A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 64

※A Call to Go Home (2)※

The last King of the Gainers line had been overjoyed when a daughter was finally born to the House of Arsak.

The moment the news reached the King, he had practically sprinted to the Arsak estate, exhausting the newborn’s weary parents with his insistence on an immediate betrothal.

While the Arsak daughter was the picture of health, the Gainers prince was a sickly child, plagued by one ailment after another. Because of his fragile body, the official ceremony was postponed indefinitely.

Then came the day the six noble houses plunged their daggers into the King’s back. With that betrayal, the betrothal was dead.

Or so he had thought. To the world, Princess Liene was no longer his destined bride; she was simply the new Sovereign of Nauk, a woman who had given her heart to the eldest son of a rival house. But while his mind accepted this reality, his heart refused to follow suit.

It seemed his soul had been waiting all these years to return to her side. There was no other explanation for the sudden, overwhelming sense of peace—the feeling of finally coming home.

Liene was his sanctuary. She was the one place that had remained constant, a destination he had never left in his heart. Only a madman would let go of such a thing twice.

[Black] "The situation remains unchanged. I will live as the Princess’ husband and her Shield. I have no desire to see more blood spilled for the sake of a throne."

[Fermos] "I suppose that’s why you were 'gentle' enough to only break a few of their bones. I understand perfectly, My Lord."

Since arriving in Nauk, Fermos had noted that his Commander was being uncharacteristically soft and lenient with the local rabble. Now, he finally understood the motive behind the mercy.

[Fermos] "I’ll go fetch the servant."

[Black] "Now."

[Fermos] "N-now? You mean right this second?"

He flicked his fingers dismissively, clearly unwilling to repeat himself.

[Black] "As fast as humanly possible."

[Fermos] "...Yes, My Lord."

Fermos gave a deep bow and beat a hasty retreat from the room.

---

[Arland] "Two days from now."

Arland, the newly appointed advisor, had worked tirelessly to finalize the arrangements for the Grand Council Assembly.

All six noble houses had returned their letters of intent, and Arland had meticulously bound them in parchment, posting the official proclamation in the town square.

The Council would convene in the Great Hall, located at the very heart of the Square of the Gods. Once a masterpiece of architecture—decorated by nine fountains designed to mimic Nauk’s legendary nine waterfalls—the hall had fallen into the same state of decay as the rest of the kingdom.

Maintenance was technically the responsibility of the six houses, but the Kleinfelters had offloaded the expense onto the crown, citing "unnecessary costs."

When she had first ascended, a naive Liene had allocated part of her meager budget to the hall’s upkeep.

Years ago, however, she had realized the futility of it and stopped. The result was a ceiling riddled with holes and walls weeping with cracks.

[Arland] "I’ve inspected the hall, Your Highness. I thought perhaps... we should at least have it cleaned?"

She looked at him with an expression of total indifference.

[Liene] "The Council can handle it themselves. Leave it be."

[Arland] "Are you... Are you sure that’s wise?"

He blinked, caught off guard by her dismissiveness.

[Liene] "If they don't clean it, they’ll have to breathe the dust. I’m curious to see if the heads of the six houses can stomach sitting in the filth they created."

[Arland] "I... I see. I shall relay that message then."

[Liene] "There’s no rush. Let them know just before the Council begins."

[Arland] "As you command, Your Highness."

Arland nodded, though he looked uneasy. He still didn't fully grasp the toxic, jagged history between the House of Arsak and the nobility.

As he turned to leave, Liene stopped him.

[Liene] "Wait. Have you heard anything regarding the Kleinfelters’ movements?"

[Arland] "In what regard, Your Highness?"

[Liene] "Anything at all. They suffered a significant blow a few days ago. Are there no rumors? No whispers of retaliation?"

He frowned, tilting his head in thought.

[Arland] "Everything seemed business as usual when I visited. If I weren't the Royal Advisor, I wouldn't have even known the Chairman was missing from the estate."

[Liene] "I see. Very well. You may go."

[Arland] "I am at your service, Your Highness."

The advisor bowed and exited.

[Liene] "...Something is wrong."

Left alone in her office, Liene leaned her elbows on the desk, lost in thought.

The Tiwakan had raided the estate and taken Madam Henton, yet the Kleinfelters were acting as if nothing had happened.

How was that possible?

Losing Madam Henton meant losing their leash on Klima. The servant knew every dark secret the Kleinfelters had ever buried. Logically, they should be frantic to get him back or silence him forever.

This silence was deafening.

[Liene] "Is Lyndon’s absence really that crippling? Is there no one else capable of making a move without him?"

It felt unlikely. The House of Kleinfelter was the largest in Nauk, a massive machine of wealth and influence. A machine that size usually had many operators.

[Liene] "Lyndon couldn't have committed those atrocities alone. Someone else must have been his right hand."

A wave of frustration washed over her. Liene stood and walked to the window.

[Liene] "I’ve spent my whole life not knowing how my own kingdom breathes."

She had been blind to the snakes coiling behind her back. The realization brought a hot sting of shame.

[Liene] "I’ve done nothing but survive from one day to the next."

In Nauk, survival was an exhausting, full-time job. Having inherited the crown at such a young age, Liene had never known a life where she wasn't constantly treading water.

[Liene] "No more. That ends now."

She needed eyes and ears. She needed to see into every dark corner of this tiny, broken realm. In a way, she was lucky to have found the truth now.

If she had continued as Laffit Kleinfelter’s lover, eventually sold off to settle her family’s debts, she would have been a sovereign in name only—a puppet of the men who ruined her home.

Everything had changed the moment Black crashed into her life.

[Liene] "That man... he’s given me so much."

She lifted her forehead from the cool glass of the window.

Then I will give him everything I have left.

She grabbed one of the few remaining royal jewels from her collection and made her way toward the North Tower.

---

Madam Henton’s expression was calm, but her eyes were the same—gentle, yet fundamentally broken. It was the kind of look that made the observer’s heart ache with a sorrow they couldn't name.

[Liene] "I came to see how you were settling in. Is the room comfortable enough?"

[Henton] "...It is fine."

The woman didn't even acknowledge her with a proper greeting. Liene felt a bitter pang of guilt, but she pushed through it.

[Liene] "I’m glad to hear it. I brought some fruit. Perhaps you’d like a taste?"

Liene held out the basket she had gathered from the kitchens.

[Henton] "Why are you doing this?"

Instead of taking the basket, Madam Henton stared directly into Liene’s eyes.

[Henton] "You know who I am. I am not a woman who will accept charity from a daughter of Arsak."

[Liene] "I... I thought you might be lonely. This room is dark, and the sun rarely reaches this part of the tower. They say sweet things help when the world feels heavy."

[Henton] "When your heart is a living hell, what does the sun matter?"

Liene was silenced.

She couldn't even begin to imagine the weight of the woman's grief. One son was dead, the other shattered beyond repair. And the murderer had been her own husband—a man who had sacrificed his own family to protect the bloodline of his liege.

The woman had been held hostage by the very man who killed her husband, living as a slave—neither truly alive nor allowed to die.

How did one endure such a life?

[Liene] "Is there anything else I can bring you? A specific dish, perhaps?"

[Henton] "I need nothing."

[Liene] "I’ll have the linens changed before nightfall. The things in this room are ancient and worn."

[Henton] "Don't bother."

[Liene] "I’m sorry. I don't know what else to do for you. Please, just tell me what you need. I’ll leave the fruit here. If you find your appetite later, please try some."

Liene placed the basket on the small bedside table and turned to leave.

THWACK!

The sound made Liene whip around.

Madam Henton had hurled the basket to the floor. Not satisfied with that, she began grinding the fallen fruit into the stone with her heel.

[Liene] "...Careful. There isn't just fruit in there. You'll hurt your foot if you step the wrong way."

Madam Henton, who had been crushing the soft pulp as if it were Lyndon’s skull, looked up at Liene. Her expression was one of pure, incredulous disbelief.

[Henton] "What... what did you just say to me?"

[Liene] "There."

She walked back over and knelt, sifting through the wreckage of the pulverized fruit.

[Liene] "I tucked this inside."

Between her fingers sat a hard, crystalline object. She used her sleeve to wipe away the sticky juice and pulp.

[Liene] "This belonged to my mother. She brought it with her when she married into the Arsak family. It’s the most valuable thing I have left."

Wiped clean, the object revealed itself: a stunning rose-shaped pendant carved from a single, deep-red ruby.

[Henton] "Why give me this?"

Her neck flushed red. She was clearly a gentle soul by nature; even her rage only extended to crushing fruit.

[Henton] "Do you think a jewel will buy my silence? Do you think I'll forget who died and who held the blade just because you give me a pretty rock?"

[Liene] "No."

[Henton] "Does a gemstone make the past disappear? Is it so grand that it can make the death of my family okay?"

[Liene] "I don't believe that for a second."

[Henton] "Then what is the point!"

Madam Henton lunged forward, snatching the pendant from Liene’s hand.

CLINK.

She threw the ruby back into the mess of crushed fruit.

[Liene] "I brought it because..."

She picked the pendant up once more and wiped it clean.

[Liene] "Because it’s beautiful."

[Henton] "..."

[Liene] "I thought looking at something beautiful might bring you a moment of peace."

Clack. 

Liene set the clean pendant back on the table.

[Liene] "I’ve heard what happened to you. I can't even begin to fathom the pain you’ve endured. To you, I am no different from a Kleinfelter. You probably hate being in this castle just as much as you hated being their prisoner. I know that. But I don't know what else to do. I can't bring the dead back to life."

Her voice was steady, but the words were heavy with the weight of twenty years of unearned guilt.

[Liene] "You’re hurting, you’re in agony, and you likely don't even fear death anymore. I know nothing seems to matter. But I want to give you a reason to look around and see that something has changed for the better. I want to give you a reason to keep going."

[Henton] "And where... where is this 'reason'? What could matter to a mother who has lost her children!"

[Liene] "There is one thing. Klima no longer has to take orders from the Kleinfelters."

Madam Henton looked at Liene.

The resemblance to her son was striking—the same sad, kind eyes swimming with confusion and trauma. Even in her anger, she looked utterly pitiable.

[Henton] "That boy... he’s done terrible things. He thought I didn't know, but I did. I spent every night terrified that his sins would catch up to him... that he would be found out and killed..."

[Liene] "I know he didn't want to do those things. The weight of those sins belongs to the Kleinfelters, not him."

[Henton] "How... how can the daughter of Arsak say such things?"

Madam Henton lowered her gaze, her eyes reflecting the ruins of the fruit and the stained floor.

[Liene] "I was four years old when it happened."

Liene knelt back down and began picking up the fruit, placing the pieces back into the basket. She knew if she didn't do it, Madam Henton would eventually be forced to clean up her own mess.

[Liene] "I often wonder... if I had been older, would things have been different? If I could have stopped my father, would Sir Henton still be alive? And the boy..."

The boy... would he have lost his home?

Could I have stayed by his side without this constant, gnawing fear of losing him? 

Ever since meeting Klima, the thought had been a recurring nightmare.

[Henton] "...My second child was five."

Madam Henton, who had been standing frozen, finally seemed unable to watch Liene pick up the fruit alone. She sank to the floor and began to help.

[Henton] "He was tall for his age. Strong. No one believed he was only five. He was the same size as the eight-year-old Prince. He took after his father, you see. That child... when his father took up his sword, the boy died without even being able to scream."

Liene bit her lip so hard it nearly bled. She couldn't cry. To cry now would be the ultimate hypocrisy. Compared to Madam Henton or Black, she had lost nothing. She had no right to tears.

[Henton] "I may never be able to forgive the name Arsak. But I know that a four-year-old child could do nothing to stop it. Just as my own child was helpless. My baby was..."

THUD.

A piece of fruit slipped from Madam Henton’s hand back into the basket.

[Henton] "Sob..."

The woman collapsed onto the dirty floor, her body wracked with sobs.

Liene didn't tell her to stop. She didn't tell her that she wanted to cry, too.

She simply stayed by her side, biting her lip, holding back her own grief until Madam Henton stopped crying.

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