A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 19 | Trap (3)

* * *

Does he know?

Did he already know and was just going out of his way to ask? Was he trying to get her to confess everything before he went over to the window and opened it himself?

With that thought in her mind, Rienne struggled to keep her eyes away from the window where Rafit was narrowly hiding on the frame.

[Rienne] “Yes, that’s it.”

[Black] “Good to hear.”

Despite seemingly knowing everything, he answered simply.

[Black] “Then start measuring.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

She couldn’t do that. She needed to get him out of this room as soon as possible so she could get Rafit out. He’d be able to hold on for right now, but eventually someone outside would notice Rafit standing outside her window.

And things would complicate further if he were to fall.

[Rienne] “Let’s go to another room first.”

Rienne got closer to Black and whispered quietly to him. She was a bit ashamed to have to do this, but for now, she just needed to get him out of the room.

She had to assume he was aware of Rafit’s presence. If that were the case, he wouldn’t just leave after she finished taking his measurements. No doubt he’d try and stay to see what was going on.

That’s what Rienne believed him capable of.

In both body and mind, Black was sharp, quick-witted, and extremely sensible. If he was just a simple minded barbarian who knew nothing but war and slaughter, perhaps she wouldn’t have found him so dangerous yet fascinating.

[Black] “Why?”

And as she expected, he asked why he should have to leave. Rienne lowered her voice. It was a soft whisper like the voice of a temptress.

[Rienne] “My lady-in-waiting is outside.”

[Black] “. . .”

Hearing that, Black stared down at Rienne without a word. His eyes were so light and honest they seemed to reveal every thought hidden behind his features.

He lowered his head down towards her, his voice just as soft and low as Rienne’s was.

[Black] “Then send her away.”

[Rienne] “I can’t.”

[Black] “Why not?”

[Rienne] “All her sewing equipment is here.”

[Black] “. . .”

[Rienne] “I can’t….. keep her waiting outside…for too long.”

After she said that, Rienne could feel her face reddening.

[Black] “…It’s things like this that make it hard not to think about you, Princess.”

Black gently urged Rienne closer with his hand still in her hair, and she followed his lead without resistance. They were already so close to one another, but even the smallest of gaps between them gradually became narrower.

Until they were almost touching.

[Black] “I don’t know how this will turn out.”

[Rienne] “What do you mean….?”

[Black] “Where should we go?”

Grabbing her arms with his hands, Black whispered tenderly toward her.

[Rienne] “The…next room over.”

He turned both their bodies around.

Stomp!

He was walking so fast and before Rienne even realized what was happening, she heard the sound of a door opening.

The next room was much closer than she thought.

* * *

Slam!

The sound of something slamming against the wall as hard as it could rang out into the air, but it wasn’t Rienne’s body. She didn’t feel even a little bit of pain. Only then did Rienne realize Black already had his arms around her, his palms supporting her back before she ever touched the wall.

As soon as the door clicked behind them, their lips found one another. Feeling Black lower his head and lean his body into hers, Rienne’s entire head turned white hot.

Instinctively she reached out for him, her arms loosely hanging around his neck. Grabbing her with one arm, Black effortlessly lifted her into the air and pulled her up to him.

Everything felt so hot. It was as though her entire body had become like firewood.

It only took a single spark before everything started to burn up.

[Rienne] “Ah, wait….”

Rienne unconsciously let out a sigh as Black’s kisses wandered down her neck.

[Black] “You don’t like it?”

[Rienne] “No, that’s not what I….”

[Black] “Then just stay still.”

Even though her feet weren’t touching the ground, Rienne didn’t feel nervous. Her hands were placed firmly on his broad and strong shoulders, and all she wanted to do was keep holding on. It made her want to stay close.

[Rienne] “. . .”

Letting out a soft breath, Rienne tightened the grip she had on his shoulders. Feeling her body tremble, Black paused for a moment, but he didn’t stop immediately.

He pulled his lips away slowly, running them across Rienne’s sensitive skin.

[Black] “Are you uncomfortable?” (1)

[Rienne] “N…no.”

[Black] “Then…are you afraid?”

She was. This was frightening.

She didn’t know what came next and it was starting to feel like her body wasn’t her own anymore.

[Rienne] “Just a little….”

[Black] “. . .”

….Now it was Black’s turn to sigh. Rienne felt him let out a hot breath against her neck. It was the kind of heat that flooded her head and set her mind ablaze.

[Black] “Don’t be scared.”

Muttering almost to himself, Black released his grip on Rienne and carefully allowed her feet to touch the ground again. The moment he did, suddenly Rienne’s legs felt very heavy.

….No…that’s not what I meant when I said I was afraid…you’re misunderstanding me….

But it wasn’t as though she could ask him to pick her up and kiss her again. Even if Black was her lover, she was far too embarrassed to make that kind of request.

[Black] “I guess I was moving too fast.”

Was he? Rienne wasn’t sure.

All she could remember was the endless burning sensation coursing through her body. Looking back on it, they weren’t exactly moving slowly, but that didn’t mean he was the only one moving fast.

If she were in his place, she might’ve been even more impatient.

[Rienne] “It’s alright…..”

Rienne whispered more quietly than a mosquito, her eyes downcast towards the ground. After having her lips dangerously entangled with his just moments ago, it was too embarrassing to look him directly in the eyes.

[Black] “Are you sure you’re alright?”

But suddenly Black filled her entire vision, even as she looked down.

He was kneeling in front of her, his head just below her chest as he looked up at her. Panicking, Rienne quickly covered his eyes with her hands to avoid his gaze.

[Rienne] “Wh…what are you doing?”

[Black] “You say you’re fine, but you don’t look that way.”

[Rienne] “No, really, I’m alright.”

[Black] “Really?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

[Black] “Then why are you covering my eyes?”

[Rienne] “That’s…”

She knew exactly why.

Even though this wasn’t the first time they’d kissed, for some reason Rienne felt extremely shy right now. More than that, they were still close enough that Rienne could easily reach out and cover his eyes with her hands.

Before now, whenever Rienne felt embarrassed or shy, she’d run away or bite her tongue. But now there she was, covering his eyes with her hands instead of avoiding him.

It was a such a small change that she didn’t even realize it was happening.

[Rienne] “I’ll let you go so don’t look at me like that.”

[Black] “….If that’s a problem for you, then okay.”

[Rienne] “Alright.”

As Rienne carefully removed her hand from his eyes, it gently brushed against the side of his face for only a moment as it fell—an action that was no different from touching him.

But before she could completely pull away, Black quickly seized her wrist and held her palm in place.

[Black] “This isn’t so bad either.”

[Rienne] “What… do you mean…?”

[Black] “You’re touching me, Princess.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Black pulled on Rienne’s wrist and gave her a kiss on the palm.

[Black] “So I’ll ignore it for today.”

[Rienne] “What?”

[Black] “The illegitimate son of the Kleinfelder family.”

[Rienne] “…..!”

Even though Rienne’s entire body had stiffened like a statue, Black kept his lips on Rienne’s hand the entire time.

Never before had Rienne felt so terrified of a man kissing her hand so tenderly.

[Black] “The Tiwakan are now responsible for the security of Castle Nauk. I have no reason to allow trespassers who entered without my permission to leave in good faith. But for today….”

He gently ran his lips against her hand.

[Black] “For today, I will ignore it…because you touched me, Princess.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Rienne couldn’t say anything back. Black let go of her hand, continuing on with the conversation as if nothing had happened.

[Black] “What measurements did you still need?”

Just after he said that, Rienne realized she didn’t bring the tape measure. In the end, Mrs. Flambard had to be the one to finish the job.

* * *

[Phermos] “As you ordered, we let him leave peacefully.”

Phermos had a lot of questions, most of them complaints in nature.

The person they were told to leave alone was none other than Rafit Kleinfelder himself.

In an old castle with many blind spots, it was far too easy for a rat to sneak in and out without them ever knowing. Because of this, it went unnoticed for a time but eventually Phermos received a report.

He was grinning from ear to ear when he was told that a rat from the Kleinfelder family had snuck into the castle. This was their opportunity to squeeze everything they could from that house. With the momentum on their side, it would be in their best interest to nip this in the bud while they had the chance.

But when they were told the rat was headed straight for Princess Rienne’s bedroom, Phermos’ smile quickly went away….

Because he realized Black wasn’t happy.

Rather than smiling, he looked extremely troubled. His stiff expression made that abundantly clear.

Noticing that, Phermos could swear on the God of War himself that this was the first time he’d seen Black struggle to keep his emotions in check like that.

It was obvious that the rat from the Kleinfelder family was the very much alive Commander of the Knights. It appeared as though he was heading towards Princess Rienne’s bedroom in order to secretly meet up with his love.

Clearly Princess Rienne couldn’t forget about the man so easily.

Though in all fairness it would be suspicious if she forgot about him too quickly. They had been involved with one another for quite some time, and it was certain the man had no intention of letting her go. He even went as far as to come to the castle despite the risk to his own life.

And above all else, he was the father of Princess Rienne’s child. Unlike the Princess, he wouldn’t choose to leave her so easily given the circumstances.

The problem was that Black needed to confirm things with his own eyes and ears. All of his thoughts were plainly written on his face.

….That’s not right. It has to be a mistake. They should’ve already moved on. (2)

Seeing such clear emotions coming from him, Phermos could tell Black’s heart was already beginning to lean towards Princess Rienne.

But having his favor didn’t give her the right to secretly meet up with her old lover whenever she pleased. Though Phermos knew Black never had a woman by his side before, he believed he wasn’t the kind of man to allow himself to be toyed with like this.

After all, he was a man of conviction. A relentless and strong person.

Phermos truly thought this was the day his Lord’s mercy towards Princess Rienne would run out. In the middle of their engagement, she had brought another man to her bedroom. If that’s how it was going to be, he was certain someone’s head would go flying.

But that wasn’t how things went.

Like fate, a message came shortly after that.

Princess Rienne was requesting his Lord’s presence.

While Phermos was still busy trying to organize his thoughts on what was going on, Black had already left in a hurry. For Princess Rienne, that was really….

Lucky… or clever.

His Lord had one thing right: Princess Rienne was a difficult woman to grasp. Phermos couldn’t tell if she was truly as innocent and gentle as she seemed….or if she had simply perfected her mask.

[Phermos] “I’ve been informed that the rat made its way back to its nest with its head still attached. Speaking of which…” (2)

After coming back from seeing Princess Rienne, Phermos couldn’t help but notice how Black seemed to resemble her—his face lost in thought with an expression he couldn’t control.

[Phermos] “…Are you certain you wish to ignore this?”

Phermos couldn’t hold the question back any longer.

[Black] “….Just this once.”

After a long time, Black finally answered. That must mean it wasn’t an easy decision to come to.

[Phermos] “May I ask why….? No, actually I’m very curious. It’s not wise to leave the Kleinfelders alone like this. Their private militia is no trouble for us but as you well know, the rats are allied with the Kingdom of Sharka.”

[Black] “I’ve decided to leave things alone this time.”

[Phermos] “But…I mean… why would you…?”

[Black] “I was given something.”

[Phermos] “Given something….? By who? The Kleinfelders?”

Though the chances of the Kleinfelders actually having paid him off was low, Phermos still asked. They were the only people with the means to do something like that.

[Black] “Not them.”

[Phermos] “Then who…?”

[Black] “It was the Princess.”

As he answered, his words were dripping with annoyance. Phermos could feel in his gut that it was time to stop this line of questioning. Even though he was dying to know what the Princess had given his Lord, he decided to swallow his curiosity.

Of course, it was probably for the best Phermos remained curious. How would he react if he knew the compensation Black received was the Princess simply touching his face?

[Phermos] “Well….I hope whatever the Princess has given you is worth losing today’s opportunity. But with all due respect, sire… this will only continue to happen if you remain too soft on her.”

Phermos was prepared to be scolded for how bold his words were, but instead Black answered firmly.

[Black] “…No, I don’t think it will.”

[Phermos] “What makes you so certain?”

[Black] “Because the Princess didn’t call for him.”

[Phermos] “How do you know that….?”

[Black] “If that’s what she intended, she wouldn’t have called for us both at the same time if she wanted to be smart about it.”

Phermos was confused by that as well. If that was the case, then was Princess Rienne really as innocent as she seemed? Is that what was making his Lord’s heart turn soft like pudding?

[Phermos] “Then…. does this mean you trust Princess Rienne?”

Only

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T/N: (1) This is more in reference to physical discomfort rather than emotional.

(2) The term used here is “넘어가셨어”, which lit. means in this context “to be done with something/to move onto the next.”

(3) Just as a note, Phermos refers to both the Kleinfelders and Rafit as being mice/rats pretty consistently throughout this whole section. I replaced some of those instances with just ‘Kleinfelder’ to break up the repetition, but I feel like this is important to know. Shows you how much he respects them lol.

Translator Comment: This is great, Siri play “Everytime We Touch” by Cascada Also I feel bad for Phermos. It probably isn’t easy when your cool, epic boss man suddenly turns into a simp.