A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 34

※Spark (3)※

[Black] "Are you afraid?"

He asked her, whose shoulders trembled faintly.

[Liene] "..."

She found herself unable to answer, neither yes nor no.

[Black] "Just endure it for a moment."

And then, his lips touch her.

Liene instantly gasped, choking back a breath. The contact of his unseen lips against the nape of her neck felt indescribably unfamiliar.

Perhaps it was because the nape of her neck had never been touched—not even brushed—by anyone's lips before.

It felt as though he had opened up a place tightly hidden, exposed it completely, and branded it.

And yet, she could not bring herself to refuse it.

...I'm insane.

The slow graze of his lips along her neckline seemed to ignite her skin. At first, she thought only her shoulders trembled, but now her core was shaking internally.

No matter how tightly she bit her lip, she felt she couldn't suppress the sensation he left behind.

[Liene] "..."

Finally, a shuddering breath escaped.

Only then did his lips pull away.

Yet, even after the kiss ended, Black did not withdraw; instead, he wrapped both his arms around her.

[Liene] "Wh-why?"

She opened her mouth in surprise, but he put force into her arms, pressing her down onto the mattress.

The familiar blanket covered her body. He lay down beside her.

[Black] "I will sleep here too."

It was not a request for permission at all.

Yet, contrary to his forceful declaration, he maintained a distance outside the blanket, ensuring their bodies would not accidentally touch.

He was gentle yet forceful, and ultimately, gentle despite his force.

[Liene] "…You're not using a blanket?"

[Black] "I did not request one."

[Liene] "You will be cold."

[Black] "I have a lot of body heat; I am fine."

Instead, he turned his body sideways to face her.

[Black] "Sleep now."

Her cheek felt hot. Unable to meet his gaze, she focused rigidly on the ceiling.

The tip of her nose was already cold.

[Liene] "Then... go get your blanket."

She couldn't see clearly, but he seemed to have shrugged.

[Black] "Do you mean you consent to me sleeping beside you?"

[Liene] "You're going to do it anyway, aren't you?"

[Black] "It is different when I force it versus when the Princess willingly consents."

[Liene] "What is the difference? The result is the same."

[Black] "...Is the same result acceptable?"

[Liene] "It is already the same. So why should you sleep cold for no reason?"

[Black] "...You are a strange person."

The words were so low, almost like a sigh. She wanted to say the same thing to him.

To me, you are the strange one.

Whether you are courteous or rude, tender or cold, it all feels like 'you,' and I simply accept it.

[Liene] "Then just stay here."

Seeing that he didn't seem likely to retrieve a blanket, Liene got out of bed.

[Black] "Where are you going?"

[Liene] "The wardrobe."

She walked to the wardrobe behind the bed and pulled out an extra blanket used during colder seasons.

Black looked rigid for some unknown reason as she unfurled the blanket and covered him with it.

Now, he would not be cold sleeping beside her.

Liene felt a surge of relief, as if she had completed her task.

[Liene] "I think I can sleep soundly now."

[Black] "..."

Then he mumbled something to himself. She did not ask what he said, assuming it was about her being strange, as before.

[Liene] "Well then, good night."

The two people, lying in the same bed under different blankets, closed their eyes at the same time.

The strange night flowed into an even stranger dawn.

Liene was the first to fall asleep.

---

The first thought that registered when she opened her eyes was the incredible warmth surrounding her.

That can't be right.

Dawn in this season was supposed to be frigid. Her nose was cold, making her head feel as if it were still asleep even though her body was awake.

It was the season when she usually lingered under the blankets, in a state between sleep and wakefulness, until she heard Madam Flambard's footsteps and was roused to open her eyes.

[Liene] "..."

She slowly opened her eyelids.

And realized she was tucked securely in his embrace.

For some reason, the blankets they had been using separately had merged into a single blanket.

And as he had said, he had a lot of body heat; the chest where her cheek rested was unbelievably hot, defying the season.

[Liene] "Uh..."

A gasp of surprise was about to escape. Before it could, she quickly bit her lip shut.

Black was sound asleep.

A slight crease lingered between his eyebrows.

Liene realized that he must be exhausted from the injuries he suffered yesterday, and this was a moment when he desperately needed rest.

...Don't wake him.

This man is a patient right now. He is hurt.

I must let him sleep while he can.

...But, she found it utterly ridiculous how she had ended up sleeping in such a position.

We clearly slept separately, lying straight and covered by separate blankets last night.

Feeling intense tension from his proximity, she placed her hands on his chest and did not move at all.

When did he do this?

It was astonishing that she hadn't woken up at all when someone embraced her.

What was even more ridiculous was that even in her surprise, the position of being held felt instantly comforting and familiar, as if she had been born into it.

What is this...?

Why is this... not unpleasant?

The even breathing he exhaled onto her face was not unpleasant to hear. Neither was the rustling sound of his hair occasionally heard as he stirred his head.

The strength of the two arms encompassing her was firm yet not painful, and the rhythmic sound of his beating heart was not bad either.

Seeing his closed eyes up close was also not unpleasant.

Only now did she notice how long his eyelashes were. His prominent nose was perfectly straight, as if sculpted. His pale lips had a very defined line.

As she stared at his lips, the kiss he had given her yesterday flashed in her mind. The throbbing heat that started at the nape of her neck and spread through her body instantly revived.

[Liene] "..."

The faint tension spreading throughout her body, and the realization that she couldn't move because of it, were not bad.

It all felt not unpleasant.

The only thing she could not understand was the reason.

I... I don't know.

Why is it not unpleasant? Why do I want to stay like this a little longer?

I can't move my body; I should feel stifled, but even that is not unpleasant.

It is so strange...

[Black] "......Hmm..."

Black stirred in his sleep.

The arm wrapped around her body tightened, pulling her even closer.

The nose she had just been admiring brushed her forehead. His lips seemed about to touch her eyebrows.

Is he going to wake up?

Liene, forgetting to blink, watched his tightly closed eyes right in front of her.

I wish he would sleep a little longer.

I wish we could stay like this a little longer...

Just as she was suddenly stunned by the thought that surfaced unconsciously, he opened his eyes as if by magic.

[Liene] "......!"

[Black] "......"

Her eyes widened, and his eyes, conversely, narrowed.

He, too, looked shocked that their position was vastly different from when they fell asleep last night.

[Black] "......Did I do this?"

[Liene] "I don't know."

[Black] "I didn't know I had this habit."

Despite their surprise, neither of them moved to change their position.

They remained embracing and facing each other.

Liene thought it strange that he was staring at her without blinking. However, she did not realize that she was staring at him in the same way.

[Black] "This feels like the first time I have seen you this close."

[Liene] "......It does."

So close that even without moving, their gazes seemed to touch.

[Liene] "You have a scar here, too."

Time flowed very slowly.

Liene, whose eyes started to hurt, blinked first and noticed a small, barely visible scar above his eyebrow.

[Black] "Where?"

[Liene] "Here."

The tip of her index finger touched the tiny scar, slightly paler than the surrounding skin.

[Black] "I have a scar there?"

His face showed he had no idea.

[Liene] "It's minuscule. Barely visible."

She probably never would have noticed it if she hadn't been staring intently at his face from such proximity.

[Black] "You have a mole here."

Black gently tapped the area below her earlobe, where her neckline began.

It was a spot she was equally unaware of.

[Liene] "That's a spot I can't see. What does it look like?"

[Black] "It's similar in color to your hair and tiny. Not many people would notice it."

[Liene] "Yes... This is the first time I've heard I have a mole there."

Black was the first.

Perhaps he would be the only one.

Because no one else would scrutinize her face this attentively.

The early morning, which should have been cold, was warm, and someone was lying in the space next to her that should have been empty.

She was staring at that person's face without getting bored, and he was doing the same. They were searching for traces only the two of them knew.

All of it was not unpleasant.

[Liene] "Is there anything else?"

[Black] "I will search for it, if you wish."

[Liene] "Yes. Please do."

Swoosh.

His face moved closer.

He didn't release his embrace around her, only moving his hand to sweep her hair to one side. Her side profile and neck were fully exposed.

A single finger slid down along her jawline.

[Black] "Nothing up to here."

Black trailed his finger further down, beneath the neckline covered by the nightgown.

[Black] "May I look further?"

[Liene] "..."

Suddenly, a sudden shortness of breath caught her.

[Liene] "Then... I would have to pull my nightgown down, wouldn't I?"

[Black] "Yes."

[Liene] "So..."

[Black] "Is that unacceptable?"

[Liene] "..."

His finger slowly traced the line of her nightgown.

His blue eyes, which were too close today, didn't conceal the explicit meaning contained in his hand movement, not one bit.

[Liene] "Yes. It's unacceptable."

And so, Liene understood.

Whatever his initial purpose—be it revenge or anything else—he desired her. And her own feelings weren't far different.

Regardless of what he planned in Nauk, she desired him. She wanted him to desire her, too.

Will this feeling become poison?

Or the opposite?

She wanted to know. Desperately.

[Liene] "It's too bright... right now."

[Black] "If it's not bright, I won't be able to find it."

[Liene] "It doesn't have to be bright... we might find it if we look closely enough."

[Black] "You mean, I may look more closely?"

[Liene] "Only if it is not in a place as bright as this."

[Black] "..."

The finger tracing the line of her nightgown stopped. His brow was weighed down by a thought she couldn't grasp.

Frowning, he slowly stroked her cheek with his thumb.

[Black] "I hope you know what you just said."

[Liene] "I... know, I think."

[Black] "No. You don't."

He let out a light sigh.

[Black] "That is why you continue to act like this, even though our eyes are open. You don't know how you look through my eyes right now."

[Liene] "How... do I look?"

His hand motion stopped.

[Black] "You wouldn't want to hear it."

[Liene] "Because I look bad?"

[Black] "Quite the opposite."

That was an extraordinary answer to her.

[Liene] "If I look good, why wouldn't I want to hear it?"

[Black] "..."

He responded with another sigh.

[Black] "That is why I say you don't know."

[Liene] "Then just tell me."

[Black] "It is not something that can be articulated in words."

[Liene] "Why?"

Suddenly, his gaze shifted drastically.

[Black] "Because of this."

The hand that had been touching her cheek seemed to press the bed. Liene thought he might get up. Indeed, Black lifted his body from his side-lying position.

[Liene] "......!"

However, he didn't get up.

He trapped her between his arms, taking a position over her, fully covering her, who was lying flat on her back.

[Black] "Do you understand now?"

[Liene] "I... I think... I understand."

[Black] "No. You still don't."

[Liene] "No, I do..."

He let out a scornful laugh, as if it were impossible.

[Black] "If you understood, you would have struck me and run away by now."

[Liene] "What?"

[Black] "I mean, it's too late."

Abruptly, he lowered his head.

His upper lip slipped between her slightly parted lips.

His lips opened hers. The next moment, her eyes closed involuntarily.

[Liene] "..."

The kiss, which had begun slowly, gently, almost agonizingly, suddenly erupted into a frantic, relentless storm.

Her two arms wrapped around his neck. His arms clenched around her shoulders and back.

Their position changed. Black rolled her body in his embrace, and this time, Liene ended up on top, her body pressing down on him.

In their tangled position, her knee was pressing down on his thigh.

[Liene] "Wait..."

Taking advantage of the gap as their lips separated, she gasped for air.

[Liene] "Wait a moment. Your leg..."

[Black] "My leg?"

[Liene] "I am afraid you might be hurt."

[Black] "Not at all."

His large hand cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer.

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