Chapter 19
Selene felt threatened by the sudden grip on her wrist, but was reassured by the sound of Barath’s voice.
“Barath?”
She looked up and his face was white.
Selene tried to shake off his grip, noticing his complexion was unusually pale, and unconsciously raised her other hand.
When he realized where her hand was hesitating, he lowered his head and offered her his cheek.
He looked like a wounded animal, his eyes closed, breathing harshly but not avoiding her touch.
“What happened to you? Your complexion is…”
Fearing something serious, Selene grabbed Barath by the arm and pulled him to the side of the road.
Luckily, the big man didn’t protest and followed the pull of her hand.
Barath thought the pent-up anger would explode at the sight of her. He had no intention of holding it in, and this time he was determined to carry it off like a piece of luggage and hurl it into the Grand Duchess’s chamber.
This massive, seemingly unquenchable anger dissipated the moment she bumped into him with a thud.
“Barath?”
His head snapped up to meet her eyes, his brow furrowed, but thankfully, his eyes remained closed.
He ducked his head and brought his cheek to her when saw the small hand coming up to his face.
***
The shields at the head of the group on horseback scattered, and Zart pulled on the reins, causing those behind him to follow suit.
In the distance, as far as they could see, they could see their lord and archduke.
“Dismount,” Zart ordered, addressing no one in particular.
“Disperse.”
The shields around him turned their horses without a fuss, gathered their scattered comrades, and headed for the castle.
Zart could see the Grand Duchess stroking his Lord’s cheek, and then she was leading him by the arm to a street corner.
As he watched the man of no more than a house, being led by those fragile, slender arms, it seemed to him that she had successfully put him on a leash.
It was what he had hoped for. He had hoped that with that strong leash, she would be able to control.
Until he found out she was a witch.
***
When Selene’s hand touched his cheek, Barath had a strange experience.
Even the unpleasantness that lingered like an afterimage in the place of the anger that had vanished with her was washed away like a dash of cold water, disappearing beneath his feet.
A sense of security began to fill the void.
When he spoke to her again, his voice was softer.
“What are you doing here?”
Selene gave him an apologetic look, as if remembering the question, and then quickly averted her gaze.
Then she said.
“I thought we might need a drink tonight.”
Booze?
He’s just burned through someone’s liver just for a drink?
And does she have any idea what a painful night she’s just put me through?
The words came out even more bluntly than usual.
“I take it you’re not quite up to the task of shepherding a lamb after the night before?”
Her mouth dropped open in embarrassment, and Barath, feeling a little better, softened his tone.
“Don’t worry too much, you didn’t cross the line.”
The look on his face, the one that said not to worry, reminded her of the soul circle in her arms.
His words made Selene think.
Did she make a big mistake the day she drank, and that’s why she can’t drink today?
What had happened that day that she hadn’t said anything about, that had caused her to get drunk?
She used to be a good drinker and didn’t have a bad habit, but now she can’t drink and she get drunk.
What should she do?
Her plan to use the power of alcohol to get past her bedmate had gone completely awry.
Selene’s head was spinning, and she saw Barath lowering himself to one knee.
Her confused mind froze at his behavior, as if he was about to propose.
Pulling something from his arms, he patted the prostate knee and said.
“Give me your foot.”
My foot?
He’s asking me to put my foot up there?
When Selene hesitated, Barath patted my knee once more.
She watched him nod impatiently, then carefully slipped off one shoe and put her foot up.
Her skirt was too long to show her feet, so she put a little more effort into the hand that was pulling her skirt up.
She felt her toes touch him and felt herself lean in.
“Huh?” she gasped as her body, completely off balance, bumped into Barath’s shoulder as he lowered his stance.
He said nonchalantly.
“You might as well just grab my shoulder.”
She figured it was better than falling, so she put both hands on one of his shoulders and held on tight.
Barath looked at the hem of her skirt, which covered her legs, and slipped his hand under it.
Selene’s hands tightened in surprise, clutching the cloak around his shoulders.
He moved his hand inside her skirt to find where her feet were.
Selen closed her eyes tightly now and leaned against his shoulder as if to surrender herself to Barath’s touch.
She couldn’t breathe out loud, as if it would reach him, and she couldn’t control her pounding heart.
Her trembling was echoed by Barath.
He could feel her hand on his shoulder, the way it tightened, the way she drew in a nervous breath.
He wrapped his hands around her ankles in silence, checking the position with his hands and filling the soul circle.
This circle, fed with his own blood, would now become a shackle that no one but he could break.
He liked the sound of her ankles crackling.
Now she was free. If she ever wanted to return to her own body, she would have to beg.
Of course, he wasn’t going to let her go, even if she cried and begged.
Barath picked up a shoe from the floor and tried to put it on her foot.
But now that the soul circle was safely filled, he felt a little more relaxed.
She seemed to be dazed by a softness she hadn’t felt before.
Oh, my God. The sole of her foot is smaller than the palm of his hand. And the sole of a human foot is this soft?
He continued to move slowly, in a daze, and when he let go of her foot, his hand felt empty.
He looked at her hand for a moment, then at her, who was now a few feet away.
She was beautiful, her cheeks flushed, but she kept rolling her foot over and over again, as if curious about the sound of the squeak.
He almost let her fall apart as soon as he had her soul safely contained within Selene’s body.
The way she was so nervous waiting for him, as if she thought of herself as a man and was ashamed of it, was adorable.
He couldn’t hug her because of her loveliness.
The way she felt to him was like an illusion, and he was cautious, as if it would break the moment he touched her.
He thought that at any moment she would change her expression and turn around to tell him that he was mistaken, and he clenched his fists to himself.
Finding his horse wandering alone on the road to the castle, Barath quickly picked Selene up and placed her on his horse.
He tucked her legs neatly down to one side, and then slowly urged his horse to walk.
The sky was pitch black and the streets were deserted. She liked the horse’s regular rocking motion, and she liked Barath walking beside her, holding the reins loosely.
“That’s.”
Barath turned his head from the road ahead. There seemed to be warmth in those red eyes.
“Have I been a bad drunk?”
Barath returned his gaze to the front and spoke nonchalantly.
“I’ve never seen such behavior in my life.”
Never seen.
Who else would drink and cling to Barath Velias’s waist and burrow into his arms?
He clicked his tongue on his cheek.
“From now on, don’t drink when I’m not around.”
He said this with sudden concern, for she had a very troublesome drinking habit.
But she caught him off guard.
“Can I drink when you’re around…?”
Barath let out a disembodied laugh. He was almost tempted to say no, but he couldn’t bring himself to say no, because he wanted to see if she liked the drink.
He eventually nodded reluctantly.
“Not when I’m not around.”
And then she clapped her hands together as if to say, ‘Well, that’s good.’
“So, do you want a drink tonight?”
The cheerfulness of her voice gave Barath a headache, and he began to wonder if this witch had come here to try and kill him.
[Day 11]
As it turns out, nothing happened between them last night.
Barath had safely escorted Selene to the Grand Duchess’s bedchamber and closed the door behind him, leaving Anna to guard the door, and then he’d walked away.
So now Selene was in a bad mood.
Just yesterday, she’d been thinking back and forth about how she should avoid sleeping with him at all costs, and now she was thrilled to find him unwilling to touch a single hair.
She couldn’t help but be impatient with the way he closed the door so calmly and neatly.
She would have been less upset if he had said, ‘We’ll have to postpone this for a while.’
‘I’m not that attractive.’
It was a contradiction, she told herself, but she couldn’t help it.
Selene got out of bed and went to the mirror.
Light blonde hair. Light blue eyes. White face. Light pink lips.
In the mirror, she looked a little under pigmented overall. She didn’t look healthy or vibrant.
It didn’t seem to suit his strong, tough look.
‘Maybe someone a little more bubbly, cute, and affectionate would suit him.’
She wasn’t good at being bubbly and cute, but she thought she could give it a try.
As Selene’s imagination continued to play out, she found herself imagining herself being charming to Barath.
Her imaginary flirting paid off big time, and he looked at her tenderly, as if he found her adorable. Then, suddenly, he was looking at her lips and moving his face closer and closer to mine…
Her face burned, even though it was just a delusion in her head.
She brought the back of her hand to her flushed cheeks to cool them, thinking to herself.
‘Maybe… I give it a try?’
