Ash-colored Despair (16)
When she sharply raised her voice, a shadow of discontent crossed the faces of the maids standing on either side. But Barkas himself didn’t blink an eye.
Running a finger along her temple, he gently touched her hot earlobe. Thalia looked up at him with an astonished face.
- W-what are you doing?
“Even her ears are red,” he said, tracing the outline of her auricle with slightly rough fingers.
Thalia felt a sharp tingling sensation run down her neck and shivered. Longboat, looking straight into her eyes, said with a quiet reproach:
-Are you even being treated properly? Again with only sleeping pills...
- What are you, a nanny for me? - Thalia snapped and rather sharply pushed his hand away.
Looking at him, so luxurious, she almost lost her head a minute ago, but as soon as she heard his cold, almost patronizing tone, she was immediately overwhelmed by humiliation.
“I’m doing great myself.” The same as always, without your participation.
She deliberately reminded him that he had not shown his nose in recent days, and his gaze instantly became colder.
Longboat was about to say something, but then a dull, unkind voice came from the depths of the room:
- How long will you keep me waiting, Barkas?
Talia turned around sharply. In the very center of the room there was a large bed with a thin curtain. A dry, bony hand stretched out from under him. The owner of this hand lazily moved his finger, as if giving orders.
- Bring your wife to me.
Thalia narrowed her eyes. He may be a duke, but even he can’t tell the princess of the empire where to go with one flick of his finger.
However, in a hall full of eastern aristocrats and their entourage, contradicting their head costs oneself more. She looked around at the men surrounding the bed and slowly stepped inside. Longboat immediately hugged her waist.
Only when she felt his hand firmly holding her side did Thalia realize that he was giving her a helping hand. She bit her lip.
What is he imagining there? What is she to him - an animal that needs to be looked after? He had allowed himself tactile liberties before, but after the wyvern attack, his touch became even more intrusive.
- Here.
Thalia, almost leaning her whole body against him, walked to the edge of the huge bed. To the left, a man with a stern face, apparently an attorney, silently retreated, and a man in priestly robes stood next to him.
Thalia turned her gaze towards Duke Siekang with a reserved expression. There was no particular resemblance to Barkas in his facial features, but still something in common was discernible. From his body, devoured by disease, there was an almost palpable smell of imminent death, but his face, sharp, as if carved with a rough adze, exuded unshakable power, and his cold eyes, the color of molten metal, sparkled with arrogant malice.
He slowly looked at her with a tenacious gaze and finally said in a low voice:
-... Disgustingly similar. Did this woman create her own homunculus?
These words cast doubt on her origins. Thalia forgot about politeness.
“If I weren’t Darian by blood, people like you would have discovered this long ago,” she sharply raised her chin and responded. “Or do you admit that all your nobles are not able to cope with even one girl from the Talen clan?”
A muffled sigh swept through the hall—someone even sucked in a noisy breath. The Duke's face also twitched and froze. He looked at her with his prickly eyes as if he wanted to pierce her right through.
- Fearless, I see. Or just stupid? Do you even realize that standing in front of you is a man who has the most powerful cavalry of the empire at his fingertips? — he said slowly, but every word hurt his ears.
Talia did not look away, although under the yoke of his cold power her knees trembled treacherously. But she forced herself to smile impudently.
- What will you do with me? Will you trample under your horses?
- Do you think I can’t? - the Duke grinned. “Do you really believe that your pathetic status as a princess means anything here in the East?” In the capital, no one needs you, and here - even less.
His eyes sparkled with an icy light. He advanced on her almost like a predator.
- If I decide to cut off your head right now, who will stop me? Emperor? Do you think he would risk splitting the empire for you alone? Yes, he will happily turn a blind eye to this, just not to get involved with the East. Unless your mother makes a fuss... but I don't face trial. That's how much your crown is worth, princess.
Sticky cold sweat ran down her back. Everything that she was afraid of, he now turned out without hesitation. Anger and hatred overwhelmed her, crowding out fear.
Talia, like a hunted animal, slowly took a step back, but her eyes sparkled with a predatory fire.
- Well, kill me! - she croaked, laughing hoarsely. - Do you think my mother will limit herself to “noise”? She will give you such a hunt that your entire miserable swamp will burn to the ground. My death will be a pretext for an attack on the conservatives. Do you really think she will miss this opportunity? No way! Do you know what this means? That the miserable days you have left will become hell for you. Do you think you’ll die and that’s it? They themselves unleashed this nightmare - so here it is: you will die, but even in hell I will not leave you alone! I will burn you out even there, to the last! If you want, ask Barkas. He will confirm: I am truly talented at this!
When Thalia glanced at Longboat, it clearly read: “Well, say at least a word in my defense!” - He just looked at her from top to bottom with some strange expression.
He didn't say anything. Not a word, not the slightest sign of support. Thalia's face twisted with betrayal. Certainly. You can't trust anyone here. This is the lair of the enemies.
She turned her gaze to the men with swords at their belts and squinted angrily, intensely assessing them. The next moment she turned sharply and was ready to simply run away, but Barkas grabbed her hand with lightning speed. Thalia squealed and jerked.
- Let go! - she muttered, kicking and struggling, in a panic, deciding that he would simply hand her over to the Duke without a fight.
Longboat exhaled heavily, pulled her towards him with a jerk and pressed her to his chest so tightly that she froze, unable to move. His hand held it tightly, covering it from all sides.
And then, in a voice as cold as steel, he said towards the Duke:
- Let me clarify. If you try to harm Talia Roem Siekan, I will stand in your way.
Thalia raised her eyes and stared at him, completely stunned. He finished speaking slowly, emphasizing each word:
“Are you ready to lose your heir forever because of an empty squabble?”
The Duke's face, already stern, froze for a moment in shock, and then twisted with rage. It seemed that just a little more and he would breathe fire out of his mouth.
But instead of a scream, there was only a loud, hysterical cough. His thin body shuddered convulsively, he gasped, and then squeezed out a hoarse laugh.
- What a... impudent person.
-...
“Are you so sure that I have no other choice?”
“If there is another candidate, nominate him,” Barkas responded in the same chilling, impeccably calm voice. “But I will defend my rights to the end.” If you want to destroy the East from the inside, go ahead.
The Duke's lips twitched and a small tremor ran across his face. He stared expectantly at his own son for a long time, but then tiredly leaned back on the pillows. And he extended his hand to the attorney.
- Give me the power of attorney.
The attorney, who had stood like a statue all this time, handed him the parchment with shaking hands. The Duke squeezed the pen in his fingers, sharply wrote a careless signature, then took the ring off his finger. The attorney immediately brought sealing wax to the end of the document, and the Duke roughly pressed the seal directly into the still soft wax.
He almost threw the scroll to Barkas.
— From this moment on, all my rights are transferred to Longboat Raedgo Siekana.
Longboat accepted the scroll dispassionately. The Duke waved his hand irritably again, as if shooing away an annoying fly.
- Now get lost.