The man, who had turned to leave, suddenly stopped and cast a frigid glance back over his shoulder.
At that moment, wind from the lakeside softly disturbed his ash-blond hair.
But it did nothing to soften the impression he gave off.
A smile sharp as a honed blade spread across his lips.
It was the first expression to appear on that face, which had remained as still as a mask.
“Me? Protect her?”
Varkas let out a low laugh as though he had heard something amusing.
But a razor-edged fury flashed within his blue eyes.
For a moment, Gareth lost the ability to speak.
He had known that this man despised Talia. But he had never imagined the hostility ran this deep.
Was he not a man whose emotions had been thoroughly carved away by priests?
In all the years Gareth had known him, he had never once seen Varkas openly display emotion.
What in the world had she done to make a man like this bare his teeth?
With naked curiosity, Gareth stared at him.
He had heard rumors that while serving as Talia Roem Gwirta’s guard knight, the man had endured endless humiliation from her. Yet Gareth had never believed someone like Varkas would actually be affected by the hysterics of a spoiled girl.
The man had always seemed too lofty, too untouchable for that.
To him, Talia Roem Gwirta should have been nothing more than an irritating nuisance.
But apparently that was not the case.
Varkas’s blue eyes, devoid of even the faintest warmth, gleamed coldly as he bit out the words,
“I simply never wish to become entangled with that woman again.”
Then, as though he had nothing further to say, he turned and walked back the way he had come.
Gareth silently watched him retreat soundlessly like a water serpent gliding across the lake.
Slowly, a vicious smile spread across his lips.
‘Whatever Talia did to him, it works in my favor.’
The man who should become his strongest supporter despised his enemy.
Would that not make their alliance all the stronger?
With a satisfied expression, Gareth rose from his seat.