A Barbaric Proposal Side Story 14

※Unbreakable Habits※

[Knight] "Halt!"

A thunderous shout pierced through the walls of the carriage. It was so forceful that the entire vehicle seemed to shudder from the impact.

[Dieren] "…Dammit."

He scowled, his face contorting with irritation.

This maddening country never seemed to know the meaning of hospitality. Even though they clearly recognized the carriage of a Grand Ducal house, the guards insisted on stopping them at every border and outpost to verify every individual's identity and status.

[Dieren] "They might as well just tell us we aren't welcome."

He ground his teeth in frustration.

Of course, his side was the one in a position of need.

In just ten years, Nauk had become wealthy beyond comparison, transforming into a pivotal hub for the movement of goods in the southern part of the continent. By some unknown miracle, they had ended a twenty-year drought and restored a lush, year-round prosperity. Furthermore, they had secured a military force so ferocious that any kingdom would think twice before crossing them.

In short, Nauk was now a premier power. For the Grand Duchy of Alito, an immediate neighbor, this meant they had to tread carefully.

[Knight]"I’m opening the door. Excuse the intrusion."

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching the carriage stopped, followed by a thick, irritatingly familiar voice. The man behind that smooth, casual tone—laden with an odd mix of various continental dialects—was Randall.

[Randall] "Well, now, greetings. My, we certainly run into each other quite often, don't we?"

Snap.

Dieren couldn't hide the sound of his grinding teeth. He might naturally shrink back in the presence of Nauk’s royalty, but he had no intention of doing so for their subordinates.

[Dieren] "It has been years since you lot were granted titles, yet you still haven't learned a shred of etiquette?"

When Dieren snapped at him, Randall merely offered a hollow laugh.

[Randall] "A man can't escape his birth, can he? I try my best, but my brain's a bit stiff, so learning new tricks isn't easy. Sometimes I forget myself when I see an old face. I hope you’ll find it in you to be understanding. Now, the transit permit says a total of eleven people: four direct royals of the Grand Ducal house, two nannies, and five servants. Is that correct?"

[Dieren] "Count them yourself, you fool."

[Randall] "Ah, well, who knows? You might have hidden someone under the carriage seats again."

[Dieren] "Your insolent mouth…!"

He quickly cut off Dieren’s rising shout.

[Randall] "Are you certain no one else is there? Will you guarantee it in the name of House Alito?"

[Dieren] "Why on earth should I—!"

[Randall] "Because you have a history, don't you? You know His Majesty's temperament. Honestly, if the same thing happens again, we’re all dead men. Though Alito would likely be slaughtered first."

[Dieren] "How dare such low-born scum…!"

[Randall] "Out of respect for the… what do you call it… In diplomatic relations between our nations, I won't insist on your standing up. I’ll just count the ones I can see. One, two, three… hm?"

The manifest for the carriage stated that Dieren, his eldest daughter, and two nannies were the passengers. Randall’s gaze locked onto the eldest daughter. His expression shifted instantly.

[Randall] "Bloody hell…"

A muttered curse escaped his lips.

[Dieren] "What did you say? To use such vulgar language to my face—"

Again, he couldn't finish his sentence. Randall was glaring at him with the sharp, piercing eyes of a man looking at a complete lunatic.

[Randall] "Have you lost your mind?"

[Dieren] "What!"

[Randall] "This… this is practically a declaration of war."

[Dieren] "What nonsense are you spouting now!"

[Randall] "Anyone with eyes could see it."

No matter how much Dieren fumed, it did not affect Randall. Even if Dieren tried to make an issue of the guard’s behavior, there was no physical harm to report. This was why a person's reputation mattered.

Randall narrowed his eyes and shot a menacing look at Dieren.

[Randall] "Are you going to keep pretending you don't know what I'm talking about? Eh?"

Randall gestured toward the girl behind Dieren’s shoulder. It seemed he couldn't bring himself to say something harsh in front of a child.

The truth was, Dieren was already well aware of the problem. But he had no choice. He had duties to perform in Nauk, and he knew that if he had been honest beforehand, Black would not only have barred his entry but might have staged a "carriage accident" to dump him in a river somewhere.

[Dieren] "I have… duties to perform as a Prince of the Grand Duchy."

[Randall] "Weren't you just coming here to play? Every time you visit, all you do is eat and drink."

Dieren’s face flushed, half from shame and half from rage.

[Dieren] "How could a man like you understand!"

[Randall] "Fine, let's say that's true. Do yourself a favor and just turn around. I’ll try to find a way to explain it to His Majesty."

[Dieren] "No, that’s—"

[Knight] "That won't work, Captain."

The refusal rang out from two different directions simultaneously.

Randall turned to look at the knight accompanying him.

[Randall] "What? Why not?"

[Knight] "His Majesty has been packing his bags since yesterday… Do you actually intend to tell him that their vacation had to be canceled?"

[Randall] "Oh… uh… right. I forgot."

He let out a heavy, dark sigh.

[Randall] "Then do we just let them through? Is that even possible? I mean… look at her. Don't look too closely, but just look."

The knight shook his head slightly.

[Knight] "No, sir. I know nothing. Their identities are confirmed, they have a permit, and the numbers match. We are just letting them through. That is the correct procedure."

[Randall] "Hah. You little… how sly of you."

[Knight] "You should be thanking me. I just saved your neck, Captain."

[Randall] "…"

Randall shook his head vigorously. It seemed he couldn't bring himself to tell Black that he’d sent the Alito guests back and ruined his travel plans. Instead, Randall just slammed his hand against the carriage wall.

Dieren bounced in his seat from the impact.

[Dieren] "Such rudeness…!"

[Randall] "I’ve given you my warning. Don't go resenting me later."

SLAM!

Randall hurried to close the carriage door.

Dieren raised his voice to shout something from inside, but no one outside was listening.

[Knight] "So, what was the problem exactly, Captain…?"

The knight finally asked as he watched the Alito carriage pass through the gates, noting that Randall’s brow was still deeply furrowed.

[Randall] "If she were just three or four years older, I would have been confused."

As he answered, Randall gave an uncharacteristic shiver.

[Knight] "Sir? Confused about what?"

[Randall] "That face."

[Knight] "Pardon?"

[Randall] "It was identical. …Haaa, what am I going to do? This is going to end badly."

He let out his third sigh of the hour. It wouldn't be long before everyone realized exactly what was "identical."

---

[Black] "They're coming."

[Liene] "What? Where? I can't see them yet."

There were endless things to admire about her husband, but his superior eyesight was something that constantly surprised Liene.

[Black] "Wait a moment, and they’ll be in view."

[Liene] "In that case, shouldn't we go out and prepare to greet them?"

[Black] "Mmm… I think we're fine for now."

[Liene] "That sounds like a lie."

Seeing Black take another look at the horizon, Liene laughed and gave his chest a playful poke.

[Liene] "Are you still unhappy about this? It's thanks to this visit that we get to go to Bellisa Castle."

[Black] "Habits aren't changed overnight."

He took her hands and wrapped them around his neck, pulling her into an embrace.

[Black] "Just as I hate wasting a single moment when I’m in a room alone with you."

[Liene] "People would think we were a couple who only see each other on weekends."

[Black] "We barely see each other until nightfall, so it’s much the same."

[Liene] "You exaggerate far too much."

She chuckled and stood on her tiptoes to give him a short, quick kiss.

[Liene] "Let’s go now."

[Black] "No, wait. That was far too brief."

His sudden serious expression actually took her by surprise.

[Liene] "We don't have time for a long one, do we?"

[Black] "As you know, I’ve been quite busy preparing for our trip."

[Liene] "And?"

[Black] "Since we'll be away from the castle for a while, there was much to be done beforehand."

[Liene] "I am aware of that."

[Black] "Therefore, I've barely managed to return in time to see you while you were sleeping."

[Liene] "Mm… so? What is your point?"

[Black] "Is it too much to ask that you be happier to see me than someone like Dieren?"

[Liene] "Goodness."

Even if he was a guest they didn't particularly like, they still had to dress the part, so they had changed into formal attire.

By now, they were used to helping each other dress. When time was short, it was faster to assist one another than to call for servants. Black was clumsy with small pearl buttons, but he was faster than Madam Flambard at untying knots or smoothing out wrinkles.

They had just finished dressing.

[Liene] "Do you really have to compare yourself to a man who visits once a year?"

[Black] "As I said, a habit is called a habit because it's unbreakable."

She still couldn't understand why he looked so serious about such a trivial thing.

[Liene] "Then settle this habit with another habit."

[Black] "Mmm… that would be…"

[Liene] "You know what I mean."

He leaned down, offering his face. Liene smiled and pressed a firm kiss to his cheek.

[Liene] "If it’s a bad habit, it should be cured."

[Black] "Do you consider this bad?"

[Liene] "Ah… I suppose not."

If she pushed the point, the conversation would only drag on. Perhaps that was exactly what he wanted.

Goodness. Why is he so petty toward the Prince of Alito? He’s trying to distract me because he doesn't even want to go out and greet him.

She gave him a short, playful glare and held out her hand.

[Liene] "We must go now. No more delays."

[Black] "There’s nothing that says we can't—"

[Liene] "Let’s go."

Impatience finally won out, and Liene pulled Black by the hand, completely unaware of what they were about to encounter.

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