A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 27

※Midnight Murder※

BONG, BONG!

The twelve chimes announcing the funeral's commencement died out.

Yet, the ceremony showed no signs of commencing.

[Liene] "Does this make any sense?"

The Cardinal meant to preside over the ceremony had vanished without a trace. The attending priests merely stated they knew nothing of His Eminence's whereabouts.

[Liene] "Who was the last person to see him?"

Tired of waiting, she stepped forward and confronted the priests and deacons who had traveled from the temple.

Everyone looked visibly flustered, trading nervous glances, but none could offer a straight answer.

[Liene] "Surely someone must have seen him. When was the last time you saw His Eminence?"

[Priests] "Well... you see..."

The priests huddled together, whispering for a long time before conveying a vague account of events.

One thing was certain: the Cardinal had left the temple. They had all witnessed him shaking and trembling as he was lowered down by rope.

After the priests descended, the coffins were lowered, and loaded onto a cart. Some priests claimed to have seen the Cardinal on horseback, while others denied it.

Gathering the various accounts, it became clear that the Cardinal’s whereabouts grew uncertain only after they arrived at the Royal Chapel.

[Liene] "What about the person who was attending His Eminence most closely?"

[Priests] "Hmm... well..."

The answer was ambiguous at this point.

Those who attended the Cardinal were acolytes. They were usually chosen from the younger deacons and served him in rotation.

[Priests] "However, no acolyte accompanied us from the temple today."

No acolyte had traveled with them that day. The reason was that with seven priests attending, an acolyte was deemed unnecessary.

[Liene] "In that case, we must find another witness."

It was the Tiwakan mercenaries who had transported the coffins by cart.

Liene, standing before the altar, turned, scanning for Black among the people seated in the chapel pews.

Behind the altar, the six coffins rested. Behind them, the funeral attendees sat on benches or knelt on the floor.

Black was seated in the front row.

[Liene] "Lord Tiwakan."

His expression showed that he, too, suspected something was amiss.

[Black] "What is the matter?"

[Liene] "The Cardinal's whereabouts are unknown. Could you question the Tiwakan who were with them from the temple?"

[Black] "Yes."

Black agreed readily, then turned his head toward the back. Though a minimal gesture, Fermos keenly perceived the signal and approached immediately.

[Fermos] "Yes, my Lord."

[Black] "The Cardinal is reportedly missing. Do you know anything?"

[Fermos] "Huh? The Cardinal?"

Fermos clearly did not know of it whatsoever.

[Fermos] "How could such a thing happen...? I will look for him at once."

[Black] "If the incident was intentional, there must have been a motive."

[Fermos] "Of course, my Lord."

Fermos hastened out of the chapel.

By now, the people waiting for the funeral could not help but realize something was amiss. A small murmur spread through the crowd.

[Liene] "Who do you think... intentionally did this?"

She lowered her voice as she asked.

His comment—that if there was an incident, there was a motive—allowed for only one interpretation.

[Black] "Someone harbors ill will."

[Liene] "Ah... I see."

Liene glanced toward the Kleinfelter family members seated in the back row. Lyndon was visible.

Laffit had apparently not come, conscious of being recognized.

If this was an intentional incident, Lyndon would be the culprit. But she couldn't quite fathom it.

Publicly, today was Lafitt's funeral. The family should have at least pretended they did not wish to delay the funeral of their eldest son.

[Liene] "I still don't understand the reason. They might dislike the funeral being held in the Royal Chapel, but there is no other suitable location, after all."

[Black] "Then their complaint isn't about the location, but something else."

[Liene] "Something else?"

[Black] "For instance, a person."

[Liene] "..."

That was the moment a horrendous thought struck her.

Was the Cardinal...?

Was Kleinfelter enraged because the Cardinal had taken Tiwakan's money and refused to delay the wedding date?

Was this his way of exacting revenge?

...No. He's not the kind of man who would merely vent his fury. He must have been planning something far worse...

THWACK!

Her thoughts were interrupted as the chapel door burst open in a rush.

[Fermos] "My Lord! We believe we've found him!"

It was Fermos. He burst into the chapel with several mercenaries.

[Liene] "Really? Where?"

Despite his claim, the Cardinal was nowhere to be seen.

[Fermos] "I believe... he is in here."

[Liene] "What... do you mean?"

Everyone’s gaze snapped to the tip of Fermos's finger.

Fermos was pointing at one of the six coffins.

---

CRREAK...

The coffin lid began to move.

Fermos, who had gone to look for witnesses, had returned with different information. There was a testimony that one of the coffins felt conspicuously heavy.

[Fermos] "There is no better place to conceal a dead body than a coffin."

Fermos muttered, watching the lid slowly open.

One person was missing, and one coffin was heavier, so the natural conclusion was that the person had been interred in the coffin.

GRRUNG... THUD!

Finally, the coffin lid was completely open.

[Liene] "Ah...!"

Liene gasped.

There were two bodies inside the coffin. The body on top, clearly forced and crudely crammed, was indeed the Cardinal.

[Fermos] "Just as I suspected."

He muttered, adjusting his monocle.

[Fermos] "Since he was hidden like this, it wasn't an accident... He was intentionally murdered."

No one could deny his words.

Liene quickly whipped her head around to stare at Lyndon. He, too, seemed startled, leaning forward to examine the Cardinal's body.

This made her confused.

Was he not the culprit? He should be.

Why did he look so shocked? As if he knew absolutely nothing.

[Fermos] "We'll need one more coffin."

Hearing this, the priests finally grasped the reality of the death and wore bewildered expressions. Some sank to their knees, reciting prayers.

[Liene] "Then who will officiate the funeral today? Is there a contingency plan for a case like this?"

The sudden question stunned the priests.

[Priests] "Well... We have nothing yet..."

[Liene] "Do you mean the funeral must be postponed?"

[Priests] "Ah, it seems so... if the Cardinal's seat is vacant..."

[Liene] "How unfortunate. I hoped otherwise. Has the next Cardinal candidate been decided? Or must we handle that first?"

[Priests] "..."

All seven priests fell silent, avoiding her gaze.

The next Cardinal candidate had not been decided. And the Grand Council was responsible for the nomination.

Lyndon rose from his seat.

[Lyndon] "Since the matter is urgent, we must immediately convene the Grand Council Assembly to appoint a Cardinal candidate, Princess."

[Liene] "..."

Liene subtly ground her teeth.

How brazen.

[Liene] "Of course, Lord Kleinfelter."

[Lyndon] "We shall conclude the meeting soon and present you with a new Cardinal."

His words were tantamount to declaring he would install a man who would certainly comply with his will.

[Lyndon] "Let's go."

Lyndon led his entourage out of the chapel.

Despite this being the funeral for the eldest son of his family, he betrayed no sign of concern whatsoever.

[Black] "Do not consider this a defeat merely because of this."

Someone took her hand from behind. It was Black.

[Liene] "Oh... Really?"

She lifted her chin and looked at him.

His clear, mirror-like blue eyes reflected her own image.

[Black] "I am now in charge of Nauk's security. We simply need to find the culprit."

[Liene] "Ah..."

She breathed a soft exclamation of awe.

He was right.

Lyndon had overlooked one fact. The reason he had gotten away with all his actions so far was the lack of any power to check the Grand Council.

But that was no longer the case.

The Arsak family had welcomed a new Order of Knights, and Nauk’s security was now their responsibility.

Lyndon had dug his own grave. The murder of a Cardinal could not be suppressed by any power he could muster.

[Liene] "So, it was a self-defeating move."

However, one problem remained.

[Liene] "Only if we can secure the evidence."

They needed a strong basis to charge him with murder.

---

The bodies could not be left unburied indefinitely.

In the end, the funeral was postponed, but the six bodies were buried.

Six bodies were committed to the ground, returning to dust.

The Cardinal's body, for which no coffin had been prepared, was left alone in the chapel.

The funeral, a chaotic mess from beginning to end, felt all the more sorrowful for it.

Liene consoled the weeping bereaved until dawn, then sent them off with a gold coin for each.

[Fermos] "There is a reason why the Princess is perpetually short of money."

Fermos muttered, scratching his cheek.

The road, thickly blanketed by moonlight, was silent.

Even the horses seemed to know they were returning from a burial, walking on silently without a single snort.

Black deliberately maintained a comfortable distance from Liene, following behind her.

He knew that the bodies buried today were the result of his actions.

It wasn't that he suddenly felt regret or was disgusted by the murder. He was simply concerned that Liene might perceive it so.

[Fermos] "While that is the virtue of a leader, shouldn't she pay some mind to her own circumstances? She didn't even have mourning clothes and had to have some altered."

Black, who had been silent for a moment, twisted his lips into a thin line.

[Black] "Perhaps she accepted the proposal because she is that kind of person."

[Fermos] "Well, that's true... but..."

Fermos scratched his cheek again. The more he learned about Princess Liene, the more troubled he felt.

If only his Lord had proposed sooner. When Princess Liene had no official suitor.

Even then, there would have been an uproar, but people wouldn't have been dying off like this.

Fermos tended to view the small number of corpses around Tiwakan as a rare miracle, but seeing Princess Liene bow her head before the bereaved made him feel unsettled.

[Fermos] "But why did he go so far as to murder the Cardinal? He didn't seem that foolish."

He changed the subject.

In fact, this was the more important conversation. Kleinfelter was set to be an obstacle until the day Black married Princess Liene.

It was quite cumbersome to solve an issue that could have been settled with force, without bloodshed. Yet, he also couldn't just resort to beheading people casually as before.

He was beginning to vaguely sense what Black desired.

The Tiwakan Commander, who had vowed to reclaim everything, might not just be referring to the land of Nauk or Princess Liene, but to his entire lost past.

If so, bloodshed had to be avoided.

To take something by force was to seize it, not to reclaim it.

[Fermos] "Could Kleinfelter have been so certain that the evidence was perfectly concealed? Evidence can be found one way or another."

[Black] "That is the mystery. He also seemed surprised when the Cardinal's body tumbled out of the coffin. It wasn't an act."

[Fermos] "Ah... Then, perhaps he didn't intend to kill him? Or, he hired an assassin, but the assassin blundered..."

[Black] "Something must have gone awry."

[Fermos] "Then we should investigate from there. If we know where he blundered, the evidence will surface."

[Black] "Yes."

Black, who usually ended conversations abruptly, added a word after a slight pause.

[Black] "Do not let him escape."

[Fermos] "Yes. Um... What?"

Having spoken, Black strode ahead.

Fermos, left behind, slightly bewildered, clicked his tongue to himself.

[Fermos] "He must be concerned."

Black approached Liene, not standing directly beside her, but maintaining a respectful distance, matching her pace.

Fermos, who had never once imagined him being like this, now mumbled with resignation.

[Fermos] "Who would have thought my Lord would end up like this..."

In any case, it was astonishing.

---

WHACK!

[Lyndon] "Are you insane!"

A small storm raged through the Kleinfelter residence.

Lyndon rampaged as if he would lay waste to everything in sight.

Someone, whose forehead was struck by the mailbox he threw, bled silently.

[Lyndon] "Why did you handle the job so poorly! Why put the body in the coffin! You should have disposed of it so no one would know the killer!"

The man was the assassin hired by the Kleinfelter family to eliminate the Cardinal.

The sight of the man silently bowing his head only infuriated him further.

[Lyndon] "You idiot! Did you deliberately want to get caught, or why else would you do such a thing?"

THUD! THUD!

Lyndon began to kick him mercilessly.

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