A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 51

※This Very Moment※

Madam Flambard took hold of Liene, her expression etched with a gravity that bordered on the dire.

[Flambard] "I am telling you this out of an old woman’s concern, Your Highness, because you seem so terribly sheltered. It is ill-advised to engage in... intimacy... during your cycle. No matter how much the blood may stir, you must refrain. Do you understand?"

The woman had used the word " intimacy " directly. Liene’s gaze darted around the room, unable to find a safe place to land.

[Liene] "I—ahem, I had no such intentions. Everything is so sudden. That would be... far too fast."

It was the Madam’s turn to look bewildered.

[Flambard] "Pardon? Then why on earth are you sharing a single bed?"

Among married royalty and nobility, sharing a bed was unheard of unless the primary goal was producing an heir. They might have adjacent chambers, but never a single mattress. Such a thing was considered the desperate habit of the poor, those who couldn't afford the luxury of separate rooms.

To the Madam, Liene’s request sounded utterly bizarre.

[Liene] "It’s just... ahem. He said it would be good."

[Flambard] "Who? Did he actually say that?"

[Liene] "...Yes."

The Madam clicked her tongue in disapproval.

[Flambard] "You truly know nothing, Your Highness."

[Liene] "Know what...?"

[Flambard] "Do you really think it will be 'just good' and nothing more?"

[Liene] "It could be..."

At least, it is for me.

[Flambard] "Well, I suppose with those rumors about him preferring men, perhaps it’s possible. Not that I claim to be an expert on such scandalous matters."

[Liene] "Those are mere rumors."

[Flambard] "I don't know. Hearing you talk, it sounds as though they might be true."

[Liene] "..."

They aren’t.

[Flambard] "Then I suppose I’ve worried over nothing. I shall take my leave now. Pray, sleep well."

[Liene] "..."

Liene couldn't find the words to stop the Madam as she exited the bedchamber.

She felt as though opening her mouth would only invite a wave of unbearable shame, regardless of what she said.

---

The placement of the pillows proved to be an agonizing task. Listening to the faint sound of splashing water from the washroom, Liene adjusted the pillows over and over.

If they were too close, it felt scandalous; if they were too far apart, she worried it would look like a cold rejection. Eventually, a sense of hollow frustration washed over her.

Good grief. Look at me. Fidgeting over the location of a pillow.

Thump, thump.

Liene patted the fluffed-up pillows and settled them at a moderate distance.

[Liene] "...No, that still feels too far."

She closed the gap slightly once more.

[Liene] "That’s it. I’m not touching them again."

She carefully lifted the edge of the duvet and slipped inside. Just then, the sound of running water ceased. In a few moments, Black would enter the room, carrying the scent of clean water.

Suddenly, it’s getting... hard to breathe.

Though she tried to keep her thoughts blank, her cheeks burned. She pulled the edge of the blanket up, shielding her face.

Thump... thump...

Time crawled forward, measured only by the heavy rhythm of her heart. Eventually, her eyelids grew heavy, and she began to drift.

Creak.

If not for the soft sound of the door opening, she might have fallen fast asleep.

[Black] "...If you do this,"

[Black] "I might start having some wicked thoughts."

The words seemed to float toward her.

What kind of wicked thoughts? 

Liene opened her eyes, intending to ask.

[Liene] "...!"

But before she could speak, the blanket covering her face was tugged down, and his lips met hers.

[Black] "I know you aren't asleep."

Black spoke against her mouth, nipping at her lower lip just enough to sting, but not to hurt.

[Black] "Open your eyes."

His hands cupped her face with a sweetness that felt like a snare.

She opened her eyes, though she desperately wanted to squeeze them shut again. She hadn't expected him to be this close.

[Liene] "I wasn't pretending..."

She murmured softly. With him this near, her every breath seemed to ghost across his skin, making her painfully self-conscious.

[Black] "Then what was that? Hiding your entire face?"

[Liene] "That was... just a habit. Really."

It sounded like a flimsy excuse, but in the biting cold of this season, she often slept with the covers pulled over her head.

[Black] "Are you sure you weren't trying to hide from me?"

[Liene] "If I were, I wouldn't have brought out an extra blanket..."

Finally, his gaze shifted to the spare blanket lying obediently in the space beside her.

[Black] "I didn't see it."

Smooch. He captured her lower lip again.

[Black] "Still, I don't like that you were so ready to go to sleep."

[Liene] "We... we were going to sleep, weren't we...?"

[Black] "If we can manage it."

[Liene] "...Pardon?"

[Black] "Did you truly intend to go straight to sleep?"

The words, whispered inches from her face, seemed to coil around her ears with a strange, sultry heat. She wondered if it was simply because of his face—because he was so devastatingly close.

[Liene] "Then... if not sleep, what... what were you planning to do?"

[Black] "I wonder."

Black slowly traced her damp lower lip with his thumb.

[Black] "First, I thought we might talk."

[Liene] "About what?"

[Black] "Anything."

The tip of his finger slipped between her lips. When her tongue brushed against him, his brows furrowed as if in pain.

[Black] "What do you like?"

The way he asked, while pressing his finger against her lips, felt needlessly sensual.

[Liene] "In what sense?"

[Black] "In any sense."

He kept saying anything and any sense.

[Liene] "Hmm..."

But that simple question was a difficult one for Liene.

What do I like...? 

The more she searched for an answer, the more she realized she didn't have one, which brought a wave of sudden embarrassment.

[Liene] "I think... I dislike the cold."

[Black] "...I asked what you liked."

I don't really know... 

After a long moment of contemplation, she spoke in a hesitant tone.

[Liene] "Having nothing to worry about."

[Black] "...And what are these worries of yours lately?"

There were too many to count. If she had to pick one, it was the confession she owed him—telling him she had lied.

[Liene] "There are many. The Cardinal’s appointment, Klima’s whereabouts... the Grand Council, the wedding date. At this rate, I fear it will be delayed. Kleinfelter won't name a new Cardinal before then."

[Black] "I understand those. Is there anything else?"

[Liene] "Like what?"

[Black] "Your worries."

[Liene] "Well... the autumn drought. And how cold the winter will be. I hope the wells don't freeze. Last year was so bitter; everyone suffered terribly. And then..."

[Black] "And today? Are you not worried about today?"

[Liene] "Pardon? Today...?"

Her expression shifted instantly, wondering if he had somehow sensed the secret she was harboring.

[Black] "Are you not worried about what I might do to you?"

...Oh. He meant that.

Liene placed her hand over his, which was still toyed with by her lips.

[Liene] "I'm not worried. Because I know."

[Black] "You know?"

[Liene] "Yes. You already told me. That you would sleep as we did back then."

You said we would share a bed and that you would kiss me when I woke up. I want you to hold me tight—not just in your sleep, but before we close our eyes.

He suddenly let out a soft chuckle.

[Black] "You are an impossible woman to pin down, Princess."

To Liene, the remark was a mystery.

[Liene] "In what way?"

[Black] "Yesterday, when I said I’d share your bed, you refused, saying you weren't experienced enough. But today..."

He paused, turning her hand over to press a kiss into her palm.

[Black] "...You act as though you know nothing at all."

[Liene] "..."

She had heard the same thing from the Madam. It was true that Liene was inexperienced.

Hearing her own clumsy lies reflected through Black’s voice made her feel even more flustered.

[Liene] "Actually... I have something to tell you..."

She began tentatively.

[Liene] "Um. Today might be difficult..."

[Black] "I know."

He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. It was a gesture that felt even more intimate than a kiss.

[Black] "I was told that we must be cautious for the time being."

[Liene] "...!"

What?

[Black] "The physician visited this morning. I haven't forgotten already."

The physician... ah... the child. Right. He still didn't know the truth.

[Black] "I intend to cherish you, Princess... and I will do everything in my power to protect this body. So do not worry ahead of yourself."

[Liene] "..."

He pulled back slightly and tugged the blanket he had pulled down back up to her chin.

[Black] "Still, the pillows are much too far apart."

Before she could utter a word, he grabbed the pillow she had placed at a distance and pulled it flush against her own.

[Liene] "...!"

She held her breath, watching as he lay down beside her. Without realizing it, she had already turned on her side toward him. They lay face-to-face, both turned inward, eyes locked.

...Excuse me, I have something to say.

The words wouldn't come, leaving her in a state of exquisite distress.

In her confusion, the sight of his face so close—every sharp angle and soft line—made her heart flutter like a trapped bird.

[Black] "Are you looking for more scars?"

[Liene] "No. I think I only found the one from before."

I have something to say.

[Liene] "I hope you don't get any more."

I have to say it today... but for some reason, the words won't leave my mouth. 

Black caught her hand and pressed her fingertips against his lips.

[Black] "Then the Princess wouldn't have a reason to study my face so closely, would she?"

[Liene] "That’s not true."

[Black] "What isn't?"

[Liene] "I wasn't looking at you to find scars. I found the scar because I was looking at you."

So even if there are no scars, I will still look at your face like this as long as you are there.

[Black] "Like how I found this mole?"

Black murmured low, as if to himself, tracing a spot just below her ear. It was a mole she had never seen herself.

[Liene] "I suppose so."

Liene reached out and toyed with the faint scar above his eyebrow. Her finger brushed his eyelashes, causing him to close one eye.

[Liene] "Is it uncomfortable?"

[Black] "...Hardly."

Even though you only have one eye open. 

Black took her hand and pulled it down slightly. The fingertips that had been caressing his brow now touched the center of his cheek.

[Black] "I wish I had one more scar right here."

[Liene] "I wouldn't like that."

Her expression soured instantly.

What is he talking about? Why on this face?

[Liene] "If you want me to touch you, just ask. Don't go thinking about scars."

[Black] "..."

His brow furrowed suddenly. His expression was a complex knot—part smile, part something else entirely.

[Black] "I believe I said I was happy every time you said you disliked something..."

Liene remembered that.

[Black] "So, you should be careful when you say things like that."

[Liene] "Pardon? Why? I thought you liked it."

[Black] "Because the aftermath might be difficult to handle."

He spoke as if cutting the conversation short, then immediately pressed his lips to hers.

They were already sharing the same bed, the distance between them non-existent. His large hand held her face firmly, making escape impossible.

Black parted her lips with his own, delivering a kiss so urgent and searing it felt as though she might melt.

Oh... my thoughts... they're vanishing...

Black trapped her within his arms. The weight of him against her chest was devastatingly provocative.

This is... I... what do I...

Under the loose robe Black wore, there was nothing but his pajama trousers. As their bodies pressed together and their clothes rubbed against each other, the robe naturally fell open.

Her eyes slipped shut, her thoughts long gone. She followed her senses, caressing the firm, hot skin that radiated far more heat than her own.

[Black] "..."

Black, letting out sharp, ragged breaths between his teeth, pulled his lips back slightly. A long, held breath escaped him all at once.

[Black] "I intended to kiss you until we were both sick of it, since we have to be careful."

The whisper, spoken with their lips nearly touching, was intoxicating. Liene instinctively lifted her head, seeking the lips that had pulled away.

Then why... You can just keep going.

[Black] "I can't do this anymore."

He tilted his head back, pulling away just as she leaned in.

[Black] "Right now, it’s... It’s dangerous. You are, to me."

[Liene] "..."

Her face flushed deep crimson. It wasn't just embarrassment. It was something else.

Seeing Black so heated, his eyes shimmering as he forced himself to pull away, was almost more sensual than the kiss itself.

Liene reached out and placed her palm against the left side of his chest. Black flinched, his torso twisting slightly, and beneath her palm, she felt the thrumming, frantic beat of his heart.

She wondered for a moment if her own heartbeat sounded just as loud in his ears.

I'm not the dangerous one. You are. A man like you... is unbearably dangerous to me. That’s what’s happened.

[Liene] "I have... something to tell you."

Black met her gaze, his eyes piercing as she lay trapped between his arms.

[Black] "What is it?"

In that moment, she was certain. This man wouldn't be disappointed that she had lied about the child. He wouldn't be angry or feel betrayed. He would be... overjoyed. Far more than he would be relieved that she wasn't carrying Kleinfelter’s blood.

[Liene] "I... I am bleeding today, too."

His expression froze.

[Black] "Why didn't you say so sooner?"

He clearly believed it was because of the child.

Black looked ready to pull away and call for someone, but she quickly held him back.

[Liene] "The reason for that is..."

Now was the moment to speak.

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