Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 8 | Faked Deaths

...* * *...

The calm atmosphere left the chapel as they entered. Facing Tiwakan's search party was certainly unexpected, but Rienne was relieved they managed to get out safely if nothing else.

As soon as they finally came out of the chapel, Rienne let out a heavy sigh.

Staring into the sky, the moon was now shrouded in darkness. This was the first time when Rienne felt lucky it was not too bright.

[ Rienne ] “I don't have much time.”

As Rienne said this, Weroz suddenly stopped walking and asked;

[ Weroz ] “What do you mean?”

[ Rienne ] “I need to contact the bereaved.”

[ Weroz ] “Ya, it is appropriate to contact their deceased family members..Oh.”.

Weroz did not realize it at first, but he finally understood what Rienne meant. If Sir Kleinfelder is still alive, he should contact him as soon as possible.

And since this was the Sir Kleinfelder they were talking about, he wouldn't be hard to find. There's only one place he might be. Knowing that, when Rienne mentioned the grieving ‘’, she could only talk about Kleinfelder.

[ Weroz ] “Yes, Princess. It would be wise for us to contact them as soon as possible.”

[Rienne ] “Tell them that I want to discuss the funeral with them, and I want to meet them in person if possible.”

[ Weroz ] “I'll deliver your message.”

It was a conversation spoken in code, its true nature known only to the individuals involved. As soon as they finished talking, they quickly walked away in hasty strides.

But Rienne underestimated Fermos.

He is an intelligent man who knows far more than he realizes.

 

* * *

 

[ Phermos ] “We were lied to.”

After the others retired, Phermos headed straight for Black's residence. Although they were technically in the middle of enemy territory, the two of them looked relaxed, as if they were sitting in their own barracks.

[Phermos ] “There was no way the Commander you killed that day. He was too weak with a sword, not to mention that his helmet and armor were not a match. It was as if he was in a hurry to wear it. Like he was trying to act as a commander. ”

[ Black ]”. .”

[ Phermos ] “Although I guess you already know that, don't you?”

Without saying a word, Black grimaced. He became more accustomed to the pain of his wound the more his fever subsided.

[ Fermos ] “ So . Well then, I guess right now this is just a question of how much the Princess knows. It seemed like he didn't know from the start.He must have thought he was dead until he examined his own body. Although I think he's as good as dead. He threw one of his men to the wolf to save his own life before fleeing. ”

As if an idea had come to his mind, Phermos tapped his palm onto his forehead.

[Phermos ] “Or maybe he's hiding somewhere in Nauk.”

When they first laid siege to the castle, they made sure to cut off all the roads leading to the outside. But rats are tough creatures. They will always find a way to escape.

[Phermos ] “It seems he still regrets the situation. He must have decided to hide and protect his own life in the meantime after the Kingdom of Sharka refused the request of his troops.”

The Tiwakans had already realized that Knight Commander Arsak was trying to summon reinforcements from the Sharka Kingdom. It was natural they would make an effort, just as it was natural for them to be rejected.

But it turns out that such reality is difficult to accept Commander.

Fermos clicked his tongue.

[ Phermos ] “ According to him what he can do himself…. This war ended when Nauk opened their gates to us of their own volition.”

Black replied with a frown on his face.

[Black ] “Maybe he thought it was over after we took Nauk.”

[ Fermos ] “What? How's what?”

[Black ] “She may think her relationship with Princess is not over.”

[ Phermos ] “It..oh...”.

Phermos had an expression of displeasure on his face.

[ Phermos ] “Are you implying that Knight Commander Arsak wants to elope with Princess Rienne? What kind of nobleman would think of doing something so absurd? Even if that was the case, the Princess would never agree. It was clear to anyone that he felt a great obligation towards Nauk. That's the reason why he accepted your proposal from the very beginning. ”

[Black ] “Being noble doesn't mean you're immune to losing your mind.”

Fermos mouth closed as his expression changed. He pondered his thoughts for a moment before speaking again.

[Phermos ] “Yes.. I know there must be some who want to play around with love, but I cannot understand those who are willing to sacrifice everything in vain for it.”

Fermos thoughtlessly fiddled with his glasses.

[Phermos ] “But now we are having problems with our investigation. The commander was a fairly skilled figure in Nauk, so it would be difficult to handle this calmly…. Did you happen to catch the appearance of the attacker? About how tall are they or maybe their hair color?”

[Black ] “I'm not close enough to see.”

Black remembers what happened that day in the park.

Thinking back, the arrow must have been shot from a distance, but by the time Black noticed it, the arrow was already right behind him.

[Phermos ] “It definitely means the attacker has considerable skill with the bow. I've heard stories that the Commander is talented, so chances are they are the same person, but ... were you really hit by the arrow?

Phermos spoke in a joking tone, like he was making fun of.

[Phermos ] “You accidentally let yourself get hit, right?”

[ Black ]”. .”

Black did not reply, but his silence was enough.

[ Fermos ] “Really!? Why do you have to go that far? I mean, it's amazing you're willing to risk personal safety to keep Nauk in control, but you don't have to hurt yourself like this.

But what Black said in response was something completely unrelated.

[Black ] “I don't think his girlfriend would be such a man.”

His voice was so low, Phermos could feel goosebumps forming on the back of his neck. Rubbing his neck with his hands, Phermos suddenly realized what gave him goosebumps.

Black shows his anger.

[Black ] “The land could easily hit Princess than I.”

[ Phermos ] “It...”.

Phermos felt his nerves standing at one end until a silly thought came to him.

Was Black.... upset that Princess Rienne was almost hit by an arrow?

Was it?

When Phermos asked Black if she was in love with the Princess at first sight, she replied no. Has he changed his mind? No, that's doubtful. He won't do it that fast.

If Black paid almost as much attention to women as he did to men in Tiwakan, there would not be as many malicious rumors surrounding them. (1)

….Yes, Black is not the type of man who is easily influenced by beauty. She must have felt this way because the Princess was someone she needed to take advantage of.

Imagine if she was killed before they even had a chance to get married. That's gonna be bad. It was not something they could not handle, but it would definitely make things difficult.

And it was natural to be angry.What kind of arrow shot at the woman he should have held in his heart? Such a person cannot be human.

Yeah, it's a natural feeling. It was understandable if Black felt a little angry at such a pathetic person.

So why didn't Phermos feel reassured?

[Phermos ] “We must remember the potential betrayal of the Princess. There was a possibility this could inspire a small quarrel within him. Why not completely eliminate the Kleinfelder family instead of just looking for the Commander? It would be easier to do that than wait for him to contact the Princess.”

[ Black ]”. .”

Black did not answer immediately.

Actually, his mind was running a bit slow.

Deep down, he knew that Fermos was right. In the end, it was a war. If he wants to win, then of course, he will do everything he can to win.

But what he wanted was not a victory. She wants to marry him.

[ Rienne ] –’Do everything in power to maintain it.’

That's what I promised him.

And it wasn't because of his fever that he made such a promise. He really wanted to keep it.

[ Rienne ] –’Then I vow to do my best to want you as you did me.’

Did he lie to her? Or did he change his mind now that he knew his lover was still alive?

Black needs to know.

[ Black ] “No. Let them.”

[Black ] “This will tell us what kind of woman the Princess is. Whether he will honor this marriage or not.”

[ Fermos ] “Oh. I understand, then.”

Fermos could understand that. God Tiwakan did not seem willing to fight Nauk as long as he could help him.

[Phermos ] “Princess is a fast-acting person, so we will keep an eye on him.”

[Black ] “Do not get caught.”

[ Fermos ] “Of course.”

After their affair was over, Phermos left the room with a relaxed expression on his face, as if the heavy conversation they had just had never happened.

Although it was unexpected that Rafit Kleinfelder had crawled back to Nauk, it was not too much of a concern. He was not a threat to the mercenaries who had been roaming the battlefield for so many years.

What really worried Black was something completely different.

[Black ] “... I should have killed him.”.

The more he thought about it, the more this strange mixture of pain grew in his chest. If only he knew exactly what kind of man he was. Then maybe he'll feel better.

Rienne's lover wasn't a threat to her, but even so, the thought of the man made her feel irritated.

[ Black ] “Sialan.”

Black aggressively rubbed his eyes.

As of now, all she cared about was Rienne herself. But now that she had the chance to hug him and kiss him, the sudden thought of his lover pissed him off.

And he still doesn't understand why.

 

* * *

 

The dawn broke before he could sleep well.

Rienne got out of bed and went to wash her face, as usual. Except for the fact that he looks unwell.

[ Rienne ] “Too much to do... I can't get sick.”.

He muttered to himself as he looked at his extremely pale face in the mirror. His eyes looked blurry and it was clear he was losing weight.

[ Rienne ] “If this continues, I won't have any clothes to wear.”

The shadow of her oversized clothes falling from her thin body brought a brief smile to Rienne's face.

[ Rienne ] “It would be a nice sight.”

Then maybe he won't want me anymore.

[ Rienne ] “...Don't be stupid. Not that she fell in love with me because she thought I was beautiful.”

He put away the thought, turned away from the mirror.

Rienne has so many problems to keep him awake at night, but dealing with them must be put aside until he can reach Rafit.

[ Rienne ] “Oh, I have to wear mourning clothes while we start preparing for the funeral.”

Now that his body was returned, he had to wear black to symbolize his condolences and sadness. On Nauk, it is a tradition to mourn for three days, only removing mourning clothes on the day of the funeral itself at midnight.

Without asking Mrs Flambard for help, Rienne was wearing a black dress.

He was unaware of this as he wore it, but black was a dangerous choice for him. His white skin looked like fine marble in contrast to the black cloth.

The rather loose clothing did not hide his body, but instead accentuated it. The thin and soft cloth that wrapped his figure slid down each time he moved.

While dressed in black, Rienne had a dangerous and seductive vixen aura compared to her usual beauty.

Again, black is a bad idea.

The worst thing was the fact that he didn't even notice it.

 

* * *

 

Rienne heads to Black's room, bringing her breakfast, some painkillers, and a new set of bandages for her wounds.

Meanwhile, her loose clothes flowed around her ankles.

After learning that Rafit is still alive, Rienne lacks the courage to face Black as she usually does. She still hasn't made her choice.and she still hasn't forgotten that kiss.

….I'm sure he didn't either.

That was the most stressful part. Black will not change his behavior because they made such bold promises to each other.

How should I act, again?

He was afraid he would be like that the whole time.

[ Rienne ] “Ah.”

Although he desperately wanted Black's room to be far away, it seemed to be very close just to annoy him. Arriving at the door, Rienne sighed.

But no matter how much he sighed, the difficulty remained the same.

Knock. Knock.

Rienne raised her hand and knocked on the door cautiously.

[ Rienne ] “It's morning. Are you awake?”

He listened for a moment, but no one answered.

Looks like he's still sleeping. Thankfully.

Before leaving, Rienne leaned over to put a tray of supplies on the floor in front of the door.

But before he could, he heard a thud as the door opened.

[ Rienne ] “Ah..

Seeing Black standing at the open door, he thought his heart would jump out of his chest.

[Black ] “Did I surprise you?”

[ Rienne ] “Not at all.”

[Black ] “Good. I'll take it.”

Rienne did not realize what was wrong at first. He stood up very well, it seemed natural that he would take such a heavy tray from her. If not for the bandage still wrapped around his shoulder, he would have completely ignored it.

[ Rienne ] “What do you do!?”

Rienne quickly tried to take the tray back from her with a surprised look on her face.

[ Rienne ] “ Please release . Your shoulder still hurts.”

[Black ] “Nothing. It's not heavy.”

[ Rienne ] “Not that core...”.

But no matter how much he pulled, the tray did not move.

[ Rienne ] “You're injured.”

As Black held the tray, Rienne looked at him. He was so much bigger that he needed to raise his head just to make eye contact.

And he stood very close.

[Black ] “Do my wounds bother you?”

His voice sounded too close when he asked that.

[ Rienne ] “….Yes.”

When Black spoke again, he spoke so quietly that it sounded like he was whispering to himself.

[Black ] “It also bothers me.”

[ Rienne ] “I'm not injured.”

[Black ] “Not it. I mean your clothes.”

 

* * *

T/N: (1) Reference to Chapter 1, where Rienne mentions rumors where she prefers men over women.