A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 130
- Oct 26, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Jan 5
※The Key※
[Flambard] "Princess!"
[Henton] "Oh, my goodness, Princess!"
As soon as she stepped back into the castle, the two madams greeted her with overwhelming intensity.
[Liene] "How have you both been? I know it hasn't been long, but I feel as though I’ve been away from the castle for ages."
[Flambard] "Not long? To me, it feels as though a decade has passed!"
She gripped Liene’s hands tightly and refused to let go.
[Liene] "It has only been about fifteen days. We returned much sooner than scheduled."
[Flambard] "Fifteen days is plenty! Next time, I am absolutely coming with you."
Liene knew she had to deliver difficult news to Madam Henton. While comforting the tearful Madam Flambard, she reached out to take Madam Henton’s hand.
[Liene] "Sir Renfel was injured, Madam. Fortunately, they say the wound is healing well, but the recovery will be arduous for him."
[Henton] "Oh dear... how did it happen?"
[Liene] "It is a long story, but it happened while he was protecting me. I have nothing to say to him but 'I'm sorry' and 'thank you'."
[Henton] "......"
She fell silent for a moment, swallowing a sigh.
[Henton] "It seems that the blood of his father won't be denied. He surely did it because he wanted to, so you needn't weigh your heart down with worry, Your Highness."
[Liene] "I’ve had my life saved twice now thanks to Sir Renfel. How could I ever forget that?"
[Henton] "Still, that boy is better off than his father. At least the person he served is alive to acknowledge his merit."
Those words still stung Liene’s heart. She couldn't find the right response and simply held Madam Henton’s hand in silence.
[Henton] "I am fine now. Since you say he is hurt, I must go to see him. Where is he?"
Madam Henton was the first to pull her hand away, sensing that if she didn't, Liene might hold onto it all night out of guilt.
[Liene] "He should be in the knights' quarters. I’ll go with you."
Madam Flambard blinked in surprise.
[Flambard] "Now, where do you think you’re going? You just returned from a long journey; shouldn't you at least change your clothes first?"
[Liene] "After I visit him. Besides, I’ve been worried about how Sir Weroz has been doing this whole time."
[Flambard] "Ah, that knight... Well, if that’s the case, I shall go with you as well."
Just as Black had departed with only a lingering kiss—not even setting foot in the castle to allow Liene to attend to her duties—Liene herself had much to do.
[Liene] "Then let us go."
Klima had collapsed into a deep sleep the moment he entered the quarters.
Madam Henton decided to stay by his side to tend to him for the day.
Meanwhile, Weroz was still in the dungeon, though fortunately, he had ended his hunger strike.
[Liene] "Your complexion looks better than the last time I saw you."
Weroz offered a polite greeting, noting it had been a while.
[Weroz] "I heard you traveled to Sharka. Did you... return safely?"
[Liene] "Yes."
Liene gave him a brief account of what had transpired in Sharka.
At first, Weroz found it hard to believe—the infiltration of the Sharka royal palace and the subsequent journey to the northern border to take the Princess Consort hostage.
[Weroz] "The Sharka Royal Guard consists of a hundred and eighty knights alone. Even at the lowest estimate, the sentries must have doubled that. How could you possibly succeed with only twenty-five men...?"
[Liene] "Genuinely, I was terrified because there were so many guards. But everyone else seemed incredibly used to such situations."
She also informed him that she had retrieved the ring and discovered a secret hidden within it by accident.
[Liene] "The water will return to Nauk."
[Weroz] "Your Highness……"
Tears welled up in his eyes.
[Liene] "There is still more to uncover, but things are returning to us one by one. The Gainers bloodline, the ring... these are the things that built Nauk and belong with Nauk."
[Weroz] "I....."
[Liene] "I believe you know this now. If Gainers do not return, the water will not return."
[Weroz] "......"
He covered his face with his gaunt, thin hands.
[Weroz] "I... I understand now. I see it clearly... I was wrong. My thinking was... I was entirely mistaken."
[Liene] "Yes. You were mistaken."
She felt a sense of relief. It was better that the one who was mistaken wasn't her, but Weroz. Even better that he finally recognized it.
[Liene] "Then return to us. Return to the place where you belong. Nauk needs you."
Leaving him with those words, she stepped out.
He would need time to reflect.
[Flambard] "Your Highness? Are you still awake?"
Liene had remained in the King’s study late into the night.
Klima, who had woken up around evening, had sought her out while clutching his side and groaning in pain. No matter how much she urged him to rest, it was no use. He insisted that even in a palace where nothing was likely to happen, he had to be by her side to protect her.
Eventually, Liene had placed some cushions in a corner of the study. Klima had fallen back asleep using the cushions as a pillow, and she sat beside him, poring over royal records.
Madam Flambard, only just realizing Liene wasn't in her bedroom, came looking for her.
[Liene] "Yes. I have work to finish. But please, keep your voice down. Sir Renfel is sleeping."
[Flambard] "Pardon? Goodness, why is he acting like this? Shall I wake him and send him back?"
[Liene] "It won't work. He believes that whenever Lord Tiwakan isn't around, he must be the one standing guard."
[Flambard] "Tsk, tsk..."
She clicked her tongue.
[Flambard] "What stubbornness, especially with those injuries."
[Liene] "I know. I feel guilty enough as it is."
[Flambard] "If you plan to stay here longer, I shall bring a blanket. It’s quite pitiful to see such a large man curled up like that."
[Liene] "Ah, I hadn't thought of that. A blanket would be nice."
[Flambard] "I’ll be back in a flash."
She hurried off and returned with a blanket. After covering Klima, she sat down beside Liene instead of returning to her room.
[Liene] "Is there something you wish to say, Madam?"
[Flambard] "No... not exactly. I just felt it would be nice to sit with you for a while."
She confessed that the fifteen days Liene had been away felt far too long. The emptiness had kept her from sleeping even now.
[Flambard] "You mentioned there was a specific reason you had to go to Sharka. Was it resolved successfully?"
[Liene] "Hmm... I achieved my goal. But it isn't entirely resolved yet."
[Flambard] "Oh dear... what will you do? Must you go again?"
[Liene] "No. I don't believe that will be necessary.”
[Liene] "You must have been quite startled, Madam, with everyone suddenly rushing off to the border."
[Flambard] "Indeed! At first, I was frantic, thinking something terrible had happened. If something occurs while the Princess is away, is that not a grave matter?"
However, she added that as the days passed in silence, her worries had eventually quieted.
[Flambard] "Is everything truly alright now? There won't be any more trouble with Sharka?"
[Liene] "I cannot say there is no trouble, but I can say things will be fine soon. You don't need to worry."
[Flambard] "The thing is... may I not know what is happening? You suddenly decided to go to Sharka after visiting the temple with Sir Weroz. And then he stopped his hunger strike, so something must have happened at the temple. I was so anxious I almost went to the temple myself."
[Liene] "Ah..."
Normally, knowing Madam Flambard’s personality, she wasn't one to pry. Liene realized she had been far too guarded with her words toward the madam. Perhaps the Madam was still agonizing over the hereditary illness said to plague the Gainers line.
[Liene] "I haven't been thoughtful enough of your feelings, Madam. I think it’s time I told you everything."
She took Madam Flambard’s hand and began the long story of everything that had happened.
[Liene] "I went to Sharka to retrieve this ring."
The story began with the ring—the object they had been calling 'the key'.
[Flambard] "This ring? If you went to retrieve it, are you saying this ring originally belonged to Nauk?"
[Liene] "Yes. This ring is..."
The ring that had vanished twenty-one years ago had returned to Nauk, along with the name Gainers.
As the story progressed, Madam Flambard’s mouth hung open in disbelief.
[Liene] "...... Pardon?"
She asked again. This was already the third time.
[Liene] "What did you say?"
When she raised her voice, Klima, who had been sleeping like the dead, jumped up in a start.
[Klima] "Your Highness......"
He rubbed his eyes and approached her, but Liene didn't notice. She was far too stunned right now.
[Liene] "Is that... actually true? Are you certain?"
[Flambard] "It certainly seems that way. Otherwise, such a thing wouldn't exist, would it?"
She said she thought she knew what the object inside the ring was.
[Flambard] "Don't just take my word for it; let us go together. I will show you."
[Liene] "Yes...... yes, let’s go. Quickly...... please."
Liene scrambled to her feet. She stood up so abruptly that she forgot the heavy record book was on her lap; it nearly crushed her foot, but Klima caught it just in time.
[Liene] "Let’s go. Quickly, please. Hurry."
Liene pulled at the madam’s hand. Her hand was ice cold. Seeing her hand trembling with a deathly chill, Madam Flambard covered it with her own.
[Flambard] "Do not tremble so much, Your Highness. What if you trip and fall? Please, do not rush so."
[Liene] "Yes, yes...... let’s go quickly."
She tried not to rush, but her steps grew faster and faster. Eventually, she was practically running.
[Liene] "Haah, haah......"
Madam Flambard led Liene to the jewel chamber. Until recently, the room had been so empty that the name 'jewel chamber' felt like a mockery. Now, however, there was talk of commissioning new chests just to hold everything.
The empty chests hadn't even needed to be locked, so the keys for each one had been bundled together and hung on the wall. Now, every chest was filled with gems and safely secured. The bundle of keys was kept deep inside a key cabinet.
Madam Flambard picked up the bundle.
[Flambard] "Here, do you see this?"
There were many keys. Unless one knew the room intimately, they wouldn't know which key opened what.
[Flambard] "You remember, don't you? When you were little, you used to come here and play. You would even try opening the chests with the keys. This is the key you found back then."
Among the numerous keys was one that looked a little strange. It was a short, stubby key, as if the tip had been cut off, and it didn't fit any lock.
As a child, Liene had a persistent streak when she focused on something, so she had tried that key in every single lock. She eventually concluded it was a useless object.
[Flambard] "All the other keys have a tip that extends this much further. This key, as you can see, is missing exactly one finger-joint’s worth of metal."
[Liene] "Ah......!"
She suddenly let out such a sharp cry that Madam Flambard nearly dropped the stubby key.
[Flambar] "If we attach the piece from the ring to this... it would become a complete key, wouldn't it?"
[Liene] "It... it should. My goodness. You were a genius, Madam!"
With trembling hands, Liene threw her arms around Madam Flambard in a fierce hug.
[Flambard] "Words like that are a bit frightening, Your Highness. What if I were to fall ill one day?"
[Liene] "Sir Fermos will be the one to tell us if you can catch that illness or not. Regardless, you’ve thought of something absolutely incredible."
[Flambard] "It just popped into my head when you mentioned a key. I suppose you had completely forgotten, since it was something from your childhood. Now, let’s not waste any more time and give it a try."
[Liene] "Yes, quickly......"
Beside them, Klima nodded vigorously.
Everyone held their breath as Liene took the stubby key and held it against the metal piece found inside the ring.
[Liene] "Here... it looks like it’s meant to be inserted!"
The end of the stubby key was hollow. When she slid the metal piece into it, a sharp click echoed through the room. The two pieces joined together as if they had always been one.
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