Talia fidgeted awkwardly with her hands before forcing out a rough voice.
“If you... if you break even a single strand of my hair, I won’t let you off.”
He gave no response.
But his movements seemed to grow even more careful.
The way his fingers brushed against her hair almost felt like a caress, and Talia swallowed dryly.
Between the open collar of his shirt, she could see his thick throat and collarbones protruding elegantly like the wings of a bird. She could vividly feel the supple strength of his forearms shifting with every movement, and she was painfully aware of the long legs wrapped in wool trousers positioned right beside her thighs.
Talia lowered her head deeply to hide her burning face.
“H-how much longer?”
Could it really take this long to untangle a few strands of hair caught on a button?
Or had her nerves stretched this moment into something unreal and endless?
Sweat began dampening her palms.
She wiped her hands against the pile of clothes scattered across the floor. Then she froze after noticing the flush spreading all the way to the inside of her wrists.
Surely her entire body had not turned red?
How hideous must she look right now?
Her voice rose sharply with irritation.
“It’s fine already, just cut it off!”
Unlike his usual swift, efficient self, Varkas hesitated for a long moment before lowering one hand toward his waist.
The moment she saw him draw a dagger, her body stiffened.
He wrapped an arm behind her once more, and unconsciously Talia clenched a fistful of his clothes.
“S-still, don’t cut too much... my hair...”
Before she could even finish speaking, a soft snap rang out, and the faint pressure tugging at her scalp vanished.
Talia immediately twisted around in alarm, terrified ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) he might have hacked off a whole chunk of her hair.
Fortunately, no severed lock of hair was anywhere to be seen.
Instead, a gleaming golden button lay rolling on the floor.
She picked it up and examined it carefully.
The emblem of the Roem Imperial Knights had been engraved into the finely crafted metal.
Talia slowly turned her head back toward him.
Varkas had already risen to his feet and was sliding the dagger back into place at his waist.
“How long are you planning to sit there?”
While straightening his disheveled clothing, Varkas spoke in his usual blunt tone.
Talia awkwardly climbed to her feet.
For some reason, everything suddenly felt unbearably awkward.
Feigning a cough, she held the button out toward him.
“Here.”
“No need. Throw it away.”
Varkas answered absentmindedly before glancing out the window.
At some point, the sky had become drenched in crimson sunset light.
Turning back, he slowly swept his gaze around the disastrous state of the room before exhaling in exhaustion.
“May I take my leave now?”
Talia nodded without complaint.
After giving a brief bow of his head, he immediately left the room.
Talia quietly listened to his retreating footsteps before suddenly darting toward her bed and pulling out a jewelry box.
Then she carefully placed his button deep inside the very back of it.
That night, a strange excitement kept her from sleeping.
Unidentifiable emotions made her chest ache sweetly.
Again and again, she replayed his words, his actions, the look in his eyes.
Maybe.
No. There’s no way.
But maybe.
Disordered thoughts crowded her mind until it felt ready to burst apart.