The Varkas Brothers And Their Princess novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“There’s a greenhouse,” Kross said, no longer looking at me but at the wall behind me, a faraway look in his eyes. “Just behind the mansion. It was once a place of beauty but it’s now overcome by weeds and the like. That’s your job. Revive the garden.”

I know nothing about gardening–I don’t even know how to hold a trowel–but that is what the internet and books are for.

I nodded, though I was just nodding to myself because he wasn’t still looking at me. I stared at him, looking at him from a fresh view. He didn’t seem so cold right now. It seems all his walls have been dropped. Maybe it was because he was tired, but it made me see him with fresh eyes.

He wasn’t a machine; he felt things. And right now I couldn’t decipher what he was feeling, but I could still see the sadness.

“The greenhouse meant something to you, didn’t it?” I asked softly.

He worked his jaw, as if he hadn’t wanted to be caught showing emotions like a human, turning to face me slowly but his eyes weren’t hard like I thought they would be.

“It was my mother’s,” he answered softly. “Our mother’s. She loved the greenhouse. It’s where she would run to when life gets… too much. And she went there a lot.” He looked around the room, the sadness in his eyes very much obvious now. “This was her home. We moved in after she… died.”

That strange feeling returned–that feeling of wanting to offer comfort, but even though I gave in to the feeling, I wouldn’t know the first thing about offering comfort. So I stayed put, but I still couldn’t resist asking questions.

“You three didn’t live with your mother? And why didn’t she live with your father?”

He sighed, removing his eyeglass and rubbing his eyes. I thought I had crossed the line with those questions and he was going to kick me out of his office, but instead, he walked to a drawer, bringing out a bottle of liquor and two cups.

“You drink?” he asked without looking back.

“No.”

He dropped one cup and walked past me to the sofa. “Come sit. I’m too tired to keep standing.”

And so I sat opposite Kross, the man I thought was incapable of feelings. Even his brothers had called him a heartless machine, and that made me realize he didn’t show this side of himself to people.

Why did that make my heart jump?

“No. Should I?”

I looked away from his eyes, looking down at the wound. “A human.”

We stayed silent for a long while, until I cleared my throat, standing up. Kross‘ eyes followed me, hot on me.

“I’ll start tomorrow.” Or today, since it was already midnight. “The things I would need, are they available?” He nodded slowly and I nodded to myself, suddenly hot. What was my problem? All he did was look at me, and I just felt his warmth, and I was suddenly burning. This wasn’t normal. “Alright, then. I have to get some sleep. Good night.”

I turned, my steps hurried, eager to be out of the room so I could breathe some fresh air without his scent invading. My hand was already on the door knob when he called my name softly. I paused, biting my lower lip as I turned to face him.

But he wasn’t looking at me; his eyes were fixed on the wound I just cleaned, his other hand tracing it softly.

“Thank you,” he whispered, so softly I could barely hear. But I heard him, alright. My shoulders seemed to relax and my breathing came easily. How did a simple thank you manage to calm me down? And I couldn’t tell what he was thanking me for.

“Warm milk can help you sleep,” I said, nodding goodbye to him, and he nodded back.