This love is like a curse (27)
This happened a few months before her sixteenth birthday.
The thought of coming of age soon made her nervous, and, as luck would have it, she pestered him even more, asking him to choose a dress or jewelry. A pathetic attempt to get his attention.
Usually Barkas ignored such whims, but, apparently tired of her importunity, this time he obediently expressed his opinion. Perhaps the thought that in a few months he would finally get rid of her made him indulgent. For this she wanted to kill him. And yet... then it seemed to her that she was ready to do anything just to keep Longboat close. After all, the end, which seemed so far away, was approaching.
— How do you like this dress for the ceremony?
She defiantly thrust her chest forward, showing off a luxurious silk outfit brought from the south.
Longboat, as always, only cast a dry glance at her. Under this calm gaze, her face gradually lit up.
Longboat was already nineteen, almost twenty, and his body, already out of teenage awkwardness, began to radiate masculine strength. If not for his dead, impassive gaze, he could pass for an angel descending from heaven.
To hide her excitement, Talia deliberately raised her voice:
“I’m asking, how do you like it?”
“...It looks like the child stole the adults’ clothes,” his tightly compressed lips finally opened.
The girl narrowed her eyes. And he added irritably:
- It doesn't work terribly.
Thalia blushed and stared at him, but there was nothing to object - she asked his opinion.
Eyes flashing angrily, she stomped behind the screen and began sorting through a mountain of clothes. She vowed to make this insensitive fool blush!
After a while she found something more revealing. It was a provocative dress with a deep neckline. For a second she was overcome by doubts - is this too much? — but she quickly made up her mind and pulled it over herself. The mirror reflected a girl whose beauty was breathtaking.
She looked at herself with delight. Slender, like a birch, the body began to gradually change from the age of fourteen. Her childish figure gradually turned into a feminine one - her breasts swelled to the size of an apple, and her buttocks acquired a pleasant roundness.
Thalia was proud of these changes. She seemed to be getting closer to Seneviere's perfection. If Barkas sees what she has, he will probably change his mind. After all, she will soon become the most beautiful woman in the world!
She jumped out from behind the screen, full of hope.
- How do you like this?
The longboat, looking out the window with a tired face, turned around. Something resembling emotion finally appeared on his face. But not the one she expected.
Frowning, he glanced at her and said irritably:
- First dress.
He took a deep breath and added in an indifferent tone:
- Stop there.
Not a shadow of admiration or embarrassment, which she had been waiting for, was heard in his voice. But one thing was enough - he remembered the very first dress among dozens of others that she tried on. My heart was ready to jump out of my chest.
She smiled playfully:
- What is it, pretending to be indifferent, but he looked at everything carefully?
He didn't answer. It was clear that he just wanted all this tedious fitting to end as soon as possible.
His arrogant appearance annoyed her, but she generously decided not to notice. After all, she promised herself to gradually change his attitude, even if it was difficult.
Humming, she took out that very first dress - an exquisite and elegant velvet surcoat, thickly embroidered with elf embroidery. It will forever remain in her wardrobe - after all, Barkas liked it.
Having quickly changed her clothes, she went out and, standing in front of him, began to spin:
- This is it, right?
He just looked at her. The girl, who had been acting like a fury all day, was now spinning joyfully, as if drunk - but it seemed to him that he didn’t care whether she was furious like a monster or giggling like a fool.
But Thalia wanted to believe that his attitude towards her had changed. After all, his usually indifferent gaze now lingered for a long time on her face. And my voice seems to have become softer.
Thalia, who sensitively perceived this barely noticeable change, felt a gossamer-thin hope stirring in her chest.
What if Barkas is not happy about the upcoming separation? They spent so many years together - perhaps he even became attached to her, albeit unconsciously. Thalia clung to this vain hope with pathetic persistence.
“If I dance in this dress, I’ll look like a fairy queen, right?”
His eyebrows twitched at her question. He must be tired of the endless questions. Or - who knows? — maybe he really thought about her words. Thalia decided to interpret this for the better.
- Come on, stop just standing there like a pillar. Dance with me, let's practice.
Without waiting for an answer, she sharply pulled his hand. Longboat, who usually remained unshakable, this time obeyed, as if reluctantly.
You see! - Thalia triumphed. Something has changed after all.
She spun around, pulling her stubborn partner harder with her, but tripped over a chest and lost her balance. Instinctively she grabbed his hand.
Longboat muttered something incomprehensible and sharply wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to support her. But in the chaos that reigned in the room, it was difficult to find solid support. A pile of scattered things even wrapped itself around his feet, and they, tangled together, collapsed onto the carpet. Thalia cursed quietly:
“You should have cleaned your room quickly!”
Longboat, the unwitting victim of her fall, raised an eyebrow. He was a guard, not a servant. Cleaning up is not his responsibility. Of course, Thalia knew this very well, but she still took her irritation out on him.
- If I now have a bruise on my ass, you won’t think it’s enough! You clumsy idiot!
Grumbling, she tried to get up, but felt a sharp pain at the roots of her hair. Thalia stared at him in amazement.
“Did you... did you pull my hair?”
Longboat sighed heavily.
“I think they got caught on a button on my sleeve.”
He slightly pulled the arm that was wrapped around her back forward to show. At that moment, his hair was pulled, and Talia screamed, sharply hitting him in the chest with her fist:
- It hurts, idiot!
He fell silent, looking at her reddened eyes. She felt slightly ashamed, but continued to sulk.
Longboat sighed again and wrapped his arm around her back again, carefully trying to untangle the strands.
Sitting between his knees, Talia began to look around restlessly. It suddenly dawned on her how close they were now and how… inappropriate their position was.
The faint aroma of soap and mint emanating from his body made his heart race, so loud that he thought he could hear it.