Eyes glistening with anticipation stuck greedily to her chest before slowly sliding lower.

They lingered for a long time, tracing the outline visible beneath the thin fabric, before crawling back upward and staring directly into her eyes.

Talia felt every muscle in her body stiffening.

She knew she needed to run immediately, but her legs refused to move.

Moistening his lower lip, the man slowly crept closer.

“If Your Highness would only permit me, then I.......”

A rough hand covered in calluses touched the hair draped over her shoulder.

Talia stared in horror as her golden hair wound around those wooden fingers.

She could barely breathe.

She should have shouted at him for daring to touch her, but not a single sound emerged from her parted lips.

Mistaking her stillness for consent, the man carefully stroked her hair strand by strand before reaching toward her face this time.

His palm, rough as sandpaper, scraped painfully against her delicate skin.

Talia recoiled instinctively, shrinking her neck in terror—

Then suddenly, from the darkness, a large gauntleted hand shot out and seized the man’s wrist.

Talia stumbled backward sharply, as though waking from hypnosis.

When she looked up, she saw luminous silver-blue eyes staring down at her.

Her heart dropped violently.

Instinctively, she pressed herself against the wall.

Varkas gazed down at her expressionlessly before slowly turning his eyes toward the monk.

Whatever the monk saw in those eyes, the man abruptly began trembling all over like someone who had just encountered a ghost.

“I-I was only...... H-Her Highness.......”

“Quiet.”

The heavy low voice instantly cut off the man’s excuses.

The monk’s face turned deathly pale and twisted in agony.

At first glance, Varkas appeared to be holding him only lightly, but in reality he seemed to be crushing the bones in the man’s wrist.

Facing the monk, who was dripping cold sweat, Varkas spoke slowly.

“Neither of us wants to make this into a larger problem. Return quietly to your place.”

Groaning in pain, the monk nodded frantically.

Releasing his arm, Varkas added,

“Until we leave this place, it would be best if you stay out of my sight.”

“I-I understand.”

Clutching his swollen blue wrist, the man answered tearfully.

Varkas jerked his chin as though telling him to disappear.

The monk immediately fled in a panic without daring to hesitate.

After silently watching the pathetic retreating figure for a moment, Varkas turned back toward her.

Talia unconsciously lowered her eyes.

She had done nothing wrong, and yet for some reason her mouth had gone dry and heat crept up the back of her neck.

Restlessly watching his expression, she heard his eerily calm voice.

“Come with me. I will escort you back to your quarters.”

The rigid tension locking Talia’s body suddenly dissolved, leaving behind a strange sense of weakness.

At the same time, an unfamiliar resentment and sorrow surged up inside her.

I almost went through something horrible just now. I was terrified. Terrified enough to die.

So why are you acting so indifferent?

Biting her lip resentfully, Talia abruptly strode past him.

She refused to let him see weakness in her no matter what.

Deliberately lifting her chin proudly, she crossed the garden in long strides.

After some time, the residence for the female worshippers came into view beyond the long colonnade.

Keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead, she snapped coldly,

“We’re here, so stop following me now!”

Knights stood guard around the building.

Nothing like what had just happened would occur again.

Talia hurried forward as though fleeing.

But after only a few steps, she suddenly found herself trapped between him and the outer wall of the building.

Talia looked up at him with wide eyes.

“W-What is this...... suddenly.......”

“After getting badly burned once while playing with fire.......”

His voice sounded like something scraping the inside of his throat.

As though he himself noticed it, Varkas paused briefly.

Then his voice returned, calmer than before.

“Shouldn’t you start being more careful now?”

Talia felt the blood draining from her face.

Varkas studied her sharply, as though dissecting her expression itself, before twisting his lips slightly.

“Or do you truly wish to throw yourself around carelessly?”

Without even thinking, Talia swung her hand at him.

But once again, he caught her wrist before she could touch his face.

Slowly, Varkas continued,

“If that is your intention, then restrain yourself for the time being. Until this journey ends, I would prefer to avoid troublesome complications.”

Talia tightly shut her trembling lips.

Varkas released her arm and slowly turned away.

“I trust you understand.”

At that moment, if she had possessed a knife, she would have plunged it into his back without hesitation.

Talia stared murderously at his retreating figure as he silently moved away like a fish gliding through water.

Then she felt her vision blur and hurriedly turned her head aside.

She knew he would never look back.

And yet she was terrified he might somehow see her tears.

Roughly scrubbing at her eyes with her sleeve, Talia ran into the residence as though escaping.

* * *

The next morning, the ceremony proceeded as though nothing had happened.

Sitting on the windowsill of the room assigned to her, Talia gazed down at the twin siblings heading toward the altar, with Varkas following behind them like a silent guardian.

Originally, she should have been among them as well.

Instead, she had refused participation under the excuse that she was unwell.

She had rejected a ceremony mandatory for imperial blood, using a completely absurd excuse.

Ordinarily, the ritual should have been postponed.

But at the Crown Prince’s firm insistence, the ceremony proceeded exactly as scheduled.

Perhaps the monastery was secretly pleased by the situation.

After all, they likely had no desire to bestow divine blessings upon a bastard princess.

‘......Maybe I should’ve just participated.’

Chuckling softly to herself, Talia’s smile vanished the moment she saw Aila and Varkas standing side by side before the altar.

If she had inserted herself into that scene, there was no telling what she might have done.

Perhaps she would have lunged at one of them and tried to kill them.

‘At this point...... I don’t even know which of them I hate more.’

Talia habitually raised a finger toward her lips, only to lower her hand again when she remembered she did not want to ruin her newly grown nails.

She could not continue watching.

Pulling the curtains shut, she threw herself onto the bed.

Curled up within the dim darkness, memories of the previous night drifted through her mind.

The lust-filled gaze.

The approaching hands.

And Varkas’s cold eyes.

“After getting badly burned once while playing with fire...... shouldn’t you start being more careful now?”

Talia dragged the blanket over her head completely.

Varkas believed she had seduced that man.

Perhaps he was not entirely wrong.

She had always cornered herself through foolish behavior.

And it had always been his role to save her whenever she landed in danger.

He had only just finally escaped that miserable responsibility.

Now something similar had happened again, so naturally he was disgusted with her.

By now, he must truly be sick of her.

Burying her face into the pillow, Talia let out a quiet fit of laughter.

She remembered the moment he walked out of her life.

Perhaps it surfaced now because something ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ so similar had happened yesterday.

Silently staring at the rays of light filtering through the curtains, Talia slowly closed her eyes.

The memories she had buried away began unfolding chaotically through her mind.