A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 12

※The Dangerous Encounter (3)※

[Liene] “There are all sorts of rumors following Tiwakan. There was a rumor that their leader was a sodomite, wasn't there?”

She tried hard to remain calm.

A sodomite? What a ridiculous rumor.

She remembered his kiss. A man couldn't kiss someone he didn't desire with such passion.

If she thought about the forced kisses she had given her own lover, the answer became even clearer. It was purely an unfounded rumor. It must be just a rumor.

[Laffit] “How can you know that?”

He asked with a serious face.

[Laffit] “Don’t tell me... you’ve already invited him to your bed?”

[Liene] “Sir Kleinfelter.”

She clenched her fist tightly.

Both the uncle and the nephew—the men of this family—possessed a talent for provoking anger.

[Liene] “If you speak like that again, I will strike you. You no longer have any right to ask about the matters of my bed with my fiancé.”

[Laffit] “Fiancé? How dare you call that barbarian your fiancé in front of me?”

[Liene] “Leave Nauk. Sir Weroz will secure your path until you leave the castle gates, in respect for your family. Consider this action my farewell gift.”

[Laffit] “Liene!”

He was stubborn. No, he was slow to understand. He still didn't grasp what she was saying.

[Laffit] “I cannot leave. I will not leave! How can I allow you to marry another man!”

[Liene] “Then, what will you do?”

Instead of getting angry and shouting, she hid her emotions so he could understand. Anger would only escalate into a fight. Now was the time to cut everything off.

A voice that was cold and devoid of emotion flowed between them.

[Liene] “What will you do? Shoot an arrow again? Do you know what happened just because of one arrow you shot? Under the pretext of chasing an assassin, Tiwakan has occupied the guard barracks before the wedding and is meticulously learning every road in Nauk. Now, seeing Tiwakan on the streets is no longer strange. All this chaos is due to that missed arrow.”

[Laffit] “You cannot say that. The arrow I released clearly tore the barbarian’s skin, and with that wound Tiwakan’s strength.......”

[Liene] “Is not diminished at all. Only his skin was grazed.”

[Laffit] “I will succeed next time. I can definitely succeed next time.”

[Liene] “Tiwakan is not a fool. Your assassination attempt only heightened their caution. Now, if you wish to harm their leader, you will have to face all of their forces first.”

[Laffit] “......”

Finally, he fell silent.

Thankfully. As a knight himself, he could not fail to know that what she said was true.

[Liene] “If it’s revealed that you were the one who shot that forbidden arrow, the Kleinfelter Family will vanish from this land. So, run away. That is the path to peace for everyone in Nauk.”

[Liene] “Then, goodbye.”

She turned around. Just as she was about to open the drawing room door, he reached out from behind and closed the door again.

Thump!

At this unprecedented action, she frowned and turned back to face him.

[Liene] “What are you doing?”

[Laffit] “One thing... Please answer just one thing.”

She met his expression, which was deeply contorted with regret. She knew he truly loved her. So, she could endure it for a moment.

[Liene] “What?”

[Laffit] “Do you like him?”

[Liene] “What?”

To her, it was a foolish question, but he was utterly serious.

[Laffit] “Answer! Are you content with this marriage because you like him? Is that why you are abandoning me?”

She sighed.

[Liene] “Ha......”

[Liene] “Don’t you think your question is unworthy of an answer?”

He shouted angrily.

[Laffit] “Answer!”

He looked as if he wouldn't move aside until he got an answer.

[Liene] “Haa... I didn't know you had this side of you. I have not forgotten that there are a hundred lives that died because of Tiwakan’s proposal.”

[Laffit] “Answer properly. Are you sure you don’t like him? Or are you just submitting to his power?”

She didn't dislike him. She had promised herself to desire him. But that was all. It didn't mean she held any special feelings for him.

She also felt she shouldn't have such feelings because their beginning made it impossible for them to blossom.

She offered a cold, bitter smile.

[Liene] “What is most important to me is Nauk. Ending my relationship with you and accepting a courtship that began with blood are, to me, the same thing.”

So, if she had to endure it, she would.

[Liene] “Leave Nauk. This is an order.”

[Laffit] “......”

She pushed past him, whose face was pale and silent, and opened the drawing room door herself.

---

However, just because she walked in on her own two feet didn't mean she could walk out just as easily.

[Liene] “Where is Sir Weroz?”

She walked to the front gate, where he should have been waiting. But he was nowhere to be seen, and she, sensing something strange, asked the gatekeeper of the Kleinfelter house.

[Gatekeeper] “I don’t know.”

[Liene] “What? That’s absurd. Sir Weroz was just here.”

[Gatekeeper] “I did not see him.”

[Liene] “What in the... Sir Weroz!”

She looked around and shouted for Weroz.

[Liene] “Sir Weroz!”

However, there was no answer, no matter how much she called.

 Anxiety swept over her. She realized she was alone in this dangerous place without a guard.

I must get out of here by any means.

[Liene] “Open the gate.”

Finding Weroz was the guard’s duty. She couldn’t do it alone here.

[Gatekeeper] “I was ordered to guard this gate.”

The Kleinfelter gatekeeper stubbornly kept the gate closed.

Her fear had become reality.

[Liene] “Were you ordered not to let me out of this gate?”

[Gatekeeper] “I don’t know that. The order I received was to guard the gate and not open it.”

[Liene] “Do you not know who I am? Princess Liene of Nauk commands you. Open the gate.”

[Gatekeeper] “I have received my orders.”

The answer was the same. These were words the ruler of Nauk should not have heard, but she couldn't argue about it now.

[Liene] “Move aside, then. I will open it myself.”

[Gatekeeper] “That.......”

She gave the hesitant guard a sharp warning.

[Liene] “If you do not move aside, there will be consequences for your insubordination. Remember that the name Kleinfelter will not be able to protect you then.”

[Gatekeeper] “......”

Hearing that, the guard hesitated and slowly moved to the side.

She reached out her hand to push him aside and open the gate. But unfortunately, it was too late.

THUD, THUD!

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor behind her. When she turned her head, Lyndon was approaching, leading his private soldiers.

[Lyndon] “Stand back, Princess. Opening another’s house gate with your own hands. What sort of undignified behavior is this?”

[Liene] “And what are you doing, Sir?”

He calmly approached her.

[Lyndon] “After further thought, I couldn’t just let you go.”

[Liene] “What do you mean?”

[Lyndon] “The Princess intends to hand over Nauk’s sovereignty to a barbarian who rolls around on battlefields somewhere. If I allow that, I would no longer be a Kleinfelter.”

She gasped in disbelief.

[Liene] “Ha, must I repeat the same words? Have you become senile now?”

[Lyndon] “There’s no need. Instead.”

He motioned with his eyes over his shoulder.

Then, someone awkwardly stepped out from among his private soldiers.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the heavy, dark purple robe trailing to his ankles.

[Liene] “...His Eminence, Milode?”

[Milode] “That.......”

Cardinal Milode stammered, looking blankly at her.

Although Nauk was not a particularly strong religious kingdom, a Cardinal was always needed for various events, such as the great spring festival to pray for rain, funerals, or weddings.

[Liene] “Have you come to prepare a prayer for the repose of the soul?”

She asked, hoping that even the Cardinal wouldn't know the fact that Laffit was still alive.

Lyndon answered on behalf of the Cardinal.

[Lyndon] “No. I summoned him to officiate a wedding.”

[Liene] “A wedding......?”

[Lyndon] “That’s right.”

He grinned crookedly at her, his face twisted into an ominous smile.

[Liene] “Who... is getting married?”

[Lyndon] “It’s obvious. Who else?”

He pointed at her with his finger. The finger looked exactly like an arrow flying toward her.

[Lyndon] “The Daughter of Arsak shall swear eternal love and obedience to the son of Kleinfelter as his wife, right here, right now.”

[Liene] “......!”

This is my mistake.

She unknowingly clenched her teeth.

She should have anticipated that the Kleinfelters could resort to even dirtier tricks.

The Kleinfelter Family had coveted Nauk’s sovereignty for a long time. They seemed to have decided to try anything rather than hand it over to someone else.

[Liene] “I cannot accept this. Has Sir Laffit Kleinfelter agreed to this forced marriage that he himself doesn't even know about?”

[Lyndon] “Oh, my apologies. It seems you’ve forgotten. Laffit is dead, Princess.”

He shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly.

[Lyndon] “The man you will marry is his cousin, Lopez.”

This was sheer nonsense. As far as she knew, there was no one named Lopez in the Kleinfelter Family.

[Liene] “Was there another son in the Kleinfelter Family that I didn’t know about? Is he an official member of the Kleinfelter Family recognized by the royal court?”

[Lyndon] “Oh, not officially. Because he is an illegitimate child. But what can we do? The eldest son is dead, so we had no choice but to bring anyone.”

The nonsense was spoken shamelessly.

[Liene] “Stop this obvious lie, Lord Kleinfelter. Get out of my way before things get worse.”

[Lyndon] “Even if he is an illegitimate child, you shouldn't worry too much, Princess. Because of his bloodline, his appearance is exactly the same as the dead eldest son. Isn't that right, His Eminence, Cardinal Milode?”

Milode nonchalantly backed up the lie.

[Milode] “I confirmed it. He is exactly the same. No one can deny that he is Kleinfelter’s blood. This is a blessing from God, Your Highness.”

A blessing, he said.

She gripped the hem of her dress tightly. Her green eyes assessed the men who stood like a wall in front of her.

I have to get out of here. I must.

[Liene] “...Very well. If he is so similar, I am curious too. Summon him here now.”

[Lyndon] “It’s simple enough. Fetch Laffit... Ah, wait. What did I say? Ah, Lopez. Yes, bring Lopez here.”

[Guard] “Understood.”

One of the private soldiers ran toward the drawing room.

It didn't take him long to bring someone.

Of course, the person he brought was Laffit Kleinfelter.

---

The separated lover seemed to have been suppressing his emotions alone after her departure.

His eyes were bloodshot. She saw that his right hand was injured. It looked like he had smashed something.

[Liene] “Don’t do this.”

The moment their eyes met, she rushed towards him.

The only person who could end this reckless and foolish farce was her separated lover.

Amidst this greed, he was the only one who was different. That’s why she believed his affection was genuine.

Although he had never been fiery, she considered and treated him as her lover.

He must feel the same. His affection for her must be sincere. He surely wouldn’t want to force this violence and humiliation.

[Liene] “Please. The vow you made to me wasn't just about affection. You swore to protect me and Nauk as the knight of Arsak. Please... don’t do anything that puts Nauk in danger.”

Her separated lover opened his lips with a distressed face.

[Laffit] “I... don’t know what you are talking about, Princess.”

[Liene] “Laffit.”

He turned his head and looked at his uncle.

After Lyndon nodded his chin, he bit his lip and said:

[Laffit] “Do not call me by that name, Princess. I am Lopez Kleinfelter.”

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