A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 29 | Klimah, the Servant (2)

translator/editor: astralmech | editor: ghost

.

* * *

.

[Mercenary] “The Princess left.”

[Black] “What?”

[Phermos] “Where did she go?”

Black and Phermos both raised their heads at the same time, the two of them presently swarmed with work and a hectic schedule.

It wasn’t just one thing that needed taking care of. First and foremost they needed figure out how they would structure the finances of the royal family, as well as taking in the size of the current debt.

It didn’t seem like much at first, but it was years’ worth of finances they needed to deal with.

Then there was how they’d go about restoring the Temple stairs, finding out who killed the High Priest, and keeping a close eye on the Kleinfelder family—all of which couldn’t be neglected in the slightest.

The whole time, Phermos thought he was going to cry, saying his time on the battlefield was much easier than this.

But now there was another unpleasant thing they needed to deal with.

[Mercenary] “When I asked around, they said she was going to help distribute rations near the Temple.”

[Phermos] “That’s some dedication on her part. Did anyone go with her?”

[Mercenary] “The guards said she took one of them with her.”

Phermos pinched the bridge of his nose.

[Phermos] “What…. Just one guard? And you just let her leave?”

Having come in to report the situation, the mercenary chose his words carefully after making eye contact with Black.

[Mercenary] “What else could I do? I couldn’t exactly pin her down and keep her from leaving by force. The Lord ordered us to be nice to her.”

[Phermos] “You should have sent someone with her.”

[Mercenary] “There’s already one person. Should I have sent more?”

[Phermos] “One won’t be enough. I knew something like this would happen, I’ll—“

Suddenly, Black’s body jolted up, Phermos’ orders immediately halted.

[Black] “I’m going.”

[Phermos] “…..Wha, right now? You don’t need to do that, do you?”

[Black] “This work is boring me.”

Black threw down the document marked with royal seal he was looking at earlier onto the table.

[Black] “Finish this while I’m gone.”

[Phermos] “Wait……what?”

While Phermos’ eyes were wide with disbelief, Black was already leaving before he could ask his question.

[Phermos] “Wait, hold on…..”

[Mercenary] “Then I’ll go with you to take a look at things.”

And just like that, Phermos was left alone with a mountain of paperwork. He sank back into his chair and rubbed the back of his head.

[Phermos] “This is so much….. I can’t do this….”

Ever since they first tried tackling all this work, Phermos thought it was way too much to do. Yesterday, Black had left him all alone and now he’d done it again, this time leaving Phermos with a pile of work to do.

[Phermos] “I didn’t think his Lordship would do this…..”

This change was getting to be way too much to handle.

[Phermos] “I never thought he’d take a woman at all, much less get married………..At this rate, I’ll be all alone.”

For some reason, Phermos felt betrayed and a little depressed.

.

* * *

.

[Rienne] “Please, wait here.”

Once they arrived at the Temple entrance, Rienne needed to separate herself from the captain of the guard she brought with her.

[Captain] “Are you going to give it to him, Princess? Please, it’d be best if you left it to me. I’ll do it.”

[Rienne] “No, I’d like to do it myself.”

What Rienne needed to ask the old man was something no one else should know about just yet.

[Rienne] “I want you to take a look around the area and see if there’s anything of note happening. And be careful if you run into any Kleinfelder soldiers.”

[Captain] “I see…..Very well, then.”

After that, Rienne entered a nearby alley where she saw an old beggar sitting with his arm resting against a cane.

Though it was an alleyway, it was still connected to the main street, so the captain could still easily see her there. After the Kleinfelders attempted that forced wedding, Rienne had become more careful about these kinds of things. (1)

[Rienne] “Hello…..”

As she whispered out a greeting, Rienne stopped walking.

There was someone with the beggar.

He was wearing a thick robe that reached over his ankles, tied together with a rope around his waist instead of a belt. That meant he was someone from the Temple, but the fabric was different from the usual priests.

He must be a servant.

The old man looked up and gave the servant a casual glance. But regardless of the look the old man gave him, the servant placed a loaf of bread into the his lap.

But what happened next was unexpected.

Toss!

The old man took the loaf in his shaky hand and threw into the street.

[Rienne] “…..?”

Then he lifted up his cane and started hitting him.

Thwack! Thwack!

Seeing how twisted the old man’s face was, it was obvious he was using all of his strength to hit the servant. With that kind of effort, it didn’t matter how weak and frail the old man was. It would hurt anyone to be beaten with a wooden stick like that.

[Rienne] “Stop it!”

But the servant didn’t respond or ask why this was happening. He just accepted the beating.

Rienne quickly put her body between the servant and the old man.

[Rienne] “What are you doing?”

[Servant] “……!”

When the servant saw Rienne, everything above the tip of his nose was covered by the hood of his cloak, revealing only his lips slightly parted in surprise at seeing her.

[Rienne] “Why are you allowing yourself to be beaten like this? Did something happen between you two?”

[Servant] “. . .”

Rienne and the servant’s eyes met for just a brief moment before the servant’s mouth suddenly tightened, and he turned around to leave.

[Rienne] “Don’t leave! That’s an order.”

[Servant] “. . .”

His footsteps ceased and Rienne stopped, too. But then he shook his head and tried to move again.

[Rienne] “Are you ignoring my order?”

Rienne didn’t hesitate to reach out and grab the fabric of his robe. Her grip on the baggy clothing caused him to lean back, revealing his blood-stained shirt and scarred forehead.

[Rienne] “Ah…. You’re hurt!”

Both the servant who was caught and the woman who noticed his injuries were stunned in surprise. Meanwhile, the old man frowned from behind them.

There was far too much blood for it to have come just from the cane.

[Rienne] “How did this happen?”

He stayed quiet for a while before finally answering.

[Servant] “…….I was praying for atonement.”

[Rienne] “Atonement? What kind of atonement makes you bleed like this?”

[Servant] “It’s a prayer that requires blood.”

Rienne didn’t know this, but there was once a time, long ago when zealous priests would whip themselves in the name of prayer. But nowadays such prayers weren’t used by any priest, much less by a servant.

[Rienne] “What sort of God would want their children to bleed?”

[Servant] “. . .”

The servant didn’t say anything back.

[Rienne] “Are you being treated kindly?”

[Servant] “. . .”

[Rienne] “I’ll take that as a no.”

Rienne held back a sigh with a troubled look on her face.

It was normal for the royal family to turn a blind eye to the Temple’s affairs, but after seeing something like this, it made it difficult to ignore.

[Rienne] “Make sure you get that properly treated. I’ll be making a visit to the Temple soon, so please do it before then. What is your name?”

The servant chewed on his lip for a long while. Eventually, he finally answered under his breath, a little bit flustered.

[Klimah] “…….Klimah.”

[Rienne] “Then, Sir Klimah. I’m not saying this just as a pretense, so please take care of that wound. If you don’t, I’ll speak with the Temple officials myself if I have to.”

Klimah nodded with his shoulders.

[Rienne] “You’re free to go now. As a member of the royal family, I will always do what I can to help the life of one who serves Nauk as a servant of God.”

Hesitating, Klimah stood there for a while before bowing his head, promptly disappearing into the alleyway.

[Rienne] “As for you.”

Rienne turned to the old man. He had kept quiet the entire time, his body stiff like a boulder.

[Rienne] “First, I want to know why you beat that servant. Do you know him well?”

The old beggar’s face was nothing but an unkempt beard.

[Rienne] “You should know I’ve prepared myself to get all the answers I require today. I urge you to speak freely now, unless you’d rather speak to me from a jail cell.”

[Beggar] “. . .”

He raised his head. The way his eyes looked in her direction made it clear he had something he wanted to say.

[Rienne] “If you don’t want to talk about the servant, then let’s talk about something else instead.”

[Beggar] “. . .”

[Rienne] “Who is Lord Tiwakan trying to get revenge against?”

[Beggar] “Daughter of Arsak…..”

Just as the old man tried to speak—

[Captain] “Princess!”

The captain of Castle Nauk’s guard called out to Rienne.

[Captain] “The leader of the Tiwakan is on his way.”

[Rienne] “What?”

Following the captain’s gestured hand, Rienne turned her head around.

Just by looking at the hulking figure walking in her direction, it was obvious the person at the end of the main street couldn’t be any one else but Black.

.

* * *

.

It was unfortunate, but getting answers would need to wait.

It would be too dangerous to let Black know the identity of the old man. Until the moment he revealed his reasons for being Nauk to her himself, he likely would not tolerate another being in the know.

[Rienne] “Please, take him away. Somewhere he can’t be found.”

Rienne handed the old man the basket of food she brought and left him in the care of the captain. Then, they left the alleyway without wasting a breath.

[Rienne] “Lord Tiwakan.”

Calling out to Black, Rienne made eye contact with him. In contrast to the cold air of the season, the sun felt like it was stinging her skin, it was so bright.

Under that burning sunlight, everything felt like it was being revealed. Black was no exception.

….He looks like a statue.

He didn’t seem like a real person. More like a work of art that was made just to look at.

Rienne wasn’t the only one thinking that.

Even the people who passed by in the streets couldn’t help but spare him a glance as they walked on. They’d stare as if they couldn’t tear their eyes away before quickly turning their heads down like they didn’t see anything at all.

The moment Black’s eyes met Rienne, he stood completely still like a sculpture, completely unblinking.

Rienne felt like she was being blinded by him. Was it because of the sun or was he simply that bright? Either way, he seemed very brilliant in her eyes.

Blinking several times rapidly, Black took a step forward and approached Rienne.

[Black] “I think I was mistaken.”

[Rienne] “Excuse me?”

[Black] “You don’t seem like a princess.”

[Rienne] “……Really?”

Rienne immediately looked down at herself.

[Rienne] “It’s no different from how I normally look.”

Maybe he meant that he didn’t recognize her because she was dressed so plainly.

Though Rienne was a royal, she didn’t look so different from any ordinary person. Her clothing had no fancy arrangements and was designed for simplicity.

Even if the most common hair color in Nauk was brown while Rienne’s was more golden, she didn’t think it was anything so special.

[Black] “You’re like a statue.”

[Rienne] “Ah…….”

He was saying the same thing she was thinking about him. It was strange. It was such a odd thing to hear out loud that Rienne felt like her heart just stopped.

Why are you saying this to me?

This man had no reason to say such kind things to her………especially not if he desires revenge.

Why are you doing this to me?

[Rienne] “……..That’s an exaggeration.”

Rienne did her best to brush off Black’s words, trying not to linger on them.

There had to be a reason. A reason why he was acting so sweet towards her.

[Black] “Even if you say that, it doesn’t change the truth of what I said.”

[Rienne] “………Why did you come here?”

Becoming uncomfortable with his kindness, Rienne quickly changed the subject.

[Black] “I heard you went out, so I came to get you. Are you done with your business?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

Saying he had come just to see her was too kind.

Even after that mysterious old man told her that Black was just trying to get revenge against her, she was surprised by her own belief that his actions were kind.

Am I fond of this man?

Was that why she wanted to believe beyond all belief that he had no other ideas inside of him?

…..Why am I like this?

[Rienne] “We should return to the castle. I left all the sewing to Mrs. Flambard, so she must be tired working without me.”

Rienne again changed the subject and turned around.

Without a word, Black reached out his arm towards her. Having become a little accustomed to walking with him, she placed her hand on his strong arm.

[Black] “Is it normal for you to go out alone?”

With no particular rush, the two of them walked together.

When Black first arrived, he rode in on a horse. The mercenary following after them had two horses in tow, and yet no one brought up the idea of actually riding them on their return to the castle.

The pair attracted a lot of attention, everyone glancing back at them as they walked, arm in arm.

Walking together like that, they looked like a perfect match– both of them sharing the thought that the other was so blindingly beautiful, it was enough to make their eyes dizzy.

[Rienne] “I wasn’t alone. The captain of the guard was with me.”

[Black] “One person isn’t enough.”

[Rienne] “There’s no need for more. Nauk isn’t very big, so an escort party is unnecessary.”

[Black] “I don’t agree.”

His sentiment was understandable when she took into consideration what happened with the Kleinfelders not long ago.

Rienne tried to swallow her embarrassment.

[Rienne] “You may find it difficult to believe, but that’s just how Nauk has always been.”

[Black] “Call for me from now on.”

[Rienne] “Excuse me?”

Rienne whispered out her question.

[Rienne] “I can’t do that. You have too many other things to deal with, Lord Tiwakan.”

[Black] “My job is to accompany you, Princess.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

……This was the kindness Rienne was thinking about. It was entirely unnecessary.

Feeling her heart sting in her chest, Rienne turned her head away and looked off in the distance.

[Rienne] “When will construction on the Temple stairs begin?”

[Black] “We’ll start once the new High Priest has been decided on.”

[Rienne] “Oh….. Is a new High Priest needed for construction?”

[Black] “Probably not, but it would be hard to do anything without someone to negotiate with.”

[Rienne] “Ah.”

Repairs for the Temple were promised as part of the guarantee of a wedding ceremony from the start. He would pay for construction only once he got a definite answer that the wedding would be held safely.

He’s very thorough.

Whoever the next High Priest was would have their work cut out for them dealing with this man.

Naturally the new High priest would be someone from the Kleinfelder’s pocket, but somehow Rienne wasn’t worried. She couldn’t imagine Black ever being swayed by the High Priest or anyone else for that matter.

If this man were just a regular fiancé, engaged by normal circumstances…….

If he were definitely on her side, without question…..

Then I’d be beyond grateful.

[Black] “……?”

Thinking that, Rienne unconsciously tightened the grip she had on Black’s arm.

[Black] “Was there something you wanted to say?”

Black stopped and looked down at Rienne.

Meeting his gaze, she felt herself stiffen. Rienne blinked, thinking the sun reflecting off of him was too bright.

[Rienne] “No, nothing in particular……”

Just then—

Amidst the crowds of countless people coming and going on the main street, someone lugging around strange wooden barrels in an old cart stopped just behind Black.

[Mercenary] “My Lord, watch out!”

The Tiwakan mercenary who was following them from far behind shouted out, but not before Black reacted first.

Thud, Thud!

Bump!

The strap holding the containers broke, and the wooden barrels fell from the cart towards Black and Rienne.

* * *

T/N: (1) She just means that she wants to stay where she can be seen by her guard.

astral comment: Poor Phermos. I’m cheering for you, buddy!

ghost comment: wow he really just ditched his friend with all the work huh? I mean, same but still