## Chapter 133
—Anything?
For a moment, he felt a tightness in his chest due to the cautious tone of her voice.
In his days as a knight of the royal guard, this woman used to manipulate him with the slightest of her gestures. Had that not been the first time in his life he felt exhausted by complying with all kinds of ridiculous demands, complaints, and a malice without a clear objective?
He did not like that the woman who previously always demanded of him with excessive audacity now hesitated over a simple meal.
He took her hand, which she kept drawn in like a snail's shell, and said to her in a firm and determined tone:
—Order whatever you wish. I will bring it to you, no matter the cost.
—All right… I also want to eat apricots. I want them fresh, not dried. And also buy me candied violet sweets with sugar and grapefruit. I don't like the soft ones, I prefer them crunchy.
She spoke rapidly, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Varkas felt a tickle in his stomach, as if he had swallowed a handful of feathers, upon seeing her ask for the sweets with eyes shining like those of a little girl.
How many times had he suppressed the desire to force open the mouth she closed with such stubbornness to force her to eat? She, who used to display an expression of disgust as if she had filth before her eyes, even when served the most exquisite dishes.
Suddenly, he realized that for a long time he had desired to see her eat until she was full.
Back then, he thought it was due to the irritation caused by her complaints about the food, but in reality, his heart simply burned for her.
—And what else?
Feeling embarrassed when Varkas rushed to touch her cheek, burning with fever, with one hand, her face flushed even more.
The woman hesitated while moving her moist eyes and then spoke warily:
—Do you remember the drink we had on our trip through the East? The one made of fermented goat's milk… I also want to drink that.
It was an extremely insignificant request compared to what she had mentioned before.
The expression of displeasure that briefly formed on his face, due to the fact that she had exerted herself so much to ask for a simple food consumed by common people, vanished as he recalled that he himself had given her that drink to drink with his own hands, and he swallowed hard.
He inhaled deeply and stood up slowly. If he continued to hesitate, he would be forced to impose something on her that she did not want.
—That drink can be prepared immediately. I will ask the maid to make it, so drink as much of it as you like.
—Bring it yourself.
Suddenly, her hand gripped the edge of his clothes.
Varkas, who was about to turn around, stopped and looked at her. Her voice became barely audible.
—Not now, but later, at night.
In that instant, a sensation similar to vertigo washed over him.
He closed his eyes calmly and then opened them. Fortunately, his response came out in a serene voice:
—All right. I will bring it myself.
The woman, who contemplated him with a clear gaze, nodded slowly and released the edge of the clothes she held secure.
—Good. Then go now.
Then she indicated for him to leave with a slight and arrogant tilt of her head.
Varkas stared at her in silence and, letting himself be carried away by impulse, ended up holding her by the back of the neck.
Her eyes widened in surprise and lost focus immediately. He contemplated her pupils, deep as a bottomless swamp, and pressed his lips against hers with passion.
He repeated the act until he almost lost his senses, and did not lift his head until his body heated to an unbearable degree.
When their eyes met under the bright light, hers looked like pure metal, without any impurity.
While he sank into the strange iris of her blue eyes, the woman, who was breathing with difficulty, pushed him by the shoulder.
—Go now. Didn't you say you would go to the military affairs office in an hour?
He shifted his gaze toward the window.
It did not seem like much time had passed, but if he continued to delay, he would never be able to leave.
Varkas suppressed a sigh and turned around with difficulty.
—Then, get some rest.
—…See you later.
She murmured in a raspy voice while resting her face on her knees. With effort, he forced his feet to move, which resisted walking away.
Before entering the meeting room, he stopped by the kitchen and ordered them to prepare the foods she had requested. He would need to commission the fresh fruits from the southern merchants, but the foods that could be preserved for a long time, like the violet sweets and the grapefruit, could be easily obtained.
He also thought of other foods that she might like. He would have preferred her to consume something more nutritious, like meat and vegetables, but for the moment, he was content with the simple fact that she showed interest in food.
Varkas gave instructions to the head butler to summon the caravan merchants as soon as possible and then left the main palace.
Upon entering the building used by the archers of Wolfram, he encountered a practical space devoid of any decoration. The place was silent and uninhabited, as if it were empty, since most of the warriors were stationed outside the fief chasing monsters and bandits.
Varkas crossed the hall where various weapons were displayed and went up the stairs.
In the meeting room, three robust warriors awaited him. After exchanging formal greetings, Varkas went straight to the point.
In any case, there were no measures that could be taken immediately other than reinforcing the defenses on the northern border and storing weapons and provisions.
Varkas wrote encrypted orders and distributed the tasks among the knights. The instructions consisted of doubling the number of spies and hiring trusted merchants and mercenaries to guarantee the supply of military provisions at any moment.
—Should we not also mobilize additional troops? —opined the young knight who had been listening in silence.
Varkas nodded slowly while touching his chin.
—It is good to prepare without drawing attention. Send secret messages to the lords of the various regions and ask them to reinforce their forces.
Suddenly, he had the feeling that that might not be enough.
—And also gather good scouts. It will be better to conduct a detailed reconnaissance of the border areas of Balto.
—…Do you really believe that Balto will initiate a war of independence?
—Those peoples will show their fangs at any moment an opportunity presents itself —Varkas added while rubbing the bridge of his nose and looking at the map spread out on the table—. It will be best to prevent the war beforehand, but it does not hurt to prepare for the worst.
Then he took the pen, quickly marked the reconnaissance zones, and moved on to the next topic.
To determine how far the influence of the Heimdall family reached, he also had to mobilize his family's entire information network. Afterward, he would have to eliminate their followers with caution. Given that one cannot burn the entire house down just because of a rat infestation, there was no choice but to use poison and traps to finish them off gradually, however troublesome it might turn out to be.
—It will be best to bribe the leader of the 'Silver Alliance' guild beforehand. Schedule a meeting soon.
—It will not be easy. It is known that the current leader of the guild belongs to a noble family of Balto.
—Despite that, he is a merchant. Since he managed to sit in the chair of the president of the guild that controls the northeast region, it is likely that he possesses the mentality of a merchant to the core —Varkas spoke coldly while leaning against the back of the chair—. If he is stupid enough to reject my offer, we will simply have to replace the guild leader. I watched some suitable figures during my trip through the East, so contact them in advance.
Astonishment appeared on the faces of the advisors and then disappeared due to his bold declarations. The man who had formulated the question nodded with a serious expression.
—I understand perfectly what you mean.
Varkas dictated a few additional instructions and stood up. It was early to judge, but it was unlikely that the Heimdall family was determined to start a war immediately. Undoubtedly, they too would want a sufficient preparation period. Their influence had to be considerably weakened during this winter.
He left the meeting room pressing his swollen eyelids. After concluding several tasks, he returned to the main palace when the sun had already hidden behind the city wall. It had been a busy day as usual, without a single moment to catch his breath, but today it had felt especially long.
Varkas entered the Great Hall and went straight to the kitchen. He took the drink and some snacks that the servants had previously prepared to feed her, when he heard a familiar voice behind his back.
—Your Highness the Duke.
Varkas turned his head over his shoulder and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the composed face that denoted great tension.
The healer of the East opened her mouth with a grave expression.
—There is an important matter of which I must inform you.