A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 120

※The Owner of the Ring (2)※

Though it appeared quiet from the outside, the inn was thick with a persistent sense of dread.

Today was the deadline for the handover of Princess Blini. The Sharka royalty might send a messenger, a formal response, or perhaps even an army.

Regardless of the outcome, they had to be prepared for anything.

In Liene’s bedroom, a different kind of tension was brewing—though the context was quite different.

[Liene] "It’s hot. You must cool it down first."

[Black] "......"

Black held a bowl of steaming porridge. Having scooped up a generous spoonful, he paused mid-motion at her instruction.

[Liene] "And take some out. There’s too much on the spoon. It won’t cool down easily that way."

[Black] "I understand."

After removing a portion of the porridge, he held the spoon in the air, motionless.

[Liene] "What are you doing?"

She asked after watching him for a moment.

[Black] "I am cooling it."

[Liene] "And when exactly will it be cool? You have to blow on it."

[Black] "......"

Black looked back and forth between the spoon and her face. He nodded slowly and began to blow.

Whoosh...

His movements were precise and careful, yet his face remained entirely devoid of expression.

[Liene] "I think that’s enough."

[Black] "Then."

He turned his body toward Klima, who was lying weakly on the bed. The poor man, his face flushed bright red, was staring blankly at Black.

[Black] "Open your mouth."

[Klima] "O-oh... yes... yes, sir."

Klima did his best to open his mouth.

Black fed him the porridge he had just cooled with his own breath.

[Liene] "Is the porridge too hot? Are you alright, Sir Renfel?"

[Klima] "O-oh... yes... yes, I’m fine..."

He nodded, his expression a mix of awe and terror.

Black continued to scoop and cool the porridge without a word.

[Black] "Open up."

[Klima] "Yes..."

Klima, naturally mild-mannered, couldn't bring himself to ask if they really had to keep doing this. Nor could he mention that it felt as though he were being fed through his nostrils rather than his mouth.

Black didn't look particularly pleased either. However, he was currently thinking that it was a very good thing he had stepped in. He was relieved that Liene wasn't the one performing this intimate act of feeding a patient warm porridge.

It had been the right choice to volunteer. He wouldn't have been at peace if he had to watch her do it.

[Liene] "You’re doing a good job."

She looked on with a satisfied smile at Black. While it felt a bit strange that he had insisted on taking over a task she felt was hers, the result wasn't bad at all.

[Black] "I am glad to hear that."

[Liene] "Ah, the bowl is already empty. Should I bring more?"

At those words, Klima shook his head vigorously.

[Klima] "N-no! I am fine!"

[Liene] "If you don't like porridge, would you like something else?"

[Klima] "No... no, actually, I am quite alright..."

[Liene] "I wish you’d eat more. But forcing it would be worse, so try to have some more later."

[Klima] "Yes... yes..."

Klima squeezed his eyes shut, looking strangely more exhausted than he had been before the meal.

The feeding session—which felt short to Liene but an eternity to Klima—was finally drawing to a close.

Thump, thump, thump!

The sound of someone sprinting up the stairs echoed all the way to the bedroom.

[Randall] "My Lord! It’s urgent!"

It was Randall. Since he was shouting even before knocking, it was obvious the matter was pressing.

[Liene] "I’ll get the door."

She quickly turned and opened it.

[Liene] "Sir Randall? Is everything alright?"

[Randall] "Ah, Your Highness... huff... yes, of course. Is My Lord inside?"

[Liene] "Yes. Please, come in."

He handed a glass of water to him, whose chest was heaving.

He glanced at Black and then politely declined.

[Randall] "I am fine."

[Liene] "Are you sure? You look out of breath."

[Randall] "Nonsense. I merely ran up a few stairs. That aside, I have just returned from meeting the informant."

The expensive but highly capable informant had somehow managed to eavesdrop on the palace's activities and promptly deliver the news.

[Randall] "It seems the King and the Princess Consort have had a falling out."

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly.

Klima, who had been exhaling raggedly as if he were about to die after that bowl of porridge, snapped his eyes open.

[Black] "What does that mean?"

[Randall] "It seems their relationship has soured. I haven't gathered all the details yet, but the King’s temper was severely provoked by her attempted escape yesterday."

He also relayed the news of the immediate beheadings of the Captain of the Guard, the Secretary, and several others.

[Randall] "And there was one more thing—something so strange the informant wasn't even sure what to make of it."

This was the real news.

[Randall] "Apparently, there was a ring the King gave to the Princess Consort. When he tried to take it back, she resisted and swallowed it. The story is so bizarre that most people are pretending they didn't hear it."

It was unheard of for the King to give her a ring rather than other jewels. It was, as Randall said, strange. Despite the Prince’s death, such an incident only fueled rumors of an affair between the two.

[Black] "If it were a ring given by the King, she wouldn't have swallowed it."

Black, knowing Blini’s personality, could guess the general situation.

[Black] "It must be the ring she was supposed to give to me."

[Randall] "I also suspected it was the ring you are looking for, My Lord. But isn't that also strange? What would the King of Sharka know about your ring? Isn't that a secret known only to a few?"

If the secret of the ring were to be discovered in the Kingdom of Sharka, things would become complicated. Someone would surely covet it, and reclaiming it would undeniably become a treacherous task.

[Liene] "There’s no way he knows. We only found out about it recently ourselves."

She spoke after a moment of thought.

[Black] "I agree. Even if the Princess Consort knows something about the ring, she wouldn't have told the King."

[Randall] "Then could it have been some other ring he gifted her?"

[Black] "As I said, she wouldn't have swallowed a ring like that."

She let out a soft sigh.

[Liene] "She must have genuinely hated the thought of losing it."

In that sigh-like comment lay a small seed of worry—a fear that perhaps the Princess Consort still held Black in her heart.

[Black] "It is likely because it is the only weapon she has left. If it’s taken from her, she has nothing left to negotiate with me."

Randall expressed his concern.

[Randall] "However, it doesn't seem like the King is making a move yet. If he intends to hand her over, he should be preparing. The informant said there was no sign of troop movement. Should we wait longer?"

The King of Sharka was said to be fickle. Even if he had fought with Blini, there was no telling when he might change his mind.

[Black] "There is still time."

The deadline Black had set was the end of today. And plenty of the day remained.

[Randall] "What happens if he refuses to hand her over? Will it actually come to war?"

[Black] "If the King is that foolish, we will have no other choice."

He had already reached his conclusion yesterday.

[Randall] "Surely he can't be that stupid? To go to war over a woman who killed the First Prince... the math doesn't add up."

[Black] "There are plenty of kings foolish enough not to understand basic logic."

[Randall] "Well... true enough. Then I should prepare for that possibility. Understood."

Black and Randall spoke as if war were a simple matter, but the gravity of the situation was anything but simple. For Liene, who had never experienced war, it was a conclusion she desperately wanted to avoid.

[Liene] "I hope we can just get the ring back and end this."

She sat down and toyed with Black’s hair as she continued.

[Liene] "War is such a terrible thing."

[Black] "Even if it happens, it won't last long."

[Liene] "Still."

When it came to war, Black’s perception of time was vastly different from hers. Even if a war ended in a day or two, for Liene, it would be an agonizingly long time—enough for her heart to burn to ash from worry.

[Black] "We’ll just have to pray the King of Sharka isn't a fool."

He smiled faintly, his face far more serene than one would expect from a man contemplating war.

[Black] "I find myself hoping for the same thing."

But hope and belief were two very different things.

---

[Maid] "Hic... sob... As far as... as far as I know..."

The maids spoke quickly. In truth, they didn't know much, so there was no reason to keep their mouths shut for long.

[Maid] "There were... there were rumors that the ring belonged to Tiwakan Commander."

There wasn't a maid who didn't know about the time the Grand Duke’s family had sent a proposal to Tiwakan Commander first.

While no one knew the full story of the ring, they had all heard that Blini had taken such a liking to Black that she had proposed. Naturally, the ring she cherished so unusually became linked to those rumors.

[King] "What?"

His eyes widened at the mention of the unexpected name. The guards, who had been harassing the maid by clutching her robes, stopped.

[King] "Did you say Tiwakan Commander?"

[Maid] "Y-yes..."

The maid nodded, but her face turned deathly pale when her eyes met Blini’s, who was watching from across the room.

[Maid] "It... it was just a rumor. I don't know for certain."

[King] "Rumor or not!"

He couldn't contain his rage and roared. The maid shrank back as if she were about to burst into tears, and Blini closed her eyes in resignation.

[King] "Is that why you tried to kill the Princess of Nauk?"

[Blini] "......"

[King] "Answer me! Open your mouth!"

No matter how much the King ranted, Blini remained silent. What had just been shattered wasn't a secret, but her final shred of pride.

[King] "Ugh! Why won't you look at me! Why won't you speak!"

[Blini] "......"

[King] "Now! Answer me! Now!"

[Blini] "......"

Thud!

Unable to contain his fury, the King shoved Blini aside. She collapsed to the floor. In a state entirely unlike her usual self, she lay prostrate, her neck bent weakly.

[King] "How dare you! How dare you do this to me!"

He stomped his foot on the floor. But no matter how much he vented his anger, Blini didn't budge. She was like a statue from which life had already fled.

[King] "Take her! At once! Seize her and—!"

[Guard] "...Your Majesty?"

The guards drew their swords, though they were half-doubting. But just as the sharpened blades were about to move, the King changed his mind.

[King] "...No, wait!"

The King shoved the guards aside and held out his hand.

[King] "I will strike her down myself. Give me a sword. I will send a headless corpse to Tiwakan."

[Guard] "Your Majesty..."

The guards looked shocked, but they couldn't defy a royal command.

A sword was placed in the King’s hand. He turned toward Blini, holding the sword with an awkward, unfamiliar grip.

[King] "Your crimes against the royal family are endless. I shall personally see to your punishment."

[Blini] "......"

Blini must have known the King was holding a sword, yet she didn't move.

[King] "...Ugh!"

Clang!

When even that failed to provoke a reaction, he threw the sword aside, approached her, and grabbed her arm brutally. He then dragged her body toward the adjacent room.

[King] "No one is to open this door!"

The room where she had been staying with the maids was the sitting room; the room next to it was the bedroom.

Slam!

The door closed.

Blini, who had been stiff as a statue, furrowed her brow slightly. Being alone in a room with him made the air feel suddenly nauseating.

[King] "You... how dare you..."

He ground his teeth at her scowling face.

[King] "How dare you do this to me...!"

[Blini] "......"

What he was displaying was a sense of betrayal.

Blini sat up from her frozen posture. She quickly realized where hissense of betrayal had started. He didn't even view his son’s death as a betrayal. His rage had begun with the ring.

He wanted to possess her. Because he couldn't, he felt betrayed and angry.

[Blini] "Your Majesty."

She knew that feeling well. Because the emotion she was feeling now was the same. The urge to kill and destroy something because you cannot possess it had been hers for a very long time.

She grabbed his collar with surprising strength.

[Blini] "Kill him for me."

[King] "...What?"

[Blini] "Kill him. Then my heart will be free."

She was telling him that if Black were dead, she could leave him behind and go to anyone.

[Blini] "Kill him."

[King] "......"

His eyes shook violently, like a ship caught in a storm.

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