A Barbaric Proposal - Chapter 81

[Rienne] “What is it?”

Seeing how harsh his expression became, Rienne gently took Black’s hand in her own.

[Black] “Did he do anything to you?”

But right when she looked up at him, Black leaned his head down, asking as he stared very closely at Rienne, like he was trying to check every single part of her.

[Rienne] “Nothing in particular, but why…..”

[Darren] “I think the one you should be greeting is me rather than your lovely fiancée.”

As soon as Prince Darren stepped off his carriage, he spoke with such bravado and a smirk on his face, heading straight towards them. Black immediately turned his head away, looking extremely displeased to see this person who seemed to know him well.

His smirk deepening, Darren outstretched his arms.

[Darren] “Long time so see, dear brother.” (1)

Brother?

Rienne looked up at Black as he was being greeted by Darren, the confusion plain as day on her face.

[Black] “I wouldn’t call us that.”

…….What?

[Black] “As soon as your business is done, get the hell out of here.”

…….Did he just tell him to leave? But he said he was a Grand Prince, though.

But before Rienne could ask any questions, puzzled and dazed by the situation, Black held out his arm to her.

[Black] “I’ve finished my work here. Shall we return?”

[Rienne] “Oh…..Is that alright?”

[Black] “Of course.”

All the while, his soft and kind smile towards her remained unchanged.

[Black] “I missed you the moment I left the castle, Princess.”

But the biggest difference from usual was the only Grand Prince of Alto, watching the situation unfold with his mouth agape, quietly listening to this odd interaction.

*

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*

[Rienne] “Do you really hate him that much?”

It was obvious that, whatever their relationship was, Black really disliked Darren—the feeling probably bordering on loathing at this point.

On their return trip to the castle, Darren was like a ghost. No one spoke a word to him or paid any special attention to him.

Riding the same horse as Rienne, Black and his mercenaries set the pace, and what was originally a quiet jaunt turned into a quick trot. Sitting in his carriage alone, Darren was left to follow the group from behind.

She almost felt a little bad for him.

[Black] “Not really.”

Black spoke his denial so calmly, there was no one who would believe it so easily.

[Rienne] “But that’s different from saying you don’t hate him.”

[Black] “Out of all the people I dislike, I would say I dislike the Grand Prince of Alto the least.”

[Rienne] “I see.”

If this was how he treated someone he hated ‘the least’, she was afraid what he’d do to someone he truly detested beyond all recompense.

[Rienne] “Can I ask what’s going on?”

Rienne shook her head slightly, meeting Black’s eyes the moment she asked, but rather than saying anything back, he smiled—leaning over to kiss the tip of her nose.

[Rienne] “I like it when you kiss me, but is that your way of saying I shouldn’t ask?”

[Black] “No, I only mean that it isn’t a very pleasant story. I thought I should ask for your forgiveness in advance.”

[Rienne] “That’s alright. If it’s about you, then I want to know.”

[Black] “You just had to say that when I need to keep my hands to myself, Princess.”

After a second, Black’s once soft smile turned bitter as he slowly started recalling and repeating the story he found to be so unpleasant.

[Black] “Back when the Duchy of Alto was at war with the Kingdom of Lekes, my men and I were contracted to fight on their behalf several times.”

Though truthfully, things were a bit more complicated than that.

The war between the Grand Duchy of Alto and the Kingdom of Lekes was a joke. The Tiwakan entered the fray near the latter half, squashing any remnants and ending the entire conflict by force, causing massive damages to the Kingdom as a result.

At the war’s end, the Grand House of Alto managed to secure their territory while the Tiwakan took control of a gold mine as payment for their services.

But the Grand Duke was as greedy as he was cowardly.

He was obsessed with keeping the power of the Tiwakan on his side and to him, the easiest way of doing that was by arranging a marriage. At the time, the Grand Princess of Alto was still unmarried.

But rejecting a proposal from the Grand House came at a price. Rather than marrying the Grand Princess, Black managed to avoid it by becoming a ‘brother’ to Grand Prince Darren instead, following Phermos’ advice.

Darren’s older twin sister, the Grand Princess, was a woman who held a very old grudge against him, so Black thought it would be nice if he could avoid getting involved with the Grand House any further if at all possible. (2)

[Black] “It would be best if you avoided speaking to the Grand Prince. Just pretend he isn’t here. If he sees any chance to get under your skin, he’ll take it.”

[Rienne] “But…..”

That felt like too much. The rules of etiquette and courtesy needed to be respected, especially when dealing with visitors from a foreign nation. But just as Rienne was about to say that, she quickly quieted down.

What exactly did he mean by ‘an old grudge’ against him? How long lasting was it? And for what purpose did she have it at all?

Rienne held onto Black’s arm without even realizing it.

[Rienne] “Does the Grand Princess of Alto still feel the same way?”

[Black] “I heard she got married a year ago.”

When it happened, they were forced to send a wedding gift her way, doing so with the same enthusiasm as one might greet someone coming to pull their teeth out.

On that day as he packed away the gold and jewelry, Phermos was muttering about how much of a waste it was, you could’ve easily made a song out of his complaints.

[Rienne] “Oh, I see.”

Somehow, that felt like a relief. Then that meant she wasn’t trying to get in the way of their marriage at all by sending her brother.

[Black] “Does that make you anxious?”

Black lowered his head, whispering into her ear.

[Rienne] “No……Now that I’ve heard the Grand Princess is already married.”

[Black] “But you haven’t let go of my arm.”

[Rienne] “Ah……?”

Rienne jolted her head downward, her eyes trained on her hand still tightly holding onto Black’s arm, her entire face turning red with embarrassment.

[Rienne] “This is just……”

[Black] “Just?”

[Rienne] “I just wanted to make sure.”

But even now, Rienne kept holding onto Black. She was learning things about herself, like the fact that she was not a person who could forget the past so easily.

This man was fully willing to embrace her even if she had a child with another man, but that wasn’t something Rienne could do. If this man so much as remembered the name of another woman, she knew she would likely want to ask what kind of relationship they might’ve had.

[Black] “Are you going to keep making sure?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

Rienne nodded firmly.

Looking down at Rienne, Black silently smiled, pressing his face against the top of her head.

[Black] “You can do that for the rest of our lives.”

[Rienne] “I would do that even if you didn’t tell me to.”

As Rienne looked down, the smile on Black’s face that she couldn’t see quietly stopped.

[Black] “As soon as we get back to the castle, I want to kiss you.”

[Rienne] “……..Don’t ask. You can just do it.”

And that was when she could feel Black’s body, still pressed against her back, rising to an unusual temperature, sharply cutting against the cold of the air.

*

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*

[Darren] “That’s insane. He’s acting disgustingly sweet.”

Sticking his head outside the carriage window, Darren clicked his tongue, voicing his displeasure. The attendant sitting across from him was already accustomed to his master’s constant complaints, and merely bowed his head.

[Darren] “Can you believe this? That war-crazed bastard, doing something like this?”

[Attendant] “I can’t believe it, master.”

[Darren] “It’s completely unnatural. If my sister were to see this, she would go completely berserk.”

Darren crookedly smirked, speaking in a mocking tone.

As they sent out the gold they owed to the Tiwakan like they did every year, his father, the Grand Duke, had despaired in sorrow so terribly that he fell ill and nearly lost his teeth.

The reason for that was because they had to send a wedding gift because they had received one in the past from him. But honestly, the biggest shock came from the fact that the head of the Tiwakan was about to make his nest in another kingdom.

The Grand Duchy of Alto was the most sensitive when it came to rumors of the Tiwakan. And it wouldn’t be long before the marriage of Lord Tiwakan spread throughout the continent.

[Darren] “My sister will find out about this sooner or later. If she doesn’t already know.”

Though he didn’t know if his sister, who had married into the Kingdom of Sharka a year ago, was still obsessively chasing after Black’s back like she was before.

But somehow, he had a feeling that would still be the case. The first Prince of the Kingdom of Sharka was a depraved and dull person in comparison to his sister, who was sharp like a hawk. Such a man was not compatible with his sister’s ambition.

And truth be told, in her eyes, no other man could meet the high standards she had set for herself. Especially not after she knew Black.

[Darren] “Hm….I still don’t know. If I’d anticipated this earlier, I would’ve learned all I could before coming here.”

He already knew the leader of the Tiwakan was engaged, but he didn’t think he’d be this obsessed with his bride-to-be. Lost in thought, Darren held his hands together, leaning forward as he held them against his forehead.

[Darren] “But why a poor princess from such a backwater kingdom….?”

Well, to be fair, she was a gorgeous woman, far more stunning than was seemingly possible.

Even though she was wearing plain, out of fashion clothing, she still looked more elegant and alluring than any other woman he had ever laid eyes on, otherworldly like a goddess.

[Darren] “Still, I didn’t think he was the type to be so easily bewitched by beauty.”

On the opposite side of the carriage, the attendant quietly nodded while Darren side-eyed him.

[Darren] “Does this mean there’s something else at play?”

[Attendant] “I agree with your assessment, master.”

[Darren] “Yes. It must be true…..”

Darren gave a mischievous and cunning laugh.

The bad habits from when he was just an immature young man rose up again—the days when he would wander the continent, in constant, never-ending search for a lady to be his latest paramour.

[Darren] “I need to know what it is.”

[Attendant] “. . .”

The attendant didn’t say anything back.

But with how much his eyes were shaking, he must’ve been thinking that his life would potentially be threatened once again by the mischievous habits of the Grand Prince he served.

*

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*

[Phermos] “Wow. Your appearance is very vibrant now.”

[Randall] “You look like a completely different person. I’m almost too embarrassed to look at you, sir.”

Phermos and Randall were the ones to volunteer to wait on Black as he tried on his clothing.

Though tending to him was more of an excuse. A cheeky part of them wanted to play around and joke with Black about how bad he looked in his new clothing, but he looked so incredible, there was no point anymore.

[Black] “Say something more useful. What about the length? It doesn’t seem too short, does it?”

And besides, Black was not the kind of man who cared about other people’s words—whether they be praise or otherwise.

[Phermos] “No. It fits you well.”

But for someone who was not concerned with his appearance in the slightest, Black stood looking at himself in the mirror for a long time.

It was a strange and new sight to see coming from him, fussing over his shoulders, paying close attention to how the clothing cut him at certain angles, and constantly sweeping his hand across the fabric.

[Black] “What shoes will I be wearing tomorrow? Will the heel size be any different?”

[Phermos] “No, they’ll be close to the same. Made by the same shoemaker, at least.”

[Black] “Then that’s all that matters.”

Black tapped his foot on the ground in front of the mirror, careful not to accidentally step on the ends of his clothing.

Phermos pushed up his monocle, watching the sight before him.

[Phermos] “The Princess should be here to see this.”

But Randall, less astute than Phermos, perked up in a cheerful voice.

[Randall] “What are you talking about? She’ll see him at the wedding.”

[Phermos] “Tch…..Dense fool. That’s a given.”

[Randall] “What do you mean?”

[Phermos] “What we’re seeing here is our Lord carefully watching his step to make sure he doesn’t put his foot down on the precious clothing the Princess personally hand stitched.”

[Randall] “Ah……So it’s like that?”

[Black] “Too loud.”

The second Randall raised his eyebrows, looking down at Black’s feet as if he were discovering something new, Black narrowed his eyes.

[Phermos] “…….My apologies, my Lord. I’ll be more careful.”

Phermos didn’t miss that, shutting up the moment he realized it.

[Black] “What about the gold? Was the amount correct?”

[Phermos] “Yes. The Grand Duke may be greedy but he also sent plenty of wedding gifts in addition to the gold. Though knowing him, it’s likely more of a bribe than a gift.”

[Black] “I see. And what of the Great Prince?”

[Phermos] “Is there anything in particular you would like to know?”

[Black] “He’s a lazy bastard. He said he came here just to deliver wedding gifts, but I don’t believe that for a second. I want to know if he has any other intentions.”

Phermos looked away for a second in thought before quickly looking back up.

[Phermos] “By ‘other intentions’, you must be talking about the Grand Princess. Though, obviously I understand why you do not wish to mention her by name, sir.”

[Black] “The Kingdom of Sharka is closer than Alto is.”

[Phermos] “Yes, so her meddling could easily become more bothersome. I understand. I will keep an eye on the Grand Prince and see if he attempts any contact with the Kingdom of Sharka.”

Randall spoke up next.

[Randall] “Why don’t we just kick him out, then?”

[Black] “It’s too late for that.”

Black spat out his words in anger.

The Grand Prince was someone who brought wedding gifts under the premise of attending the wedding, representing the Duchy of Alto. If he were to kick him out now, the next time he saw him, there would be hell to pay and the likely promise of a troublesome war.

And they technically had no justification to expel Darren.

He was Black’s ‘brother’, a prince of the duchy, and crossed their gates as a guest to the Kingdom of Nauk.

[Black] “Send food and alcohol to the Grand Prince’s room. Make it strong.”

Though Black was clearly angry and beyond irritated right now, his hands were still slow and careful as he removed his clothing.

As he held them out to the side, Randall quickly ran up, just as carefully taking them into his arms.

[Randall] “Why food though? That just makes it seem like he’s welcome here.”

[Black] “If we starve him, he’ll just use that as an excuse to show his face at dinner.”

[Randall] “Huh……?”

[Black] “Someone should entertain him, too. So that he’ll be completely black out drunk until tomorrow.”

Randall slowly blinked.

[Randall] “Very well, sir. Leave it to me. I’ll make sure of it.”

Truthfully, Randall was more attracted to the prospect of free alcohol than making sure Darren didn’t disturb the dining hall, but that was good enough news for Black. He knew all too well Randall’s drinking limit.

Tap.

Black patted Randall on the shoulder.

[Black] “I have faith in you.”

And then he said something that others rarely ever heard from him.

[Randall] “I won’t disappoint you, sir.”

Feeling revved up, Randall grinned.

Two hours before Black’s dinner with Rienne, Randall headed off to Darren’s room carrying two full kegs of alcohol.