A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 31

※Betrayal※

Her voice was strained and high with panic.

[Liene] "What?! That's not what I meant at all!"

[Black] "Then what did you mean?"

[Liene] "..."

But she couldn't answer; her lips felt stiff, sealed tight.

They were both fundamentally different.

She had tried her utmost to prevent the rupture of Nauk, but in his eyes, her actions likely appeared as a series of poor lies thrown out only to protect her former lover.

[Black] "As I said, I no longer trust you."

Strangely, those words stung her like a sliver of glass beneath her skin.

[Black] "Yet, you still want me to let him live?"

[Liene] "...Yes."

Even though he didn't believe her, she had no choice.

The eldest son of Kleinfelter must not die. No matter how much she thought it would be better if Laffit were dead, she could not allow Kleinfelter's death to happen in Nauk.

[Black] "Then I will do it."

[Liene] "Ah..."

A wave of instant relief washed over her.

Seeing that she unconsciously looked up, his eyes narrowed as sharply as a blade.

[Black] "In return, give me an appropriate retribution."

[Liene] "What kind of—"

He seized her arm and violently yanked her close.

His lips brushed against her ear. He pressed his mouth to her earlobe, seeming to crush it, and slowly enunciated his brutal whisper.

[Black] "Tonight, you must share a bed with me."

[Liene] "Wha... what did you say?"

He released her arm, signaling he had no intention of listening to any other pleas.

[Black] "Drag him away. Bind and confine him."

[Tiwakan] "...Yes, My Lord."

Though the mercenaries' eyes seemed to question why such a wretch wasn't being executed immediately, they obeyed his order.

His expression was too lethal for anyone to dare argue. It felt as though anyone who touched him would be instantly sliced.

[Black] "Escort the Princess back to the castle. I will go ahead."

[Tiwakan] "What, My Lord? Go ahead? You will ride alone in that condition?"

Ignoring the bewildered mercenaries, Black strode quickly and swiftly mounted his horse.

[Black] "Go!"

THUD, THUD...

The horse carrying Black galloped away in the blink of an eye.

[Liene] "..."

She could only stand there, staring at his back as it vanished into the distance.

It hurts...

The words, 'I no longer trust you', still stung.

---

[Flambard] "Good heavens...! Your Highness! Why are you dressed like this? What in the world happened?"

By the time she returned to the castle, the sun was just beginning to bleed red for the evening.

[Flambard] "Didn't you say you were going alone? Why did you return—"

As expected, Madam Flambard was surprised and panicked.

Anyone would fuss if a person who had only intended to distribute food returned covered in dust and grime, flanked by three mercenaries.

[Liene] "There was a small incident. I want to wash first. Is there any water left?"

[Flambard] "Of course, of course. You must use the water, even if it's my own share. I will prepare a change of clothes. Please go into your room immediately."

[Liene] "Thank you, Madam."

She turned to face the mercenaries.

They were, in effect, silent overseers rather than simple escorts.

Given today's events, she must have been marked by the Tiwakan as someone who could betray their leader at any moment.

She had no intention of painstakingly explaining that she wasn't, but she couldn't simply accept their surveillance either.

[Liene] "I don't think the escort needs to continue. I will enter my room."

The Tiwakan glanced at each other, then one of them spoke.

[Tiwakan] "Do as you wish. We will remain here until My Lord gives other orders."

[Liene] "The castle is safe. This escort is excessive."

[Tiwakan] "I believe My Lord would think differently."

[Liene] "..."

They showed absolutely no sign of backing down.

She let out a weary sigh.

[Liene] "Then bring yourselves chairs and sit down. I will inform you before I leave the room."

[Tiwakan] "Don't concern yourself with us. We will manage."

[Liene] "...Very well, then."

She said nothing more and went into the bedroom. Madam Flambard blinked, utterly confused about what had transpired.

...Click.

After closing the bedroom door behind her, the Madam asked.

[Flambard] "Your Highness! What happened? Why are they suddenly acting this way?"

[Liene] "Ha..."

The fatigue Liene had been suppressing suddenly overwhelmed her.

Her legs simply gave out, and she sank onto the floor.

[Flambard] "My goodness, Your Highness! What is wrong with you!"

A startled Madam Flambard rushed to her, attempting to haul her up.

[Liene] "Just a moment. Let me sit for a little while."

[Flambard] "No, don't stay on the floor, at least sit on a chair."

[Liene] "Then the chair will get dirty. Washing this outfit is enough. We already have too much work to do."

[Flambard] "..."

The Madam observed her utterly exhausted face, then sat down next to her.

[Flambard] "Something happened outside, didn't it?"

[Liene] "...It did."

[Flambard] "Is it something you cannot tell me?"

[Liene] "No. I'm not deliberately hiding it, it's just..."

...When I try to voice it, my heart aches.

I don't know why it hurts, but it just keeps hurting.

[Liene] "Kleinfelter tried to kill Lord Tiwakan."

[Flambard] "What?"

Madam Flambard almost shrieked. She quickly covered her mouth, realizing her voice was too loud.

[Flambard] "So, then? Is he... dead?"

[Liene] "No."

Her eyes dimmed with exhaustion.

The sickening feelings she had when she heard Black might die resurfaced, making her chest feel turbulent.

[Liene] "But he's hurt. Badly."

[Flambard] "Oh dear... So? Why would he be angry at you, when Kleinfelter was the one who did it?"

The question surprised her slightly.

[Liene] "How do you know Lord Tiwakan is angry at me?"

[Flambard] "Because the men he assigned to watch you are angry."

[Liene] "They weren't angry, though. They weren't rude either."

[Flambard] "Nonsense. Their attitude is entirely different from how they treated you before."

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

[Flambard] "In my opinion, the difference is clear."

It was then she realized: The Tiwakan were utterly unlike the rumors.

According to the terrifying gossip she had heard, they were closer to beasts or monsters than humans. Yet, she had never witnessed them behave that way.

Even when angry at her now, they were only somewhat cold, without being rude.

It must be because of him.

Because he was always polite to me.

[Liene] "Lord Tiwakan thinks I conspired with Sir Kleinfelter."

[Flambard] "What?!"

Madam Flambard's eyes were so wide they looked as if they might pop out.

[Flambard] "Your Highness, surely—"

[Liene] "No."

She firmly cut off that bud of doubt.

[Liene] "I swear I did not do it, nor did I intend to. Doing such a thing while Tiwakan is occupying the castle is foolish."

[Flambard] "You're right! Even a five-year-old would know! But why did Sir Kleinfelter do something so stupid?"

[Liene] "That's what I want to know, too. Why is he behaving so foolishly?"

After she recounted the entire incident—that Laffit had kidnapped and smuggled her into the carriage, and Black had followed—Madam Flambard groaned, "Oh, my."

[Flambard] "But... anyone would misunderstand that. Especially since he believes that you are... pregnant with Sir Kleinfelter's child."

[Liene] "Exactly."

Liene buried her face in her knees.

[Liene] "I don't regret asking him not to kill Sir Kleinfelter because I have things I must protect. But..."

A lump rose in her throat, and she paused to catch her breath.

...It just feels so suffocating.

It feels like someone is clenching my heart tightly.

I don't fully trust him either, but I don't know why it feels so shattered when he says he won't trust me.

How long must I continue to be suspected like this?

Will this ever end...

[Flambard] "Tell him that you are innocent."

Liene shook her head, her face still buried.

[Liene] "It's useless."

[Flambard] "You must do it until he believes you. A broken trust can’t be mended easily."

[Liene] "What will change if I do that?"

[Flambard] "Why do you say that? Aren't you tormented by being misunderstood?"

[Liene] "That's true. But... even if the misunderstanding is cleared, we won't go back to being a fine couple as we were before."

[Flambard] "Your Highness..."

[Liene] "I will have to keep lying again and again in the future. I can't keep asking him to believe me every time."

[Flambard] "Why think so negatively? Isn't there a possibility that you won't need to lie?"

[Liene] "How? Right now, I even have to hide the date of my cycle."

[Flambard] "..."

Liene, who had been hiding her face, her neck bent precariously, slowly straightened her back.

[Liene] "That's enough. I'm going to bathe."

[Flambard] "Your Highness... you can rest longer."

Madam Flambard spoke the words for her—that she did not look alright at all.

[Liene] "If I stay like this, it will never end. I must move while I still can. I will come out after bathing. Please prepare my clothes."

[Flambard] "...Then wait a moment. I will draw the water."

Perhaps assuming Liene would refuse, Madam Flambard immediately got up and entered the bathroom without waiting for her answer.

[Liene] "I'm fine."

She muttered, looking at the Madam's back.

[Liene] "Indeed."

Aside from her turbulent feelings, she was actually fine.

After all, the eldest son of Kleinfelter didn't die, nor did Black.

Nauk was safe. Therefore, everything should be fine.

[Liene] "...Ah, no. There might be one thing that isn't fine."

There was a price she had to pay to keep Nauk safe.

—Tonight, you must share a bed with me.

His voice suddenly sliced through her mind, making her shiver down her spine.

Surely not... That can't be right.

The wedding is still days away, how could he...

Impossible.

Black was not the type to speak idle words.

Nevertheless, she was desperate not to believe his threat.

[Liene] "Impossible. He's not the kind of person who would force something... like that. No."

Feeling crushed by the thought that continued to swell the more she denied it, she scrambled to her feet.

She would feel better after bathing.

Her chaotic feelings, and the worry about the night to come. Everything had to get better.

---

To avoid the same mistake, Liene aggressively bolted both sides of the bathroom door.

As she stripped off her clothes and turned toward the water basin in front of the mirror, her condition turned out to be far more gruesome than she had expected.

[Liene] "What is this?"

Her right elbow, forearm, and side were an ugly mosaic of blue and red bruises.

It was likely from being knocked around while she was inside the carriage.

[Liene] "Here's a scrape. No wonder it hurt."

She felt both ridiculous and empty, and accidentally let out a hollow laugh.

[Liene] "He is useless."

The man who had once been her lover had now become an impossibly troublesome existence.

[Liene] "Annoying, really."

Liene cursed Laffit inwardly, though he couldn't hear it, then cleaned the scraped and bleeding elbow. The blood had dried, making it even harder to clean.

[Liene] "Speaking of which... He was hurt, too."

Black was badly injured, worse than her own scrapes, to the point where his clothes were soaked with blood.

Given that his subordinates even advised against his riding alone, his injury might be more serious than she had guessed.

[Liene] "Did he get treated?"

Black, who had left ahead, had not yet returned to the castle.

She worried about where he had gone and whether he was alright.

Sometime before, her feelings towards him were no longer mere rejection or fear. Instead, pity and worry, gratitude and regret, were now occupying a larger space.

It happened without her even noticing.

May he not be in too much pain.

She swallowed her feelings and focused on cleaning herself.

Just as she finished scrubbing off all the bloodstains and felt clean, something happened.

CRACK... SMASH!

The securely bolted bathroom door was forced open as if ripped apart. The latch mechanism broke clean away from its mounting due to the sheer impact.

[Liene] "..."

She snapped her head around instantly.

Appearing before her eyes was Black. His face was frozen like a statue, and his sharp gaze pierced her.

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