A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 103

※If the Curse were Real※

The men who had brought Weroz were mercenaries hired by Baiyar.

Realizing there was no escape, they surrendered quickly, but Fermos showed no mercy and had them executed on the spot.

Exhaustion had curdled into a raw, biting fury for Fermos.

After dealing with the Sharka troops sent by Blini, he had spent every waking moment tracking Weroz and Laffit.

Since Black had no intention of leaving Liene’s side, the remaining cleanup fell entirely on his shoulders.

It wasn't that he resented Black for delegating the task. He was simply livid at the fools who had caused this mess in the first place.

[Fermos] "Those blockheads... calling them idiots is an insult to idiots. Did they really think they could challenge us in Tiwakan's own stronghold? Ugh, what morons."

He kicked at one of the corpses, his anger still far from spent.

[Tiwakan] "Let it go, Sir. From what I heard when they were captured, they didn't even know until they arrived."

[Fermos] "What? They didn't know what?"

[Tiwakan] "That the Tiwakan had settled in Nauk. Apparently, they found out later and spent half their time arguing whether to run or stay."

[Fermos] "Then they should have surrendered sooner! Why should I have to suffer like this just because they’re stupid?"

[Tiwakan] "Come now, don't be so harsh. The worst of it is nearly over."

Weroz had been captured, leaving only Laffit Kleinfelter.

Knowing that Liene had fled behind the waterfall, they too had ventured into that labyrinth. Had Fermos not figured out how to navigate the path, they would have all been lost in there for much longer.

Thanks to his discovery, the Tiwakan were able to move through the maze with relative ease and corner Weroz’s group.

[Fermos] "......Don't capture Kleinfelter too quickly."

[Tiwakan] "Sir?"

[Fermos] "It’s too easy for him if we just lock him up now. Drive him toward the dead ends. Make sure he can't find his way out. Let’s let him starve for about a week."

[Tiwakan] "An excellent idea, Sir."

The exhausted Tiwakan soldiers grinned, relishing the thought as they began herding Laffit deeper into the maze. Meanwhile, Fermos’s mind was already busy sketching out the next piece of the puzzle.

[Fermos] "This place is definitely a mechanism."

Discovering the way through the path meant realizing that the area had been intentionally designed.

[Fermos] "Nine waterfalls... it must have been a device to control the water. Since it was a place known only to those of the Gainers bloodline, the royal family must have held a monopoly over the mechanism.”

[Fermos] "Kleinfelter likely wanted to steal it... I suspect the 'key' is something that can activate this apparatus. I’ll have to discuss this with My Lord."

His heart began to race. The time was approaching to reclaim the glory of Nauk—the glory that had vanished with the fall of the House of Gainers.

---

Upon rushing back to the castle, Fermos learned that Liene and Black had already deduced the existence of the mechanism within the waterfalls.

[Fermos] "If all three of us reached the same conclusion, then there is no doubt."

Though Fermos felt a slight sense of letdown, his anticipation far outweighed it. His eyes sparkled as he clasped his hands together.

The three of them had settled in the King’s study, poring over ancient records. They were searching for any trace of the water-control device, but so far, they had found nothing. It seemed the secret was one passed down only through oral tradition from king to king.

[Liene] "We’ll have to examine the interior. Do you think Ternan Kleinfelter knows anything about the device? Or perhaps the Cardinal?"

[Black] "Neither of them is likely to have a full understanding. However, they may hold minor clues, so we must make them speak."

[Liene] "I heard the Cardinal was also poisoned. Has he recovered?"

[Black] "It will take some time. The poison wasn't just applied to his skin; it was ingested through his food. That means there is far more toxin remaining in his system."

[Liene] "Oh, dear..."

Liene shook her head with a look of pity, her fingers tapping lightly on the table. The sight of her hands and feet wrapped in thick layers of bandages made her look even more pitiable.

Black, clearly sharing that sentiment, reached out, took her hand, and pressed his lips to her fingertips.

[Liene] "Watch your hands. And please, don't do that."

[Liene] "Oh... it doesn't really hurt, so I forgot I was even injured."

He clicked his tongue.

[Black] "How can you forget when your hands are wrapped like this?"

[Liene] "Well..."

In truth, the cuts weren't deep—mostly just surface-level scrapes that had already begun to scab over once the medicine was applied.

They didn't even hurt anymore; if anything, the bandages were just making her itchy. Yet, Black had insisted on replacing them with this thick padding again this morning.

[Liene] "Perhaps it’s because the bandages are so thick? It makes it harder to feel anything."

Liene smiled and gave his cheek a playful pat.

[Liene] "That’s why I’m saying, I think you could probably loosen them a little."

He replied with a smile of his own.

[Black] "No."

[Liene] "You’re saying 'no' while smiling?"

[Black] "Because seeing you is one thing, but the bandages are another matter entirely."

[Liene] "I’ll compromise on my feet. Honestly, it’s quite comfortable since I don't have to wear stockings. But doing this to my hands is too much. Just look at mealtime today—I couldn't even use my fork properly and spilled everything."

Using the spilled food as an excuse, Black had insisted on feeding her every bite. Even then, half the meal was eaten, and the other half was spilled, as they kept leaning toward each other for kisses that wouldn't stop.

Madam Henton, who had entered with the second course, had been so flustered she’d left the dining room immediately, plate still in hand.

[Black] "Just endure it a little longer."

[Liene] "You’re being mean. I can’t use my hands properly."

[Black] "Which is why I am ensuring you have no reason to use them at all."

That was precisely the problem.

[Liene] "I feel like I’m going to become a spoiled child at this rate. I won’t be able to do anything for myself."

[Black] "I wouldn't mind that at all."

Liene and Fermos both looked at him, momentarily lost for words.

Liene pulled her hand from his grasp and turned to Fermos.

[Liene] "Sir Fermos. Is there no other urgent business? The Kingdom of Sharka might send more troops. Surely there is somewhere else that requires the attention of Lord Tiwakan."

[Fermos] "Um... unfortunately, I don't believe there is anything at the moment."

[Liene] "Is that so? How unfortunate."

[Fermos] "Yes, most unfortunate."

Fermos was far too clever to say otherwise, even if there were tasks to be found. To separate Black from Liene right now would be to invite disaster—and a very loud one at that.

Am I overstaying my welcome? Perhaps I should take my leave.

[Fermos] "Ahem. Well then, I shall go and supervise the transport of the prisoners. Oh, and regarding the Royal Guard. What should we do? I don't believe we need to keep them locked up indefinitely."

The issue of the Royal Guard was a headache. While it had been Weroz’s individual crime, the incident had clearly demonstrated that the current Guard was useless.

[Black] "Even so, we need a complete overhaul."

[Fermos] "I wholeheartedly agree. And what of the Princess?"

[Liene] "It’s... a difficult situation."

There were those in the Guard who were loyal, but there were also those influenced by the Kleinfelters.

Above all, Weroz had many followers; his execution would likely trigger a strong backlash. Even now, there was friction between them and the Tiwakan.

Something had to be done, however difficult.

[Black] "Firing everyone at once wouldn't look good. It would also weigh heavily on the Princess’ conscience."

He offered a compromise.

[Black] "Let’s rename them the Royal Constabulary and limit membership to those with knightly qualifications. If we give them a six-month grace period to earn their knighthood, there will be less resistance."

[Liene] "That is certainly an alternative everyone would welcome."

[Black] "Using the Commander's deviation as justification, we’ll have plenty of grounds to dissolve the Guard and reorganize them as a Constabulary."

[Liene] "Yes. That’s true."

Her expression turned bittersweet. Even now, she couldn't understand Weroz’s choice, yet she didn't feel he had abandoned the loyalty he had shown all those years.

[Black] "Do you regret losing him?"

He was quick to read her face.

[Liene] "Yes... I suppose I do. Before you arrived, he was one of the few people I could call my own."

In the long, lonely war against the Six Houses, Weroz had been the ally who always remained by her side.

[Black] "Do you believe the Commander didn't truly turn traitor?"

[Liene] "I think he made a wrong choice... Sir Weroz misunderstood you..."

She bit her lip, the words dying in her throat. Black understood the weight of that silence.

[Black] "It’s alright. Tell me. Is there something I should do?"

She couldn't bring herself to say it.

Sir Weroz believes that the blood of Gainers blood is ill.

He said you would be too. I’m afraid of how that talk might hurt you.

She wanted to say it was just a lie planted by the Princess Consort.

She wanted to say that even if it were true, she would handle the consequences and didn't want to lose him for such a reason.

But she feared that even saying those words would bring him pain.

[Liene] "......Give me a little time."

Liene spoke while gently stroking the royal records Black had set on her lap for easy reading.

Perhaps there’s a record of the Gainers' family’s illness in here.

I need to find out. It won’t be too late to talk after that.

She would tell him that not every king fell ill and died young, that there were plenty of exceptions. And it could all just be a blatant lie. So, first, she had to find the records.

[Liene] "I’ll decide what to do with Sir Weroz. I’ll leave the matter of dissolving the Guard to you."

[Black] "As you wish."

Black left a tender kiss on her forehead.

Just as Fermos was about to take his cue and leave after seeing Liene lean into Black’s shoulder—

[Flambard] "Your Highness."

Madam Flambard had come to find Liene. Her complexion was uncharacteristically dark.

[Flambard] "I have something to tell you. May we speak privately?"

---

Black graciously stepped out. Liene, who had just told him to leave because he was being too doting, immediately felt a sense of emptiness.

[Liene] "Sit down, Madam. You don't look well."

Liene gestured to the seat across from her. Madam Flambard shook her head.

[Flambard] "I’d rather be closer to you, Your Highness."

[Liene] "What is the matter, Madam?"

Madam Flambard knelt on the floor beside Liene. She gently took Liene’s hand and gave a small, sad smile upon seeing the thick bandages.

[Flambard] "To wrap them like this... I have never seen Your Highness with such bandages for a mere scratch."

[Liene] "I know... It’s a bit much, isn't it?"

The Madam gently stroked the top of the bandages.

[Flambard] "How can a heart that worries so much about your well-being be called 'too much'? One should accept such a heart with everything they have."

But the Madam’s small smile was heavy and sorrowful. Liene couldn't pretend to notice.

[Liene] "What happened?"

[Flambard] "......I went to see that man."

"That man" could only mean Weroz.

[Flambard] "I was so angry... I was so furious that it was him of all people, that I intended to slap him myself. But then..."

Liene felt she knew what had happened without another word.

Weroz must have told her about Black’s identity and the hereditary disease of the House of Gainers.

[Liene] "No one knows that for sure, Madam. Who can say what illness a person might catch? It must be a lie. Sir Weroz accepted a false story too readily."

[Flambard] "......You already knew, then."

[Liene] "Yes."

[Flambard] "And yet... You don't care?"

[Liene] "It’s not a story to be believed blindly. There is no evidence."

[Flambard] "You once asked me about the last king of the House of Gainers, didn't you, Your Highness?"

Liene remembered. Madam Flambard had said there were rumors that the king was cursed.

[Liene] "......I don't believe it. All that talk of curses was nothing but lies spread by the Kleinfelters through the Temple. They even said the drought in Nauk was a curse on the Arsak family."

Yet, the rumors had been many.

Liene, who was only four or five at the time, wouldn't have known, but rumors about the ghostly King Pembrovin were widespread.

Whispers that he rarely showed himself in the castle, that he wandered about in the middle of the night, that half his soul had been taken—chilling stories always followed him.

Even when he died suddenly at a hunting ground, no one suspected a rebellion. It wouldn't have been strange for King Pembrovin to die anytime, anywhere.

[Flambard] "What if... what if the curse were real? What will you do then?"

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