The heat coursing through his body still hadn't subsided, but at least his reason had barely managed to regain control.
Drawing in a deep breath, Varkas gave a slight nod toward the crowd that had gathered.
"Nothing happened. Everyone, stand down."
If it had been up to him, he would have ordered them to drag that beast out of the room immediately.
But he had made a promise to her.
He had no choice but to endure it.
Swallowing a sigh, he turned back toward the bedroom.
Just then, as the crowd slowly began to disperse, the chief steward timidly stepped forward.
"Y-Your Grace... I have something to report..."
Varkas cast him a somewhat irritated glance, and the middle-aged man immediately flinched and fell silent.
Gathering what little patience he had left, Varkas asked,
"What is it?"
"T-the Guildmaster of the Silver Flame Alliance has been waiting for several hours. He said he has something urgent to report to Your Grace..."
Seeing Varkas's brow crease, the steward's voice faltered.
Varkas let out a long breath.
"Tell him I'll be there shortly."
The steward hurried away, and Varkas stepped back into the bedroom.
By then, Talia was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently soothing the restless wolf that continued whining for attention.
Watching them for a long moment, Varkas finally spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"Something urgent has come up. I'll have to leave for a while. Please get some rest."
"I'll be waiting..."
Just as he turned to leave, her tightly restrained voice stopped him in his tracks.
He paused and looked back.
Her neck was tinged with a deep blush.
Still absently stroking the wolf's pointed ears, she forced herself to finish her sentence.
"Come back here afterward."
Then, resting her cheek against the wolf's neck, she quietly gazed at him.
Varkas stared motionlessly into those transparent, jewel-like eyes before slowly nodding.
A faint smile spread across her lips.
At that moment, something unfamiliar stirred within his heart.
It was only much later that he realized what that feeling had been.
Hope.
* * *
"I sincerely apologize for arriving without sending word in advance. The matter was simply too urgent..."
The moment Varkas entered the reception room, the man who had been anxiously pacing beside the window spoke in a rush.
Skipping even the customary greeting, Varkas sat down and asked,
"So. What have you found?"
"Following Your Grace's orders, we've been keeping the surviving supporters of the ducal house under close surveillance. During that time, we obtained several important pieces of information. Here..."
The northerner awkwardly settled into the chair opposite him and produced a worn, crumpled ledger from inside his coat.
Taking it, Varkas carefully examined its contents.
A deep furrow formed between his brows.
The yellowed pages contained records of enormous transactions involving grain, iron ore, and even military horses.
The moment he recognized the seal stamped beside the entries, a dry laugh escaped him.
It belonged to an eastern noble house he knew well.
"It appears that several nobles along the Valto border have been secretly collaborating with the North. I believed Your Grace needed to know immediately."
"...Thank you for bringing this to my attention."
His gratitude sounded almost painfully formal.
Rolling up the ledger and gripping it tightly in one hand, Varkas rose.
"I'll have a room prepared for you. Stay as long as you wish and get some rest."
"There's one more thing."