A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 1

※A Bloody Proposal (1)※

A crumpled letter lay in her fingers. It was the second one.

[Liene] "......"

She gazed at her rigid, bloodless hand. It did not feel like her own.

The content of the letter was brief:

 —"We have waited for half a month; please deliver your answer."

The message was almost identical to the first:

—"To the Princess of Nauk Castle: the Commander of the Tiwakan Mercenaries proposes marriage. I await your reply."

And the Tiwakan Mercenaries had been laying siege to the castle for half a month, the proposal serving as their pretext.

[Mashilow] "Your Highness."

Mashilow, the advisor to the Grand Council, addressed her. His expression and voice were filled with feverish agitation.

[Mashilow] "Surely you don't intend to accept it? They are nothing more than barbarians who possess not a shred of human manners. They are no different from savages. How dare they propose! Even though they know you already have a fiancé who is superior to all of them! This audacity is proof of their savagery!"

[Liene] "If I don't accept it, what other way do we have?"

She struggled to steady her voice as she smoothed out the crumpled letter in her hand.

[Liene] "We lack the power to drive them away. You know that."

In this vast, great hall, once wealthy and splendid, only Liene, Mashilow, and Weroz, the Nauk Guard Commander, remained. A pitiful number compared to the former glory of the Nauk Kingdom.

Weroz, a knight of integrity well past his forties, opened his mouth reluctantly.

[Weroz] "We can still fight. Princess, my neck is ready for the sacrifice at any time."

She knew Weroz was a man who would do it.

Precisely because of that, she thought she had to accept this proposal. She could not allow all the knights who shared Weroz's conviction to die in vain.

[Liene] "Then everyone will die together."

[Weroz] "Your Highness...!"

Weroz shook his gray, sweat-drenched head. However, he could not argue the contrary.

Half a month.

In just half a month, Nauk Castle was completely isolated. The supply lines outside the castle had been severed long before. The populace was exhausted, and the Guard had lost the morale to fight.

From the beginning, this was an uneven battle. The difference in troop numbers was more than tenfold.

Conversely, the Tiwakan Mercenaries, known as the most ruthless and savage army in the continent's history, had suffered no damage at all. It was as if they were hunting rabbits for sport.

They could maintain this stalemate for several more months. And the result would be that everyone in Nauk Castle would slowly starve to death.

She took a breath and stated,

[Liene] "I will accept the proposal."

Mashilow and Weroz cried out almost simultaneously.

[Mashilow] "You must not, Your Highness!"

[Weroz] "Indeed, you must not! You accept it because you do not know what kind of people the Tiwakan are!"

[Mashilow] "They are all men who have forsaken the gods. As proof..."

She finished his sentence.

[Liene] "They prefer to sleep with men over women."

Weroz, who was old-fashioned, stammered upon hearing her blunt statement.

[Weroz] "T-That's right, you already know. The Tiwakan Mercenaries... they prefer men..."

In contrast, the more experienced advisor used a clearer phrase in an attempt to dissuade her.

[Mashilow] "It's because women are prone to dying when they sleep with them, Your Highness."

Hearing that, a shadow of doubt crossed her eyes. Even just hearing it sounded truly horrifying.

What kind of beasts were they?

[Liene] "Even so, they won't kill me in a single night. If that were their intention, they would not have proposed."

Mashilow cried out urgently.

[Mashilow] "Don't do it, Your Highness! Have you forgotten where Sir Kleinfelter is and what he is doing now? He is wagering his life for you..."

[Liene] "Yes, he said he would return with reinforcements from the Sharka Kingdom in ten days."

Liene was not a naturally pessimistic person. She was merely striving not to hope for too much. Because she, Princess Liene of the Arsak Family, ruler of Nauk Castle, was responsible for the lives of every person residing here.

[Liene] "But ten days have already passed. There is no guarantee he will return, nor that he has secured the promised reinforcements."

[Mashilow] "Do you not trust Sir Kleinfelter? He values you more than his own life. He will certainly return with the reinforcements."

[Liene] "If he could, he would have already returned. Within the promised time."

She recalled the promise of Laffit Kleinfelter, the Arsak Knights Commander and her lover, with an expression as if she had swallowed a thorn.

When the news of the Tiwakan Mercenaries marching towards Nauk Castle first broke, he immediately led the knights towards the Sharka Kingdom.

The largest family in the Sharka Kingdom was his mother's side. He was the only one who could obtain reinforcements.

Just ten days. He asked them to hold on for only ten days.

She also wanted to believe his promise. Yet, hope was too fragile in the face of reality.

[Liene] "I can't wait any longer. Moreover, even if he brings reinforcements, the Sharka Kingdom will not send a large-scale force capable of defeating the Tiwakan. What country in the world wishes to wage war with the Tiwakan now? Even the Kingdom of Lekes, the largest on the continent, signed a peace treaty with the Tiwakan. And that was extremely humiliating."

The fact that the promised time had already been exceeded by five days was all the proof she needed. Mashilow and Weroz also knew how futile it was to continually wait for reinforcements.

[Liene] "You both know that the Tiwakan proposal is genuine, whatever their motive. If it were not a proposal, they would not have peacefully besieged us for half a month, waiting for an answer. With the strength of their army, they could have breached the gates or toppled the walls at any moment."

Looking at the two men who shared responsibility for Nauk Castle with her, Liene made her decision.

[Liene] "As the last surviving bloodline heir of the Arsak Family, I have the obligation to protect Nauk. If the marriage of one person can protect all the lives in this land, that marriage is a price worth paying."

[Weroz] "Princess..."

Weroz closed his eyes, no longer able to object. Regret and sighs, replacing the weight of past glories, deepened the wrinkles at the corners of the old knight's eyes.

However, Mashilow remained persistent.

[Mashilow] "Then what about Sir Kleinfelter? The Kleinfelter Family is the largest power in Nauk. You cannot unilaterally sever the relationship without consulting them."

Mashilow had maintained a good relationship with the Kleinfelter Family for a long time. He was one of those who firmly believed that Laffit Kleinfelter would marry her and become a joint ruler of Nauk.

[Liene] "Consultation won't change anything."

[Mashilow] "Your Highness. Can you say that in front of the Kleinfelter Family?"

[Liene] "I, in turn, want to ask: What was the Kleinfelter family doing while the Nauk Royal Guard was bleeding and waiting for reinforcements?"

Her face turned cold. Although they were lovers, her relationship with Laffit was never sincere.

The Kleinfelter Family had seized considerable wealth and power in this small, collapsing kingdom.

After her father passed away, they immediately urged her to marry for the sake of securing power.

All this time, she had been trying to postpone the formal engagement, attempting to avoid the Kleinfelter’s efforts to seize co-ruling rights over Nauk.

Her lover might have been sincere. But his family was too greedy. They might end up picking this barren place clean, leaving only the bones remaining.

[Liene] "I will send a reply. To the Tiwakan Commander."

Weroz and Mashilow widened their eyes and contorted their faces, respectively. She resolutely spoke to the two men who opposed the barbarian's proposal for different reasons.

[Liene] "I will accept the proposal."

One hour after the reply was sent.

The meeting place between the proposer and the intended bride was set. She mounted a horse, escorted by Weroz and the Guard.

Clip-clop-clop...

As the sound of the horses' hooves grew louder, Nauk Castle faded into the distance.

[Liene] "......"

She turned slightly to look at the castle she had just left.

Will I return safely?

---

The agreed-upon location was precisely midway between Nauk Castle and the Tiwakan encampment.

The Tiwakan side had pitched a military tent in advance. She entered the tent, accompanied only by Weroz.

Although the pretext was a proposal, the atmosphere was no different from a battlefield. Troops on both sides faced each other with a palpable tension surrounding the tent.

[Weroz] "......He hasn't arrived yet."

The tent was empty, containing only one table and two chairs facing each other. Weroz glared at the empty chair of the opposing party with a fury he barely contained.

[Weroz] "How dare they display such behavior. They are people who have never known ethics in their entire lives."

[Liene] "At least we have time to prepare. Look on the bright side."

Her words sounded like a joke, but they held a kernel of truth.

She felt relieved. Throughout the journey to the tent, she had been worried about showing fear or trembling. She was accepting the proposal under duress, but she did not want to appear afraid.

[Liene] "......"

Liene bit her lip as she sat in the chair she believed was hers. Now, the Tiwakan Commander—the illegitimate son of the God of War, rejected by the Earth—would soon enter.

I must not tremble.

She clenched the fists she placed on her knees.

I cannot let them underestimate me. This is not a proposal, but a negotiation. I must not easily concede to their demands.

[Weroz] "Your Highness."

Suddenly, Weroz called her. His low voice suggested something amiss.

[Weroz] "Sound is audible."

[Liene] "......What?"

[Weroz] "That is clearly the sound of clashing steel."

[Liene] "What do you mean?"

[Weroz] "It seems there is a fight. Is there any reason for those savages to fight amongst their own troops? Ah!"

He slapped his own knee and cried out in delight.

[Weroz] "It must be Sir Kleinfelter! He brought reinforcements and is attacking the Tiwakan!"

[Liene] "What did you say?"

She sprang to her feet.

[Liene] "Is he... No, then I don't have to accept this proposal, do I?"

[Weroz] "Of course, Your Highness! If you permit, I will look outside. No, wait, we must return immediately. They will surely not have time to hold us accountable for breaking the promise while they are engaged in battle."

He rushed forward, urging her.

[Weroz] "Quickly, Your Highness."

Just as she took a step, the entrance of the tent was violently lifted, as if pulled open by force.

WHOOSH!

Instantly, an uncontrolled burst of bright light streamed into the dim tent.

She released Weroz's hand and frowned. As she blinked, a black silhouette slowly formed out of the white glare.

[Liene] "......"

He was huge.

She knew he was huge just from his silhouette. Black, large, sturdy... and also incredibly savage.

[Black] "I am late."

A dry and languid voice, like dead grass rustling, echoed in her ears.

[Black] "I greet the Princess of Nauk."

The Tiwakan Commander had arrived. Right at the moment, she was attempting to escape the barbaric proposal she had accepted.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes due to the glare. She forced her eyes, which wanted to close, to stay wide open and stared at the man approaching her. Just looking at him stole her breath.

His dominating physique radiated terror. Her skin tingled every time the man moved a single step. The man's hair was jet-black, and in stark contrast, his pale blue eyes, like clear water, seemed more like a wild animal than a human.

He had a strikingly intense appearance. She had never seen anyone with such an appearance before. Just exchanging glances made her shiver, yet her gaze was fixed—she was unable to turn away.

Remarkably, the barbaric man who looked more like a beast than a human possessed a captivating beauty. The combination of black hair and eyes like a transparent lake was truly stunning.

This makes no sense...

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, then opened them. Yet, the shock of the man's handsomeness did not easily fade.

Pull yourself together, Liene. Nothing changes just because the barbarian doesn't look like a barbarian.

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