A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 11 | A Dangerous Reunion (2)

* * *

[Linden] “So, you’ve come to deliver your condolences in person, hm?”

The look on Linden Kleinfelder’s face was far from welcoming, but there was no grief to be found in his expression. After all, he was wholly aware his nephew wasn’t dead.

[Rienne] “Yes, I have.”

Though she had requested entry several times now, Linden took his time granting her entrance, giving Rienne plenty of time to stare him down.

Ever since Nauk’s finances hit red, he had completely lost interest in doing his job properly and it had gotten to the point where Rienne was forced to fill the deficit by selling royal property. No matter how you looked at it, it made no sense for a princess to have to bend to this man’s will, but there was nothing Rienne could do about the Kleinfelders on her own.

There was always the possibility she could use the royal guard to force them into submission, but the power of the Kleinfelder’s private militia far exceeded her own.

[Rienne] “I’m sure you’ve heard by now, but the union between the Tiwakan and the Arsak family is happening within the next fifteen days. Since the Kleinfelders are the largest family in Nauk, we would like for you to extend a hand in friendship.”

[Linden] “Are you asking me to attend a wedding of the enemy?”

Even though Linden spoke with clear hostility in his voice, Rienne was completely calm as she faced him. She and he both knew that the Tiwakan wasn’t his enemy.

Because Rafit isn’t dead.

[Rienne] “Yes.”

[Linden] “With all due respect, I think the fact you accepted the proposal at all is proof enough that you’ve completely lost your mind, daughter of Arsak.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Instead of taking offense at his blatant insult, Rienne just gave a cynical smile.

Linden’s behavior came at no real surprise. He had long since started treating Rienne like this. Even after her father’s death, the Kleinfelders were the first to voice their dissent after Rienne began taking over his duties.

If Rienne hadn’t been romantically involved with their eldest son, they surely would’ve made their insults much more apparent.

[Rienne] “Unfortunately, I am quite well. In fact, if I hadn’t accepted the proposal, I would’ve begun to question my own sanity. More importantly, I ask that you prepare for the funeral now that I’ve officially expressed my grief. Rafit Kleinfelder, Commander of the Knights of Arsak, has hereby returned to dust. His name shall be remembered forever, glorious even in death.”

In no uncertain terms, Rienne’s words made him dead.

That was for the best—for the sake of everyone’s lives.

[Linden] “How halfhearted. You’ve lost all sense of pride and spirit, as well as your sanity. As a daughter of the Arsak family, do you not wish to seek revenge for your fallen fiancé?”

[Rienne] “You must be mistaken, sir. Lord Rafit Kleinfelder was never my fiancé. We were never officially engaged or have you forgotten that?”

Linden’s mouth twitched.

[Linden] “You weren’t engaged? You must be joking. So you were only playing around with the eldest son of Kleinfelder? Such a loose woman, you are.”

If Weroz were there, he probably would have drawn his sword for that insult. Even Rienne had to hold herself back from slapping him in the face.

[Rienne] “I can see how cherished Lord Kleinfelder is by his family. Hasn’t anyone told you it’s bad taste to speak ill of the dead?”

[Linden] “If anyone is speaking ill of him, it is you, daughter of Arsak. You’re choosing to marry that savage barbarian instead of slitting his throat while you have the chance. Your pretty little head doesn’t seem to realize what an insult—” (1)

Thwack.

She couldn’t take it anymore.

Rienne picked up the nearest vase framing the drawing room and threw it at Linden’s feet. The broken pieces of pottery and water scattered across the expensive imported carpet.

[Linden] “My, your temper…”

Linden stroked his mustache.

[Rienne] “My position was handed down to me by the late King of Nauk. If you dare speak towards me with words unbefitting of your station, then it is my duty to personally admonish you for the disrespect.”

Slowly, Rienne’s breathing calmed into coolly spoken words.

[Rienne] “If you take issue with my decision, then please remember what the Kleinfelders were doing during the fifteen days the Tiwakan had Nauk surrounded. Where were you and your militia while hundreds of men loyal to Nauk sacrificed their lives?”

[Linden] “So it’s for the sake of Nauk that you’ve decided to sell your cheap body to that savage?”

She made a mistake. She should’ve aimed somewhere else.

[Rienne] “Perhaps I’ve been too kind. Maybe I should have thrown it at your head instead of your feet.”

[Linden] “My head? Don’t make me laugh. What can you do on your own?”

Linden bared his teeth and yelled at her, as if he were some kind of feral dog barking at her. The two of them, lacking any kind of understanding, looked as though they were standing on a battlefield.

[Rienne] “Pass on this message: Act as a dead man and leave quietly. Don’t do anything like shooting an arrow ever again.”

As she glared at Linden, Rienne spoke again, bringing up the main reason for her visit.

[Rienne] “If you don’t want anything terrible to happen to him, then tell him he needs to give up his personal vendetta.”

[Linden] “Why don’t you take that temper of yours out on that barbarian?”

[Rienne] “I’m sure you’d like that. I should also inform you that the Tiwakan are aware that Lord Rafit Kleinfelder is still alive.”

[Linden] “It would appear you don’t have the stomach to get angry at them.”

[Rienne] “You—!”

Just as she was about to tell Linden off, a knock sounded against the door, echoing across the drawing room.

Knock, Knock.

[Rafit] “I brought some tea for you.”

Both Rienne and Linden’s bodies stiffened as they heard the familiar voice.

[Rafit] “May I come in?”

Squeak.

As the door opened, the person who came in was none other than the very much alive Rafit Kleinfelder himself.

* * *

[Linden] “What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay still.”

Linden spoke to his nephew with a look of disapproval on his face.

This was precisely the reason why he had Rienne stand outside the estate for as long as possible, waiting for them to open the doors. Linden decided his nephew had nothing to gain by meeting Princess Rienne alone.

In truth, Rafit became a fool in Rienne’s presence.

He wasn’t currently pretending to be dead, but would easily do so if Rienne was the one making the request, so Linden told him not to come anywhere near the drawing room.

But his nephew had disobeyed him.

[Rafit] “Leave us, Uncle.”

Even if he was merely Linden’s nephew, he was still the eldest son of the Kleinfelder family. Linden thought he could control him even as an adult due to his amicable personality, but the opposite was actually true.

He wouldn’t be able to say anything even if Rafit were to kick him out, penniless on the street.

[Linden] “I cannot. This lady of Arsak has already betrayed us once. Who’s to say she won’t try to poison your ears with that cunning tongue of hers?”

[Rafit] “I won’t allow you to say such rude things to Princess Rienne.”

….He couldn’t believe this. Linden clicked his tongue as hard as he could.

[Linden] “Tch…! She isn’t worth this! Do you have any idea what she said to me? She said we need to—!”

[Rafit] “Uncle!”

Suddenly, a flash of anger cut in Rafit’s eyes and Linden immediately quieted.

Rafit was usually a gentle man with no courage to argue against his family, but was the sort of person you could not fight against once he was angry.

[Linden] “…Tch. I’ll wait outside.”

Reluctantly, Linden left the drawing room.

Click.

Once he left, behind that closed door was a vast space and a chance for long separated lovers to finally reunite.

* * *

[Rienne] “You look well.”

Rienne was the first to speak.

Rafit looked healthy. His skin looked a little rough, but it was nothing compared to how a dead person should look.

[Rafit] “Princess……my dear Rienne.”

As he called out her name, his voice shook with such sincerity it sounded as though he would cry. When he first entered the room, all he and Rienne could do was stare at one another. Then, he began to move closer, step by step until he was able to take her into his arms.

[Rienne] “. . .”

Just hold on for a little bit.

Rienne closed her eyes, herself indulging in the comfort of this ironic situation.

She needed the chance to say goodbye too.

[Rafit] “I’m sorry… I wasn’t able to keep my promise.”

As he spoke, Rafit ran his hand through her hair. His touch was the same as always; passionate, loving, gentle, and sincere.

So much so, that she could feel the guilt creeping in.

…It’s okay. I can take this much.

[Rafit] “You must have been so scared waiting for me… but I couldn’t be there for you….”

It was alright. Rienne didn’t expect much from him in the first place. Of course she would’ve been happy if he had come back with reinforcements, but war would have broken out regardless.

Even if the Kingdom of Sharka had agreed to send them troops, there was no guarantee they would’ve been enough to fend off the Tiwakan.

[Rienne] “You need to run away.”

After counting to ten, Rienne opened her eyes and spoke.

[Rafit] “What?”

Rafit stopped stroking her head, backing off and making direct eye contact with her as he grabbed her shoulders.

[Rafit] “What’s that supposed to mean?”

[Rienne] “Exactly what it sounds like. You have to run before the Tiwakan find out you’re here.”

[Rafit] “Just me? Alone?”

[Rienne] “That’s the only way I can save everyone.”

Rafit’s eyes widened, an overwhelming sense of betrayal pouring out of them.

[Rafit] “…..You can’t mean that… you’re giving up on me? On us?”

Rafit continued to boggle her mind. How was it that after all this time he still didn’t understand her?

If it was to protect Nauk, there’s nothing Rienne wouldn’t give up.

[Rienne] “I’m going to marry Lord Tiwakan.”

With a single phrase, she cut clean their relationship.

[Rienne] “So I just wanted to say this. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me up until now, and I pray you stay safe.”

[Rafit] “I…I don’t know what to say…. You’re leaving me, Princess?”

Rienne could feel his strong hand grip her shoulder with strained pressure. She felt a short surge of pain, but ignored it.

[Rienne] “That’s the best way I can protect Nauk.”

[Rafit] “I can’t accept that!”

Rafit shouted out. His brown eyes, which were usually gentle and soft, almost to the point of seeming weak, now burned like the low embers of firewood.

[Rafit] “How can leaving me be the best way to protect Nauk?! How does that make sense!?”

[Rienne] “No one has the power to defeat the Tiwakan; not the Arsaks nor the Kleinfelders. This is all I can—“

[Rafit] “So you’re just going to offer yourself up to them? On top of everything else, you’ll let him take you away?”

The look in Rafit’s eyes was one Rienne had never seen before. A look of ridiculing pity came from him, sharply cutting down towards her.

[Rafit] “Oh, my princess… how could you be so foolish…? That’s exactly what those savages are aiming for.”

Rafit reached out and gently took a lock of Rienne’s hair in his hand. Before she had the chance to tell him to stop, he breathlessly began to speak.

[Rafit] “Do you know what I heard about the leader of those barbarians while I was in the Kingdom of Sharka?”

[Rienne] “Sir Kleinfelder, please move your hand. I’m engaged.”

But he didn’t listen. Instead he just kept talking, as if he were completely deaf to her words.

[Rafit] “The reason why he came to Nauk out of the blue…. The reason why he would resort to using such barbarous tactics.”

* * *

Honestly, Rienne was curious about that. She still didn’t understand why the leader of the Tiwakan wanted Nauk so badly, even though it was the poorest and weakest nation of all the five southern kingdoms.

They had promised to be honest when it came to each other and yet she never got the answer to that ever constant question.

[Rienne] “The reason….. doesn’t matter.”

Rienne said to the eldest son of the Kleinfelder family, her lover no longer.

[Rafit] “They said he bears a grudge against Nauk.”

[Rienne] “….What?”

[Rafit] “He’s been planning his revenge for god knows how long. Everyone outside of Nauk knows about it.”

[Rienne] “What sort of grudge?”

[Rafit] “Apparently his family was killed by someone in Nauk.”

[Rienne] “So what you’re trying to say is that he wants to take Nauk… for revenge? That doesn’t make any sense.”

[Rafit] “Does a savage need their reasons to make sense?”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Rienne kept quiet.

To an ordinary person, that kind of reasoning would be completely nonsensical, but for the leader of the Tiwakan who dreamt of revenge? It might make perfect sense to him.

But he had all the power he needed to tear Nauk to pieces.

No, it doesn’t make any sense. If that’s what you wanted, you should have completely destroyed us in a one-sided war, not proposed.

If the Tiwakan had fought in earnest, they wouldn’t have spent those fifteen days merely surrounding the castle. In only three days, they could’ve ended everything. They could’ve had her head hanging from a wall and completely wiped Nauk off the map.

And I haven’t forgotten what you said.

Only

You told me if you wanted to break your promise, you would’ve done so from the start.

Taking Nauk for the sake of revenge of all things?

No. That can’t be it.

T/N: (1) The original insult implies that Rienne is nothing more than a pretty face, as Linden regards Rienne as being a “loose” woman who plays around with men to the point of not understanding the ramifications of her choice. Which we all know is BS.