The thick, entirely masculine smell of hot water and the deeply pungent, highly sharp aroma of crushed Eastern mint violently rushed directly into her lungs.
Thalia looked completely up at him with a highly terrified, violently trembling gaze.
Barkas leaned incredibly close entirely to her ear and said highly quietly, almost in a completely freezing, deeply lethal whisper.
"If you actively continue to violently make absolutely such a highly pathetic, screaming noise...
then exactly why should we formally pretend to actively share exactly one room?"
There was absolutely something so incredibly, profoundly sobering in this highly reproachful, entirely cold tone that she instantly, violently came entirely to her political senses.
Aggressively pushing his massive, wet hand completely away from her mouth, Thalia violently recoiled completely backward onto the mattress.
When a safe physical distance violently formed completely between them, her highly panicked blue gaze entirely involuntarily, actively slid completely over his impeccably sculpted, entirely pale, heavily scarred torso.
She highly quickly, violently lowered her eyes, her pale cheeks completely burning bright red.
"At the absolute very least, physically get entirely dressed!" she blurted out highly indignantly, her voice a quiet, frantic hiss.
"Do you possess absolutely no basic human shame at all?!"
Barkas frowned deeply, and absolutely something highly akin to intense, cold irritation violently flashed exactly in his icy gaze.
He highly slowly, heavily shook his wet dark head and, actively getting completely up from the mattress, said highly dryly.
"It is incredibly strange to actively hear this highly prudish complaint entirely from someone who actively walked completely around the massive imperial court entirely half-naked."
"Exactly when was it ever me...!"
Thalia violently raised her delicate chin highly sharply, but then completely stopped highly short entirely when she actively noticed him methodically taking entirely out a highly clean, fresh linen shirt.
While he was actively putting his massive arms directly into the highly wide sleeves, Barkas absolutely did not actively forget to completely add highly sarcastically.
"From the absolute very first day you highly actively started pathetically pretending completely to be a deeply seductive Empress...
entirely before you had even legally come of age."
Thalia's pale face violently twisted highly painfully.
Highly toxic, deeply bitter memories of the absolute days in the capital when she had actively, highly desperately tried to politically get his absolute attention entirely filled her completely with profound, toxic resentment.
She aggressively, violently grabbed the heavy down pillow entirely with absolutely all her physical might and violently threw it directly exactly at his massive back completely with all her fragile strength.
"But entirely now I absolutely have such a violently ruined, completely crippled body that there is absolutely nothing left to highly dream about!" Thalia shrieked.
"Are you highly actively glad now, perhaps?!"
Barkas, highly methodically fastening the small buttons of his shirt, slowly threw an incredibly icy, deeply lethal look entirely back at her.
At that exact, highly terrifying moment, Thalia, who was completely burning with highly toxic anger, suddenly became entirely, violently quiet: completely ever since the horrific moment of her highly tragic misfortune in the capital, he had entirely silently, completely stoically endured absolutely all of her highly violent, deeply toxic hysterics.
But entirely now, it highly actively seemed that his absolute patience had completely, violently run entirely out.
The massive man actively climbed completely onto the soft bed entirely with a completely pitiless, highly terrifying gaze.
Physically feeling his highly heavy, massive step sink the mattress, Thalia violently rolled entirely over directly to the absolute other edge completely on sheer animal instinct.
She highly desperately tried to entirely slip completely away and actively run, but an incredibly hard, massive calloused hand violently grabbed her entirely directly around her fragile waist.
In a single, violent instant, she was entirely pinned completely under his massive frame exactly again, actively looking completely up at him entirely with a highly numb, deeply terrified gaze.
He was exactly the one highly ruthless man who absolutely never entirely hesitated to actively use terrifying physical force completely to violently subdue her entirely whenever she highly got completely out of control.
And entirely yet, her fragile heart violently skipped a highly massive beat, exactly as if absolutely everything was physically happening entirely for the absolute very first time.
Barkas leaned incredibly entirely closer and said highly coldly, his voice a freezing rumble.
"It is highly entirely time for you to completely actively unlearn this deeply pathetic habit."
Thalia stared completely up at him in absolute, highly paralyzed horror.
His merciless, entirely freezing gaze slowly, lethally slid directly completely to her pale lips, highly violently chapped and deeply heavily bitten, and he highly slowly, methodically added.
"And completely unlearn the highly toxic habit of intense self-destruction entirely too."
Her fragile heart, which had entirely exactly just frozen completely, actively began to violently beat entirely so incredibly hard that it highly actively felt completely ready to violently burst entirely out of her ribs.
She absolutely did not actively know entirely if it was completely out of sheer terror or absolutely something highly deeply else.
Thalia violently squeezed her highly heavy eyelids completely shut.
"Take...
actively take your massive hand completely away."
"..."
"Do you absolutely not hear me?!
Take your hand entirely away!"
Barkas entirely absolutely did not physically move a single inch.
Completely under the highly dull, intensely pointed, deeply freezing gaze, her pale lips actively went completely violently dry.
She highly frantically tried to completely actively hide her heavily torn, bleeding lip entirely completely behind her white teeth, but he entirely highly actively only narrowed his icy blue eyes significantly more intently.
His massive calloused fingers slowly, highly deliberately released their heavy grip entirely on her fragile wrist, but completely entirely before she could actively highly take absolute advantage of the sudden physical freedom, he violently grabbed her delicate chin entirely in his heavy palm.
Thalia took a highly violent, completely shuddering breath.
Incredibly rough, heavily calloused fingers highly roughly, entirely methodically pulled her bitten lower lip completely out.
The highly rough, highly warm pad of his massive thumb slowly, heavily slid directly entirely across the violently swollen, bleeding skin, actively leaving a highly wet, deeply erotic mark entirely over the fresh blood.
"Stop actively violently tormenting your highly fragile lips entirely already."
Thalia looked completely directly up entirely at him, completely entirely full of profound fear and intense, highly absolute confusion.
If absolutely anyone entirely else highly actively touched her completely exactly like that, she would absolutely highly definitely think it was a highly explicit, deeply sexual hint of intense desire.
In the highly luxurious, deeply debauched halls of Empress Seneviere, she had formally met hundreds upon hundreds of highly powerful men who were entirely, deeply burning with absolute thirst to violently touch her flawless body.
But there was absolutely not a highly single, complete shadow of absolute lust entirely in Barkas's severe face.
His entirely cold, deeply clinical, intensely freezing gaze completely only actively confused her highly frantic thoughts entirely even highly more.
It truly, genuinely entirely meant absolutely nothing highly romantic to him.
She exhaled incredibly highly restrainedly.
"O-okay...
I actively understand...
Take your massive hand entirely away from me."
Her highly fragile voice sounded entirely almost exactly completely like a deeply pathetic plea.
His freezing silver-blue eyes highly slowly looked entirely directly up completely at her, and his highly bottomless, deeply lethal pupils highly actively seemed to entirely completely deprive her entirely of absolute all logical reason.
Completely out of deeply highly ingrained habit, she nervously ran her wet tongue entirely over her highly chapped lips and entirely accidentally, highly violently touched the completely rough, calloused tip of his massive thumb.
Her pale face immediately, violently flushed entirely bright red.
Barkas highly carefully, intensely clinically watched her highly frantic reaction, exactly as if actively heavily checking entirely whether she was genuinely, highly physically unpleasant.
It highly actively completely seemed exactly like he was actively reading her highly completely right entirely through exactly to her soul.
This highly terrifying, deeply intimate realization completely caused highly intense, freezing cold sweat to violently actively break entirely out completely on her pale forehead.
Thalia, entirely completely unable to physically actively bear the highly suffocating, intensely heavy silence absolutely any longer, exhaled highly convulsively.
"My...
my crushed leg highly actively hurts."
Barkas entirely actively twitched highly completely slightly.
She highly stubbornly, completely violently turned her dark head entirely away and actively repeated highly hoarsely.
"I entirely actively woke completely up entirely in massive pain...
C-call the imperial healer immediately."
Absolutely only then did Barkas highly slowly, entirely heavily pull completely physically away from her.
Thalia, exactly like a highly terrified, violently trapped animal actively completely escaped entirely from a massive steel trap, violently darted entirely into the absolute very corner of the massive bed.
Barkas, silently, heavily looking entirely at her completely with highly thoughtful, deeply intense icy eyes entirely for a highly long while, sighed incredibly briefly and completely actively turned entirely away.
"I have absolutely already highly entirely prepared the Eastern medicine."
"I absolutely do completely not actively need your highly toxic, disgusting provincial medicine," Thalia muttered defensively.
"Imperial sleeping pills actively work entirely much highly better.
Formally call my highly trusted healer, she herself..."
Thalia highly aggressively muttered, but entirely absolutely did not actively have the highly physical time to completely finish: the incredibly icy, completely lethal gaze violently glared completely entirely at her exactly again.
She instantly, violently stopped highly completely short and highly frantically pulled the heavy silk blanket entirely completely up directly to her delicate chin.
Barkas actively took a small glass bottle completely from the wooden shelf, highly methodically opened it entirely, and highly coldly handed it entirely directly to her.
Thalia actively glared completely at the glass entirely exactly as if it were her absolute highly worst, deeply mortal enemy, but entirely finally, highly reluctantly violently snatched it completely away from his hand.
Completely from the absolute highly very first day she had arrived entirely in the East, entirely exactly when she was violently actively forced to drink this highly bitter, deeply toxic-tasting potion, she had secretly highly actively poured it entirely completely into the potted flower pots.
Violently completely closing her highly heavy eyes, she incredibly hardly, actively violently swallowed the completely bitter, highly intense liquid that completely aggressively burned her entire tongue.
Barkas highly habitually, completely methodically took the entirely empty glass bottle and highly easily entirely put it entirely completely back entirely on the shelf, exactly as if he were highly actively handling a completely highly spoiled, entirely difficult ten-year-old child.
This entirely calm, incredibly cold-blooded, deeply clinical concern completely made her highly frantic head entirely even more violently completely confused.
Why exactly highly entirely then was it completely absolutely necessary to entirely actively aggressively scare her entirely exactly like that?
*Just to violently teach me a highly pathetic lesson?*
*Or...*
"Lie down entirely," Barkas ordered highly deeply.
"Tomorrow is a highly actively entirely hard day completely out on the steppe, you absolutely highly need to completely actively get highly some intense sleep."
His massive, heavily calloused hand highly carefully, completely entirely smoothed and actively straightened the highly thick blanket, and her highly frantic thoughts were entirely completely violently cut entirely short.
Thalia actively heavily watched him completely entirely exactly as if she were actively intensely watching a highly venomous, deeply lethal snake that actively could completely entirely attack entirely at absolutely any highly given moment.
Barkas, exactly as if absolutely completely not entirely actively noticing her highly prickly, entirely terrified gaze, calmly actively walked completely directly up entirely to the oil lamp and highly heavily dimmed the golden light.
Then, entirely completely without highly actively turning completely around, he highly methodically wandered entirely completely to the absolute far corner of the massive tent and actively sat entirely completely down exactly at the heavy oak table.
There he actively highly opened a highly massive, incredibly thick ledger-like military book and highly completely actively seemed to entirely completely be deeply engrossed in highly methodically studying the incredibly highly complex Eastern financial records.
Thalia actively watched him highly completely entirely with intensely bated, highly frozen breath.
She highly entirely actively wanted to completely highly know exactly when he would absolutely actively still entirely lie completely down entirely right completely next entirely to her in the same bed.
But the deeply dark night highly actively entirely went completely on, and Barkas was absolutely highly still completely sitting entirely exactly at the heavy table, absolutely completely not actively physically moving entirely completely from his place.
In the absolute highly bitter end, she was highly actively entirely the highly absolute completely first to completely entirely actively give highly entirely up and, entirely physically exhausted, completely violently fell highly entirely fast asleep.
***
When Thalia actively violently highly entirely woke completely up, the massive tent was entirely completely absolutely empty.
Exactly as if someone highly actively mockingly, completely entirely actively proved exactly to her highly paranoid mind entirely that absolutely all of her highly violent, deeply intense physical fears were completely entirely actively entirely in vain: absolutely no one had completely actively entirely even physically touched her while she slept.
Thalia actively breathed a highly massive, completely intense sigh entirely of absolute physical relief, highly actively completely looking entirely around the completely dim tent, entirely bathed completely highly in bright morning light, entirely completely with blue eyes absolutely highly still entirely completely full of highly heavy sleep.
He highly actively explicitly entirely promised that absolutely highly entirely nothing physical would actively happen.
*So exactly why was I highly entirely completely so intensely deeply worried?*
"Your Grace, are you highly actively completely awake?"
While Thalia was highly actively intensely staring completely exactly at the entirely absolutely highly empty space entirely directly next completely to her, the highly entirely familiar, deeply comforting voice entirely of her capital Nanny highly actively entirely came completely entirely from completely outside the tent flap.
The imperial girl highly carefully, entirely completely painfully climbed entirely completely off the massive bed.
"Yes, Nanny.
I entirely actively woke up."
Highly entirely soon, the older Nanny actively ran completely directly entirely inside, highly carefully holding a highly massive, incredibly heavy silver tray completely exactly on her head.
"How exactly entirely did you highly actively completely sleep entirely at night, Your Grace?" she highly happily chirped joyfully and, actively smiling entirely warmly completely from ear exactly to ear, heavily entirely put the massive silver tray entirely directly on the table.
"I highly actively completely formally brought entirely exactly you breakfast!
You will absolutely highly definitely entirely completely completely enjoy it entirely today."
The Nanny smiled entirely highly brightly.
"Last highly dark night the massive camp manager highly actively gave completely us imperial servants a truly real, highly magnificent feast, absolutely everything was incredibly, entirely completely highly delicious."
Thalia highly actively entirely looked completely directly at the highly expensive, deeply heavy Eastern dishes entirely exactly with a highly intense, deeply disgusted frown.
The massive silver tray was completely highly heavily entirely piled entirely high exactly with highly thick, heavy bowls entirely of boiled cereal porridge, completely rough, highly hard white rolls, incredibly stringy, deeply heavy Eastern cheese, and intensely cloying, highly thick fruit jam.
Just the highly absolute entirely physical sight of absolutely all of it highly violently completely made her highly sensitive stomach entirely actively actively churn.
"Take absolutely entirely completely everything highly actively entirely away and exactly just formally completely bring me highly entirely some sweet mead."
"Under absolutely highly completely entirely no physical circumstances, Your Grace!"
The Nanny highly entirely actively shook her head.
"His Excellency the Grand Duke highly explicitly, entirely formally ordered me completely to highly personally actively see directly to it entirely completely that you actively entirely eat completely highly properly.
Do you actively highly want me to absolutely entirely be violently punished entirely completely later?"
Thalia highly actively entirely completely picked exactly up a highly hard piece entirely of white bread, highly intensely suspiciously entirely exactly actively examining entirely it completely for highly dirty midges, and entirely actively completely looked highly highly at the older Nanny incredibly incredulously.
This highly old, deeply naive imperial woman absolutely highly always entirely firmly, completely highly actively believed that the absolute Emperor, or entirely at absolute completely least Empress Seneviere, highly actively completely loved entirely his highly illegitimate daughter completely deeply exactly down entirely in his soul.
And entirely now she highly actively entirely probably completely actively attached highly entirely completely too much absolute political importance to highly accidentally, completely heavily entirely dropped words exactly from the new Duke.
Thalia smiled highly entirely completely wryly.
"Where exactly highly completely entirely did this highly great, completely absolute Duke actually highly actively physically go entirely so completely incredibly early entirely this morning?"