Inside a silver bowl lay a cluster of wild grapes and several neatly peeled slices of pear.
She had always lived mostly on fruit and drinks sweetened with honey.
Even then, she would only take a few bites after her nurse pleaded with her again and again.
He had never once heard her say, of her own accord, that she wanted to eat something.
For some reason, that made him unexpectedly pleased.
Adjusting Talia in one arm, he accepted the bowl with the other.
"Thank you. I'll take care of it from here. You may go."
He then opened the bedroom door and walked inside.
"Did you want some fruit?"
Setting her gently into a heavily cushioned chair, he crouched before her.
An uneasy expression greeted him.
Pressing her lips together as though concealing her feelings, Talia answered with feigned indifference.
"That's not the fruit I wanted."
"Then what fruit did you want?"
She hesitated, nervously twisting the fabric of her dress between her fingers.
Only after a long silence did she mumble softly,
"...Strawberries."
Fine lines formed around his eyes.
They had long since gone out of season.
Knowing that she was well aware of it herself, she hurriedly added, almost defensively,
"I only told them to see if they could find any somewhere. I wasn't making unreasonable demands or throwing a tantrum. Asking someone to check the market isn't exactly an impossible request."
"You may assign errands like that as often as you wish."
His reply came in an unexpectedly firm voice.
Seeing her behave as though she were cautiously gauging his reaction filled him with a strange sense of unease.
Did she truly think I would scold her over something so trivial?
Feeling the tightness in his throat sink into the pit of his stomach, he gently lifted her chin.
"Do you really want strawberries?"
"I just... suddenly thought of them."
"It won't be possible today, but I'll have some brought to you within a few days."
The woman who had been avoiding his eyes slowly met his gaze.
Growing oddly impatient, he added,
"If there's anything else you wish to eat, tell me. Anything at all."