It wasn’t a difficult realization to come to. The most obvious sign was how much his shoulder kept hurting.
Whenever Rienne moved, his head just naturally followed her, even as his body remained still. The problem was that when he moved like that, it pulled on his shoulder wound but he still did it without even thinking.
It didn’t make any sense, but he couldn’t exactly deny it when it was obvious.
Whenever he looked at Rienne, he was completely enraptured. (1)
It felt like she was always right here, right in front of him, every moment of the day—even when she wasn’t.
[ Phermos ] “You’re aware….”
[ Black ] “But that doesn’t mean she’s lying to me.”
[ Phermos ] “. . .”
Phermos looked at Black with a quizzical expression, as if wondering if that was really the case or not, but truth be told, Black was also really confused.
He could hazard a guess as to what Rienne was trying to hide from him when it came to what happened at the Kleinfelder Estate. If Rafit Kleinfelder was alive, hiding somewhere in Nauk, that’s where he’d be. Rienne likely went there to meet with him under the guise of making the death official.
Rienne went there… to meet her lover…
Dammit.
Even thinking about it made him feel awful.
Rienne had blood on her lips and it frustrated him that he still didn’t know what happened. What could have caused her to have blood on her lips of all places? That’s probably why he decided to see for himself if she was hurt.
I can’t stand not knowing. I had to check.
But it was Rienne’s response that confused him the most.
She had just met up with her lover so he thought Rienne would reject him, maybe even push him away. Instead she just quietly went along what he was doing. Even though ‘checking for a wound’ was an obviously flimsy excuse, she didn’t question it, and that just provoked that same thirst from before.
But he still didn’t get it.
Was Rienne doing her best to accept him because she wanted to honor their promise? Or if she was just trying to please him in order to protect the one she loved?
…Never before had he not understood himself to this extent. For the first time in his entire life, there was something he couldn’t take his eyes off of.
It made him want to hold onto her for as long as it took to figure things out.
[ Rienne ] –‘I’m going to count to three and we should both move away.’
After he heard Rienne say that, he couldn’t believe his own ears. If she was saying that, then that must mean she felt the same as him. That she couldn’t pull herself away from him on her own.
[ Rienne ] –‘One. Two. Three.’
And her expression definitely looked genuine.
The unending trembling of her fingers, her soft hair, and her eyes that were brimming with desire—as if shouting out how much she wanted him.
Could she have been faking it?
Was she just pretending so she could protect the man she loved?
…I can’t figure it out.
He’d never dealt with something so difficult before.
[ Black ] “No matter how good a liar she is, there’s some things you can’t fake.”
[ Phermos ] “Well…..I suppose that’s true.”
His work as a mercenary required him to do many things, including rooting out spies by obtaining confessions through torture. Most humans were able to lie with their mouths, but the body was a different story.
Small reactions like the condition of one’s hair, cold sweat, their heart rate—all of these were helpful tools in helping him sense a lie.
And the way Rienne reacted was telling him she desired him.
[ Phermos ] “Nonetheless, we should monitor the situation. In regards to the eldest son pretending to be illegitimate, shall we leave it alone for now?”
[ Black ] “We still have unfinished business concerning that house. If there’s something they desire, no doubt they’ll do what they can to take it.” (2)
Phermos gave a sly grin.
[ Phermos ] “From the sounds of it, you seem deeply unhappy with that entire family. I understand, we should do what we can.”
[ Black ] “We’ll get rid of them eventually. Prepare a trap in advance.”
[ Phermos ] “If they get caught one day, it’ll be more convenient this way. We might as well start now.”
With that, Black closed his eyes.
His shoulder still hurt.
….Shit.
Even though she wasn’t there, it felt like Rienne was standing right in front of him.
* * *
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Phermos to do his due diligence, but she couldn’t wait for Weroz to return on his own, so she called in the guards and ordered them to find him.
But the castle guards were at a loss without Weroz. They weren’t prepared in the slightest for his sudden disappearance so one of the unit captains was quickly forced to assume the position, and the man couldn’t stop sweating in anxiety.
[ Rienne ] “Hah…”
After sending the guards out, Rienne sighed.
Now that Weroz was gone, the castle guards seemed to rely more on the Tiwakan mercenaries like it was the most natural thing in the world.
[ Rienne ] “Were the Tiwakan… hoping for this result?”
Despite her vaguely positive feelings towards Black, Rienne couldn’t feel relieved about the situation. After Weroz’s disappearance, that meant there was one less person she could trust under any circumstance within the castle.
But regardless of the discontented creases on Rienne’s face, Mrs. Flambard knocked at the door.
Knock, knock.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “It’s me, Princess. May I enter?”
[ Rienne ] “Ah, yes. Just a moment.”
Her lady-in-waiting wouldn’t have disturbed her for no reason. Rienne quickly got out of her seat and opened the door herself. Just as she thought, Mrs. Flambard was holding a large basket in her hands.
[ Rienne ] “What’s this?”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “We need to mend the wedding clothes.”
[ Rienne ] “Oh, yes. Set it down here.”
Rienne pointed down towards the rug in front of the fireplace.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I’ve also brought your mourning dress, Princess. Now that I’ve shorted the width of the collar by adding extra fabric, it should be more appropriate for mourning now.”
[ Rienne ] “Thank you for your hard work, ma’am.”
Now that the dress was fixed, Rienne changed into her mourning attire with the help of Mrs. Flambard. As the woman dressed Rienne up with great care, she sighed deeply.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “It’s no good… You’re still too pretty.”
[ Rienne ] “….This is good enough. Don’t think about it too deeply.”
Making an awkward face, Rienne put the mirror away. Now that she was changed, it was time to start sowing.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Did you get all the necessary measurements?”
[ Rienne ] “Mostly.”
Though actually I didn’t measure him below the waist at all.
Still, it shouldn’t matter that much when it came to the pants. The previous King was tall as well so by her calculations, they should fit roughly the same.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Let’s take a look, then.”
Mrs. Flambard spread out the clothing across the rug as Rienne took a ruler out to compare the numbers.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “This will be a lot of work.”
Mrs. Flambard wrinkled her brows in thought as she kept a serious look on her face.
[ Rienne ] “Really?”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “As it is now, it wouldn’t fit him at all. Why must he have such broad shoulders? Are you certain you measured correctly, Princess?”
[ Rienne ] “I think so…”
To be honest, when it came to measuring, she couldn’t say anything back.
Her mind was entirely occupied by how conscious she was of Black that she couldn’t even remember what she was doing at the time. All she could think about was how his voice sounded when he told not to count so fast.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I’ve never seen sizes like this. Is this really how he is? I can’t help but wonder what it’d be like to be held by such a person.”
Muttering to herself, Mrs. Flambard shook her head in surprise at her own words.
[ Rienne ] “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, ma’am.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Please do, Princess. What am I saying in front of the princess who’s being forced to marry him?”
Rienne turned her head away and held back her laughter.
[ Rienne ] “It’s been a while since we’ve dealt with such fancy clothing. Maybe you’re just excited, ma’am.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “That must be it. This used to happen more in the past, but after the late King’s passing, we’ve had no reason to touch such nice cloth.”
[ Rienne ] “I completely understand.”
Mrs. Flambard’s sewing skills were the best in all of Nauk. It was understandable if she was getting a little excited over being able to deal with such nice fabrics. Especially since it had been so long since she’d mended something fancy.
[ Rienne ] “Do you think we’ll have enough fabric?”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Let’s see… I’ll likely need to cut down on the cape a little bit. A longer cape is typical for a coronation, but isn’t necessary for a wedding. If I take some of the fabric and move it towards the shoulders, it will look better.”
[ Rienne ] “I understand.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Why not work on the altering the belt, Princess? I’ll put the same fabric on the ankles and around the neck line.”
[ Rienne ] “That’s a good idea.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I wonder how much more fabric we’ll need…. we need to increase the length of the pants, right?”
[ Rienne ] “Well…”
Rienne didn’t know what to say.
[ Rienne ] “I…didn’t actually get those measurements….”
Her voice came out low, as if her words were barely crawling their way out of her.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “You didn’t? But how could you forget that? What if the pants end up cutting off too short and you can see his ankles?”
[ Rienne ] “I thought they’d be fine without changing them.”
Actually, it was because she couldn’t do it. It wasn’t as though she had made a mistake and missed it.
It was like she was entirely distracted by something else.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I don’t think we’ll be that lucky. Best if we just get those measurements instead. What would we do if the clothing doesn’t fit him well?”
[ Rienne ] “Yes, I understand….”
Again, Rienne’s voice was barely a whisper.
But Mrs. Flambard misunderstood. She saw Rienne’s hesitation and wondered whether or not she’d be able to take the measurements down properly.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Do you not wish to deal with him again, Princess? If so, I can do it.”
[ Rienne ] “No, I’m not saying that, I just…”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Of course, how could you bring yourself to be happy about it? I didn’t take your feelings into consideration. Wait here, Princess.”
[ Rienne ] “You don’t understand, I don’t…”
But even as Rienne repeated herself, the misunderstanding wouldn’t clear up.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “It’s alright. No matter how unsettled I am by him, I’m sure it must be more uncomfortable for you, Princess. Just stay here for a bit.”
Carrying all her sewing equipment in her arms, Mrs. Flambard quickly rushed out of Rienne’s room.
[ Rienne ] “No, that’s not….”
Left alone in her quiet room, Rienne felt her face redden and frown as she aimlessly fiddled with the scissors in her hands.
[ Rienne ] “I don’t…”
Is it really that strange that I don’t hate him?
She knew other people might find it hard to understand given the circumstances, but thinking about it somehow made her heart feel heavy.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Flambard had gone to Black’s room only to discover he had left with his men. Knowing it was impossible to reach him on horseback, she sent a guard after him to tell him to come to Rienne’s room upon his return.
* * *
After Mrs. Flambard returned, Rienne stayed quiet and focused on her sewing.
Not long after leaving, Mrs. Flambard quickly came back due to ‘various circumstances’, and since then had just kept staring at her. No matter how many times Rienne told her she didn’t hate that man, the woman couldn’t bring herself to believe that.
…But no matter. The truth would come out eventually.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “This reminds me, Princess…”
In a room filled only with the subtle sound of threaded needles passing through fabric, a human voice swept through the air.
[ Rienne ] “What is it, ma’am?”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “We have about ten days until the wedding, don’t we?”
[ Rienne ] “Well, the funeral is tomorrow and the wedding is supposed to be ten days after that, so yes.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Then doesn’t that mean it will coincide with your monthly fever, Princess?”
[ Rienne ] “Oh… ah.”
Hearing something so unexpected, rather than pricking the fabric with the needle, Rienne stabbed her finger instead.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Oh Princess, are you alright?”
Mrs. Flambard came closer and took Rienne’s hand as a drop of red blood seeped from the tip of her thumb.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Oh no, you cut under your nail.”
Even though Rienne was the one who was hurt, Mrs. Flambard felt her pain.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Give me your hand. We need to disinfect it and get some medicine on the wound. I’ll go get—“
[ Rienne ] “No, wait.”
Rienne suddenly spoke out against Mrs. Flambard as she tried to get up. There was blood coming from her finger and yet Rienne couldn’t even feel the pain.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “What, What do you mean?”
[ Rienne ] “The date of… my monthly fever.”
Rienne’s face had gone completely pale like a white sheet.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess…”
Seeing that, Mrs. Flambard’s expression turned just as grave as Rienne’s.
[ Rienne ] “If I get caught… no, I can’t…”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess.”
Rienne felt Mrs. Flambard place her hand on top of hers. It was a comforting feeling, like she was telling Rienne to calm down.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I may not know much about politics and the like…. but is it really necessary to lie about being pregnant when you’re about to be wed?”
[ Rienne ] “I have no choice. It’s the only way I can prevent the sovereignty of Nauk from being taken from the Arsak family by the Tiwakan.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “So that’s how it is.”
Rienne looked at her with a straight face as she asked her question.
[ Rienne ] “Is there any way I can hide it?”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I don’t know how you could. If you were alone perhaps, but you’re going to be married… you’ll be up all night.”
[ Rienne ] “Ah… what do I do? I didn’t even think about that… about the date…”
A black shadow cast itself over Rienne’s face—as a pale as a white moon.
[ Rienne ] “I’ll have to…”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “You’ll need to refuse the first night.”
But Mrs. Flambard’s face was turning the same color as Rienne’s.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “But will that man accept that without asking any questions?”
How do you feel?
