Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 19 | Traps (3)

...* * *...

 

Does he know?

Did he know and just came out to ask? Was he trying to make her confess everything before she went to the window and opened it herself?

With that thought in her mind, Rienne struggled to take her eyes off the window where Rafit was hiding in the frame.

[ Rienne ] “Yes, that's her.”

[Black ] “Nice to hear it.”

Although he seemed to know everything, he answered simply.

[Black ] “Then start measuring.”

[ Rienne ]”. .”

He can't do that. He has to get her out of this room as quickly as possible so he can get Rafit out. He can hang on for now, but eventually someone outside will see Rafit standing outside his window.

And things will get more complicated if he falls.

[ Rienne ] “Let's go to another room first.”

Rienne approached Black and whispered softly to him. He was a bit embarrassed to have to do this, but for now, he just needed to get her out of the room.

He has to assume that he is aware of Rafit's presence. If that was the case, he wouldn't have just left after he finished measuring it. No doubt he will try and stay to see what is going on.

That's what Rienne thinks he can do.

Both in body and mind, Black is sharp, intelligent, and very reasonable. If he was just a simple-minded barbarian who knew nothing but war and carnage, perhaps he would not find it so dangerous yet attractive.

[ Black ] “Why?”

And as he expected, he asked why he had to leave. Rienne lowered her voice. It was a soft whisper like a teaser sound.

[ Rienne ] “The waiting lady is outside.”

[ Black ]”. .”

Hearing that, Black looked at Rienne without a word. His eyes were so bright and honest that it seemed as if they were revealing every thought hidden behind his face.

She lowered her head towards him, her voice as gentle and low as Rienne's.

[Black ] “Then tell him to go.”

[ Rienne ] “I can't.”

[Black ] “Why not?”

[ Rienne ] “All her sewing equipment is here.”

[ Black ]”. .”

[ Rienne ] “I can't... made him wait outside... for too long.”.

After she said that, Rienne could feel her face flushed red.

[Black ] “...Things like this are what make it hard not to think of you, Princess.”

Black gently urged Rienne closer to her hand still in her hair, and she followed her directions without a fight. They were already very close to each other, but even the smallest gap between them gradually became narrower.

Until they almost touched.

[Black ] “I don't know how this will happen.”

[ Rienne ] “What do you mean...?”.

[Black ] “Where should we go?”

Grabbing his arm with his hand, Black whispered softly towards him.

[ Rienne ] “..The next room is finished.”

He turned both of their bodies.

Stomp on!

She walked very quickly and before Rienne realized what was happening, she heard the sound of the door opening.

The next room was much closer than he thought.

 

* * *

 

Slam it!

The sound of something slamming into the wall as loud as possible was heard in the air, but it was not Rienne's body. He did not feel the slightest pain. Only then did Rienne realize that Black had already hugged her, her palms supporting her back before she touched the wall.

As soon as the door clicked behind them, their lips met each other. Sensing Black lowering her head and leaning her body against her, Rienne's entire head turned white.

Instinctively she reached out for him, her arms loosely hanging around his neck. Grabbing it with one hand, Black easily lifted it into the air and pulled it towards him.

Everything feels so hot. It was as if his entire body had become like firewood.

It only took one spark before everything started burning.

 

[ Rienne ] “Ah, wait...”.

Rienne involuntarily sighed as Black's kiss flowed down her neck.

[Black ] “You don't like it?”

[ Rienne ] “No, that's not what I...”.

[Black ] “Then just shut up.”

Although her feet did not touch the ground, Rienne did not feel nervous. His hands were firmly placed on his broad and strong shoulders, and all he wanted to do was hold on. It makes him want to stay close.

[ Rienne ]”. .”

Exhaling softly, Rienne tightened her grip on her shoulder. Sensing his body trembling, Black paused for a moment, but he did not stop immediately.

She pulled her lips slowly, rubbing them against Rienne's sensitive skin.

[Black ] “Are you uncomfortable?” (1)

[ Rienne ] “ T. ..no.”

[Black ] “Then..are you scared?”

Her. It's creepy.

He had no idea what happened next and he began to feel that his body was no longer his own.

[ Rienne ] “Little bit...”.

[ Black ]”. .”

….Now it was Black's turn to sigh. Rienne felt the man exhale hot breath on her neck. It was the kind of heat that flooded his head and burned his mind.

[Black ] “Do not be afraid.”

Muttering almost to himself, Black released his grip on Rienne and carefully let his feet touch the ground again. As she did so, Rienne's legs suddenly felt extremely heavy.

….No. That's not what I meant when I said I was scared….

But it was not as if he could ask her to pick him up and kiss him again. Even if Black was her lover, she was too embarrassed to make such a request.

[Black ] “I think I'm moving too fast.”

Did she? Rienne was not sure.

All he could remember was the endless burning sensation coursing through his body. Looking back, they didn't really move slowly, but that didn't mean he was the only one moving fast.

If he was in his place, he would probably be even more impatient.

[ Rienne ] “Nothing...”.

Rienne whispered more slowly than a mosquito, her eyes bowed to the ground. After having her lips entangled dangerously with hers a moment ago, it was too embarrassing to look into her eyes directly.

[Black ] “Are you sure you're okay?”

But suddenly Black filled his entire vision, even as he looked down.

He knelt down in front of her, his head right under his chest as he stared at her. Panicking, Rienne quickly covered her eyes with her hands to avoid her gaze.

[ Rienne ] “Ap...what are you doing?”

[Black ] “You said you're fine, but you don't look like that.”

[ Rienne ] “No, really, I'm fine.”

[Black ] “True?”

[ Rienne ] “Ya.”

[Black ] “Then why did you cover my eyes?”

He knows exactly why.

Although this was not their first time kissing, for some reason Rienne was feeling extremely embarrassed now. Moreover, they were still close enough that Rienne could easily reach out and cover her eyes with her hands.

Before, whenever Rienne felt embarrassed or embarrassed, she would run away or bite her tongue. But now he was there, covering his eyes with his hands instead of avoiding it.

It was such a small change that he didn't even realize it was happening.

[ Rienne ] “I'll let you go so don't look at me like that.”

[Black ] “….If that's a problem for you, then fine.”

[ Rienne ] “Alright.”

As Rienne carefully removed her hand from her eyes, that hand gently touched the side of her face just for a moment as the hand fell off—an action no different from touching it.

But before he could really pull away, Black quickly grabbed his wrist and held his palm in place.

[Black ] “It's not too bad either.”

[ Rienne ] “What... you mean..?”.

[Black ] “You touched me, Princess.”

[ Rienne ]”. .”

Black pulled Rienne's wrist and gave her a kiss on the palm.

[Black ] “So I will ignore it for today.”

[ Rienne ] “What?”

[Black ] “Invalid silk from Kleinfelder family.”

[ Rienne ] “....!”

Even though Rienne's entire body had stiffened like a statue, Black continued to stick his lips in Rienne's hands the entire time.

Never before had Rienne felt so afraid of a man who kissed her hand so gently.

[Black ] “Tiwakan is now in charge of the security of Nauk Castle. I have no reason to allow an incoming offender without my permission to leave in good faith. But for today..”.

He gently rubbed his lips into his hands.

[Black ] “For today, I will ignore it. Because you touched me, Princess.”.

[ Rienne ]”. .”

Rienne could say nothing more. Black let go of his hand, continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened.

[Black ] “What measurements do you still need?”

Right after she said that, Rienne realized that she was not carrying a measuring tape. In the end, it was Mrs Flambard who had to finish the job.

 

* * *

 

[ Phermos ] “As you ordered, we let it go peacefully.”

Fermos has a lot of questions, most of them are complaints.

The one who was told to go alone was none other than Rafit Kleinfelder himself.

In an old castle with many blind spots, it was too easy for a rat to sneak in and out without them noticing. Therefore, he was not noticed for a while but eventually Phermos received a report.

He grinned widely when he was told that a mouse from the Kleinfelder family had slipped into the castle. This was their chance to squeeze everything they could out of that house. With momentum on their side, it would be in their best interest to stop this from the start when they had the chance.

But when they were told that the rat was headed straight for Princess Rienne's room, Phermos' smile quickly disappeared….

Because he realized Black was not happy.

Instead of smiling, he looked very troubled. The expression of his feet made it very clear.

Realizing that, Phermos could swear to the God of War himself that this was the first time he had seen Black struggling to control his emotions like that.

It was clear that the mouse from the Kleinfelder family was a very lively Knight Commander. It seems that she is heading to Princess Rienne's bedroom to secretly meet her love.

Clearly Princess Rienne could not forget the man so easily.

Although in all fairness it would be suspicious if he forgot about it too soon. They had been involved with each other for quite some time, and it was certain that the man had no intention of letting go. He even went as far as to come to the castle despite the risk to his own life.

And above all, he is the father of Princess Rienne's son. Unlike the Princess, she would not choose to leave him easily given the situation.

The problem was that Black needed to make sure of something with his own eyes and ears. All his thoughts were clearly written on his face.

….That's not true. That must be a mistake. They should have moved. (2)

Seeing the emotions so vividly coming from him, Phermos knew that Black's heart had already begun to lean towards Princess Rienne.

But getting her help doesn't give her the right to secretly meet with her old lover whenever she wants. Although Phermos knew Black had never had a woman by his side before, he was sure he was not the type of man to allow himself to be played around like this.

After all, he was a confident person. A tireless and strong man.

Phermos really thought this was the day that his God's mercy towards Princess Rienne would run out. In the middle of their engagement, she brought another man into her room. If it was like that, he was sure that one's head would float.

But that's not what happened.

Like fate, a message came shortly after.

Princess Rienne requests the presence of her Master.

While Phermos was still busy trying to set his mind on what was going on, Black had already left in a hurry. To Princess Rienne, it really is….

Lucky ... or smart.

Her master had one thing right: Princess Rienne was a difficult woman to understand. Phermos did not know if he was really innocent and as gentle as he seemed.

[Phermos ] “I have been told that the rat returned to its nest with its head still attached. By the way..” (2).

After returning from seeing Princess Rienne, Phermos could not help but notice how Black looked similar to her— her face was deep in thought with an expression she could not control.

[ Phermos ] “... Are you sure you want to ignore this?”

Fermos could not hold that question anymore.

[Black ] “….Just this once.”

After a long time, Black finally replied. That definitely means it's not an easy decision to make.

[ Phermos ] “Can I ask why….? No, actually I'm very curious. It would be unwise to leave Kleinfelder alone like this. Their personal militias are not a problem for us, but as you know, the rats are allied with the Kingdom of Sharka.”

[Black ] “I have decided to leave everything alone this time.”

[ Phermos ] “But...I mean...why you..?”.

[Black ] “I was given something.”

[ Phermos ] “Considering something….? By who? The Kleinfelder?” family

Although the chances of the Kleinfelders actually paying it off were low, Phermos still asked. They were the only people who had the means to do such a thing.

[Black ] “Not them.”

[ Phermos ] “Then who..?”

[Black ] “It was the Princess.”

As he replied, his words were dripping with annoyance. Fermos could feel in his stomach that it was time to stop this question. Although she was very curious as to what the Princess had given her Master, she decided to swallow her curiosity.

Of course, perhaps for the best Fermos remain curious. How would she react if she knew the compensation Black received was the Princess just touching her face?

[ Phermos ] “Yah….I hope that whatever the Princess has given you is not in vain to lose the opportunity today. But with all due respect, Sire. This will only continue to happen if you get too soft on him.”.

Phermos was ready to be scolded for how bold his words were, but Black replied firmly.

[Black ] “...No, I don't think.”

[ Phermos ] “What makes you so sure?”

[Black ] “Because Princess didn't call him.”

[ Phermos ] “How do you know it ....?”

[Black ] “If that's what he wants, he won't call us both at the same time if he wants to be smart about it.”

Fermos was confused by that as well. If that was the case, was Princess Rienne really as innocent as she seemed? Is that what makes the heart of God soft as a pudding?

[Fermos ] “Then... does this mean you trust Princess Rienne?”.

 

* * *

T/N: (1) It refers more to physical rather than emotional discomfort.

(2) The term used here is “ ⁇ ”, which lights up. means in this context “to do with something/to move to the next one.”

(3) For the record, Phermos refers to Kleinfelders and Rafit as fairly consistent mice/rats throughout this section. I replaced some of those examples with just ‘Kleinfelder’ to stop the repetition, but I feel this is important to know. Showing how much he respects them lol.

Translator's Comment: It's nice, Siri plays “Any Time We Touch” by Cascada I also feel bad for Phermos. It may not be easy when your cool, epic boss suddenly turns to simp.