perhaps the monks were even happy - who wants to bless a bastard?
“Maybe we should go?”
She grinned, but immediately wiped off the smile when she saw Ayla and Longboat in front of the altar.
If she had been there, there is no telling what she would have done. She could very well throw herself at one of them. Or even kill.
“Which of them do I hate more?.. I don’t know anymore.”
Out of habit, she raised her fingers to her lips, but immediately lowered her hand - she didn’t want to break her newly grown nail.
It was unbearable to watch any further. Talia quickly closed the curtains and threw herself onto the bed.
In the darkness she curled up into a ball. The events of the previous night flashed before my eyes again and again. The lustful look of the monk, the hands reaching out to her... and the cold, icy gaze of Longboat.
- If one day you get burned playing with fire... Isn't it time for you to be more careful?
She pulled the blanket over her head.
Longboat believed that she herself seduced that man. Maybe... maybe he's not so wrong after all. She always behaved stupidly, drove herself into a corner... And his role was to get her out of trouble.
He had just gotten rid of this responsibility - and here he is again. Of course he's fed up. Isn't he tired of her?
She buried her face in the pillow and giggled quietly.
The moment when he left her life flashed before her eyes. Perhaps because yesterday everything reminded me so much of this.
Thalia stared at the sliver of light coming through the curtains, then closed her eyes. Buried memories surfaced randomly in my mind.