A Barbaric Proposal Side Story 3

Throughout the winter, Liene suffered a long and grueling bout of morning sickness. The symptoms remained unpredictable. On some days, she could eat; on others, nothing stayed down. A dish that seemed fine one moment would become utterly repulsive the next.

Consequently, she found herself unable to do anything but focus on her recovery. She spent most of her time confined to bed, lacking the strength to move, and even a brief stroll through the castle grounds left her completely drained.

As a result, Black remained constantly by her side.

[Liene] "I suppose it’s pomegranates today."

She was already working on her third pomegranate. Beside her, Black’s fingertips were stained a deep, bruised red from peeling the fruit.

[Liene] "It’s quite strange. I’ve never even tasted this fruit before, yet now I find myself waking up in the middle of the night craving it."

Since the acquisition of Yadion Bay, ships had begun to frequent the new port. While the trade industry was still in its infancy, Fermos claimed the omens were excellent. He had already commissioned four large merchant vessels; he bought one with his own funds, calling it a strategic investment for the next decade. Thanks to his ambition, Liene was able to enjoy fresh pomegranates even in the dead of winter.

[Black] "I am relieved you can at least eat this."

Black looked more exhausted than she did. Watching Liene suffer so intensely since the start of her pregnancy, he had silently vowed that one child would be more than enough.

[Liene] "Perhaps I shouldn't say such things aloud. Every time I do, I find I can no longer stomach it."

[Black] "Ah..."

He immediately fell silent and nodded.

The child was incredibly fickle, with her appetite shifting dozens of times a day. It was a common occurrence for her to eat heartily, only to be seized by a sudden wave of nausea moments later.

[Black] "Eat as much as you can."

He diligently pitted the pomegranate. His hands, carefully picking away every bit of the bitter white membrane, looked particularly handsome today.

In truth, he was always striking, but lately, he had lost weight alongside Liene as he lost his own appetite in sympathy. The change had made his features more defined and his gaze sharper.

It was a problem. He looked so devastatingly handsome at times that it sent a shiver down her spine.

This is a problem. If he gets any more attractive, I’ll probably end up pregnant again the moment I give birth to this one.

While she was lost in thought, mindlessly chewing on the pomegranate seeds, a knock sounded at the door.

[Randall] "Your Highness. My Lord. It is I."

[Randall] "I swear I had no intention of disturbing you both, but I felt I should inform you of a certain matter."

His tone was exceedingly cautious. Everyone was well aware that whenever Liene felt unwell, Black’s temper became a force of nature.

[Randall] "The nobles of the Grand Council have arrived. They claim to have brought gifts for the child. Shall I let them in?"

[Liene] "...Gifts?"

Crunch.

She stopped chewing the seed in her mouth and murmured the word. Sensing an ill omen, Black’s brow furrowed.

[Liene] "...Urgh!"

As expected. The mere mention of those people sent her stomach churning. Black quickly held a basin to her lips.

[Black] "......"

Those damned humans, whose lives he had spared, had managed to ruin Liene’s appetite yet again.

---

BAM!

The doors to the audience hall swung open with enough force to nearly shatter them. As the Tiwakan Commander and co-ruler of Nauk strode inside, every noble present felt a primal chill run down their spine. His expression suggested that even slaughtering everyone in the room wouldn't be enough to satisfy his rage.

The five nobles trembled, though they didn't even know what they had done wrong.

Scrape, thud!

Black took his seat on the throne. There was only one chair in the audience hall, perched upon a dais higher than the floor to look down upon those seeking an audience. Despite the physical distance, the nobles felt as though their throats were already in his grasp.

[Black] "......"

Moreover, he said nothing. Protocol dictated that the royalty must speak first before the subjects could offer their greetings.

The five nobles huddled together, shivering as they exchanged frantic glances. The silence stretched until it felt like an eternity.

[Fermos] "My Lord. Pray, show some mercy. If they soil themselves here, it will be quite the mess to clean."

Standing beside Black, Fermos spoke up while looking at the nobles with a bored expression.

They were grateful Fermos had broken the silence, but the content of his words left much to be desired.

[Black] "The Princess was..."

He started to speak, then cut himself off with a sharp, exhaled breath.

[Black] "...No, I cannot overlook this."

At those words, the world turned pale for the nobles of the five houses.

[Black] "She was finally eating something for the first time in two days."

[Fermos] "Oh, dear."

Fermos clicked his tongue, glancing back at the nobles.

[Fermos] "It seems her morning sickness returned right in the middle of her pomegranates. I suspect it’s because these men dared to show their faces, despite knowing how much the Princess is suffering."

His words implied that it was entirely their fault, and perhaps they should consider beheading themselves to save everyone the trouble.

[Noble] "Surely... surely you wouldn't treat those who brought gifts so poorly..."

Black arched an eyebrow.

[Black] "Did anyone give you permission to speak?"

[Noble] "......!"

Their mouths snapped shut instantly. Black slowly scanned the room, looking at each of the pale-faced nobles one by one.

[Black] "I told you once before that I had no intention of taking your heads—including Kleinfelters."

[Noble] "Just... our heads..."

The protest that he had only spared their necks while breaking their limbs like dry twigs rose, only to be swallowed back down.

[Black] "I should have taken them. Given your behavior."

[Rosadel] "W-we truly did not know. That the Princess was in such a state..."

After a long silence, Rosadel finally spoke. His tone was now incomparably humble compared to his past arrogance.

Black didn't bother wasting words on a reply. Instead, he signaled to Fermos.

[Black] "Open the chest. Let’s see what kind of gifts they brought that I’m supposed to tolerate their presence for."

[Fermos] "Yes, My Lord."

A new wave of tension and anxiety gripped the nobles. The complaint that they were being treated this way after traveling in the bitter cold had long since vanished. Now, they only felt regret—regret that they hadn't brought something better, something more.

[Fermos] "They say all five houses prepared this together."

A sizable chest was brought into the audience hall. A Tiwakan carried it in alone and dropped it onto the floor with zero ceremony.

Thud!

The chest made a heavy sound, but the Tiwakan’s assessment was quite the opposite.

[Tiwakan] "Judging by the weight, it’s as light as a feather. Doesn't seem like there’s anything useful inside."

[Black] "Then there is no need to open it."

Thump!

Black stomped his foot and stood up from the throne.

[Black] "Send them back. Since they clearly haven't come to their senses, make them walk home instead of taking their carriages. And tell them to walk on their hands, not their feet. Once they experience that, they won't have the audacity to use a 'gift' as an excuse to crawl back to this castle."

[Fermos] "Are you not being too generous, My Lord? Who knows what schemes they might brew if left to their own devices?"

Ellaroyden frantically waved his hands.

[Ellaroyden] "Schemes...! We are paying our taxes punctually now! What are you saying? I swear on my life, we came only out of genuine loyalty to House Arsak!"

There was no one there to listen to his pleas.

[Fermos] "Is that the extent of your loyalty?"

He sneered, gesturing toward the chest.

[Fermos] "A loyalty as light as a feather, then."

To be fair, the chest was neither light nor small. However, compared to the towering physiques of Tiwakan, a single chest sitting alone on the floor did look undeniably meager.

[Noble] "T-this... well, this is just what we brought for now... we will... prepare more."

One of the nobles mumbled, his face looked ready to burst into tears.

[Black] "Then bring it now."

His voice was as sharp as a blade.

[Black] "I have no desire to see your faces drifting in and out of here again. Since there are five houses, prepare five separate gifts."

[Noble] "How could... a-ah, understood. We shall do so."

The five nobles remembered exactly what he meant regarding the treaty they had signed. They had no desire to find out what "walking on their hands" actually felt like.

[Nobles] "The five members of the Grand Council of Nauk sincerely welcome the descendant of Tiwakan, who shall inherit the blood of Arsak and the sovereignty of Nauk."

After finishing their forced greetings, the nobles swallowed their tears and sent letters back to their respective estates, ordering their treasuries to be emptied of specific valuables.

Having lost their focal point, the Kleinfelters, the nobles had become completely submissive.

Though Black had never explicitly stated it, the nobles had begun to suspect his true identity. It was only natural; the return of water to Nauk meant the return of the name Gainers.

The nobles left the castle, feeling undeniably grateful that their heads were still attached to their shoulders, vowing to live as quietly as possible for the foreseeable future.

---

[Liene] "I can't even stand the sight of pomegranates now."

She let out a long sigh. The morning sickness that had flared up at the news of the Grand Council's arrival didn't subside until the sun had set. Coincidentally, it was the same time the five nobles had finally managed to return home.

Now that her appetite had returned slightly, she was eating red bean pudding.

[Liene] "What a shame. I was planning to go down there and give them a piece of my mind once I felt strong enough to walk."

Thwack!

She shoveled the pudding with unnecessary aggression.

While morning sickness was a daily struggle, she was convinced that this particular bout was entirely the fault of the five nobles. If she hadn't been on the verge of vomiting every time she turned around, she would have chased them down to scold them.

[Black] "We can always call them back."

He didn't mention that he had already terrified them sufficiently on his own. He believed Liene should have her own fun.

[Liene] "No, forget it. Just thinking about dealing with those people makes me feel ill."

[Black] "That won't do."

He reached out with a gentle motion and took the dessert spoon from her hand. He scooped up some pudding and fed it to her.

[Black] "They did, however, bring quite a bit of treasure to show their sincerity. I’ve had it moved to the jewel chamber. Shall we go see it tomorrow?"

[Liene] "Hmm... not now. Tomorrow. What did they bring?"

[Black] "A bit of everything."

[Liene] "How strange. I expected they would only bring gold."

[Black] "There is gold as well, of course."

She swallowed the pudding and gave a small smile.

[Liene] "Should we melt it down and make something?"

[Black] "How about a cradle?"

[Liene] "A cradle? Wouldn't that be a bit too large?"

[Black] "If we run out of gold, we can tell them to bring more."

Her smile widened into a laugh. Though she didn't realize it, this was a habit she had picked up from Black.

[Liene] "Wow. That strikes me as excessive. People might start calling me a tyrant."

[Black] "Hardly. No one would dare say such a thing."

[Liene] "That reminds me..."

She stopped laughing, though a trace of the smile remained on her face. Even with her cheeks slightly hollowed from sickness, she was undeniably lovely.

[Liene] "A gold cradle seems a bit too extravagant. How about we mint commemorative coins instead? We could put the child's name on them."

[Black] "That is a fine idea."

In truth, he didn't think a gold cradle qualified as extravagance, but he had no intention of arguing with her over something so trivial.

[Black] "I will have a generous amount minted. But first, we must decide on a name."

[Liene] "We should. But we don't know if it’s a boy or a girl. Madam Flambard thinks it’s a girl, while Madam Henton is certain it’s a boy. I haven't the slightest clue."

[Black] "It’s only natural not to know until the birth."

[Liene] "The Madams claim they can tell by the shape of my belly. But their theories are so contradictory that the more I listen, the more confused I get."

The two madams had almost come to blows, nearly throwing teacups at each other because they refused to agree. Liene thought she might have to retract her statement about them being kindred spirits.

[Liene] "Which do you prefer?"

[Black] "It doesn't matter to me. As long as the Princess is healthy."

[Liene] "Me? Not the baby?"

[Black] "Both. But if I had to choose one, it would always be you."

[Liene] "My word. What kind of father are you? If I were the baby, I’d be quite offended."

[Black] "I suppose that can't be helped."

She knew that Black would yield to her in almost everything. He was usually like water, flowing wherever she asked him to. Therefore, when he refused to budge on something, it meant it was non-negotiable for him.

It means I am always his top priority.

Liene decided to leave the feeling of offense to the baby. She wouldn't say such a thing in front of the child, anyway.

He only said it because it’s me. Just to me.

[Liene] "Then what shall we name the child? Let’s think together."

[Black] "We’ll need to prepare two names then."

[Liene] "That’s right. A boy’s name and a girl’s name."

The two names they pondered over until the moon rose were destined to be used without a single one being discarded.

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