A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 63

※A Call to Go Home (1)※

[Liene] "…I don’t hate it."

There was no hesitation. The choice had already been made.

Even if she were unworthy of loving the last prince of the Gainers line, Liene had resolved to have him. She would live a lie for the rest of her life if that were the price of keeping him.

[Liene] "Don’t delay it. I can't stand the thought."

[Black] "Two."

[Liene] "You don’t have to keep counting."

[Black] "I told you to think carefully."

[Liene] "I have. That’s why you don’t need to reach three."

[Black] "…Three."

The moment his lips began to form the syllable, Liene surged forward on her toes and pressed her hand over his mouth. It was her injured hand, wrapped in thick, white gauze.

[Liene] "Don’t say it."

Black looked down at her, his blue eyes reflecting a kaleidoscope of fractured emotions, like light hitting the surface of a deep, still pool.

[Liene] "For a long time, I didn't know what I wanted. Most of my desires were just... the things any ruler of Nauk would want. For the drought to end. For the people to be fed."

But now, her heart throbbed with a much more selfish, singular ache. She wanted the man standing before her.

[Liene] "I know now. I know what Liene Arsak—not the Sovereign of Nauk—wants."

[Black] "…And what is that?"

He reached up, gently peeling her hand away from his lips before he spoke.

[Liene] "You. And this marriage."

Black stared at her, his fingers tightening around her bandaged hand. He squeezed just hard enough for a sharp, electric sting to radiate from her torn palm.

[Black] "Do you know why you’re so... provocative to me, Princess?"

Liene swallowed the hiss of pain. She sensed there was a reason he was hurting her now.

[Black] "It’s the uncertainty. When other people lie, it's transparent. But with you... Sometimes I don't even realize I’ve been played. And when I think those words that drove me mad might have been fabrications, it makes me want to burn the world down. If you’re going to lie to me, you should have done a better job. You should have made sure I never woke up."

[Liene] "It’s not a lie."

[Black] "It doesn't matter anymore."

His lips twisted into a dark, cynical curve.

[Black] "Did you forget? I said you only had one chance. Whether your claim that you don't hate this marriage is a lie or the gospel truth, you are going to be my wife. Nothing you do can change that now."

[Liene] "That... that is what I want, too."

He looked as though he didn't believe a word of it. He released her hand and stepped back.

[Black] "As I said, your hand is going to throb. While it aches, think about why you did this to yourself. Once it heals, I won’t allow you to be hurt like this again."

[Liene] "Lord Tiwakan."

[Black] "Rest. I need to go clear my head."

SLAM!

Black exited the room with a swiftness that suggested he didn't want to give her a chance to stop him again.

Liene stood in the silence, her knees trembling. She didn't dare to chase him a second time.

[Liene] "…He’s right."

She pressed her own palm, feeling the pain finally crawl up her arm in earnest. Only now did the reality of the wound set in. Only now did it truly hurt.

[Liene] "If I’m going to do this, I have to be better at it."

She had to become a master of the lie—the lie that she knew nothing of his blood-soaked past.

[Liene] "I can do this."

She squeezed her eyes shut and whispered the mantra to the empty room.

On the white gauze of her palm, a faint, blossom-shaped stain of crimson began to seep through.

---

[Black] "This was a massive failure on your part."

CRASH!

Fermos swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the remains of the chair that had just been eviscerated before him.

He had offered the seat to Black, but the Commander had kicked it with enough force to send splinters flying across the room. It wasn't just a bad mood; it was a scorched-earth temper.

[Fermos] "My apologies, My Lord. I have no excuse."

If that kick had been aimed at his kneecap instead of the mahogany, Fermos would have been walking with a cane for the rest of his life. The thought made his skin crawl.

[Fermos] "I... I honestly didn't think she would go wandering through the castle when her identity needs to remain a secret. I know it sounds like an excuse, but it's the truth."

It was the truth, but a dangerous one.

Madam Henton had been rescued from the Kleinfelters, but she hadn't regained her status.

The name Henton was still a death sentence—a taboo that had to remain buried until the six noble houses were dealt with.

Madam Henton knew this better than anyone. Yet, as a woman possessed, she had slipped out of her quarters.

The room at the top of the North Tower was arguably the most secure spot in Nauk, but she had abandoned that safety.

Fermos had already dragged her back and stationed a guard at her door.

[Black] "…Did the woman tell the Princess my name?"

Fermos shook his head instantly.

[Fermos] "No. I’ve interrogated her multiple times, and the answer remains the same. She isn't lying. However..."

[Black] "However?"

[Fermos] "I suspect the son might have said something. Even though the Princess denies having met him."

[Black] "…That must be it."

Black ran a hand through his hair, a gesture of raw irritation.

[Black] "She’s pulling away again."

He spat the words through gritted teeth as he perched on the edge of Fermos's desk, crossing his arms. The reports and documents beneath him crumpled under his weight.

Fermos stared; in all his years, he had never seen the 'God of War' this visibly rattled by a woman.

Well, now... the God of War throwing a tantrum over a girl. That's a new one.

[Fermos] "Do you think this will interfere with the wedding schedule?"

[Black] "No. That isn't changing."

[Fermos] "Have you already reached an agreement with the Princess?"

[Black] "She claims the marriage is what she wants. Though I find that hard to believe."

[Fermos] "Ah, I see."

So that’s why he’s in such a foul mood. Figures.

[Fermos] "It's likely the truth."

He toyed with his monocle. Black snapped his head toward him.

[Black] "And what do you know about it?"

[Fermos] "The Princess told me her reason for wanting to save the servant was for your sake. She said that regardless of anything else, her feelings for you are real."

[Black] "If she knows my name, the game changes. She couldn't be sincere even if she wanted to be."

[Fermos] "Is that... because of the blood feud between your houses?"

Fermos rolled the dice and asked the question.

It was clear Black had no intention of sharing his past, but Fermos wasn't an idiot.

When people like Madam Henton start appearing, the pieces of the puzzle tend to find their way into his hands. His mind was too sharp to let those fragments remain disconnected.

[Black] "We’ve spent twenty years killing each other."

[Fermos] "I see..."

Fermos felt the name on the tip of his tongue.

Gainers.

According to the royal archives, that was the name before the Arsak line took over.

The missing records from twenty years ago likely held the secret of why the crown moved from Gainers to Arsak.

Since the history was erased, it was a safe bet it wasn't a fairy tale. If it had been a glorious victory, they would have shouted it from the ramparts.

Princess Liene had clearly stumbled upon the ugly parts of that history through Klima. If his mother knew the truth, the son surely did too. Klima must have talked when he was kidnapped, and Liene had decided to save him because of it.

But Fermos found himself confused.

Liene’s sincerity toward Black seemed genuine. If she were bound by ancestral hatred, she would have had Klima silenced to bury the secret. Instead, she was risking everything to keep him alive.

[Fermos] "But does that actually matter to you, My Lord?"

[Black] "I said we killed each other. I never said anything about a 'feud'."

[Fermos] "Not a feud?"

[Black] "I told you before. I’m taking what belongs to me. If this were about a grudge, I’d be doing the opposite of 'taking'."

He’d have razed it to the ground. He’d be washing the streets in blood.

Fermos understood. Black wasn't driven by revenge.

[Fermos] "Then couldn't the Princess feel the same? Regardless of history, couldn't she be sincere? That’s how these things work between men and women, isn't it?"

[Black] "It's... no."

[Fermos] "Why not?"

[Black] "A woman who loves a man doesn't butcher his wedding coat. She doesn't shred it until she’s too far gone to notice her own hand is bleeding."

[Fermos] "Hrm. You have a point there. My mistake, My Lord."

He saw the dark cloud over Black’s face grow even more thunderous and wisely took a step back. One more wrong word and he’d be carving himself a crutch by morning.

[Fermos] "So... what's the plan? The wedding?"

[Black] "We proceed."

[Fermos] "With her consent?"

[Black] "Verbally."

He added the word with a bitter edge.

[Black] "As I said, I don't believe her."

[Fermos] "Still... you never know. The human heart is a messy thing. In time, she might realize the grudges of the dead aren't worth the sacrifice."

[Black] "…I'll have to wait. Longer."

That was the rub. Black’s patience was fraying. The more his feelings grew, the harder it was to maintain control. Even now, if he closed his eyes, her scent lingered in his senses.

It was a miracle he could even function; whenever he looked at her, his only coherent thought was a desperate need to hold her.

[Black] "Bring the servant here. I need to know exactly what he told her."

[Fermos] "Understood, My Lord."

[Black] "Handle him with care. If he knows his mother is safe here, he shouldn't give you any trouble."

[Fermos] "Yes, My Lord."

[Black] "And get Manau ready. We’ll need him for the Grand Council Assembly."

Fermos adjusted his monocle. He hadn't realized the old beggar outside the temple was anyone of importance.

[Fermos] "Who exactly is Manau?"

Black glanced at him as if he couldn't believe Fermos hadn't figured it out yet.

[Black] "He was the Cardinal. Twenty years ago."

[Fermos] "Ah... I see. The Car... wait, what? The Cardinal? Isn't that a life-long appointment?"

In other words, the previous Cardinal should be dead.

[Black] "That’s why he’s lived like that. Hiding his voice behind a stutter."

[Fermos] "My Lord... I really have to say this."

Fermos’s voice rose with a sudden burst of frustration.

[Fermos] "Playing dumb is exhausting. Can I just operate under the assumption that I know you’re a member of the Gainers Royal Family? Please?"

[Black] "I never expected you to be blind to it. Though your ignorance regarding Manau was a surprise."

Fermos felt a pang of indignation.

[Fermos] "Then why couldn't you just tell me? Instead of letting me stumble around in the dark?"

His response came after a long, heavy pause.

[Black] "…I never intended for anyone to know. Stumbling over names like Manau and Henton was never part of the plan."

That was the truth. He had been honest about everything except his name.

[Black] "I know what my name brings. Blood. I didn't want that. I never wanted Liene to have to see that side of it. I still don't. In fact, I want it even less now."

Black exhaled a slow, weary sigh.

[Black] "I just wanted everything to be mine... exactly as it was meant to be."

After twenty years, he wasn't foolish enough to think it was actually possible. There was no room for a Gainers in Nauk, and he would never be Prince Fernand again. He didn't even want to be.

His desire for Nauk was a primal pull—a homing instinct he couldn't sever. Every man needs a place to call home, and for him, there was nowhere else but this.

But there was one thing that remained perfectly preserved from his past. His betrothed.

To his young eyes, she hadn't seemed human; she was a creature of myth, something that might sprout wings and fly into the forest at any moment. And he wanted her back.

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