A Barbaric Proposal - Chapter 83

[Darren] “Damned bastard.”

Thump!

Darren muttered as he roughly set down his glass. The attendant looked around in surprise.

[Attendant] “Quiet….Someone might hear.”

[Darren] “Even if someone heard a swear come from my mouth, no one would believe them if they said anything. Everyone knows I’m a conscientious man.”

[Attendant] “Then…..should I say something to His Grace?”

Any time Darren started acting up, his attendant knew the best thing he could do was bring up the idea of telling his father.

[Darren] “And then what? What do you think he’ll do?”

[Attendant] “Though there’s a clear difference in status, you are still here representing the Grand Duke and the Grand House itself. His Grace will not let this pass by quietly.”

[Darren] “My father wouldn’t do anything. He’s more likely to call me the idiot.”

[Attendant] “. . .”

At that point, his attendant turned quiet.

Actually, this kind of behavior was beyond disrespectful. Sending food to his room in advance and not inviting him to a meal was a clear message saying they did not wish to dine with him. For someone bearing the status of a Grand Prince, it was no different from a punch to the gut.

Though, sometimes Darren was a pretty amazing person, being that fearless in front of the leader of the Tiwakan. He placed too much faith in their false bond as ‘brothers’.

Even the humble attendant could see how irritated the Tiwakan leader was.

[Darren] “Dammit. And I was pulling out all the stops, too.”

[Attendant] “. . .”

But upon second inspection, there was a separate reason why Darren was showing such an angered appearance over this slight.

He didn’t want to be treated to a meal. His goal was to be near Princess Rienne.

The attendant clicked his tongue quietly inside his mouth. How childish was he to believe that a woman would turn aside the leader of the Tiwakan just to look back at his face?

Darren was born as the only son of the Grand Duke, and was far too spoiled because of it.

[Attendant] “You must be cautious. The wedding is tomorrow.”

The attendant carefully added his next words.

It was well known that Darren’s history with women was messy and rather unspeakable, but to pursue the woman meant to marry the leader of the Tiwakan? Even Darren should be thinking twice about that.

[Darren] “What does that matter? Maybe this is even an opportunity.”

[Attendant] “. . .”

The attendant’s status did not allow him to express himself openly, so he settled for chewing the inside of his cheek and hiding his disgruntled expression.

[Darren] “This marriage is being forced on her, you know. Apparently a lot of people died when he came in here to propose. There’s no woman on earth who would accept such a bloody courtship with a clear mind. It’s only natural that her mind would change when another choice presents itself.”

[Attendant] “But to me, it would appear as though the leader of the Tiwakan and the Princess of Nauk are on fine terms.”

[Darren] “They must be pretending.”

The attendant thought briefly that the Grand Prince might be losing his mind. And at such a young age too.

[Darren] “You saw it, didn’t you? What they were doing before we entered the dining hall, that is.”

It looked so perfect, it had to be a mask.

After the mercenary standing at the door told him to come back another time, Darren had pushed past him and opened the door.

But the thing in the dining hall was a pair of lovers on the eve of their wedding, sitting side by side with their chairs turned towards each other. Seeing their reddened and wet lips, it was an unavoidable thought to believe they were kissing just before he entered the room.

[Darren] “What kind of royalty would be crazy enough to respond to that? All while leaving their food to cool? The Princess doesn’t have the power to refuse my brother’s barbaric habits. She has no choice but to embrace him.”

[Attendant] “. . .”

[Darren] “And once she sees she has other options, she will change her mind.”

And regardless of anyone else’s thoughts or opinions, this was the idea that Darren was intent on believing.

[Attendant] “How will you let her know there are other options?”

Darren stroked his chin, a smirk on his face and a glint in his eye.

And seeing that, all the attendant could do was bow his head, silently praying that when the fallout inevitably came, his life would be safe.

*

* * *

*

[Rienne] “Leaving seemed alright at the time, but now I feel a little sorry for him.”

After their mealtime was interrupted, they quietly continued it in their bedroom.

Though, even if it was technically a bedroom, meant for Black as in the incoming royal spouse, it was a little bit too vague to be called that anymore. During the wedding renovations, it had been completely overhauled and redecorated, with even the bed being removed.

It was then that the two of them agreed to use it as their own private sanctum instead.

[Black] “You don’t have to feel sorry.”

Black answered right away, immediately knowing she was talking about Prince Darren. Rienne smiled, casually eating the grapes as he fed them to her.

He must really hate the Grand Prince.

Black was normally such a kind man, but seeing him like this, it was obvious how loathe-worthy he found Darren to be.

But what Rienne didn’t realize was that Black’s personality was like that towards most people. The affection and kindness she assumed was always there was truthfully reserved only for her—though of course, she was the only person who didn’t know that.

[Rienne] “He must be struggling, pretending to eat all that food alone.”

[Black] “It’d be better if he just got tired and went home.”

[Rienne] “Oh, but he’s supposed to be attending the wedding.”

[Black] “His congratulations are of no use. He won’t mean it, anyway.”

Though common sense and etiquette would require her to take Darren’s side in times like these, Rienne just nodded along to Black’s words.

[Rienne] “Yes. I don’t think he’ll mean it.”

After all, if he was thinking of his sister, he definitely wouldn’t be able to congratulate them with his truest heart. She thought it was very fortunate his sister got married first if that was to be the case.

[Rienne] “I’m glad we don’t share a close relationship with the Kingdom of Sharka. I’d feel too ashamed to ask her to come to the wedding.”

Black gave a subtle but bitter smile.

[Black] “You pay too much attention to other things, Princess.”

[Rienne] “It’s in my nature. But aren’t you the same? You have a lot of responsibilities as well.”

[Black] “Not really.”

[Rienne] “No, you do. The fortification of the southern defenses, which I never even thought of, just to name one, and—“

[Black] “But for a while now, there’s only one thing I want to give my concern and attention to.”

Black quickly and quietly cut off Rienne’s words.

He knew Rienne well enough by now to know she had a tendency to speak very quickly, rambling on when she got anxious or flustered.

[Rienne] “What do you mean?”

[Black] “There’s grape juice on your lips, Princess.”

[Rienne] “Ah….is there?”

Reflexively, Rienne tried to cover her mouth with her hand, but Black was much faster than she, taking her hand in his soft grip.

[Black] “I’m very curious what it tastes like.”

[Rienne] “That’s……”

[Black] “Let me try it.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

She really couldn’t afford to let down her guard in front of this man for even a second. But even then, Rienne just nodded, closing her eyes ever so softly.

Black pulled himself closer, touching his lips against hers as his tongue ran across her sensitive skin. The sound of him tasting her so intensely sent shivers down her spine and formed a fire in the pit of her stomach.

[Rienne] “You know…”

[Black] “Yes?”

Rienne’s voice came out like a sigh as she ran her hand up through the back of Black’s hair, leaning towards him and pulling him closer while she sat.

[Rienne] “I was wondering. What do you think will change the most once we’re married?”

[Black] “Well……I don’t know. I’ve never done this before.”

[Rienne] “I suppose that’s true.”

After tasting all the grape juice he could from her lips, Black spoke with his lips slowly running against hers, and she could feel the hum of his voice echoing through her.

[Black] “But we’ll find out together. Little by little, starting tomorrow.”

[Rienne] “You think so?”

Suddenly, her heart felt very ready for tomorrow. Because after tomorrow, every part of this man would be hers, just as she would be his.

[Rienne] “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”

[Black] “Me neither.”

[Rienne] “Then…should we just stay awake? We can wait for tomorrow together.”

[Black] “That’s a good idea.”

Black kept his lips softly perched upon hers as he spoke, but just as he was going to swallow them completely….

Knock, knock—

[Mrs. Flambard] “Princess, I know you’re in here. May I come in?”

Their kiss was forced to an end before it could even start by the sound of Mrs. Flambard’s voice.

*

* * *

*

She came here with one simple purpose.

In Nauk, there was no custom that allowed for a bride and groom to share a room the night before the wedding ceremony. Rienne was a little embarrassed because she couldn’t sleep very well alone anymore, but she had no choice but to be understanding.

[Mrs. Flambard] “You must sleep in my room, Princess. We must be up right at dawn in order to finish all the preparations ahead of the ceremony.”

[Mrs. Henton] “Yes, that’s right.”

Mrs. Flambard was able to straighten out her shoulders with more confidence because she had Mrs. Henton’s backup. She seemed stronger because she had a reliable friend with her who shared her opinion.

[Mrs. Flambard] “You heard that, right? And your meal…….Well, if you’ve finished your late night snack, let us be off now.”

Somehow, it felt like she was being scolded like a child. Tilting her head, Rienne glanced up at Black with a somewhat bewildered expression on her face.

[Rienne] “It’s not even seven yet. Would it be alright if I left a little closer to bedtime?”

[Mrs. Flambard] “Oh, what do you mean by that? We also have things we need to prepare this evening.”

[Mrs. Henton] “That’s right. The day before the wedding is when a bride is at her busiest, with nary a soul able to see her face.”

Already helpless against Mrs. Flambard’s nagging, Rienne relented easily, nodding defeatedly when that same motherly scolding was doubled.

[Rienne] “Is that so…..?”

[Mrs. Flambard] “Of course.”

[Mrs. Henton] “Naturally.”

So basically, their plan to usher in the morning together was completely ruined.

[Rienne] “It would seem you’ll need to sleep alone tonight.”

[Black] “. . .”

But Black’s usually expressionless face seemed especially expressionless, and it made it difficult to see how he was feeling or what he was thinking.

[Rienne] “Goodnight. Sleep well, and I will see you tomorrow.”

[Black] “……..Yes.”

She thought his answer seemed a bit languid and slow, but at some point, that once expressionless look on his face shifted into a smile.

[Rienne] “What’s wrong?”

[Black] “I just thought it was kind of funny.”

[Rienne] “What is?”

[Black] “I’ve been waiting all this time for this very moment, but now that we’re finally here, I feel like I can’t stand to wait even one more day.”

Black tilted his head, leaning down to leave a kind and gentle kiss on Rienne’s cheek.

[Black] “See you tomorrow. And goodnight.”

[Rienne] “Goodnight.”

Rienne didn’t know why, but it suddenly felt like there was a knot in her throat.

Those words he said, ones meaning that he couldn’t stand to wait anymore, made her heart pound. And it was suddenly dawning on her that there was less than a day left before that long awaited moment.

Tomorrow, they were finally getting married.

*

* * *

*

The moon had risen, high in the sky; a clear sign that tomorrow was that much closer.

[Rafit] “Dammit……..”

The alcohol was strong, but the glass could hardly be called a ‘glass’ at all. Even the hand that was holding it was filled with unhealed cuts.

[Rafit] “Dammit, dammit…….Goddammit!”

Crash—!

Rafit threw the poorly made tin cup against the wall, and the cheap liquor it was once holding scattered across the wall and floor.

That was when the old door to the bedroom of this equally old mansion swung open.

[???] “Tsk, tsk………You still look like this.”

A voice called out to him, but Rafit didn’t even bother turning to face them. He recognized who they were well enough. Instead, he stayed sitting on that old couch, a frown on his face.

His life had become so cheap.

When he was crossing the border, carrying his broken and defeated uncle on his shoulder, it had become so unbearably painful to deal with that he just wanted to throw his uncle to the side and continue on his own.

But despite that feeling swelling up several times a day, he fought back that urge and made it to the Kingdom of Sharka, where his uncle immediately fell ill—unable to even leave his bed.

It was like something in his uncle’s heart had died. He refused to eat or take medicine, and now they were telling him he only had a day left to live at most.

[Cousin] “Hey, nephew. Isn’t it high time you calmed this down? At this rate, you’ll end up dying of alcohol poisoning. You’re too young for that kind of death.” (1)

A fattened and pale hand patted Rafit’s shoulder. It was the only hand that had given him the money he needed for food and drink since he came here.

And yet, Rafit grabbed his cousin’s hand, twisting it back in one stroke without hesitation or mercy.

Though he was his cousin, they were around the same age. They hardly spoke, but they often crossed each other’s paths as children. His cousin was someone who never had anything special going for him besides the fact he was born into the royal family.

To Rafit, they were not equal men.

[Cousin] “Agh! What are you doing!?”

[Rafit] “Don’t touch me.”

Rafit roughly threw aside his cousin’s hand, as if he were throwing away a piece of trash. A much weaker man than Rafit was, his short and stout cousin was easily overpowered and shoved to the floor—right on his butt.

Although his rank was one of the lowest in all the royal family, he was still nonetheless royalty, and he was not accustomed to such rough treatment.

Rafit’s cousin stared up at him with anger in his eyes.

[Cousin] “This is the last time I’ll allow you to treat me rudely. Don’t expect me to call you nephew anymore.”

[Rafit] “Just shut up. Leave me alone.”

Rafit didn’t bother looking back at him.

Struggling on the ground for a moment, his cousin eventually shook his head, picking himself up and standing squarely on his feet as he dusted off his britches.

[Cousin] “I can’t. I have my orders.”

[Rafit] “…….?”

With the energy of someone who had been banished to live in hell all alone, Rafit stared silently at the wall, but those words finally made him turn his head.

[Rafit] “Orders?”

[Cousin] “So I heard.”

[Rafit] “Orders from who?”

His cousin was the son of the fifth king of the royal family. There weren’t many who could give orders to him. That meant that this message must’ve come from a direct descendant of the Kingdom of Sharka or the King himself. (2)

[Cousin] “The Crown Princess wants to see you.”

[Rafit] “The Crown Princess……”

He knew her.

She was that strange woman who was standing next to the first prince with a strangely cold smile on her face. He saw her when he came to the Kingdom of Sharka looking for reinforcements over a month ago.

They said she was originally from the Grand Duchy of Alto. Somehow, even after all this time, he couldn’t forget her smile because of how unsettling and eerie it was to look at.

Back then, after the Crown Prince of Sharka denied his request for aid and Rafit was forced to step down, she called him back, asking to speak with him. The Crown Princess was the one who told him that she had information that could be used to hinder the leader of the Tiwakan’s proposal.

Revenge.

The one who said that the leader of the Tiwakan was disguising his desire for revenge beneath a proposal was the Princess of Sharka.