At first, Phermos thought he heard wrong.
[ Phermos ] “I’m sorry…. you want…what?”
[ — ] “The Princess of Nauk”
Phermos adjusted his glasses.
[ Phermos ] “My Lord wants a woman? A woman you never even met before today? But why?”
[ — ] “. . .”
The Tiwakan’s chief opted to remain quiet rather than answer.
He was normally the stoic type.
He had no name, nor any origins. No one knew anything about him before he joined the Tiwakan Mercenaries. Even Phermos only had a vague idea.
Though he had no name, the word they used to refer to him in its place was ‘Black’. There was no better word to describe him. (1)
[ Phermos ] “My Lord, please think about the future. What do you think will happen after the child is born? What if he finds out the Knight Commander was his father? He’ll try and get revenge on you and call his mother a traitor.”
Phermos was blathering on, but he believed Black to be aware of all of this.
He could not for the life of him understand what was going on in that man’s head.
It would be understandable if all he desired was Nauk itself. To be frank, Phermos didn’t entirely know what use such a barren and poor land could be, but if Black wanted it, that was all the reason Phermos needed.
To the mercenaries, Black wasn’t just some illegitimate child born from the God of War. He was a God himself.
On that ten yearlong battlefield, Black had saved them all in a fight against the God of Death. That was all they needed to know that Black himself was a God.
But now, suddenly Black desired the Princess of Nauk, not Nauk itself. It was something Phermos couldn’t wrap his brain around.
It wasn’t possible for Black to fall in love with the first woman he met today. While it was true the Princess of Nauk was a rare beauty indeed, a single well sculpted face shouldn’t be enough to shake Black of all people.
There had to be some other reason.
[ Black ] “The kid doesn’t matter to me.”
When Black finally spoke again, Phermos’ face beamed. He knew he shouldn’t ask his lord, but the curiosity was driving him crazy.
[ Phermos ] “Can I ask why?”
[ Black ] “Any child born of the Princess of Nauk will be mine as well, regardless of who they are. I don’t intend to act pure hearted, but I also don’t wish to capture her spirit. Even if there is another who has her heart, I have no need nor a desire to forcibly take it.
[ Phermos ] “. . .”
Phermos moved his eyes around, looking at him with a perplexing face.
His Lord’s words were surprisingly innocent, and it made him feel strange.
[ Phermos ] “So… You really want to get the Princess and not just Nauk?”
[ Black ] “Are you truly asking me that?”
Black raised his eyebrow.
That sufficed as an answer. Black was not in love with Nauk’s princess. He wasn’t particularly generous towards her, nor did he long for her affection.
So what was the reason?
[ Black ] “I’m just trying to get her because I have to.”
[ Phermos ] “But why would you…”
[ Black ] “I need to take back what was mine from the start.”
[ Phermos ] “What?”
The declaration was so embarrassing, Phermos almost dropped his glasses.
[ Phermos ] “You mean, Nauk…? Then that’s…”
[ Black ] “If the Princess were to be married, it would only make it harder to take it back. That is why I must move quickly and take it before then. I’ll tell you what you need to know as we go, so stop asking so many questions.” (2)
From just that, Phermos could tell Nauk had something to do with Black’s completely shrouded past. A past that was kept a dark secret from the rest of them.
[ Phermos ] “I see.”
Then it truly wasn’t Phermos’ place to argue.
[ Phermos ] “I’ll do as you ask of me.”
If their God willed it, then it had to be done.
* * *
The light of dawn was aggressively bright.
Rienne stood by the window, rubbing her eyes. She couldn’t sleep a wink all night.
[ Rienne ] “…Farewell.”
As she leaned her forehead against the window all through the morning, she felt a chill coursing through her body until it reached the tips of her toes.
She was mourning—a soft sigh escaping her as a goodbye to her lover. The tears pooled like fog in her deep emerald eyes, but they never dared to fall.
I shouldn’t cry.
It takes too much energy.
Rienne told herself this, as if to provide herself with some small level of comfort.
Farewell. I pray you can meet someone who will love you properly in the land of the dead.
Even now, she was such a coward. She didn’t even have the courage to treat him as a lover should. It was just a compromise, having a Knight of the Arsak Family by her side.
Rienne didn’t have the power needed to protect the Kingdom of Nauk on her own, but her lover’s family did.
In essence, their relationship was a forced one, calculated by her lover’s family who wanted to control Nauk, but he always told Rienne that his love for her was true. He said he would wait until the day she could trust him completely.
She didn’t realize that affection would eventually lead to his death.
Her lover’s death left her cold, like losing the light of dawn. Rienne realized in that moment that there was one less person around with the power to protect her.
What a coldhearted and selfish person she was. Her lover was dead, and yet all she could think about was the effect his death would have on Nauk.
[ Rienne ] “Even after he’s gone, I’m still using him.”
Rienne placed a hand on the window sill.
She was lying when she said there was a child. She hardly ever let her lover even kiss her, let alone sleep with her.
Every time he did, he would look at her with a burning intensity. That intensity and thirst reminded her all too much of the Kleinfelder’s desire to take her position.
If she really was pregnant with her lover’s child, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to tolerate it herself.
[ Rienne ] “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay…”
There had to be a way to trick him.
Rienne would either have to fake a miscarriage, or actually have a child.
Even entertaining the last idea sent shivers down her spine. She had too much on her plate just protecting the castle.
Can I really fool him?
So she thought about that contradictory man.
He was a terrifying, ferocious man who could scare others just by looking at them, and yet… he was also the person who had left a soft kiss on her palm after seeing she was injured.
[ Rienne ] “. . .”
Rienne slipped out her hand and opened it up to look at her palm.
There was a red scar in the shape of her fingernails. The wound reminded her of the man’s lips, making her hand tremble.
She was beginning to realize she would never understand how different these two sides of him were.
[ Rienne ] “Hah….”
After giving a small sigh, Rienne turned her gaze away.
A new day was finally starting.
Another long, painful day of trying to bring together a kingdom that was falling apart at the seams, bit by bit every day. (3)
* * *
[ Maslow ] “…So we were able to secure three months’ worth of tax revenue. And of course it’s been impacted by the reduced spending.”
As per usual, Maslow visited the King’s office early in the morning. After King Seon’s passing, the office was now Rienne’s working space, but not much had changed from before.
The Kingdom’s earnings were falling more and more each year.
Nauk was once the richest Kingdom in the entire southern region. Now, thanks to the drought that lasted twenty years, it quickly fell to being the poorest.
However, they somehow managed to secure tax revenue due to the heavy rainfall this year. If it hadn’t been for the attack from Tiwakan, Rienne could have had three meals a day.
[ Rienne ] “That’s good to hear.”
Rienne mulled over the documents Maslow handed over to her.
[ Rienne ] “I suppose it’s a good thing I accepted Lord Tiwakan’s proposal when I did. If I hadn’t, these numbers surely would’ve been worse.”
Even though it was a light-hearted joke, Maslow looked upset.
[ Maslow ] “I think it was rather reckless of you accept the proposal, Princess. At the very least, you should have consulted the Kleinfelders…”
[ Rienne ] “If Lord Tiwakan returns his body, I’ll discuss the funeral matters with them. Until then, please convey my deepest condolences and sorrow to his family on my behalf.”
Maslow’s lips twitched in disapproval.
[ Maslow ] “As a member of the royal family, we’ll need to have a formal mourning period. It was the eldest son of the Kleinfelder family who passed, after all.”
Maslow was still staunchly opposed to Rienne’s decision to accept the Tiwakan proposal. A civil war might have even broken out had that man not presented her lover’s sword to her as proof of his death.
[ Rienne ] “Would that not be rather disrespectful? Tell them I’ll need to speak with Lord Tiwakan first.”
[ Maslow ] “If you insist on being so polite to those barbarians, I won’t stand still.”
Maslow stroked his chin with his head drooped down.
The chairman of the noble council was her dead lover’s uncle, and that very seat of power was one of the positions that were guaranteed to the Kleinfelders for generations.
This delegate was given the sacred responsibility of assisting the royal family, but the chairman of Nauk had only been performing a single duty for the last several years.
Keeping potential rebellions in check.
The chairman undoubtedly believed his nephew would become King of Nauk some day after serving dutifully as the commander of the Arsak family’s retinue knights.
It was obvious he would be losing his mind, hearing that Rienne had gotten engaged to another so soon after his nephew’s passing.
This was part of the reasons why Rienne could never accept her lover’s feelings for her to be true, no matter how sincere he was.
If Rienne had married him and allowed him to rule Nauk alongside her, she knew the chairman wouldn’t waste any time using Nauk for all it was worth—eating away at it starting from the bottom.
[ Maslow ] “Don’t you think you should speak with the Kleinfelders personally? If those savages have earned common decency, then so have the Kleinfelders. Please give them the respect they deserve, Princess.”
[ Rienne ] “My apologies, but I’m busy preparing for the engagement. I don’t have time to deliver my condolences in person, so please understand my position. If not, then perhaps you’re somehow trying to maintain the goal of the chairman?”
Maslow’s face turned red, but that meant nothing.
[ Maslow ] “Princess, I only mean that we shouldn’t neglect the death of Lord Kleinfelder just because of his family. If we do, we’ll end up paying a great price. They’re a family that dates back to the days of Nauk’s first king.”
[ Rienne ] “Don’t you think I know that?”
Rienne gave a tired and bitter smile.
[ Rienne ] “You of all people should know how hard I tried to avoid the proposal from Lord Tiwakan, but the death toll kept rising. What more could I have done? Should I have sacrificed more lives just to help the Kleinfelders’ save face?”
[ Maslow ] “…I’ve said my piece, Princess.”
With no more words left to say, Maslow backed off. Rienne didn’t respond as he turned around, leaving the room and shutting the door behind him with a heavy sound.
[ Rienne ] “To think we must come to blows just planning a memorial.”
Rienne let out a low sigh.
What a terrible lover I am…
[ Rienne ] “I should at least change my clothes.”
If nothing else, she should wear mourning clothes to greet the body of the lover she never once loved.
* * *
[ Rienne ] “…What did you just say?”
But she couldn’t wear a black dress.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Lord Weroz told me to deliver an urgent message. The head of that barbaric tribe is bringing the body himself, so you’ll need to change again, Princess.”
[ Rienne ] “Ha…”
Even the thought of meeting with those cold, beast-like eyes again made her chest feel tight.
[ Rienne ] “It can’t be helped. Bring me another dress. And prepare a welcome.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Yes, Princess.”
Mrs. Flambard was Rienne’s nanny, and was now serving as her personal lady-in-waiting. She sighed deeply.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “You shouldn’t have to welcome the barbarians, Princess. You don’t have to act nice.”
As she picked out a few pieces of clothing with colorful fabrics, Mrs. Flambard’s eyes were filled with a mixture of pity and anger.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “You shouldn’t look too beautiful either. They don’t deserve to see you like that.”
[ Rienne ] “It’s a bit too late for that. Now that I’ve accepted his proposal, we’re considered officially engaged. Treating him badly would reflect poorly on me.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “But he’s a savage who killed your love.”
Rienne quickly moved to stop Mrs. Flambard’s crying, who sobbed as if she was the one who experienced the tragedy.
[ Rienne ] “Mrs. Flambard.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Yes, Princess?”
[ Rienne ] “He’s gone, and I’m engaged now. It would be an insult to both my fiancé and myself if I were to speak his name now.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Ah…”
[ Rienne ] “Now please, help me change clothes. I shouldn’t be late.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “. . .”
Mrs. Flambard didn’t respond, but she nodded her head instead.
She worked as she usually did when she changed Rienne’s clothes, but every so often, her hands would tremble.
[ Rienne ] “Oh, but one more thing.”
As Mrs. Flambard tightened the laces of Rienne’s undershirt, several thoughts crossed her mind.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Tell me, Princess.”
[ Rienne ] “It’s still a secret, but I’m having a baby.”
How do you feel?
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