A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 57

※A Person Who Doesn't Exist※

There were too many things she needed to say, and the weight of them made it impossible to choose where to begin.

In the hazy borderland of her dreams, time had felt desperately short.

Liene had focused on the one truth she needed him to hear most:

I never carried a child. You haven't lost anything to me. Take back what is yours, completely.

She couldn't remember his response. She had assumed it was merely a fever dream, but the fact that he was here, by her side, suggested he had come for her.

How did he find me?

Anxiety gnawed at her.

Had he tracked down Klima?

Had he pried her location from him by force?

If so, what had become of the boy?

Was he... dead?

[Flambard] "You were out there far too long, Your Highness. Everyone saw the blood on your gown and feared the worst. You haven't told them yet, have you? That’s why I’ve kept my mouth shut."

[Liene] "What?"

The Madam’s voice snapped Liene out of her spiraling thoughts. She looked up, blinking at the older woman.

[Flambard] "There was blood, Your Highness. Everyone saw it. Lord Tiwakan... he seems convinced you lost the child out there in the dark."

[Liene] "He thinks what?"

The absurdity of the misunderstanding left her momentarily speechless.

[Liene] "So...?"

Madam Flambard nodded grimly, her expression etched with pity.

[Flambard] "I thought it best to let them believe it for now. With that much blood, even the physician assumed it was a miscarriage."

[Liene] "But... why would you..."

I told him. 

Liene thought frantically.

I told him there was no child—there never was. 

Had he not heard her?

[Liene] "What did Lord Tiwakan say?"

[Flambard] "About the loss?"

[Liene] "Yes."

[Flambard] "He didn't say much."

The Madam reached out and squeezed Liene’s hand. Her touch was maternal, reminiscent of a mother comforting a daughter on the eve of a difficult wedding.

[Flambard] "He only told the physician to save you, at any cost. That was his only command."

[Liene] "I see..."

[Flambard] "But you should have seen his face. It was as if his very soul were being hollowed out. He was consumed by worry for you."

[Liene] "Could he truly...?"

Could he truly feel that for me?

[Flambard] "I believe you’ve found a rare match, Your Highness. Even if there was a child—even if it weren't his—I suspect that man would have raised it as his own blood."

Liene felt a pang of nausea.

It was wrong. It was madness for him to accept a Kleinfelter scion as his own, but it was even more unthinkable for him to harbor affection for a child of hers.

Men like that didn't exist in this world.

[Liene] "Madam..."

The woman, still stroking Liene’s hand with a satisfied smile, looked up.

[Flambard] "Yes, Your Highness?"

[Liene] "Do you... Remember the king before my father?"

[Flambard] "You mean the former king?"

[Liene] "No. Before that. The King of the Gainer line."

[Flambard] "I know of him, though I never saw him in the flesh. Wasn't he the one who took his knights on a hunt and died of a curse?"

[Liene] "A... curse?"

[Flambard] "That’s what they say."

The Madam glanced toward the door and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

[Flambard] "It’s a secret best kept under wraps, but rumor has it the King invited divine wrath. They say he was punished for some godless act, which is why he met such a gruesome end so young.

[Flambard] "It’s a chilling tale—people say you shouldn't even speak his name where the gods might hear, lest their anger spill onto you. You’d do well to keep his name off your tongue, Your Highness."

Liene felt a hot flash of indignation.

A curse? 

What a convenient lie. They had murdered him and then spun a web of superstition to bury the treason.

[Liene] "Don't say that, Madam. A curse... There was no such thing. Don't ever repeat that—"

Thud!

The bedroom door didn't just open; it nearly splintered off its hinges.

Both women jumped as Black strode in, his presence filling the room like a physical weight.

[Black] "You're awake."

The flickering candlelight caught the planes of his face. He looked uncharacteristically gaunt—ghostly pale.

[Liene] "...When did you..."

Facing him felt like a monumental task. Liene closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. When she opened them, he was already standing directly over her.

[Flambard] "I’ll take my leave now."

The Madam, sensing the shifting air, scrambled out of her chair.

[Liene] "No, stay."

Liene reached out to stop her, but her hand was intercepted. Black’s fingers closed around hers mid-air.

[Flambard] "Call if you need anything, Your Highness."

The Madam had no intention of staying. She vanished through the door as if fleeing a fire.

[Black] "Why only wake now?"

Black sat in the chair she had vacated, pulling it so close to the bed that their knees almost brushed.

He laced his fingers through hers, weaving their hands into a tight knot. He brought her hand to his lips, pressing a lingering, tender kiss to her knuckles.

[Black] "I spent hours begging you to wake, yet you chose to sleep through it all."

He must have been a sentinel by her bedside while she drifted in the dark.

When Liene remained silent, he spoke again.

[Black] "Do you wish to sleep more?"

[Liene] "...No."

Exhaustion still clung to her, but sleep was a distant prospect. She was more worried about the morning—waking at this hour meant her internal clock was shattered.

[Black] "Are you hungry?"

[Liene] "Not particularly."

[Black] "Is there anything you want?"

Ironically, only one thing came to mind:

I want to forget. 

She wanted to erase the memory of meeting the "servant."

Compared to the weight of the truth she now held, her previous worries seemed trivial. She had agonized over when to tell him the pregnancy was a lie. How foolish that felt now.

[Black] "Speak your mind. Anything. Tell me how you want me to punish the man who did this to you."

[Liene] "...I didn't see him."

Liene hesitated, the lie tasting like ash. If she named Klima as her abductor, his life was forfeit.

She didn't realize Black already knew the truth.

[Liene] "I lost consciousness... and when I woke, I was alone."

[Black] "Do you remember seeing me?"

[Liene] "Yes."

[Black] "Then that’s enough. Pretend it never happened. Because in reality, it didn't."

He reached out and smoothed her tangled hair with a gentleness that bordered on reverence.

Looking at him, it was impossible to see a man looking at the daughter of his mortal enemy.

Does he even know? She wondered.

Was he too young to remember what the Arsak family did?

Does he only recognize the Kleinfelter crest?

Is that why he can look at me like this?

The thought made her turn even paler.

He had said he was eight years old—he might not remember the names of all seven families involved.

I didn't even know, she realized.

I grew up believing I was the rightful royalty of Nauk.

It’s possible he doesn't know who I am.

He only remembers me as the girl he was once betrothed to.

[Black] "What are you thinking so hard about?"

Black traced the line of her cheek with his knuckles. The touch was as comforting as a warm hearth, yet it felt like a splash of ice water.

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

Her heart began to ache. Mustering her courage, she gripped the edge of his sleeve.

He had told her once that he liked it when she touched him. She prayed that held true.

[Liene] "But first, give me your word."

[Black] "Speak."

Black stared at her hand on his sleeve. To Liene, he looked like a man starving for affection.

I understand now, she thought. Why does he cling to me? 

He had said he wanted a home—a place to rest, a sanctuary where no threat could reach him.

To him, she was that sanctuary.

She felt utterly unworthy of the role, yet she had become it.

I can't do it, she realized. I can't tell him. 

She couldn't tell him that her father had murdered his and stolen his birthright.

She couldn't tell him she wasn't his home, nor his betrothed, but merely the daughter of his destroyer.

If she spoke the truth, he would lose his "home" all over again.

She didn't know if this silence was an act of self-preservation or genuine mercy. She only knew she couldn't take anything more from him. Her family had already taken enough.

[Black] "Why the hesitation?"

Frustrated by her silence, Black gathered a lock of her hair and pressed it to his lips. His fingertips had grown cold.

[Liene] "The thing is..."

[Black] "Yes?"

[Liene] "You might be angry when you hear this..."

[Black] "That’s my cross to bear. Go on."

[Liene] "Promise you won't take it out on anyone else. Not the Madam. Please."

[Black] "Did she do something wrong?"

[Liene] "It wasn't her. I gave her the orders—it isn't her fault."

[Black] "Tell me. I’ll keep my word."

Is this a mistake? she wondered.

Am I just being greedy, trying to protect this 'home' when I have no right to it?

I don't know what’s best for you anymore.

I just want you to be free of pain.

I want you to have everything back—everything you were supposed to have.

[Liene] "I didn't lose the child."

She gripped his sleeve until her knuckles turned white. Black, noticing the tension, gently pried her fingers loose one by one.

[Black] "Is that what you wanted to say?"

He clearly hadn't grasped the subtext yet.

[Liene] "No, you don't understand. I didn't lose it because—"

[Black] "Your lips are parched. You need water. Wait a moment."

He tried to stand, clearly wanting to avoid the topic.

He thought she was in denial, traumatized by a loss she couldn't accept.

Liene grabbed his sleeve again, more forcefully this time.

[Liene] "I was never pregnant. From the very beginning."

[Black] "...What?"

He froze, his body half-risen from the chair. He stared at her, unmoving.

[Liene] “I lied. To refuse your proposal.”

[Liene] "I know I should have told you. But I kept it a secret because I was afraid of losing control over Nauk. I wanted to keep it for the Arsak family."

[Liene] "I know it was wrong. I understand if you're furious."

He remained silent. It was clear the thought had never even crossed his mind. He had been sincere in his grief.

[Liene] "...I'm sorry. I was going to tell you. Right before the fire started."

[Black] "But there was blood..."

He muttered after a long pause, his brow furrowing.

[Black] "If it wasn't the child... then why... Ah. So that’s why the physician said there was hemorrhaging..."

[Liene] "...Yes."

Now that she had said it, the lie didn't seem like such a big deal anymore. At least, that was how it felt to her; for Black, it might still be a shock.

Black looked genuinely shaken.

Was it betrayal?

Was he reeling?

Terrified, Liene let go of his sleeve and took his hand in both of hers.

[Liene] "The Madam is innocent. I forced her into it."

[Black] "Innocent... yes, I see."

[Liene] "Then... are you alright?"

He still had that deep furrow between his brows. He did not look alright.

[Black] "I honestly don't know."

Her heart sank. Her grip on his hand loosened.

[Liene] "I'm sorry."

She didn't know what else to say.

Black remained still for a long moment, then slowly leaned toward her.

His eyes, which could cut like glass when he was angry, now reflected her image with a piercing, unnerving clarity.

[Black] "I don't know what to call this feeling. But I don't think calling it 'alright' would be doing it justice."

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