A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 36

※The Pitfall (1)※

Liene washed and dressed.

She wore a lilac-colored dress that she seldom wore and usually kept aside. The thin, delicate fabric was embroidered with small needlework, so she was extremely cautious not to tear it whenever she wore it.

She had sold almost all of her impractical clothes, but this one remained. Madam Flambard had tearfully insisted she keep this dress, and Liene herself knew the lilac shade suited her complexion quite well, making her feel reluctant to part with it.

[Flambard] "You were a hundred times right to keep it."

The maid continually nodded as she styled Liene's hair.

[Flambard] "Of course. You did well. How can a princess of this nation own only tough, durable clothes?"

[Liene] "They are not strictly necessary, are they?"

[Flambard] "Not necessary? But why? You are wearing it wonderfully today!"

[Liene] "That is true."

Madam Flambard, who had deftly woven Liene's hair into an elaborate updo—a style unusual for her—pinned a deep purple flower into the back.

[Flambard] "You look stunning. I must say, even if I did it myself, it suits you perfectly."

Liene gave a small, shy smile.

[Liene] "Thank you."

The madam looked at the fully adorned Liene with satisfaction, then shook her head slightly and said:

[Flambard] "Then I will go to the front of the temple while no one is looking. I apologize that I cannot attend to you during breakfast, Your Highness."

[Liene] "Don't be. You are doing something far more important. Please return safely."

[Flambard] "Yes, Your Highness."

The madam nodded, her face tight with resolve, and quietly left Liene's room.

[Liene] "I still have a little time."

Since she had hurried her preparations, she had spare time before the appointed breakfast.

[Liene] "Should I do some needlework? There must be something the Madam hasn't finished yet."

But she only said the words; her body didn't move.

For some reason, she kept glancing at the mirror.

[Liene] "Does it really suit me...?"

From the front, she couldn't see exactly how the madam had positioned the flower.

[Liene] "I wish I could see it."

The madam had said it was beautiful, so it must be, but Liene wanted to confirm it with her own eyes.

Will that man think it's beautiful too...?

—Because you were so beautiful, suddenly.

Whenever his words, spoken as he rained kisses everywhere, popped into her mind unexpectedly, her eyes closed reflexively.

She felt dizzy, as if suspended in mid-air, and her toes tingled.

Her former lover had always praised her beauty at the end of every sentence, but the words had never resonated.

The same went for her lover's appearance. Laffit was handsome, yet Liene had never forgotten the time, lost in staring at him, as she did when looking at Black.

[Liene] "......I'm nervous."

Her eyelashes fluttered over her closed eyes.

Liene gripped the fabric near her chest lightly. She had never before experienced her heart trembling from the very base just by thinking about meeting someone.

Everything felt new.

[Liene] "Why, only with him...?"

Her thoughts kept circling back to Black, as if trapped somewhere, so she steeled her resolve and stood up from the mirror.

[Liene] "I shouldn't do this. What if I end up falling for him?"

He was still the person she shouldn't fall for.

In fact, she might already be at the point of having fallen, but she deliberately pretended not to know that fact.

[Liene] "I need to do something else. Going to the dining hall early would be awkward."

Thinking of retrieving the needlework the maid had left behind, Liene left the room.

---

Madam Flambard's room was slightly distant from Liene's current bedroom. It was adjacent to the room Liene had used as a child.

As she stepped out, she noticed Black's room was empty. Given that no sound was coming from within, she assumed he was gone.

[Liene] "He wouldn't be at the dining hall already."

There was still about an hour until the appointed time.

[Liene] "Well, he must be doing something somewhere."

Liene walked toward the east tower, where the maid's room was located.

[Mashilow] "Your Highness!"

Meeting Mashilow was unexpected.

[Liene] "Sir Mashilow...? What brings you to the palace?"

Since he had arbitrarily issued the knighthood conferment letter from the office, Liene had prohibited his casual entry. Now, Mashilow could only enter the King’s study with her express permission or when he specifically requested an audience first.

[Mashilow] "I had too much business. The knighthood conferment letter of Kleinfelter and I also need to discuss the payment for the temple stairs construction..."

[Liene] "That payment will be handled in Tiwakan's name. As for the knighthood conferment letter, I have nothing to say for now. Unless the Kleinfelters offer compensation first, there is nothing I can do."

[Mashilow] "Yes, I know. But shouldn't we have some advance payment for the quarry? Due to the construction delay, the temple is now filled with wailing instead of prayer. They finally sent someone to me out of desperation."

[Liene] "Oh dear. If that's the case, why did they seek you and not me?"

[Mashilow] "A priest is here for that very reason. Besides, there is much to discuss. Why else would I have sought entry at such an early hour?"

[Liene] "I see."

The timing was awkward. However, postponing official duties for a meal was not in her nature.

[Liene] "Then let's make it brief. Lead the way."

Liene gestured toward the office.

[Mashilow] "Thank you for granting permission, Your Highness."

He hurried his steps, glancing nervously.

She should have noticed something was amiss right then.

---

Slam!

The moment she entered the study, the door shut.

She turned around in surprise. The one who closed the door was dressed in a priest's robe.

[Liene] "What is the meaning of this?"

She looked back and forth between the man in the robe and Mashilow, demanding an answer.

Mashilow bowed his head deeply and mumbled.

[Mashilow] "I had... I had no choice, Your Highness."

The man in the priest's robe was not a priest.

[Man] "Shut your mouth and listen to me."

He removed the hood that had been pulled low to conceal his face.

From the grating voice, she already recognized his identity.

It was Lyndon Kleinfelter. It was exactly the kind of move he would make, so she wasn't particularly surprised.

[Liene] "You look pathetic. Have you resorted to mimicking a child of God now? Were Tiwakan's guards at the gate that frightening?"

[Lyndon] "Did I tell you to shut up, or are you deaf?"

Lyndon countered her taunt with a snarl.

[Mashilow] "N-no... Sir, how could you say such a thing...?"

Mashilow, who hadn't expected Lyndon to behave like this, waved his hands, his face pale.

But neither Liene nor Lyndon paid him any mind. They had already reached the point of no return. They had passed the stage of observing courtesy and were ready to fight instead.

[Liene] "My hearing is fine. Don't harbor vain hopes and leave. Or do you wish for me to scream?"

[Lyndon] "You insolent—!"

He raised his hand as if he would strike her. But it was only a threat. He didn't seem prepared to cross that line.

Of course, Liene had no intention of staying still either. If Lyndon dared to swing his hand, she planned to smash his head with the ink bottle this time.

[Lyndon] "Release Laffir this instant! Do you understand?"

[Liene] "Dream on. Do you actually think that is possible?"

[Lyndon] "Why not?"

[Liene] "You know what he did. He tried to kill my fiancé in broad daylight in the middle of the street! Are you asking me to overlook that? By what means, exactly?"

[Lyndon] "Why does what he did matter?! What could the eldest son of Kleinfelter not do in Nauk?!"

She stared at Lyndon with eyes full of disgust.

With that kind of mentality, he must have remained unperturbed after committing all those atrocities.

[Liene] "......My mind won't change. And there is nothing I can do. The one in charge of Nauk's security right now is Lord Tiwakan."

[Lyndon] "I hear that man has become a dog that sticks out his tongue whenever you just lift your skirt. Why are you making such a lame excuse?"

[Liene] "Silence!"

[Mashilow] "Lord Kleinfelter! Even so, those words are a little...!"

It was an excessive insult. Mashilow was so shocked, he pointed his finger at Kleinfelter.

Her face was deathly pale as she clenched and unclenched her fists.

[Liene] "Never speak to me like that again. I will not tolerate it a second time."

[Lyndon] "And if you don't tolerate it?"

[Liene] "It seems your rude and foolish head cannot grasp the reason why Kleinfelter's eldest son still has his neck attached after committing treason. Such a thing will not happen a second time. I swear upon the name of Arsak."

[Lyndon] "......Damn it!"

Lyndon uttered a curse, unable to contain his rage.

He knew her words were not wrong.

It was the Tiwakan Commander, no less.

Countless witnesses saw the injured man become a mad beast and chase after Laffit.

Laffit would have had no defense if he had been torn limb from limb right there. The reason his nephew still had his head was, though Lyndon hated to admit it, Liene.

That naive, foolish girl who somehow ended up on the throne despite knowing nothing must have done something to save him.

His nephew was foolishly obsessed with that pretty face, and now it seems the beast of Tiwakan has also fallen into the same trap.

[Lyndon] "Let's negotiate."

Unfortunately, Liene was the only way to get his eldest son out of prison.

[Lyndon] "Let's do it with money, as we always have. I will forgive thirty percent of the debt you borrowed if you take responsibility for releasing Laffit. Understood?"

...Understood what?

Even as he begged for his nephew's life, Lyndon maintained his arrogance. Seeing him act so rudely, Liene felt the impulse to slap his face.

[Liene] "Is your eldest son's life so cheap? Only thirty percent?"

Liene massaged her trembling hand to control the impulse and said:

[Liene] "Offer more."

[Lyndon] "What are you talking about? Even if you are obsessed with money, do you talk like that?"

[Liene] "Shouldn't you, the one who came here begging, speak with more respect?"

[Lyndon] "You insolent—"

Lyndon bared his teeth and made a low, guttural noise. Liene glared back fiercely.

[Liene] "Insulting me a hundred times won't work. Since you seem incapable of honor or etiquette, I will give up on that. But calculate properly. Not thirty percent—it is fifty percent. And I will not pay interest for the next three years."

[Lyndon] "Are you trying to rob me?"

[Liene] "Robbery is what Kleinfelters has been doing all along. The interest you have collected so far outweighs any loss. Why are you so stingy?"

Scratch. The sound of Lyndon grinding his teeth grated on her ears.

[Lyndon] "......In return, he must be released immediately."

[Liene] "No. Absolutely not. First, write and bring me the debt-related certificate."

[Lyndon] "Do I look like I am joking right now?"

[Liene] "By no means. But you do look like someone who came here begging yet fails to grasp his own situation."

[Lyndon] "......"

His gaze turned hostile.

He spoke down to her without a second thought for Mashilow's presence.

[Lyndon] "Who are you, you mere child with nothing but an ill-fitting crown, to wag your tongue like that in front of me?"

[Liene] "Who is the one wagging his tongue incorrectly—Gasp!"

Suddenly, Lyndon reached out, swiftly grabbing and twisting her wrist.

Mashilow flinched, shrinking his shoulders. But that was all. The cowardly advisor seemed to lack the slightest courage to confront the Grand Council Chairman.

Liene roughly pulled her wrist back and glared at him.

[Liene] "Let go of me."

He countered by twisting her wrist even harder.

[Lyndon] "I've told you many times, you do not know your place. Do you think that just because the crown your father stole somehow ended up in your hands, it makes you great? Nonsense. Nothing will change even if I wring your neck right here."

Liene pushed him away with her free hand, her voice rising sharply.

[Liene] "Have you gone completely senile?! There is a limit to everything! Let go of me right now!"

Lyndon didn't budge. Baring his gums like a rabid wild dog, he spoke with a sinister tone.

[Lyndon] "Return the eldest son of Kleinfelter by any means necessary. Or I will erase the Arsak's name from this land. The Kleinfelter family has the power to do just that."

Prev

Chapters

Next