Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 9 | Misconceptions in Black Color

[ Rienne ] “…..I'm sorry?”

Black's light-colored eyes followed Rienne, looked at her face and fell onto her neck. Without thinking, Rienne immediately looked at the ground. He stared so hard, it embarrassed him.

Is it because her clothes are loose?

He knew they didn't fit, but he didn't think it was that clear.

… I don't think he's the kind of guy who cares about what other people wear.

Sensing curiosity, Rienne tilted her head towards him.

She said my clothes bothered her, but she didn't even wear her clothes properly.

Meanwhile, Black was wearing clothes that would ‘disturb’ anyone. Maybe it was because of his injury, but he only had one arm behind his sleeve.

[ Rienne ] “I'm sorry if my dress doesn't fit. I didn't have to wear mourning clothes for a while, so the size needed some adjustment, but with the funeral so close, we didn't have time. ”

Rienne once again tried to take back the tray, taking her eyes off Black's bare skin.

[ Rienne ] “How about we go inside? With your shoulder like this, it might be difficult to eat by yourself, so I will help you.”

[ Black ]”. .”

Black narrowed his eyes for a moment, but he eventually relented and stepped aside.

[Black ] “Inside, then.”

[ Rienne ] “Oke.”

Together, the two enter the bedroom— none of them release the tray.

 

* * *

 

[ Phermos ] “Oh, Princess ... is that the only outfit you have?”

Black's room is not empty.

Phermos and some of his other subordinates had already come and taken care of by the servants this morning.

They are not nobles, so maybe ‘taken care of’ is not the best way to describe it, but the servants do what they can. They brought them water to wash their faces and fresh clothes to wear. (1)

Seeing Black and Rienne side by side and holding onto the tray together made Phermos jump to his feet.

In retrospect, there was only one reason Black, the one who was still injured, would leave his subordinates and go open the door himself.

[Phermos ] “I know this sounds disrespectful, but I need to ask…. Should you wear that, Princess?”

Now Rienne felt a little offended.

Both Black and Phermos had shown her bereaved clothes.

…Do I really look ugly?

Even if he did, it was very disrespectful to point that out.

Completely unaware of how they actually felt about her clothes, Rienne stiffened before she finally said something.

[ Rienne ] “This is for mourning. It is a tradition on Nauk to wear black until the end of the funeral.”

[ Phermos ] “What—so not just for today? You're going to wear this for three whole days?”

Phermos spoke while adjusting his glasses.

It's strange that everyone acts like this about such loose clothing.

[ Rienne ] “Is there something wrong with my mourning dress?”

[ Phermos ] “Yeah, that ..”

Phermos quickly covered his mouth and looked at Black, but his gaze was elsewhere.

[ Phermos ] “Tuanku ..”

Its bad.

It was clear what had taken so much of Black's attention.

When dressed all in black, the figure of Princess Rienne unfortunately very obvious. She looked beautiful even in Phermos' eyes, which only made her worry more about what was going on in Black's head.

If Princess Rienne was just an ordinary beauty, then perhaps Phermos would not have to worry. But if his previous suspicions about the Princess having some sort of connection with Black's past were true, then he couldn't ignore this.

For Black, this woman is special.

But one question remains: Why? Why is he special? Maybe even Black doesn't know the answer yet.

But one thing is certain. Phermos did not want his master to fall into the whims of a woman. And since the woman in question was also the daughter of a ruined country, then it only added to the list of unanswered questions.

[ Black ] “Diam.”

But it might be too late.

As Black stood beside Rienne, he glared at Phermos from above his head. There was a glint in his eyes that showed that he was unhappy.

[Black ] “If her clothes are problematic, then don't look. Close your eyes or come out. ”

[ Phermos ] “T..Not that at all. I don't mean to be disrespectful, Princess. ”

Phermos was smart enough to know when to take a step back, but his worries were still burning in his mind. They already knew that Knight Commander Arsak was still alive and they knew Princess Rienne was also aware of that fact.

It reached a point where it was unwise for Black to act too attentive towards the Princess.

[ Phermos ] “I hope the funeral ends quickly.”

As soon as Fermos muttered this quietly, Black immediately spoke again.

[ Black ] “Out.”

He had reached his limit when it came to Phermos' annoying chatter.

[ Phermos ] “...What...But.... I can't...”.

Phermos tried to say he could not leave the two of them alone, but swallowed his words and forced himself to bow.

Right now, his master was unable to listen to reason.

But what can Fermos do about it?

There is no other option available to them. As her master had said, they needed to find out what Princess Rienne was thinking and what she was planning.

The sooner they find out, the better.

[Phermos ] “Then, I hand over my master in your care, Princess.”

Turning his heels, Phermos left the room followed by the other mercenaries.

 

* * *

 

Just us now.

Funnily enough, it was the same room where their hot kiss took place.

If not for Phermos making a fuss about her clothes, Rienne might still be in deep trouble, constantly recalling the moment.

….Does it really look weird?

Fortunately, Rienne had better things to worry about than her appearance.

Growing up, Rienne was used to wearing hand clothes, so she learned never to be picky about the type of clothes she wore or how she looked in them.

Maybe at least I should gain weight.

But as soon as the thought came to his mind, it even shocked Rienne herself.

….Maddened. Why do I want to gain weight?

Does he want to look good in front of this guy?

[Black ] “What's on your mind?”

Suddenly, Black's voice cut through his mind— breached such a stupid idea.

[ Rienne ] “... It's nothing.”

Rienne shook her head, expelling those unreasonable thoughts.

The idea of wanting to look good in this man's eyes alone was already strange. These are the same people who waged war on Nauk and destroyed their peace.

Everything is calm now, but who knows how long it will last.

[ Rienne ] “Do you want to eat? Or should we treat your wounds first?”

[Black] “Good, but I prefer to change my bandage.”

[ Rienne ] “Ya, of course.”

Before Rienne could offer to help, Black began taking off his own clothes.

Even the fleeting glance he got made him feel a little dizzy.

Usually, scars are a sad thing. They represent pain and the story behind no matter how they get it. But the man's scar made him feel dizzy before any emotion could hit him.

….It was because of his face.

That's because he looks like that.

With such a face, everything else was just decoration.

Strange eyes that reminded him of an animal, his expressionless appearance was like a statue, his sturdy body.

 

As Rienne put away all those useless thoughts and steadied her trembling hands, she placed them on Black's bandage.

They look too clean. As if they were new.

[ Black ] “What is it?”

Black looked at Rienne as he whispered to himself.

[ Rienne ] “I don't think I need to change this. If you are already using the drug then.”.

[Black ] “Change only.”

Black immediately cut it.

[Black ] “Unless you still can't touch me.”

[ Rienne ] “..Alright.”

Although her voice sounded a little strange, Rienne listened to her and started removing the bandage in silence.

Looking back, it seemed like he did not like this man.

Before, when he told Phermos to close his eyes or leave, it made him feel as if he was siding with him, even if only for a moment.

If he was going to do such a thing..does that mean he did not forget what he said to him yesterday? Will he be faithful in keeping his promise?

If that's the case, I should do the same, right?

Is it okay for him to do that?

Rienne continued to open the bandage without saying a word. Once the wound opened, he could clearly see that the medicine had already been applied.

As she thought—she had changed her bandages this morning.

Thats odd.

Even though she knew she didn't need help with it, she still asked her to change her bandage for her. Everything's too weird.

[ Rienne ] “I don't think it would be a good idea to apply a second dose of ointment.”

At least the wound seemed to heal well. That nice.

As Rienne carefully tied the new bandage around the wound, it suddenly occurred to her that Rafit had suffered a very similar injury.

How did it happen again…? Did I also treat her wound like this?

….Now that she thought about it, Rienne clearly remembered applying the medicine on her wound while Madame Flambard wrapped it in a bandage.

Just then, Rafit held his hand tightly as he leaned his head against his lap. He thinks he looks like a kid.

To be honest, his injury back then wasn't too serious. She was just acting sick because she wanted to hold Rienne, and it ended up bothering her more than the fact that she was injured from the start.

How long is he planning to hold me? I have to get back to work. But none of those thoughts came out of his mouth. He just sat there in silence as he dealt with his childish behavior, no matter how much he wanted to protest.

[Black ] “Do you check it?”

Immersed in her mind, Rienne missed her question.

[ Rienne ] “...Sorry, what is it?”

[Black ] “I want to ask if you can identify the body.”

Unlike Rafit, Black did not bother convolutedly.

But the two of them do have one thing in common: they can always keep Rienne in place. But while Rafit does so by grabbing Rienne's hand, Black can pinch it with just his eyes.

And that made Rienne feel very different.

He never had a chance to think about when he would let her go.

All he could do was face the feeling of an illusion being tied up.

[ Rienne ] “So you heard. I went to the chapel because I thought it was fair I said the right goodbye.

Rienne had always felt this way, but her eyes were very clear. It's not easy lying to him.

[Black ] “Dan? Did you say goodbye?”

Even now, it felt like those clear eyes were looking for lies in his words. Rienne swallowed nervously.

[ Rienne ] “...Ya.”.

[ Black ] “Good.”

When she said that, her voice was completely flat—without any emotion.

[Black ] “Now I just need to wait for you to fulfill your promise, Princess.”

[ Rienne ]”. .”

Black reached out a hand, slowly rubbing Rienne's cheek. It was a very gentle movement, it made all the feathers on his skin stand up.

[Black ] “I want to know as soon as possible. so I want to know when you will make a decision.”.

 

* * *

 

She ... didn't really seduce me.

That was what he had told himself before, but his fever had long since disappeared. Although his hands were warm, they were not as hot as before.

It was the same with his eyes. They are not foggy or cloudy, but cool and clear like water.

[Black ] “I want to make everything clear.”

He made it sound like he didn't want to be misunderstood. It was as if he did not want to leave room for the seeds of doubt to sow or any potential problems to arise.

As she watched his words, Rienne felt her face stiffen.

….What did Fermos tell him that day?

[ Phermos ] –’So you mean you need to give yourself a chance to separate yourself from your deceased love?’

He sure said that. Looking back, Phermos sounded extremely suspicious as he spoke to her.

[ Phermos ] –’If you are honest, then I will thank you for your consideration, Princess.’

And how to say thank you to her is strange, questioning whether she is ‘jur’ or not. He knew he didn't mean what he said.

They must have known.

They know the body in the chapel doesn't belong to Knight Commander Arsak.

Black moved his hand, touching Rienne's cheek in a manner that was strangely attentive compared to her words.

[Black ] “I'm not a very patient person.”

[ Rienne ]”. .”

[Black ] “So I hope you don't make me wait too long.”

That's a warning.

She knew she still hadn't fully withdrawn from her former lover, so she warned him to do it right.

[ Rienne ] “I..”.

He could feel his eyes trembling.

It's very hard to lie to someone who already knows he's lying.

….But he had no choice.

If he makes one small mistake, they will find out that Rafit is still alive and hiding somewhere in Nauk. The Kleinfelder family will be desperate to protect their eldest son and Tiwakan will take up arms only to kill him.

So many people will die.

[ Rienne ] “I just had a little problem.”

Rienne placed her hand over Black's hand, which was still stuck to her cheek. Black just silently stared at their overlapping hands.

[ Rienne ] “I also want to be clear.”

He has to choose.

There's a scale in his hand. On one side there are Rafit and Kleinfelder, and on the other side— Black and Tiwakan. Although he had tried hard to keep his balance, the scales were completely tilted to one side without warning.

Kleinfelders could not win in the fight against Tiwakan. If he chooses Rafit, he will lose the battle.

I can't do that. If I lose, it's all over for Nauk.

In reality, Rienne already knew whose hand she should take from the very beginning.

Thinking that, he gripped Black's hand tightly.

[ Rienne ] “I'll leave the past..”.

With their hands still overlapping, Rienne gently pushed her back until she sat on the bed. Black followed his movements and turned his head towards him.

As she spoke, Rienne's gaze turned to her lips.

[ Rienne ] “..As I promised.”

And then, Rienne closed her eyes, bowed, and closed her lips above hers.

Rienne tilted her head, wrapped her arms around her neck as she had done the day before, gently teasing her lips like she used to.

 

T/N: (1) Basically, they were referring to how the mercenaries did not need help getting ready in the morning in the same way as a noble, so saying they ‘treated’ by the waiters will not mean. exactly