He carefully brushed aside her disheveled hair, tracing with his fingertips the smooth curve that ran from beneath her ear to her shoulder.
Beneath her fair skin, damp with a faint sheen of sweat, he could feel the delicate framework of her bones.
The fragility of her body, as though it might shatter if he applied the slightest pressure, filled him with an inexplicable sense of unease.
She was so slender that it seemed difficult enough for her body to contain the flesh, blood, and bones of a single person.
He still found it impossible to believe that another life might now reside within her.
Looking down at her with worried eyes, Varkas slowly sat upright.
He gently drew the deeply sleeping woman onto his lap and let her rest her head against his chest.
“Talia, eat dinner before you sleep.”
“It's a bother. I just want to sleep.”
She whimpered like a sleepy child throwing a tantrum and tried to push him away.
Ignoring her resistance, Varkas wrapped one arm around her back and picked up the bowl of soup from the tray.
“You have to eat at least a little. You need to regain your strength.”
Holding the bowl in the same arm that supported her, he lifted a spoon with his free hand.
Thin wisps of steam rose from the light soup, made with clear chicken broth, softened barley, and various herbs.
After cooling it to a suitable temperature, he held it to her lips.
The woman, who had wrinkled her nose in displeasure, reluctantly opened her mouth.
He carefully fed her while watching her expression closely.
Fortunately, it seemed to suit her taste.
After pursing lips that resembled a rosebud, she quietly swallowed the soup.
Releasing a small sigh of relief, he scooped up another spoonful of the clear broth.
“One more bite.”
Still dozing against his chest, she obediently opened her mouth again.
She looked just like a baby bird opening its beak to receive food.
Feeling something heavy swell deep within his heart, he continued feeding her at an even pace.
The woman who would ordinarily have complained that she didn't want to eat finished an entire bowl of porridge without leaving a single drop.
Looking contentedly at the empty bowl, Varkas gently wiped her lips with his thumb.
“Should I bring you some more?”
“No. I'm full.”
She frowned and curled into a small ball.
Setting the bowl aside, he gently rubbed just below her breastbone.
Was this what fullness felt like?
His own stomach wasn't full, yet a strange feeling of satisfaction welled up inside him.
Immersed in that unfamiliar sensation, he slowly let out a long breath.
For more than ten years, he had never once experienced hunger.
Naturally, he had never indulged himself or eaten until he was full.
He had always consumed only the amount of food necessary to sustain himself.
But if any desire for food still remained somewhere within him, he thought this overwhelming sense of fulfillment must resemble the feeling of eating everything one truly loved.
Resting his cheek against her fragrant hair, scented with rose oil, he endlessly stroked the gentle rise and fall of her back.
The soft sound of her steady breathing quietly blended into the still evening air.
Listening to it, he gazed at her peaceful face for a long while.
Perhaps this overwhelming sensation was simply something every man experienced.
Wasn't the instinct to feed one's mate until she was full and care for her tenderly engraved into the blood of every male?
Thinking of it that way, his unusual reaction suddenly felt perfectly natural.
Having neatly organized his thoughts, Varkas wrapped both arms securely around her and quietly closed his eyes.
* * *
“Congratulations, Your Highness. There is no doubt that you are with child.”
The priestess smiled brightly after completing her examination.
Talia merely blinked blankly.
Only after hearing her nanny's excited voice did she finally come back to herself.
“Oh, my dear young lady! Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!”