Chapter 28
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: Diva Chapter: 28 Chapter Title: The Dress for Her Coming of Age -----------------------------------------------------------------
It must have been a few months before her sixteenth birthday.
Restless at the thought of becoming an adult so soon, she nagged him more than usual, whining for him to pick out dresses and accessories. It was a pathetic attempt to catch his eye.
Even Barkas, who would normally ignore such demands, eventually gave in to her relentless badgering and offered his opinions obediently.
Probably because he thought he'd be rid of her in just a few months. She hated him for that infuriating attitude. And yet, in her desperation to keep him by her side, she felt like she could do anything.
Because an end that had seemed impossibly distant was finally drawing near.
"What do you think of this as a dress for my coming-of-age ceremony?"
She draped herself in a lavish silk gown airlifted from the south and thrust her upper body toward him like she was putting on a show.
As always, Barkas merely cast her a dry glance. Her face grew hotter under that impassive gaze.
He was heading from nineteen toward twenty now, his body freshly shed of boyish softness and ripening into firm manhood. If only for that lifeless, emotionless stare, he might have looked like an angel descended from heaven.
Talia deliberately raised her voice to hide her foolishly trembling heart.
"I'm asking what you think!"
"......It looks like a child stole an adult's dress."
His tightly pressed lips finally parted.
She narrowed her eyes. He added one more word, as if she were a nuisance.
"It doesn't suit you at all."
Her face flushed crimson as she glared at him. But since she'd sought his opinion herself, she couldn't really argue back.
Talia shot him a venomous look and stomped back behind the screen. She rummaged wildly through the mountain of clothes piled up. She was determined to make that corpse of a man blush.
After a long while, she picked out something even bolder—a provocative dress with a neckline plunging perilously low. She hesitated, wondering if it was too much, but soon steeled herself and slipped it on. Peering into the mirror, she saw a breathtakingly beautiful girl staring back.
She gazed at her reflection with satisfaction, scrutinizing every detail. Her slender, birch-like frame had started changing bit by bit since she turned fourteen. Her flat chest had begun budding small swells the size of apples, and even her flat hips had gained some curve.
Talia took pride in her transformation. She felt elated at the thought of approaching the flawless beauty owned by Senevia. Once Barkas realized what she had to offer, he'd surely change his mind. After all, she was destined to become the most beautiful woman in the world.
Buoyed by hope, she dashed out from behind the screen.
"How about this one?"
Barkas, who had been staring out the window with a bored expression, turned to her. For the first time, something resembling emotion flickered across his face. But it wasn't particularly positive.
He furrowed his brow and raked his eyes over her before spitting out somewhat irritably,
"The very first dress."
He drew a deep breath and added curtly,
"Wear that one."
There was no trace of the admiration or surprise she'd hoped for—just a parched, indifferent tone. But Talia felt her heart might burst at the mere fact that he remembered the first dress out of the dozens she'd shown him.
She flashed him a sly, suggestive smile.
"What, pretending to be indifferent when you've been watching closely all along?"
He didn't respond at all. Whatever, he just seemed eager for this tiresome fashion show to end.
His arrogant demeanor sparked a flash of spite in her, but Talia decided to let it slide generously. Hadn't she resolved to show him her changing self little by little, even if changing his attitude right away was tough?
Humming to herself, Talia pulled out the very first dress she'd tried on.
It was a delicate, elegant velvet surcoat embroidered densely with fairy folk motifs. This dress would never leave her wardrobe—it had caught Barkas's eye, after all.
She quickly changed into it and spun before him, showing it off.
"This one, right?"
He stared at her steadily. The girl who'd been irritable all day was suddenly giggling like a drunk, but it didn't seem to faze him. Maybe it didn't matter to him if she rampaged like a monster or cackled like a madwoman—they were all the same.
But Talia wanted to believe his attitude toward her had changed.
And why not? That once-indifferent gaze had started lingering on her face for long stretches. And not just that—his tone when speaking to her felt softer than before.
Sensing that subtle shift keenly, Talia felt a faint spark of hope wriggle in her chest.
What if Barkas regretted having to part with her? They'd spent so much time together; maybe he'd grown a bit fond despite himself. Talia clung pathetically to that futile hope.
"If I dance in this dress, I'll look just like the fairy queen, don't you think?"
A faint crease formed between his brows at her question.
Was he sick of the endless questions? Or maybe he was actually pondering an answer. She decided to think positively.
"Don't just stand there—practice with me."
Before he could reply, Talia yanked his arm. The man, who wouldn't have budged before, let himself be pulled along with feigned reluctance.
See? Talia crowed inwardly in triumph. Something really had changed.
She pulled the stiffly uncooperative man closer and twirled. But her foot caught on a chest on the floor, throwing off her balance. Instinctively, she grabbed his arm.
Barkas muttered something unintelligible and hurriedly wrapped his arm around her waist.
But the room was such a mess there was nowhere solid to step. Piles of clothes snagged his ankle, and they tumbled together onto the carpet. Talia let out a small curse.
"You should've cleaned up the room properly!"
Barkas raised one eyebrow—he'd only tried to protect her and gotten himself in trouble for it. He was her guard knight, not a servant. She couldn't demand he tidy up like some menial. She knew that full well, yet Talia lashed out anyway.
"If I get a bruise on my butt, you're dead meat, you lousy guard!"
As she grumbled and tried to get up, a sharp sting shot through her scalp. Talia glared at him in disbelief.
"Did you just pull my hair?"
A short sigh escaped his lips.
"It seems your hair got caught on my sleeve button."
He tugged gently at the arm he'd looped behind her back to demonstrate.
The pain flared again, and Talia shrieked, pounding his chest.
"That hurts, you idiot!"
He paused, gazing down at her eyes misty with tears. She felt a pang of guilt inside but glared back defiantly.
With another low sigh, Barkas looped his arm behind her back again. He began moving his hand carefully, as if trying to untangle her hair.
Sitting between his knees, Talia rolled her eyes anxiously. It was only then that she realized their improper closeness and position.
Her heart pounded wildly, as if it might explode, from the faint scent of soap and mint wafting from his body. She was sure he could hear it too.