A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 79

※Dream (2)※

Black pressed her back into the mattress, cutting off her attempt to rise. Her drowsy eyes flew wide, the fog of sleep vanishing instantly.

[Liene] "I thought you said you couldn't do it."

She’d taken his earlier hesitation to mean that removing a woman’s stockings was too technical—a delicate, silken puzzle that was too easy to snag or tear.

[Black] "Did you really think I was incapable of undressing my own wife?"

[Liene] "Then... why stop?"

He offered a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, though it burned with a different kind of heat.

[Black] "Because I wasn't sure I could do it without losing my self-control."

The words echoed what she’d heard in her half-sleep.

[Liene] "I don't see the difference. The task remains the same."

[Black] "The difference is whether you are aware of what I am doing or not."

[Liene] "..."

The way he said it made the air in the room feel suddenly heavy and thick.

Slowly, deliberately, he began to gather the hem of her gown, sliding the fabric up from her ankles.

[Black] "Don't move a muscle. Just let me."

Her face flushed a violent shade of crimson.

[Liene] "Wait... this is actually a bit embarrassing. I’ll just do it myself."

[Black] "Too late for that."

He had already pushed the silk up past her knees. His fingers found the band of the stocking that had begun to slip.

Slide.

The silk gave way under his touch, gliding down her leg.

[Liene] "..."

This was nothing like the dream-elf from before.

Earlier, he had been cautious, almost clinical. Now, his touch was deliberate. His palms didn't just pull the silk; they grazed her skin, tracing the curve of her calf with agonizing slowness.

[Liene] "Wait... hold on..."

Her shoulders bunched, a small shiver running through her. Black ignored her breathless protest.

[Black] "That’s one. Now for the other."

Slip.

He dropped the first stocking onto the floor.

In the pale, cool light of dawn, he wrapped his hand around her white ankle. He bent her leg at the knee, pressing a lingering kiss to the delicate bone of her kneecap.

Liene jolted, a spark of electricity shooting up her spine.

[Black] "And the other side."

[Liene] "No, really... stop. I’ve got it."

The garter knot for the remaining stocking was higher up, tucked away against the sensitive skin of her inner thigh.

[Black] "Give me one good reason."

[Liene] "Because... because it’s embarrassing!"

[Black] "That isn't a valid reason. We’re supposed to be getting used to this, remember? No more useless modesty."

[Liene] "Fine. Then look at it from my perspective. If the roles were reversed—if you were wearing stockings and I tried to take them off you—would you be perfectly fine with that?"

His gaze turned distant, almost glazed.

[Black] "I find the prospect... highly enticing."

[Liene] "What?"

[Black] "I don't usually wear stockings, but I suppose I’ll need them for the formal dress shoes. Will you remove them for me then, Princess?"

She looked at him, utterly exasperated.

[Liene] "Men’s stockings only go to the knee."

[Black] "A tragedy, indeed."

He was definitely teasing her now.

[Black] "If it pleases you, I’ll have a pair made that reach my thighs. It’s a simple enough request."

[Liene] "Absolutely not. I'm done."

[Black] "If you’re that flustered, I’ll close my eyes."

[Liene] "...Would that actually help?"

[Liene] "Is there a specific reason you’re so hell-bent on taking my stockings off?"

Black, eyes already shut, let out a dry, disbelieving laugh.

[Black] "It would be faster to find a reason not to."

[Liene] "And why is that?"

[Black] "Because there isn't one. Nothing to find, nothing to say. It’s as simple as that."

His hand began to travel up her knee. Her leg gave a sharp, involuntary twitch.

[Black] "Is this the spot? Yes."

Tug.

His fingertips brushed the knot of the garter. Her lips parted, a silent, shaky breath escaping her. He hadn't even touched her skin yet, but her body was reacting as if he had.

[Black] "It might take longer with my eyes closed."

The most confusing part for Liene was why she wasn't pushing him away.

[Liene] "Just open your eyes and get it over with."

[Black] "You won't be embarrassed?"

[Liene] "...I have to get used to it."

Instead, Liene was the one to close her eyes.

[Liene] "Unless you’re planning a personality transplant, this is how it’s going to be, isn't it? I can't die of embarrassment every single night."

That would be a losing battle. And if she was honest with herself... she didn't hate the feeling.

[Black] "Does it make a difference if you close your eyes?"

[Liene] "Just do one thing at a time..."

[Black] "This will be easier if we shift positions."

Black rose from the foot of the bed and moved up, hovering over her before settling half-on top of her. When Liene opened her eyes, he was right there.

[Liene] "You’re going to take them off like this?"

[Black] "If you help me."

He lowered his head, his lips meeting hers. The moment they touched, the world narrowed down to the taste of him. It was a natural, inevitable slide into a deep kiss.

Liene reached up, her fingers tangling in his dark hair, pulling him closer.

As the kiss deepened, his hand finally slid into the hidden warmth of her inner thigh.

Ah...

The air left her lungs. She stole a glance; his eyes were closed, his entire focus poured into the kiss.

Slide.

Beneath the layers of her dress, the garter knot finally came undone. As his large palm dragged the silk band down, her leg curled instinctively.

His hand followed the line of her thigh, over the knee, and down the calf. She bent her knee to help him, and the stocking slid off effortlessly, all while their lips remained locked.

[Liene] "Madam... Madam said I should get some sleep."

She leaned her burning forehead against his shoulder, her breath coming in hot, shallow bursts.

[Liene] "I’m never going to fall asleep now."

[Black] "I wouldn't say that."

Compared to her frantic state, Black seemed remarkably composed. But a closer look revealed the dark, turbulent hunger in his eyes.

[Black] "I’ll help you out of your gown. Then you can rest properly."

Compared to the stockings, the gown felt like nothing. She was wearing three layers of undergarments—chemise, petticoat, and shift—so there was no risk of exposure.

Liene obediently lifted her arms.

Black reached behind her, his fingers working the long row of tiny buttons lining her spine.

[Liene] "I have a question..."

[Black] "Yes?"

[Liene] "How did you know how to do that? With the stockings?"

[Black] "That was my first time."

[Liene] "Liar. You were far too good at it."

[Black] "Perhaps it only seemed that way because it was your first time, too."

[Liene] "Maybe... and one more thing."

Despite her claim that sleep was impossible, her eyelids were growing heavy.

Black noticed a small smile playing on his lips as he kissed the corner of her drooping eye.

[Black] "Go on."

[Liene] "When you were taking them off... what were you thinking?"

[Black] "About what?"

[Liene] "You know. Was it... sensual? Or something like that."

[Black] "..."

His hand, which had reached the small of her back, went perfectly still.

[Liene] "Because I certainly felt that way. But you seemed so... unfazed."

[Black] "...If I seemed unfazed, then it’s proof that God exists."

[Liene] "What?"

[Black] "Because I’ve been praying for the last ten minutes to look like a sane man."

[Liene] "Wait... since when?"

[Black] "Since the moment you told me to take them off. In my head, I’ve already... actually, it’s better if I don't say it. Lift your arms."

Liene lifted them reflexively, and the heavy silk of her overdress was swept over her head.

[Black] "There. Anything else you need?"

[Liene] "One more thing."

She patted the empty space beside her on the bed.

[Liene] "Lie down."

[Black] "I’m really going to need that divine intervention."

He muttered the words to himself, but lay down beside her anyway.

Liene curled into him, the familiarity of his embrace far more comfortable than the tension of the stockings.

[Liene] "Why weren't you sleeping earlier?"

[Black] "I couldn't. Not without you."

She understood that feeling perfectly. She would have been the same.

[Liene] "So we’ll share a room every night after the wedding?"

[Black] "You won't be able to get rid of me. Not unless you hire a mercenary group more skilled than Tiwakan."

Liene let out a soft laugh at the absurd joke.

[Liene] "People will think we're strange. The nobles of Nauk never share a bedroom."

[Black] "Does that worry you?"

[Liene] "No. The opposite, actually. I’m looking forward to it."

[Black] "Why?"

[Liene] "They might start by thinking it’s odd, but eventually, they’ll see us as a couple who truly love each other. A couple who can't bear to be apart even for a night."

[Black] "You want people to think that?"

[Liene] "I don't see why I wouldn't."

She reached out, tugging gently on the lapel of his shirt.

[Liene] "I want them all to know that you are mine. And that I am your home. I want them to know that no one else can ever come between us."

Black turned onto his side, his gaze locking onto hers. He didn't say a word, but she could hear him nonetheless. The connection felt ancient and new all at once.

[Black] "I would like that very much."

After a long silence, he slowly threaded his fingers through hers.

[Black] "For the rest of our lives."

[Liene] "Yes. For the rest of our lives."

Bathed in that shared promise, her eyes finally drifted shut.

Her sleep that morning was sweeter than any dream.

---

[Liene] "Wait... what? Are you serious?"

[Flambard] "I am indeed, Your Highness."

Liene had overslept.

To be fair, her mind had been a chaotic mess before she finally drifted off.

She had begged Black to wake her up, but he had clearly ignored her. By the time she opened her eyes, the morning was nearly gone.

Madam Flambard had rushed in, beaming with news.

[Flambard] "That woman is a miracle worker. Her hands move like lightning, and her stitches... God help me, I think they’re even better than mine."

A few hours after Liene had gone to bed, the embroidery was finished.

Madam Flambard had sent a guard to fetch the seamstress immediately. The woman had arrived yawning, but under the Madam’s fierce direction, she got to work.

With Madam Henton’s assistance and a team of capable assistants, the wedding clothes were completed in record time.

[Flambard] "I’ve kept the seamstress here just in case. We haven't had a final fitting, and I won't have the Commander walking to the altar in something that doesn't fit perfectly."

[Liene] "That’s... that’s a relief. But I feel terrible. You both worked through the night while I slept."

[Flambard] "Nonsense! You’re the bride-to-be. You need your rest for tomorrow!"

[Liene] "The wedding isn't until tomorrow."

[Flambard] "Which means there’s even more to do today! You need to try on your own gown as well."

[Liene] "Oh..."

She’d been so worried about Black’s coat that she hadn't given her own dress a second thought.

[Liene] "I completely forgot."

[Flambard] "Come with me. Lord Tiwakan had the garments moved to the jewel chamber for safekeeping."

The jewel chamber was essentially a glorified storage room now, since most of the royal jewels had been sold off, but the Madam still used the old title.

[Liene] "Lead the way, then."

Liene hurried through a quick breakfast. Usually, the Madam would insist she slow down, but even she was too excited to wait. She wanted to see Liene in that dress.

[Flambard] "This way, quickly!"

The Madam practically dragged Liene toward the jewel chamber.

---

[Liene] "I... I’m speechless."

Black’s wedding coat was more magnificent than Liene had imagined.

With their finances finally stabilizing, they hadn't spared any expense, and Madam Flambard’s eye for detail was impeccable.

But the gown waiting for Liene was beyond comprehension.

[Liene] "What is this fabric? I’ve never seen anything like it..."

It looked as though it had been spun from fallen snow. The brilliant white material was gossamer-thin and light, yet it flared out in voluminous, shimmering folds that made a soft, rhythmic sound as it moved.

The buttons and embellishments were all genuine pearls. From a distance, it looked like a great white flower in full bloom; up close, the intricate embroidery and beadwork were almost blinding.

[Flambard] "I feel the same way, Your Highness. I have no idea who could have crafted such a masterpiece. There isn't a soul in Nauk with this level of skill. It’s... It’s breathtaking."

The Madam shook her head, a look of pure pride on her face.

[Flambard] "You will look divine. The dress is beautiful, but it will be ten times more so when you’re wearing it."

[Liene] "I’m afraid the dress might outshine me."

[Flambard] "Don't you dare say that. I’ve been with you since you were a babe, and I’ve never seen a woman as beautiful as you are now."

[Liene] "You’re biased, Madam."

Liene blushed, looking away.

[Flambard] "Shall we try it on now?"

[Liene] "No... not yet. Give me a moment."

[Flambard] "But we need to check the fit!"

[Liene] "I know. Just... give me a minute. I need to prepare myself mentally before I step into something that grand. Let’s look at the Commander’s coat first."

[Flambard] "Now or later, it’s all the same. But I understand. It is quite an overwhelming garment."

[Liene] "Exactly. Oh, but it’s so well-made."

Liene smiled as she inspected Black’s coat. Despite the rush, there wasn't a single sign of hurried work. It was a garment fit for a King.

[Liene] "I can't wait to see him in it. Oh! I almost forgot. I need to check the match."

Liene turned toward a locked chest in the corner. She’d brought the key from her room specifically for this.

[Flambard] "Your Highness? What are you looking for?"

[Liene] "An accent for the coat. I left the blue pendant here..."

[Flambard] "You mean the Sapphire Constellation? The one fashioned after the Royal Star?"

[Liene] "Yes."

It was one of the last true heirlooms she had left. She had a few small earrings and pins, but they were too minor to be considered part of the royal treasury.

[Liene] "Wait, is it not here? Maybe I put it in the other cabinet."

Finding the chest empty, Liene moved to a cabinet on the opposite side of the room.

[Liene] "I didn't lock this one, so I wouldn't have kept the jewels in here..."

She stopped dead.

[Flambard] "Your Highness?"

Sensing something was wrong, Madam Flambard stepped up beside her.

[Liene] "What... what is all of this?"

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