Their lips met again.
This time felt more rushed and impatient but it was intense and strong without being rough. As she felt him deeply penetrating her mouth, all sense of reason left her as she took in the wet sensation.
The fierce and powerful kiss left nothing but a torrid mess in her head.
It was as though all thoughts had been completely purged, leaving nothing but the senses laid bare.
The feeling of his hands climbing up her back, of being pressed into his body or the familiar scent of their kiss that she’d never forget. Even how the taste of him stuck to her mouth—it was like nothing else existed.
[ Rienne ] “…….?”
But their hectic kiss suddenly stopped.
As Rienne slowly opened her eyes in a daze, Black softly whispered towards her, his face still wet and glistening.
[ Black ] “Someone’s here.”
[ Rienne ] “What?”
He was right.
Knock, knock.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Are you awake, Princess?”
It was Mrs. Flambard.
[ Rienne ] “Oh…..Oh no.”
She felt her cheeks burning up. Rienne panicked, placing her palms against Black’s chest and pushing herself up.
[ Rienne ] “What do we do?”
As the fevered expression on his face began to cool down, Black watched Rienne for a moment before nodding once.
[ Black ] “Should I hide?”
[ Rienne ] “……Excuse me?”
[ Black ] “There’s not enough room under the bed………but there should be enough space on the window frame. That’ll do.”
[ Rienne ] “. . .”
Hearing those words, Rienne felt an unpleasant reminder cross her nose.
It wasn’t long ago that she had to hide Rafit on the window frame in this very room. He was in a place where he shouldn’t have been, and Rienne, given no choice but to hide him, felt deep shame over the matter.
It made her feel like some kind of dirty person, trying to cover up something they did wrong.
[ Black ] “Stall for time until I can hide.”
Black moved to pull himself out of bed.
Rienne wasn’t sure if he was purposefully talking about the window frame like this in order to remind her of what happened that day, but at least she was certain about one thing.
In order to preserve Rienne’s honor, he was willing to hide himself out the window.
[ Rienne ] “No, you don’t need to do something like that.”
Sharing a bed with Black wasn’t some disgraceful thing.
Black was her one and only fiancé. There was no reason to treat him like she did Rafit. In fact, it would be more shameful and dishonorable to try and hide him.
[ Rienne ] “We’re engaged. It wouldn’t be appropriate to force my fiancé to hide himself from the eyes of a maid. Not only would it be against etiquette, but it’s also outright wrong.”
[ Black ] “…….People will misunderstand. No one will believe nothing happened after I spent all night here.
[ Rienne ] “I don’t mind that. We’ll be officially married in a few days regardless, so it hardly matters.”
[ Black ] “. . .”
Looking at Rienne, a frown seemed to form between Black’s eyes.
But he wasn’t making a displeased face nor did he try and disagree with her.
[ Rienne ] “……Ah.”
Suddenly, he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly as he overlapped his lips with hers. Rienne couldn’t say anything as a kiss more intense than the one before deeply dug into her.
Knock…..knock.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess? Are you in there?”
Mrs. Flambard didn’t know what was happening so she was left to pace outside, worried about why Rienne wasn’t answering the door. All the while, Black’s kiss didn’t even begin to slow, only intensifying in heat.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess?”
Before the hesitant woman could open the door, the passionate kiss stopped.
[ Rienne ] “Ah…. What’s gotten into you…..?”
[ Black ] “I just thought all of the sudden……”
[ Rienne ] “All of the sudden?
[ Black ] “I thought you looked so lovely.”
[ Rienne ] “…..I’m sorry?”
She didn’t expect to hear that from him. Rienne was so stunned, her mouth was left slightly agape as Black leaned down and gently kissed her again.
It was a soft kiss, light as a feather that left a sweet sound behind. (1)
[ Black ] “Shouldn’t you answer the door?”
[ Rienne ] “Oh, you’re right…..”
But she’d already taken too much time.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “My apologies, Princess, but I must see if you’re inside. I think I can hear voices, but why aren’t you responding…….?”
Thump.
The bedroom door opened.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess…….? Princess!”
As she entered the room holding the doorknob, her expression became as cold as stone and her complexion turned grey to match.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Oh heavens…. How…..how come…..?”
[ Rienne ] “Good…..good morning, Mrs. Flambard.”
Unlike before, she didn’t feel ashamed, but she still felt very embarrassed. Rienne slipped herself out of Black’s grasp, pretending his presence wasn’t unusual as she wiped the corner of her mouth with her fingers.
[ Rienne ] “You needn’t be too surprised. Lord Tiwakan slept in my room last night, so please treat my fiancé same as you would treat me.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Y, yes but…..but going so far….so suddenly…..”
[ Rienne ] “Ma’am.”
Mrs. Flambard quickly shut her mouth in surprise the moment she noticed Rienne’s voice turning a bit stern. Rienne did everything she could to make her face look as serious as possible, but it didn’t work very well with her face as red as an apple.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Alright, then….. I’ll… um……I’ll get the water prepared for you to wash up then.”
[ Rienne ] “Yes, please do.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Yes, Princess. I will….of course do so.”
After that, she quickly excused herself to the bathroom with her face still looking a little unwell. Rienne breathed a heavy sigh—the heaviest she’d done in her whole life.
[ Rienne ] “Now then……. I’ll let you get ready for the day as well, Lord Tiwakan.”
It was a polite expression, but one nonetheless meaning ‘please leave’.
[ Black ] “I don’t want to.”
[ Rienne ] “……..Excuse me?”
Rienne must have looked really serious because Black gave a short smile.
[ Black ] “But I’ll go.”
[ Rienne ] “Please.”
Even though it was just for a brief moment, the memory of Black’s smiling face left a deep impression on her.
Please don’t smile at me like that.
If you do, I’ll only want to hold on to this morning…….
…….Oh, what am I even thinking? What’s wrong with me?
[ Black ] “Princess.”
As they both moved to get out of bed, Black suddenly called out to Rienne.
[ Rienne ] “Yes?”
Turning her head to look at him, Black pulled her into him and brushed his lips against hers once more. As he kissed her, she felt his lips slowly draw up, dappling more kisses along her cheek, up along her nose and across her forehead.
[ Black ] “Can I join you for breakfast?”
[ Rienne ] “If you’d like, but why do you keep kissing me…..? We need to hurry.”
[ Black ] “Just don’t forget.”
Black glanced down at her lips again before finally letting her go.
[ Black ] “See you in a bit.”
[ Rienne ] “. . .”
Rienne sat there, watching him as he left the bedroom.
Her heart felt as though it had become like a lake, with nothing but a strange and mysterious wave echoing through it.
What do you mean by ‘don’t forget’……?
She wanted to ask him that.
If she didn’t hear the answer directly from him, she’d be left only to remember the feeling of his lips, diligently putting his mark all across her.
*
* * *
*
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess.”
After heading to the bathroom first, Mrs. Flambard appeared much calmer now.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Stand here. I’ll get your sleeves.”
[ Rienne ] “Thank you, ma’am. I can wash myself.”
As Rienne washed her face, Mrs. Flambard helped by rolling up the ends of her sleeves to prevent them from getting wet.
But while Rienne busied herself, leaning in front of the water basin, Mrs. Flambard didn’t feel like she could leave quite yet.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Pardon my rudeness, Princess, but I cannot help but ask. Did you truly spend the night with him?”
[ Rienne ] “W, well…….In the way you’re thinking….”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “You didn’t, did you?”
[ Rienne ] “……..No.”
Honestly, she had a feeling Mrs. Flambard would know the truth. She was quick-witted, and considered knowing Rienne better than she knew herself a part of her job.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “No matter how much I think on it, it just doesn’t make sense for you to have slept together. You are certainly not the type to do something like that on impulse, Princess. And after what happened yesterday….with Lord Kleinfelder and everything, wasn’t Lord Tiwakan upset with you after misunderstanding the situation?”
[ Rienne ] “He was.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “In these circumstances, how could you spend the night together? Especially with a man who’s capable of doing who-knows-what when he’s angry?”
[ Rienne ] “. . .”
Rienne made a troubled expression.
Black was certainly abnormal, that much was clear. Even now, Rienne could hear his darkened voice, telling her what he wanted from her as payment for what she’d done. Thinking about it still made her heart sting.
But he didn’t do anything to her.
He wasn’t that kind of man.
[ Rienne ] “Ma’am, please don’t say those kinds of things. Lord Tiwakan…….”
Mrs. Flambard didn’t seem to hear Rienne’s words, nodding her head at her own thoughts.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Or at least that’s what I originally thought. It’s the strangest thing. Such a great misunderstanding took place and yet, in my eyes, the Princess and Lord Tiwakan looked as sweet as a pair of newly matched lovebirds. How did that happen?” (2)
[ Rienne ] “. . .”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess?”
At Rienne’s hesitancy, Mrs. Flambard pressed for an answer.
[ Rienne ] “That’s……”
That’s what I want to know. How did this happen, again?
He came into her room, suddenly offering to put medicine on her—telling her he wouldn’t take no for an answer because that’s what she’d said to him.
And then he told her he was going to kiss her.
Closing her eyes, she could easily remember the feeling of him tenderly pressing his lips against the back of her neck.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Princess?”
[ Rienne ] “…….Ah, I was just thinking about what happened.”
After that, he said he was going to sleep in her room. She found an extra blanket for him and then……
……Then he found a freckle under my ear this morning. Then he kissed me after saying I didn’t understand…….and he told me he thought I was lovely.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “So I haven’t been seeing things incorrectly? Have you given him your heart?”
[ Rienne ] “I don’t know about that…….”
Everything happened so quickly, pouring like rain as it flowed into a river.
It was obvious she hadn’t managed to clear up the misunderstanding with Black. No matter what she said, he didn’t seem to believe her.
All Rienne could do was continue to insist it was a misunderstanding. There wasn’t much she could do besides that. And it was true that Rienne herself couldn’t trust in Black either, which is why she had resorted to telling so many lies in the first place.
But even so, there was no animosity.
His eyes that looked for things to notice about her were kind and the hands that made her body tremble were always gentle.
But given the situation and everything that happened, she still couldn’t understand why it felt like everything was calming down so quickly.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “You don’t know?”
[ Rienne ] “Yes……I don’t know.”
Looking down at Rienne for a moment, Mrs. Flambard sighed.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I’ve heard…..and I believe this to be true……”
[ Rienne ] “What is it?”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “The affairs between a man and a woman. Sometimes it happens out of nowhere, and we cannot say for certain exactly why.” (3)
[ Rienne ] “That’s…….. I think this might be a little different than that……”
Mrs. Flambard shook her head, as if trying to see where the difference lies.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I may not know much, Princess, but please listen to me. About the matter of having a child…….I think it would be best to just be honest and tell him it isn’t true. Though I cannot see the politics of it all, I’m saying this as someone who knows a thing or two about what goes on between men and women.”
[ Rienne ] “. . .”
She knew Mrs. Flambard was saying that for her sake.
But she couldn’t do that. Not yet, at least.
[ Rienne ] “I can’t.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Such a lie will do you no good once you’re married, Princess.”
[ Rienne ] “Of course I know that. I want nothing more than to say ‘there’s no child’ directly to him with my own voice.”
She wanted to say there was no man she couldn’t forget, either.
It’s all just a misunderstanding. I’ve never thought of Rafit even half as much as I think of you.
[ Rienne ] “……..But before I can, there’s something I need to know. Something I cannot ignore.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “What in heavens name could it be?”
Maybe the time had come to be honest with Mrs. Flambard.
[ Rienne ] “I’ve been hearing from multiple people……that there’s another reason why Lord Tiwakan proposed to me. That marriage was never the main point of what he sought……And that his true aim is something much more dire.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “What? No, who told you that? Do you know for certain?”
[ Rienne ] “I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I can’t pretend I don’t know anything and just overlook it. If it turns out to be true, there’s no coming back from it.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Well, yes, you’d be right about that.”
[ Rienne ] “Lord Weroz left to look into these claims, but I don’t know if he’ll manage to come back before the wedding.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Then what should we do? Should we postpone it?”
[ Rienne ] “I don’t know.”
Rienne held Mrs. Flambard’s hand. Now it was time to ask for something more dangerous.
[ Rienne ] “But I think I know someone other than Lord Weroz who can help.”
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Who?”
[ Rienne ] “Can you meet with them?”
She wouldn’t be able to move freely for awhile. She wasn’t certain what the Kleinfelders would do now that Rafit was in custody, and Black still didn’t trust her. She’d only raise more suspicions if she tried to meet with someone now.
And this was concerning a secret more dangerous than a simple misunderstanding about her relationship with Rafit.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “I will, Princess.”
After she became Rienne’s nanny, Mrs. Flambard hardly ever left the castle, save for a few times. Nonetheless, she nodded her head with her lips tightly clenched.
[ Mrs. Flambard ] “Who must I meet with?”
How do you feel?
