Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 16 | In a matter of three

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It was a cheap move to ask her if she didn't like it or not. Rienne had asked herself the same question over and over again, and every time she told herself, she did not.

[ Rienne ] “Even if you can move ... what are you planning?”

[Black ] “There are many things I can do.”

As he slowly swept his hand to the back of his neck, he began to feel things that he thought he could not feel, as if his long-dulled senses were revived.

It was like something deep within him was trembling, spreading all over his body, branching out as it moved into his spine.

Only then did Rienne realize her fingers were shaking while clinging to Black's chest.

[ Rienne ] “We shouldn't..do that.”.

[Black ] “Is that so?”

Black raised eyebrows.

[Black ] “Quickly.”

[ Rienne ] “I... have a lot of things that keep me busy at the moment... preparing for the wedding..”.

Even as she said it, Rienne knew it was a weak excuse. His trembling body as Black hugged him betrayed his weak words.

[Black ] “Then it should be okay if I do it quickly, right?”

What could Rienne do in such a situation? He was the one who had agreed to establish a true relationship with her so he had no reason to reject her. There is no possible justification for saying no.

But the strangest problem was that he wasn't sure if he wanted it in the first place.

[Black ] “Will be in vain spend our time in other ways.”

Rienne felt Black wrap her arms around her waist as her soft voice touched her ears. His body was leaning, but strangely he did not feel nervous. Instead, he was comforted by the feeling the man's broad hand was supporting him.

He already knew how safe he felt with this arm around him.

[ Rienne ]”. .”

Only after Black held onto his chin and gave him a gentle kiss did he realize what happened earlier was somewhat regrettable.

It was regrettable that he had only examined the wound before.

Knowing that was what he felt deep down meant that somewhere inside him there was a desire. The fire that had been locked inside him but was always there. Thinking about it made his head turn dizzy.

The passion inside him was just waiting for an opportunity to explode.

No matter what happened, he always felt like this man was attacking his mind. It was a feeling that ensured any contact with him made him tremble and tremble.

Soon, they begin to sink into each other with frantic kisses.

Feelings of desire from before are not fulfilled but only come back stronger when they make contact. It was a feeling of greed, getting greedy and greedy with every touch.

The strong desire they had for each other flowed between them like a tidal wave, finally sweeping them as Rienne enjoyed the sensation that — excitedly wrapped her arms around her neck.

And as their kisses slowed down, their lips slowly detached but their distance remained the same.

[Black ] “We should stop here if we want to shorten this.”

Black muttered while loosening his grip on Rienne's waist. He doesn't hold it in at all—he can get away from him whenever he wants.

[ Rienne ] “….Yes.”

Rienne agreed with him.

I must be crazy.

He actually thought for a moment that it was embarrassing, but that was the reason why they had to stop.

That's what they both told themselves.

But even so, they did not stay away. Even though they knew they had to part, that they had to stop, they continued to hold on to each other.

It was as if they did not know how to release it.

Black slowly tapped his large hand onto Rienne's sensitive back.

Even something as small as that was too instigating for him. Rienne grabbed his sleeves as hard as she could and whispered almost to herself.

[ Rienne ] “I'll count to three and we should both stay away.”

[ Black ]”. .”

Black muttered something that Rienne could not hear before replying.

[Black ] “I'll try.”

[ Rienne ] “OK….One. Two. Three.”

As she counted down, Rienne took off Black's sleeve and tried to take a step back.

[ Rienne ] “....?”

But Black is not.

Instead, he placed his hand on his chin and rubbed his lips with his thumb, looking at him in a way that kept him locked in place as he looked at him with a questioning expression on his face.

[Black ] “You count too fast.”

[ Rienne ] “True?”

[Black ] “Count again. Slowly, this time.”

[ Rienne ] “I don't know what the difference is.”

[Black ] “Maybe not much.”

[ Rienne ] “Then why?”

[Black ] “I'm just trying to buy time.”

 

[ Rienne ] “What?

Black hugged her instead of responding. Despite all of a sudden, Rienne did not feel ashamed. He even thought, no matter how short, it would be nice to keep it that way.

…I must be really crazy.

Black simply asked him to count slowly, not to stop counting together. But regardless, Rienne remained in her tight embrace until someone knocked on the door hard.

 

* * *

 

[ Phermos ] “Oh... forgive me, do I interrupt?”

It was Fermos who had come to see Black.

[ Phermos ] “Will I come back later?”

[ Rienne ] “….? No, it's not necessary. Instead, I should apologize for bothering you. I'll leave now, so please—talk comfortably.”

Rienne could not understand why Phermos seemed to be acting so cautiously.

The moment Rienne and Black heard a knock on the door, they immediately let go of each other. There was now a considerable distance between the two of them, and Rienne hurriedly took the measuring tape she had borrowed from Mrs. Flambards.

He didn't think he knew what had just happened.

[ Phermos ] “And what do you mean by that, Princess?”

But such thinking was too naive.

Just by looking at Black's eyes, it was obvious that flames were raging within the room. It was so vivid, Phermos mind was completely caught up in trying to understand it.

I don't think he's just playing around. (1)

Phermos knows his God is not the type of person who does things just for fun, let alone this. He is more of the type of person who vocally expresses his dislike of useless things.

So why?

Not enough time passed for Princess Rienne to truly prove her sincerity to him. If nothing else, he becomes increasingly suspicious by the minute.

Just today, Princess Rienne went to her lover's house and they still don't have a clear picture of what happened there.

Black knows all this.

Does he just not care? No, it's not possible. It would be contrary to his character.

[Phermos ] “This is something that should be discussed with you here as well, Princess. I'm sorry to tell you that Lord Weroz has not been found. We don't see any signs of him.”

[ Rienne ] “He's not on Kleinfelder Estate?”

Rienne is sure she'll be somewhere. He thought Linden had planned a forced marriage and decided to temporarily get rid of Weroz by locking him up.

Now that his plan had failed, he had no reason to lock Weroz up.

Phermos continued to speak while playing his monocle-like glasses.

[Phermos ] “If he defected or escaped, he would leave some kind of trace but we did not find such a thing. The Kleinfelder family also shows no suspicious behavior when it comes to confining someone.”

If Weroz was stuck somewhere on the Kleinfelder Plantation as Princess Rienne claimed, there would definitely be signs.

But Linden Kleinfelder is a confident man. He tells them that they are free to look around as much as they want, but if they cannot find what they are looking for, he will make them pay for the offense.

That must have meant Weroz wasn't on the estate.

But at the same time, doubtful they smuggled him out. There was not enough time for such a thing, and Tiwakan had eyes everywhere under the pretext of searching for the person who shot the arrow. They must have seen something.

[ Phermos ] “Maybe he is hiding.”

[ Rienne ] “None at all. Mr Weroz will never!”

Rienne was very confident that the bodyguards of Castle Captain Nauk would never do something so cowardly and irresponsible.

[ Phermos ] “I also think so, but the circumstances are pretty clear.”

[ Rienne ] “What ‘statement’?”

[Phermos ] “What other reason does he have to cover his tracks until they are untraceable? Whatever it is, it must be very urgent.”

[ Rienne ] “You..”.

He's correct. What reason does he have for doing that?

[Phermos ] “If it turns out to be true, then I don't think I've said anything bad. He will likely return after everything calms down. Or maybe he will even try to contact you, Princess.”

[ Rienne ] “It..”.

No matter how many times the idea repeated itself in his head, it made no sense. Rienne shook her head as her legs were bent under her.

[ Fermos ] “Ah, Princess!”

As Phermos shouted in shock, Black wasted no time helping him, holding onto his unstable body. Phermos clicked his tongue in annoyance.

[Phermos ] “I know this must have surprised you, Princess, but you have to be more careful. I hear it is dangerous to impose yourself in your condition. If you fall, you will be in trouble so you should be careful to stay seated whenever possible. ”

Although Phermos was dancing around the subject, Rienne could feel Black's arms stiffening as she hugged him.

I almost forgot.they still thought I was ….

Eventually she had to pretend a miscarriage but even thinking about it made her eyes dark. Would he really be able to do such a shameless thing?

….No, I don't think I can. I better be honest with him. I'll tell him I don't have a baby. I'm not even to begin with.

But will he repay her?

They had confirmed the boy's existence in their marriage vows.

The clause states that Rienne's son will be bound by Arsak's surname and that Nauk's sovereignty will be theirs at all costs. That promise is what guarantees Nauk's future.

That meant that even if this man, the leader of Tiwakan, wanted to take Nauk for himself after the proposal, he could not take it from the Arsak family because of the boy's whereabouts.

Wouldn't it be better to keep that promise?

This kid is the last line of defense that Rienne has if all else fails.

[ Rienne ] “….Thank you for your concern.”

So he chose the safest option.

Until he knew more about Tiwakan's true motives, he had not been able to tell the truth. He can't let go of the boy—the only thing that keeps him and Nauk safe. (2)

[ Black ] “Sit.”

Black knew Rienne well enough to know that she wouldn't just listen, so he picked her up and sat her in his own chair. (3)

[ Phermos ] “Yeah, cough.”

Feeling the air becoming awkward, Fermos called attention back to himself with a cough.

[Phermos ] “I have something else to say to you. Head of Kleinfelder Dormitory, isn't it? He promised to send gifts in the form of two golden chests, a new bed, and five servants to celebrate the wedding. He must be really greedy. He claimed to be the richest man in Nauk, yet he sent such a petty gift.”

[ Rienne ] “What?”

But for Rienne's part, she was surprised that Linden Kleinfelder of all people sent wedding gifts at all.

[ Rienne ] “He sent us... gift?”.

The real gift? Or was he secretly trying to curse her?

[Phermos ] “Well, he didn't really decide the decision himself. But finally, he came and decided to send one.”

[ Rienne ] “But how?”

Rienne asked with a breath. Phermos, who was not happy to interact with Linden Kleinfelder, immediately understood his heart-felt reaction.

He thought it strange that Kleinfelder could amass so much wealth in such a poor kingdom. It was likely the result of extorting all they could from such a gentle princess.

[Phermos ] “I don't mean to sound too cocky, but I can be very persuasive.”

[ Rienne ] “You mean you convinced Lord Kleinfelder with just words?”

[Phermos ] “It wasn't easy, but as I said: I'm persuasive. We both agreed it was best to show our sincerity to each other.”

[ Rienne ] “I'm sorry if I find it hard to believe.”

Rienne sighed loudly, but no matter how you looked at it, she looked relieved.

He looked extremely pitiful in Phermos' eyes. Just by looking at his expression, it was clear what kind of hard work he was doing to support his failed kingdom.

….It was crazy to think even Phermos mind was wavering at such a sight. Maybe so is Black. He is not a very compassionate person, but he is considered still human and people sometimes tend to be like that.

But there's no point thinking about it. Phermos decided this was a question he might never get an answer to.

[ Phermos ] “Trust me, Princess.”

Obviously Linden Kleinfelder did not approve the request easily. It was all the result of the ingenious threat from Fermos.

Phermos has hinted that Tiwakan knows Rafit Kleinfelder is alive. Linden, who was desperate to keep the secret, was forced to make concessions.

[Phermos ] “But I admit it doesn't come without a price. Lord Linden Kleinfelder asked us to confess his illegitimate son in exchange for his loyalty to the Arsak family. I didn't give him an answer because it was the decision of both of you.”

 Soon Phermos realized Rienne's expression was sinking as she said the word ‘not legit’.

I know it. That boy must be the Commander of the Knights. He pretended to be dead, while crawling back home and pretending to be someone else.

And judging from Princess Rienne's reaction, she must have known that already.

They must have been involved in some kind of quarrel because of that. It was apparent after the loss of the guard captain and how Rienne was trapped inside the house.

Anyway, I have to remember how she wanted to keep this from us.

Considering everything in its entirety, it seemed like Princess Rienne wanted to keep her lover's whereabouts a secret.

[Phermos ] “In relation to what is happening in the estate, is there anything you want to add, Princess? Any orders or further requests?”

[ Rienne ] “No. Thank you for everything you have done to help.”

[ Phermos ] “No problem. My job is my loyalty.”

After receiving an unexpected gift, Rienne leaves Black's room. As for the amount of money he received, it was more than the — engagement gift an amount that was completely unused.

 

* * *

 

[ Phermos ] “What will the Princess do, I want to know?”

As soon as Rienne left, Phermos immediately expressed his thoughts. He raised an eyebrow towards Black as he asked his question.

[ Phermos ] “As you think. An illegitimate child appears out of nowhere as the death of the eldest son is confirmed. And if the eldest son is still alive..well, it's as clear as one plus one.”.

Black was a quiet man and his silence could almost always be considered a confirmation.

[Phermos ] “The Princess must have reunited with her lover. I don't know if he intends to betray you, but it is clear that the man is still in his heart. ”

[Black ] “….I'm aware.”

After Phermos mentioned the word ‘not legit’, Black also noticed how pale Rienne's face was.

It would be even stranger if he didn't. Even without trying, whenever his eyes were on Rienne, it was rare for him to be able to let go.

 

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T/N: (1) Phermos means like, doing something just for fun– suggests Black not do what he did because he was playing him

(2) Rienne refers to the child as ‘safety net’ or ‘his protective gear’. Basically he intended that the child would protect him as a last resort in case something happened.

(3) References to chapter 5, where Rienne continues to refuse to sit.

Translator's Comment: Rienne must really not be interested in Rafit at all lol. To the point that his feelings are ruined or something. I'd feel sorry for him if he wasn't the worst. And Linden seems to decide to stick with this ‘haram’ lie. I think he will because Tiwakan still does not know what Rafit is like…