A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 90

※The Lost Power※

[Fermos] "He’s a complete lunatic. Pure malice. To prey on a child’s innocence like that... It’s more than just a scam. It’s high treason."

His voice rose, a rare show of agitation from the usually composed man.

[Fermos] "It seems that the entire bloodline is rotten to the core."

Liene wore a bitter expression, her gaze dropping to her lap.

[Liene] "I can’t exactly argue with that."

The list of Kleinfelters' sins was endless. They had built their throne on a mountain of corruption, draining the lifeblood from this dying kingdom like leeches for decades.

And it was with their help that her own father had become king. Though Black insisted he didn't care, Liene found it hard to forgive the blood that ran through her own veins.

[Black] "Stop that."

Black immediately sensed the direction of her thoughts. He could read the guilt on her face as if it were written in ink.

[Black] "The fact that the Kleinfelters were born monsters is not your fault, Liene."

[Liene] "I know. But still..."

[Black] "Knowing is enough. I don't want to hear another 'but.'"

[Liene] "..."

[Black] "Every time you say something like that, I’m going to kiss you. I don’t care where we are."

The sheer absurdity of his bluntness made a startled laugh escape her lips despite the gravity of the conversation.

[Liene] "Don't act like a kiss is the solution to everything. It doesn't actually fix the problem."

[Black] "It fixes the problem of you saying things you shouldn't."

[Liene] "Silencing me doesn't change the past."

[Black] "It will. Because I intend to keep kissing you for the rest of our lives."

[Liene] "..."

It was the most ridiculous, stubborn logic she had ever heard. And yet, her arms reached out to pull him into a hug before she could stop herself.

I suppose I have no choice.

If this man was going to be this stubborn for the rest of his life, she would just have to indulge him. If that was her duty, she would accept it gladly.

Black’s hand stroked her back with a tenderness that belied his lethal reputation.

[Black] "In my memories, the late King was never what one would call a 'worthy' ruler. Whatever Kleinfelter did was for his own greed, but he must have had a justification—a pretext—to sway the other nobles."

[Liene] "Do you think it has something to do with that phrase... 'stealing the power of the gods'?"

[Black] "Likely."

[Liene] "The Cardinal must know what it means."

Something clicked in her mind. She lifted her head from Black’s chest, her eyes bright with a sudden realization.

[Liene] "You said Ternan Kleinfelter used to visit you at the temple. No one gets into the inner sanctum unnoticed. Someone had to have let him in through a side door. If the current Cardinal was there back then, he would have to know the truth."

[Fermos] "Ha! You’re right. We need to get to the temple immediately!"

He adjusted his monocle, the metal clicking sharply.

[Fermos] "I’m willing to bet this is directly tied to Nauk’s unnatural drought."

[Liene] "The drought?"

[Fermos] "None of this is a coincidence. The rebellion happened twenty-one years ago, and the drought began exactly twenty-one years ago. And they called it 'the power of the gods.' Rain has always been the domain of the divine."

Liene felt as if she had been struck. It was a staggering thought.

[Liene] "Can a human... steal that? Can a person actually control the rain?"

[Fermos] "Common sense says it’s impossible. But there must be something. Ugh, I should have pushed harder when My Lord mentioned bringing in scholars who study the climate. We would have had our answers by now."

That was another revelation.

[Liene] "You were already thinking about that?"

Liene turned to Black, her brow arched in surprise.

[Black] "I intended to move slowly. We have time."

[Liene] "Gods... is there any end to how much you’re going to surprise me? I hadn't even considered the scholars."

[Black] "You would have. If the Kleinfelters weren't constantly breathing down your neck."

[Liene] "Just you wait."

Liene hugged him again, tighter this time.

Black let out a low, soft chuckle, clearly finding her renewed spirit adorable.

[Liene] "I’m going to do something, too. Something I should have done a long time ago."

[Black] "I'll be waiting to see it."

Fermos cleared his throat, interrupting the moment.

[Fermos] "Ahem... While it is truly, deeply, excessively wonderful to see the two of you fostering each other’s virtues as monarchs, might I remind you of the ticking clock?”

[Fermos] "My Lord, since you have the actual memories of the past, it would be more effective if you confronted the Cardinal yourself."

[Black] "I agree."

[Fermos] "Strike while the iron is hot? Shall we leave now?"

There was no reason to delay. With Ternan Kleinfelter currently in the wind, speed was their only advantage.

[Black] "Very well."

[Liene] "I’m coming with you."

Liene let go of him, ready to move.

[Black] "No. You stay here, Liene."

[Liene] "Why? I might know something that could help."

[Black] "Perhaps. But Kleinfelter is out there somewhere. Until we know exactly what he’s capable of, I won't have you exposed outside the castle walls."

It felt like he was being overly cautious, but she couldn't bring herself to protest.

She knew that look in his eyes. It was the look of a man who wouldn't let his partner step into even the shallowest puddle if he could help it.

Because I would feel the same way about him.

[Black] "You being safe here allows me to move much faster."

[Liene] "Fine."

Liene stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

[Liene] "Then make it quick. Surprise me with how fast you get back."

Black hooked his arms around her waist, lifting her slightly so she could comfortably reach him. He knew exactly how high to hold her now.

[Black] "I’ll do that. But you have to surprise me too, Princess."

[Liene] "How?"

[Black] "I’ll leave that to your imagination."

[Liene] "Hmm... I’m not sure I’m very good at being surprising."

[Black] "I beg to differ. Of all the people I’ve met, you’ve surprised me the most."

He whispered the words against her ear, his lips grazing her skin.

[Black] "I’ll be back soon."

It was only a trip to the temple, but the parting felt strangely heavy.

I think I’ve reached the point where I can't stand being away from him for even an hour.

[Liene] "Hurry back."

[Black] "If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll never leave."

Black laughed and set her back on her feet.

Despite the lightness of the gesture, his gaze remained hot, lingering on her.

[Black] "Don't go to sleep yet. Wait for me."

[Liene] "I will."

With one last burning look, Black departed for the temple.

---

[Klima] "P-please... don't be afraid. I was told to s-stay by your side."

The moon had risen by the time Black left.

Normally, Liene would have been washing up and preparing for bed, but the thought of lying in that vast bed alone was suddenly unbearable.

She was sitting by the window, still in her day clothes, when Klima—now known as Sir Renfel—appeared.

[Liene] "...? I’m not afraid, Klima. But shouldn't you be with your mother?"

[Klima] "M-mother has her friends... no, I mean, the other Madam is with her. But I was told I must stay with the Princess."

[Liene] "Who told you that?"

[Klima] "Prince Fernand... I mean, Lord Tiwakan. And Deputy Commander as well."

[Liene] "That’s odd. I wonder why."

Liene didn't realize it, but the order came because of Klima’s unique background. Since he had been trained as an assassin, he was the perfect person to stop one.

Black hadn't forgotten how Liene had been kidnapped from within these very walls. He knew the name Kleinfelter meant they would stop at nothing.

Still, looking at the shy, hulking man who kept stuttering, it was hard to believe he was an elite guardian.

Ever since Liene had given him those sweets a while back, Klima seemed to turn bright red whenever she was near.

[Liene] "Well, since you're here, it’s actually for the best. I can’t sleep, so I was thinking of looking through the royal archives. Would you accompany me?"

[Klima] "I will go... a-anywhere. Anywhere you go."

His face went scarlet as he spoke with sudden, dead-seriousness.

Liene couldn't help but smile.

[Liene] "Thank you, Sir Renfel."

Since the wedding, Liene had made a point of calling him by his new name.

Technically, he wasn't a full knight yet, but out of respect for the late Sir Henton, his son had been granted the title of 'Sir.'

[Liene] "Lead the way. We’re going to the King’s study."

[Klima] "O-oh... no, I should follow you. I don't know the way... You have to go first, Your Highness."

[Liene] "Ah, right. Then please, take the candelabra. The hallways will be dark."

[Klima] "Y-yes, Your Highness."

In his haste to obey, he reached out and grabbed a lit candle by the wick, the hot wax dripping onto his skin.

[Liene] "Wait! That’s hot! You’re supposed to hold the base!"

Liene hurried to take the candelabra from him. Klima slumped his shoulders like a scolded child.

[Klima] "I... I know. It’s alright. I can hold hot things. I’ve held them so many times that it doesn't hurt anymore."

She let out a small, pained sigh.

[Liene] "Was holding hot candles also part of your 'prayers for penance'?"

[Klima] "One of them, yes."

[Liene] "...We agreed those prayers were over. So, no more grabbing hot candles."

[Klima] "U-understood."

The back of his neck flushed red again.

[Liene] "Let’s go."

As she walked ahead, Liene didn't notice that while Klima followed her steps obediently, his eyes never stopped scanning the dark shadows of the corridor with a predator’s intensity.

---

When Liene first thought of the royal archives, she didn't expect to find much. It was mostly a way to keep her mind busy until Black returned.

She wanted to look at the records regarding the drought.

If, as Fermos suspected, the drought had begun when King Pembrovin died, then the records before that should be free of any mention of water shortages.

[Liene] "That doesn't seem to be the case..."

The casual curiosity vanished. Liene was soon buried in the archives, her eyes darting across the old parchment. She leaned so close to the candle to read the faded script that she almost singed her hair.

If Klima hadn't lunged forward to pull the candle away, she would have been badly burned.

As a result, Klima ended up holding the hot candle in his bare hands again, and Liene, finally snapping out of her trance, handed the entire lighting duty over to him.

[Klima] "W-what are you looking for, Your Highness?"

[Liene] "Rainfall records. Every time it rains, it’s recorded here."

[Klima] "Like... how much it rained?"

[Liene] "Exactly."

She remembered that Klima was actually older than Black.

[Liene] "Do you have any memories from when you were a child? More than twenty years ago. Did it rain a lot back then?"

[Klima] "Rain? U-um... I don't really know. Maybe a bit more than now? But rain changes with the seasons..."

[Liene] "The records say the same."

Comparing the rainfall data, Nauk was definitely in a drought now. It rarely rained.

However, even going back decades, the rainfall was never that much higher than it is now. There were many periods in the past when it didn't rain for long stretches.

But there was one glaring difference: back then, there was never a single record of the Evert River running dry.

[Liene] "Look at this. Right here. It says there was no rain for over six months during this period. And yet, the crop yields and the taxes paid to the crown didn't drop at all."

[Klima] "What does that mean?"

[Liene] "It means even when it didn't rain, there was no lack of water. Unlike now."

[Klima] "H-how? Why?"

[Liene] "That’s what I don't understand."

The records described the Evert River as flowing abundantly, and the nine waterfalls as creating beautiful rainbows every single day.

Looking at the tax revenue of the time, Nauk had been a wealthy nation.

A lack of rain was a problem, but in the past, Nauk had always remained lush. It was a land that seemed blessed by the gods.

[Liene] "Why did the river dry up? And the nine waterfalls along with it?"

It was as if someone had taken away and siphoned every drop of water from the earth.

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