This love is like a curse (70)
His dry gaze made my mouth dry.
Talia looked down, biting her chapped lips. Her fingers nervously picked at the dry skin. Она не знала, что сказать.
As if numb, she just darted her eyes back and forth, silently pursing her lips, when suddenly an even voice sounded:
— Your nanny is in the next room. If necessary, call.
Talia raised her head again and looked at him.
Longboat, putting his hand under the sleeve of his shirt, calmly continued:
- In a week we are leaving for the East. I'll have the servants called, so if you have things to take with you, prepare them in advance.
— Т-так скоро?
She hesitated in confusion, and Barkas, buttoning his shirt, looked at her again.
The dark fog that clouded his eyes seemed to be carefully reading her face.
“Is there a reason to linger in the palace?”
Thalia looked at him silently with a confused expression, and then slowly shook her head.
Longboat, without taking his eyes off her, approached the bed. His sudden approach made her heart clench painfully.
She involuntarily stared at his lips. A scarlet tongue flashed in the narrow gap between slightly parted lips.
Он был внутри меня.
Это было наяву? Или всё-таки сон?
She was clinging to this thought in confusion when someone touched her chin, and transparent blue eyes were very close.
— Does such a sharp exacerbation of pain often occur?
The heart, compressed with fear, now seemed to crack with a loud crunch.
Talia quickly pushed his hand away. The fact that he treated her like she was seriously ill made everything boil inside.
- Don't know. Тебе-то какое дело?
— If there is a problem, you should think about additional treatment...
“Even the magicians of the Talen clan couldn’t do anything!” What are you going to treat with, huh?
Unable to control her irritation, she raised her voice, and his lips pressed tightly together. Sharp scarlet lines again attracted her gaze.
The most important thing now is that it was these lips that tormented her without asking last night. So why is he talking about a certain leg?
Talia moved her dry lips slightly.
— Вместо этого... вчера...
Почему ты так поступил? Was it really just to give me medicine?
She wanted to ask, but changed her mind.
Perhaps this touch lasted only a moment. Her broken mind could distort her memories.
Swallowing, Thalia looked at him warily.
Longboat, as if not at all interested in what she didn’t finish, straightened up and said dryly:
— There is a healer on duty in the next room. If you feel unwell, call immediately.
That's all?
Don't you have anything else to tell me?
Questions swirled around in his head, stuck on his tongue, but he spoke again in the same calm voice:
“I will stay in the palace until the day of departure.”
Thalia stared at him with the expression of someone who had been hit in the head.
Cold fingers touched her forehead.
The skin ached as if it had been touched by a blade.
She involuntarily retracted her neck. Longboat, brushing the disheveled strands from her face, immediately pulled away. He stood with his back to the window, and a shadow fell on his face.
“You won’t have to see me for a while.” So rest easy.
Talia opened her mouth convulsively. I had to say something, but my throat tightened and not a sound came out.
He slowly turned around and took his coat from the hanger.
Thalia mindlessly watched his back as he crossed the room.
Longboat, putting his hand on the doorknob, looked over his shoulder. His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something. But in the end he didn’t say anything and just walked out.
Click.
Thalia stared blankly at the closed door, then lowered her feet off the bed.
A sharp pain ran through my bones. She ignored her, walked to the door and turned the knob.
The longboat, apparently, had already gone down the stairs - there was an oppressive silence in the corridor.
With a lifeless face, Thalia closed the door again and walked towards the bed.
The only trace of his presence in the room was his neatly folded dress uniform.
Unfolding the clothes neatly stacked on the shelf, she pressed her face to the smooth fabric.
Instead of the smell of mint, the rich aroma of roses hit my nose.
Probably because he held her in his arms all night, only the strong smell of fragrant oil remained on the embroidered satin, with which the maids generously soaked her clothes.
Resigned, Thalia threw it over her shoulders and sank onto the cooled bed.
A wide, reliable shoulder appeared before her eyes, completely covering her as she squirmed in pain.
“For him, this night must have been a nightmare - caring for a sick person all night... Who would rejoice on such a wedding night?”
Talia pressed her trembling lips together with all her might.
This wedding from the very beginning was just a pathetic attempt at childish revenge. She achieved her goal - she made him hate that first night. So you should be happy.
Having difficulty relieving the pain, she looked up at the dazzlingly light window glass. The sun was shining behind the transparent curtain.
Suddenly it dawned on her - this was her first morning as Talia Roem Siekan.
- How will my life turn out now? - she whispered into the void.
* * *
A little time passed - and now the day of departure to the East has arrived.
Early in the morning, under the unrelenting pressure of the maids, Talia began to put herself in order and now looked out the window with tired eyes.
More than twenty carts were lined up in the courtyard.
On them, covered with linen sheets, were piled bales of silks, products of dwarven artisans, dresses woven by elves, and caskets with the rarest jewelry.
Half of it was gifts from the imperial palace, the other half was carefully collected treasures that she had accumulated over the years.
Thalia looked for a long time at what she had once been painfully attached to, and then pulled back the curtains.
Just a season ago, she was ready to sell her soul for rare outfits and jewelry - if only Barkas, seeing her in splendor, would regret his engagement to Ayla.
But now she didn’t care anymore—neither the dress nor the jewelry mattered anymore.
Still, she will never become as elegant as Isla, or as dazzlingly beautiful as Senevier.
And with this body, even if you dress up, you will only look pitiful and wretched.
Talia sat on the edge of the bed and began to rub her aching knee.
The painkiller taken at dawn stopped working, and the pain slowly returned.
Without noticing it herself, she took out a new candle and stuck it into the cooled incense burner. She was just about to light the fire when there was a knock on the door behind her.
“Your Highness, Lord Siekan has arrived.”
At that moment, everything that seemed clouded suddenly became sharp, feelings flared up again.
Thalia hastily put down the candle and jumped up.
Approaching the door and opening it, I saw a stretched row of maids along the wall.
She looked them over slowly.
-...And the nanny?
“She’s already in the carriage.”
Thalia, who had been worried all this time that she would suddenly decide to return to the imperial palace, sighed with relief.
- Wait a little. I'll go out now.
She turned to get her outer clothing, when suddenly one of the elderly maids hurriedly spoke:
“Lord Siekan asked me to give this to you.”
Thalia frowned at the outfit the maid handed her.
It was a large cloak with a hood that covered the entire body - apparently, he brought it to hide her limping gait.
Heat washed over her—her ears flared with humiliation.
But without saying a word, she threw the cloak over her shoulders.
He went down to his toes. From the outside it probably looked like she was wrapped in a curtain.
Stroking the smooth fabric with her palm, Talia shook her chin at the maids:
- Let's go.