Chapter 26
Barath stared at Selene, who was leaning against him, for a long moment. If the look in his eyes had a tongue…
He cleared his throat, turning his head this way and that to clear his thoughts. The movement woke Selene, who shifted her head, searching for a comfortable spot.
He missed her warmth as she moved away from his arms.
He wouldn’t have moved if he knew she’d wake up and move away if he moved a little.
Barath scratched his eyebrows with one hand, then spoke to her nonchalantly.
“Are you cold?”
The question sounded odd to Selene.
She thought about the question for a moment, and then slowly moved her chin to point to the fireplace. His eyes narrowed and he asked her with a glare if she couldn’t see it.
He didn’t even glance in that direction, as if the fireplace was irrelevant, and then asked her why she bothered.
“Because you keep your cloak on.”
Understanding what he was saying, Selene bent her head to look at her cloak and wrapped it tightly around her slightly exposed neck.
Her ears flared red as she pulled it off with as little movement as possible, and the firelight from the fireplace made her white face look the colour of carrots.
The last thing Selene wanted to do was give away the fact that she had a towel tucked under her cloak.
She had stumbled into his bedroom late at night. She didn’t want to think what Barath would think if he knew what she was wearing.
Her hands trembled as she fixed the cloak, and no matter how hard she tried to calm herself, her nerves grew stronger.
Even without looking in the mirror, she could see how red her face must have been. Her heart had now moved to her face and was pounding in her head like it was trying to beat.
Selene glanced up quickly, wondering if he’d noticed.
He kept his gaze fixed on the fireplace again, as if she’d only asked him once. His impassive face showed no sign that he had noticed anything.
She was relieved when he didn’t react. She had worried for nothing.
The cloak was long enough to drag on the ground, so as long as she was careful not to let the front flap open, she shouldn’t have to worry about being spotted.
A small breath of relief escaped Selene’s mouth. Hearing her breathe lighter, as if her troubles had been solved, another part of Barath’s mind reared its ugly head, but he decided against it, realizing how embarrassing it would be for the woman.
He didn’t know why he’d said what he had earlier.
Why he liked seeing her flustered and embarrassed.
Why does he want to see her eyes roll down her face in surprise and frustration in response to his words?
He decided to stop playing with her, but he couldn’t help but want to make her cry.
He had just soothed her once before, when she had cried herself to exhaustion, and he wanted to make her cry again, clinging to him.
‘There is no such thing as bad taste.’
He wonders if this innocent, pretty girl knows what she’s getting into.
Well, if she did, she wouldn’t have thought to come to his room in such a defenseless state.
Barath glanced down at her, who had fallen asleep again.
The slightest movement would wake the pretty woman. She’d already woken up once by simply moving his neck. She’d been lucky enough to fall back asleep, but Barath decided not to move, fearing that the next time she woke up, she’d go up to her room.
Determined to see Selene without her face or circles, he pulled his head forward and turned his head to fix his gaze on her. He studied her face as if it were made of stone.
Pretty.
If he tried to pinpoint what was pretty, he was not sure.
He thinks it’s all pretty.
He suddenly wondered what she looked like in the original.
What was her name?
He wonders what her purpose is.
Can’t she stay with him after she fulfills her purpose?
Perhaps there is a reason she must return…
Barath’s eyes took on a grim glint at the thought that she might have a family.
He had already made up his mind once.
To keep her close to him, no matter what her past might have been.
No matter if it affected her in the present.
All the more reason to find her original body, the one that would contain the real Selene’s soul, as soon as possible.
[Day 13]
Dawn as the birds begin to chirp. Zart opened the door to his master’s bedroom as usual, then slammed it shut again in surprise.
He was so startled that he couldn’t see for sure, but he thought she had long golden hair.
He blinked a few times and checked the corridor again.
Confirming that it was unmistakably his lord’s bedroom, he dismissed it as his imagination, as he hadn’t slept much lately.
He tried the door again and pinched his nose as it was pushed open with more force.
Barath, scowling with arrogance, yanked the door open without a sound.
“What?”
Zart pinched his nose and flipped through the papers in his other hand.
“Apparently there was a witch in the north at the time. It’s not going to be easy, as witches are notoriously difficult to find, but we’re tracking her down.”
Barath flicked through the paper he’d snatched from Zart’s hand and read.
It said that the witch in the north had been seen by a handful of merchants a week before Selene’s wedding, and then disappeared on the day of the wedding.
There was no particular reason to suspect her of being a witch: she was bandaged all over.
Her face, hair, and even her fingers were so meticulously bandaged that the only visible parts of her body were her eyes.
‘Bandages?’
Barath mused.
Perhaps the witch had changed into a new body when her original, supposedly dead body began to decay.
He’d heard of witches who dreamed of eternal life on rare occasions.
He wondered if there were still such witches today, but they were so unknown, how could he guess?
He was glad.
If all she wants is a vibrant body and eternal life, she might not feel the need to leave his side.
“Find it.” Barath said in a low voice as he handed the materials back to Zart.
“Find it, however difficult. Find anything that might be a weakness, whether it’s a dying body or a hidden family.”
He chose to be cowardly.
Later, if she showed signs of leaving, he would need a weakness he could grasp and shake.
Zart narrowed his eyes and nodded heavily.
He sensed a certain madness in the man before him, and with the full moon approaching, he was beginning to wonder if the leash he’d put on Rain had been properly fastened.
He bowed curtly to the Grand Duke and turned to leave. He has to bring the Grand Duchess back to the inner palace before the full moon.
With him and Anna, he is sure the guardian will be able to hold his own against the Grand Duke.
He was already feeling tired from all the shields they have to put up around the inner castle and the early morning scavenging. Still, he knew that if he fed him a little too much alcohol that morning, he’d be able to handle it, even if it turned him into a half-wit.
The problem was the safety of the Grand Duchess.
He couldn’t risk his own safety while dealing with a drunken Lord.
He briefly considered evacuating her outside, but He didn’t want to drop her, who might become a leash. Maybe she would be more frantic without it.
Shaking his head at the lack of an answer, he leaned towards taking the Grand Duchess to the inner chamber for now.
He doesn’t know what he is going to say to the Grand Duchess, the female version of his lord, but he is going to… He should probably go and bow his head, right?
Zart’s face grew increasingly sullen.
Barath dismissed him and closed the door noiselessly behind him. He glanced back to make sure she wasn’t awake.
She was still at the foot of the bed, her cloak and quilt untucked, but she looked peaceful.
He first tidied up the furs and bedding on the bed. Then he carefully removed the quilt that wrapped around her like a suit of armor to help her into bed.
He nagging suspicions were confirmed.
Her cloak had been rolled up under the covers, revealing her flabby calves beneath.
It was a giddy, heart-stirring sight, and he had to whip himself to selflessly put her to bed.
Faced with yet another life-threatening crisis, Barath Velias lowered his head and let out one very loud sigh.
He tidied up her cloak to hide her legs, then carefully picked her up and laid her down on the bed.
As he pulled the covers over her, his eyes caught sight of her soles, which were covered in stone dust.
Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be hurt, but something in the pit of his stomach seemed to be churning again.
He pulled the covers over her and stretched, clearing his throat.
His whole body was stiff and ticklish and frantic.
He turned and headed for the bathroom, thinking he could use a cold shower, but Selene opened her eyes slowly.
The Nephthys had made her extremely sensitive, and she had started to stir at the sound of someone opening the door.
Soon Barath headed for the door and she tried to get up and follow him, but her body felt like a soaked cotton ball and she couldn’t get up.
Luckily, he didn’t seem intent on leaving the room; she yawned once and closed her eyes, promising to return to her side soon.
But when he came back, he pulled the covers off Selene, and she didn’t open her eyes in time to see him.
When he picked her up, she immediately opened her eyes and tried to argue that they hadn’t even kissed yet, but soon he had her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her.
She realized that it would have been embarrassing to open her eyes and question him, so she decided to close them and pretend to sleep.
At this point, she shouldn’t be mad at him for touching her, she should be mad at him for not touching her.
Selene stood up and stumbled to her feet when she heard the water running in the bathroom.
Fear of ghosts was not something she could control, so she squatted down in front of the bathroom and began to stare at the door knob.
If Nephthys appeared, she was going to yank the doorknob with no regard for his situation.
