A faint smile brushed the corners of Varkas's lips. Rustling softly, he took out another strawberry.
"Here."
Looking up at him with moist eyes, Talia opened her mouth once more. Varkas carefully placed the strawberry inside.
The berry was a little too large to swallow whole, so she bit into about half of it, and the overflowing juice dampened her lips. Wiping it away with his thumb, Varkas fixed an intent gaze on her gently chewing lips. Embarrassed for some reason, she lowered her eyes and swallowed what was in her mouth.
"You should have one too. It's fairly good."
"I obtained them for Your Highness."
Holding the remaining half of the berry to her lips, Varkas replied evenly.
"Please eat all of them."
Talia quietly looked up at his composed face before obediently opening her mouth. Varkas busily carried each red berry to her lips. Even though she kept each one in her mouth for a long time, savoring the flavor before slowly chewing, all six large strawberries disappeared in no time.
She smacked her lips with lingering regret, whereupon Varkas rose from the bed.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go find more."
"That's enough. I'm full now."
She hurriedly stopped the man who looked ready to grab his coat and head outside immediately. The sun would be setting soon. She couldn't have the ruler of the East running all over the place just to find fruit that didn't even grow in this season.
Talia firmly grabbed his forearm.
"This is enough, so stop making such a fuss."
"A fuss?"
He looked at her in genuine confusion. Did he really not realize how extraordinary his behavior was?
Talia let out a short sigh.
"If searching everywhere for strawberries in the middle of winter isn't making a fuss, then what is?"
Varkas tilted his head slightly, as though he genuinely couldn't understand.
"Why would obtaining food for one's wife be considered making a fuss? Even ordinary beasts do as much."
Talia stared up at him, momentarily speechless.
He seemed to mean every word.
Even if he'd married another woman instead of me, he'd have acted exactly the same.
The buoyant feeling that had lifted her heart abruptly settled back to earth. She raised the corners of her eyes.
"Anyway, enough of that. Sit down. Even if you brought back more, I'm already too full to eat them."
"The maids will soon bring freshly baked citron pie. At least have some of that."
His voice echoed beside her head, and once again her heart seemed to melt.
She blamed it on the pregnancy.
Her emotions swinging wildly...
The foods she had never even glanced at before suddenly occupying her thoughts...
It was all because of the little life growing inside her.
"...I'll only have one slice."
Another faint smile crossed Varkas's lips.
She stared blankly at it until the sight somehow became almost unbearable, forcing her to turn toward the window.
Not long afterward, the maids arrived carrying a tray with steaming pie and a traditional eastern drink.
While they arranged the food on the table, Varkas returned after changing his clothes. Still wrapped in the blanket, he effortlessly lifted Talia into his arms and sat down before the fireplace.
Then he cut the hot pie, filled with thin slices of citron, honey, cinnamon, and nuts, into small bites with a fork and began feeding her.
Opening her mouth out of habit, Talia suddenly met the eyes of a maid staring at them in utter astonishment and immediately flushed.
Unlike Varkas, she possessed enough common sense to realize that having a fully grown adult fed like an infant was hardly dignified.
"Tell them to leave. They're in the way."
Only then did Varkas seem to notice the maids' presence.
"That's enough. You may all withdraw."
The frozen maids hurried out of the room all at once.
As though nothing unusual had happened, Varkas picked up the fork again and brought another bite of pie to her lips.
Do you really think this isn't excessive?
Talia glared at him accusingly before reluctantly opening her mouth.
In the end, Varkas made her finish an entire large slice of pie.
Then he even fed her preserved apricots whose origin she couldn't begin to guess.
It felt as though this was the first time since living at House Taren that she had eaten so much food.