A Barbaric Proposal Chapter 97

※Labyrinth※

[Liene] "......Ugh!"

She let out a muffled scream, jerking her head back. Her movement made it clear: she would have preferred the touch of a crawling insect over him.

[Laffit] "Are you rejecting me now? Even after everything I’ve told you?"

[Liene] "Mmgh! Mmm-ph!"

[Laffit] "How could you! How!"

He grabbed the hem of her dress and yanked her fallen body toward him.

[Laffit] "How!"

[Weroz] "Stop! Do you actually intend to lay a hand on the Princess?"

Weroz intervened at the exact right moment, shoving Laffit back.

[Weroz] "You seem agitated. Go over there and cool your head. I will be the one to speak with Her Highness."

[Laffit] "......"

Laffit ground his teeth as he glared at Weroz. Realizing he couldn't argue with the knight’s logic, he snapped his head away and turned his back.

Weroz carefully supported Liene, helping her sit upright on the floor.

Even though Weroz was the one who had kidnapped her, Liene could tell that he, at least, had no intention of physically harming her.

[Weroz] "Your Highness. I know you are confused. But there is a reason I had to do this."

A reason? What kind of reason?

You, the Commander of the Nauk Guard, kidnapped me.

What possible excuse could justify that?

[Weroz] "You are the only one to whom I owe my loyalty. You must understand that."

Then why are you doing this to me?

[Weroz] "I believed there was no monarch like you anywhere else. Serving by your side, I felt that no one cared for Nauk more than you do. Please understand that everything I have done is out of loyalty."

No. What you are doing isn't loyalty.

You were the closest to me, Sir Weroz. How can you not see that?

[Weroz] "Those with Gainers blood must never sit upon the throne."

What nonsense is this?

You've been deceived, Sir Weroz. That is nothing but a lie concocted by the Kleinfelters.

[Weroz] "A divine curse hangs over that house. Every king was the same. They all went mad at a young age and died."

What... did you say?

[Weroz] "The Seven Houses drew their swords because we could no longer stand by and watch. How can that be called treason?"

What does that mean…

Does he mean Lord Tiwakan will end up like that, too? No, that’s impossible.

Mad? That’s absurd. I have never seen anyone as calm and rational as him.

[Weroz] "That day, when Sir Kleinfelter told me that man’s intent was revenge, I left Nauk and traveled all the way to the Kingdom of Sharka to verify it. Many things happened there... but thanks to that journey, I learned the truth: that man is the last blood of the Gainers royal family."

Laffit had cast the bait given to him by Princess Blini Vasheyd, and Weroz had bitten.

Twenty years ago, Weroz had been a mere apprentice knight under the care of an elderly knight from the House of Rosadel. One day, he had overheard that knight muttering to himself in a drunken stupor.

—Even so, I couldn't bring myself to kill a child.

The old knight was someone who had followed Sir Henton at the time without knowing the full story. The story he had heard was that King Pembrovin had died in the hunting grounds and that a knight of the Gainers Guardian Knights had stolen the King’s jewels and fled.

Pitying the dead King, they had pursued the thief relentlessly. The "thief" was eventually caught and beheaded by the Kleinfelter private soldiers.

The Rosadel knight, arriving a step late, had found a young child lying bleeding next to the decapitated corpse.

The child hadn't died. Everyone else missed it, but the old knight saw the child’s eyelashes flicker for a moment. When the others suggested dumping the body in the bushes and leaving, the knight stepped forward to move the child himself.

—But he must have died anyway. Abandoned after being struck by a sword... how could a tiny child like that survive on his own?

Hearing the word "revenge" connected the dots for Weroz—the child who had been with the runaway Guardian Knight.

If what the knight had carried wasn't jewels but a prince. If that blood had survived like a vengeful spirit, counting the days until his return to this land.

If so, it all made sense. The mad, threatening proposal—besieging the castle and vowing to kill everyone if he didn't get the answer he wanted.

[Weroz] "Your Highness. That man will soon go mad. No one knows how many people he will kill."

Weroz knelt and bowed his head.

[Weroz] "Please, Your Highness... I heard you are already married. But please, reconsider. You, who care for Nauk more than anyone, must not have such a man as your co-ruler."

[Liene] "......"

Liene blinked several times, trying to organize her thoughts.

The Gainers curse... is kind of a hereditary disease?

I never saw it in the royal records.

However, she knew for a fact that the Gainers kings often had short reigns and died young.

True... that could be possible. He said he was frail as a child... There could be a hereditary illness.

At that thought, her heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

But so what? What am I supposed to do about it?

Because he might die young like his ancestors, should we just kill him now?

What utter nonsense.

If such a thing were to really happen to Black—though she couldn't bear to even think about it—she felt that every second spent apart like this was a tragic waste. She would want to spend every single moment making him happy.

She didn't know what "going mad and dying" meant. But one thing was clear: the Seven Houses hadn't killed King Pembrovin for the sake of Nauk. If they truly had, they wouldn't have approached a sick child and told him to steal a key.

That is their true motive. They just wanted to steal the Power of the Gods owned by the Gainers royalty. Everything else is an excuse. I won't be fooled.

[Liene] "......"

She took a breath and slowly nodded. She made it look as if she were forced to agree, as if she were making a grand, inevitable decision.

[Weroz] "I knew you would understand. You are a wise woman, Your Highness."

Weroz let out a long sigh of relief.

[Weroz] "For now, I will take you to the Kingdom of Sharka. That is the arrangement. You will stay safe there. Lord Kleinfelter will gather the nobles of Nauk to drive the Tiwakan from this land.”

[Weroz] "The Kingdom of Sharka has promised reinforcements. If the Tiwakan are defeated—or even if we cannot defeat them—we can at least negotiate. Then, the marriage will be annulled. Because he hid the fact that he has Gainers blood."

[Liene] "......"

She nodded again.

[Weroz] "Sharka’s reinforcements will arrive tomorrow. Hide here tonight, and tomorrow, we leave for the Kingdom of Sharka. I will escort you."

[Liene] "......"

Weroz nodded vigorously, mirroring her.

[Weroz] "Do not be afraid, Your Highness. Even if they call themselves Tiwakan, they are but a mercenary group. They do not have the strength to stand against a kingdom. Nauk will soon return safely to the embrace of God."

[Liene] "......"

Seeing her nod so obediently, Weroz let his guard down completely.

Liene struggled to turn her body, showing him her bound hands. She was gesturing for him to untie her.

[Weroz] "Yes, Your Highness."

Had Weroz witnessed Liene’s wedding, he wouldn't have let his guard down so easily.

To him, time was frozen a month ago. He believed she had been forced into the marriage and was merely enduring that barbarian. Thus, he firmly believed he was doing the right thing for Liene and Nauk.

Weroz untied the ropes. Liene tried to pull down the gag covering her mouth. Her hands fumbled, so Weroz finished removing it for her.

[Liene] "I... I need to rest. I’m too exhausted..."

[Weroz] "Yes, Your Highness. Please do so."

She whispered in a tiny voice as she leaned away from him, closing the distance slightly toward the inner cave.

[Liene] "Keep Kleinfelter away from me. I’m afraid of what he might do."

[Weroz] "Ah... but Sir Kleinfelter is your lover—"

[Liene] "Whatever the reason, he doesn't seem to accept that I am married to another man. You saw it earlier."

[Weroz] "......Very well, I will do as you ask."

After a moment, Weroz nodded. Even to his eyes, Laffit seemed unstable.

Weroz approached Laffit and said something. Laffit snapped his head around and glared at Liene. She looked away, pretending to be terrified.

Seeing this, Weroz grabbed Laffit’s arm and led him further away.

...There must be a path inside.

Watching their retreating backs, Liene moved her body backward as silently as possible.

The "Nine Waterfalls" were literally divided into nine branches when viewed from the outside. She didn't know which of the nine they were in, but she remembered the labyrinth Klima had told her about.

Given its vast scale, the interior couldn't be completely blocked off. It looked solid in the darkness, but she believed there had to be a crevice somewhere.

The Sharka army arrives tomorrow. I have to warn our guards and knights before that.

This was an invasion. Whether Weroz and Kleinfelter believed this was the only way to drive out the Tiwakan was irrelevant; she knew better.

The Kingdom of Sharka wouldn't send an army without an ulterior motive. If they had intended to help Nauk purely out of goodwill, they would have sent aid when it was first requested.

The one sending the army must be that Princess.

The intent behind sending an army immediately after the death of Prince Vasheyd—who had initially refused to send reinforcements—felt nothing but sinister.

I have to get back to the castle. I have to see him.

She wondered if something was happening at the Temple too.

Was that why he was so late?

There were too many thoughts, and her head felt like it was about to burst.

[Liene] "......!"

As she continued to back away, she felt a faint draft of cold air. A gap.

Without hesitation, she squeezed her body into the narrow crevice, not knowing where it would lead.

It felt suffocating. Rocks and dirt scraped her skin mercilessly. But she felt a sense of relief. Weroz and Laffit would never be able to fit through this narrow gap.

[Weroz] "Princess...? Princess!"

She heard Weroz shout as he finally realized she was gone.

Weroz, having rushed over frantically, managed to snag the hem of her skirt.

Riiiiip!

The fabric tore with a loud rip, but she made it through the passage safely.

[Weroz] "Princess!"

Liene began to run through the darkness. Her body, not yet fully recovered from the poison, felt heavy, and it was pitch black before her eyes. But she had to run.

---

[Liene] "Huff... huff... I think... I’ve come the right way... but I’m not sure... gasp."

It was a darkness she could never get used to. It was still so pitch black that she couldn't even see what was right in front of her, let alone guess her direction.

The path Klima had described was impossible to find here.

Instead, she recalled the sensation beneath her feet.

[Liene] "I remember back then..."

The soles of her feet ached. Back then, things kept poking her feet, making her lose her way as she tried to avoid them.

In other words, if she found a floor with those same sharp sensations, she might find her way back.

Liene bent down and moved her hand along the black floor, feeling her way. Right now, she could only feel the occasional protruding rock and damp earth.

[Liene] "Walking like this is too slow."

She kicked off her shoes. She began to walk barefoot. She focused all her senses on the soles of her feet and walked for a long time.

Just as she felt she might die of exhaustion, her foot stepped on something sharp.

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