A faint smile crossed Barcas's mouth. He rustled and took out another strawberry.
"Come on."
I, who had been looking up at him with wet eyes, opened my mouth again. Barcas carefully pushed the strawberry into it.
I couldn't swallow a slightly larger fruit at once, so I cut it in half, and the juice, overflowing with water-moistened my lips. Barcas, who wiped it off with his thumb, cast a dark gaze on her gobbling lips. I felt somewhat embarrassed, so I lowered my eyes and gulped what was in my mouth.
"You should try one too. It's just worth eating."
"I obtained it to present to Your Highness."
Barcas said calmly, tucking the remaining flesh into the corner of my mouth.
"Please eat them all, Your Highness."
I, who was staring up at his neat face, opened my mouth obediently. Barcas hurriedly carried the red fruit Into It. Even though I kept it in my mouth for a long time and chewed it slowly to fully savor the taste, the six large strawberries disappeared in an Instant.
Looking down at the empty package with a sad look, Barcas stood up from the bed and said.
"Please wait a moment. I'll get more."
"No. I'm full now."
I hurriedly grabbed the man who seemed to be going outside with his coat at any moment. The sun was about to set. The ruler of the East couldn't run around in all directions to get fruits that did not even grow in this season.
I pulled his forearm with a firm hand.
"This is enough, so don't be so embarrassed."
"Is it unusual?"
He gave me a puzzled look. Could it be that he was not aware of his unusual behavior?
I let out a short sigh.
"If it's not unusual for people to go around looking for strawberries this winter, what's the matter?"
Barcas tilted his head to one side, as if he couldn't understand.
"Why is it an unusual act to get food from your wife and give it to her? This is a matter of course even for beasts."
I looked up at him with a speechless expression. He seemed to think so sincerely.
Even if he had taken a woman other than me as his wife, he would have acted the same. I felt the feeling of floating in the air subside and raised the corners of my eyes.
"Anyway, it's over, so sit down. Even if I get more, I'm so full that I can't eat anyway."
"The maids will be baking a citron pie soon. If you do, please eat just that."
My heart melted again at the sound of a voice echoing at my bedside. I blamed it on my pregnancy. The fluctuating emotions, the constant craving for foods I had never even glanced at before, all were due to the life growing inside me.
"...I'll only eat one piece."
A slight smile crossed Barcas's mouth once again. As I stared at it, I felt like I couldn't stand it anyway, so I turned my gaze to the window.
Soon after, the maids came with steaming pies and trays of traditional drinks from the East.
While they were preparing food on the table, Barcas changed his clothes and sat down in front of the fireplace with a blanket in his arms. Then he cut a hot pie with thin slices of citron, honey, cinnamon, and nuts into small pie with a fork and began to feed me.
I, who habitually opened my mouth, made eye contact with the maid with wide eyes and blushed. Unlike Barcas, she had the perception that it was a healthy behavior for an adult to eat food like a newborn child.
"Tell everyone to get out."
Only then did he nod as if he recognized the presence of the maids.
"I'm here, so just step back."
The frozen maids left the room all at once. Barcas raised his fork again as if nothing had happened and brought the pie to my mouth.
Do you really think this is an unusual behavior? I, who was staring at him fiercely, opened my mouth as if I couldn't win.
Barcas made me eat the whole piece of a large pie. Then he also put pickled apricots in my mouth, which I had no way of knowing where he got them. It seemed like the first time I had eaten so much food since I was in the Taren family.
"Aren't you sick?"
After feeding me greedily, he gently rubbed my stomach and asked if he was worried about it later. I shook my head.
"It's okay."
"...I heard that you were examined by a Priestess today. Didn't she say anything else?"
I, who was full for an unknown amount of time, slightly tensed my body. When I first heard the news of my pregnancy, I was curious about Barcas's reaction. But when I saw him in front of me, I couldn't bear to shut my mouth.
I, who had been muffling for a long time, muttered in an awkward voice.
"...She didn't say much. Just eat well and rest well for a while."
"..."
"I'm tired. Just cut this."
I avoided his gaze and fidgeted under the blanket, feeling the strength in my arms wrapping around my back. I glanced up Barcas stared at me with his slender eyes.
"Do you really have nothing to say to me?"
I swallowed my dry saliva.
"...No, I don't."
"Yes."
His voice grew firm. I raised the corners of my eyes. I said I would never keep it until I talked to him, but in the end, I confessed everything. I dodged his eyes that seemed to be looking inside, and shot them bluntly.
"What do you say? You know everything anyway."
"What do you mean, I know?"
"Don't play dumb! You've heard it all. That's why you're asking me this, aren't you?"
"If you know, why would I bother asking?"
He retorted in a calm tone. I glared at him suspiciously.
"...Did you really not hear anything?"
"I didn't hear it."
Little by little, my doubts subsided at the undisturbed answer. Maybe the maid told me that I had something to talk about.
I pursed my curly lips.
Barcas gently urged me to brush my hair up from my forehead.
"So, please tell me. What did the Priestess say?"
"That's right... I've been dozing off a lot lately, and I'm not feeling well."
My voice cracked violently. I gulped with saliva in my mouth and looked at his expression.
The light from the fireplace cast a warm shadow over his cool face. The strange fear that had been stirring in my heart melted away in an instant at his gentle-looking appearance.
"That... I had a child in my womb, so I made such a deal."
He didn't move, just stared down at me. But I could see the silver pieces in his blue iris shimmering like a ripple.
He let out a sigh as if he had been pushed out from deep in his lungs and leaned his head on my shoulder. At the same time, a large hand with bulging tendons covered my abdomen. His hands, which seemed so delicate, covered my entire stomach.
"...I will take better care of you in the future."
The breath of a large cat purring tickled my earlobe.
Somehow, tears came out, and I bit my lip. It was only after a long time that I was finally able to speak calmly.
"Yes. You have to take care of me more seriously in the future."
"I will."
Contrary to his blunt answer, the touch that caressed my stomach was extremely gentle and careful.
Suddenly, I remembered the first time I met him. At the moment when the whole world felt cold, this hand warmly wrapped me around.
The memory of that day, which sometimes felt like a curse, didn't hurt so much at this moment.
I sat in his arms and buried my cheeks in his throbbing chest.
Comments
Post a Comment