"What does it matter to you whether my lips turn purple or green?!"
She flung his coat onto the ground and raised her voice.
Another sigh followed.
Her eyes burned.
He smiled for Aila, yet whenever he stood before her, all he ever did was sigh.
She could not stand the sight of him.
"Even if I freeze to death here, I won't let it inconvenience you in the slightest, so go! Go to the birthday banquet of those noble twins! Go flatter them to your heart's content!"
"Even if Your Highness spends the entire night here, you won't freeze to death. At worst, you'll catch a cold."
"Then I'll catch a cold and die!"
When she shouted furiously, he brushed the wet hair clinging to his forehead back with a somewhat rough motion.
The gesture carried unmistakable irritation.
Talia shrank slightly.
Yet when he spoke, his voice remained as even and flat as ever.
"What exactly must I do to make Your Highness stop playing the tragic heroine?"
The sharp remark immediately made her eyes narrow again.
He was always courteous to Aila, yet with her he never missed an opportunity to be sarcastic.
It was infuriating.
Glowering at him with blazing eyes, Talia pulled a pearl ornament from her intricately braided hair.
Without the slightest hesitation, she hurled it across the lake.
"Bring that back for me. Then I'll stop."
Varkas's eyes narrowed.
Talia expected him either to explode in anger or to turn around and leave without mercy.
If that happened, she intended to stay there all night until she collapsed.
Let him feel guilty when he saw her corpse.
But as always, Varkas refused to act according to her expectations.
Deliberately, right in front of her, he began undoing the buttons of his uniform jacket one by one.
Talia's eyes widened.
Then she scoffed.
He's bluffing. He thinks I'll stop him.
There's no way he's actually going into the water.
Feigning confidence, she watched as he removed his knight's uniform jacket and laid it beneath the tree.
Then he pulled off the boots that reached nearly to his calves.
So we're really doing this?
Varkas even removed the sword belt around his waist.
Dressed only in a thin shirt that nearly revealed the outline of his body and a pair of light trousers, he approached the lakeshore.
Then he stood there silently, staring at the rain-speckled lake.
He's definitely just trying to force me to back down.
She mocked him inwardly.
Then, without warning, he dove into the water.
Splash.
Talia jumped to her feet.
The gray surface swallowed him in an instant.
Staring blankly, she hurried to the shore and peered into the dark water.
"Varkas?"
The lake remained silent.
There was no trace whatsoever of the eighteen-year-old boy who had grown frighteningly tall and handsome after turning sixteen.
She raised her voice.
"Varkas!"
Only her own voice echoed through the drizzle.
Now Talia was shouting in earnest.