A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 60 | Those Who Look Alike

[Rienne] “What’s the problem?

Rienne looked up at Phermos, tilted her head.

[Phermos] “As you know, there’s a major roadblock presently on the path to your wedding ceremony—the Treaty of Risebury. You said that the Temple held the power to bypass it, but now the seat of the High Priest is empty, and the Treaty itself is rotten to the core, so we can’t appoint a new one so easily.”

That was correct.

The plan was to disrupt the connection between the Temple and the Kleinfelders by revealing that Linden Kleinfelder had ordered Klimah to kill the High Priest.

But if Klimah was gone, that plan was no longer possible.

[Phermos] “So I urge you to reconsider, Princess. If we erase his sins, then it’s uncertain how much longer your wedding will have to be delayed.”

[Rienne] “……..But we can’t kill him.”

[Phermos] “Then at least tell me the reason. The reason you insist upon saving him.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Rienne sighed.

For Rienne, Klimah’s life was a matter she was not willing to yield on. But Phermos was completely on Black’s side, so she needed to show her sincerity towards Black if she wanted him to listen.

Rienne took a deep and long breath, slowly exhaling.

[Rienne] “I never had a child.”

[Phermos] “Oh, I heard. Although it was not my Lord’s biological child, I’m very sorry for your loss…….Wait, what do you mean, never?”

Phermos didn’t really care about this situation at all, so he tried forcing himself to speak some basic words of condolences. But the moment his mind cleared and he focused on her words, his eyes widened.

[Phermos] “You mean you were never pregnant from the start? Is that true?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

[Phermos] “And my Lord knows……Ah, okay, that explains a lot. No wonder he looked so happy, his face looked a little stupid. Ah, but please don’t tell him I said that. As you know, my Lord doesn’t really express his emotions often. No one else would’ve noticed it, but those of us who know him well were so shocked that he was making such a strange face.”

She didn’t really mind the idea of that.

Rienne couldn’t imagine Black making a goofy face, but she was certain he would look nice like that. It would probably look very soft and friendly. Maybe even a little happy looking.

……Thinking about him like this makes me miss him.

[Rienne] “I was going to continue lying until the very end. That was how I was planning on protecting the Arsak family’s sovereignty. But…..”

[Phermos] “Are you saying you’ve changed your mind?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

[Phermos] “May I ask why?”

[Rienne] “Because I’ve decided to become sincere to your leader.”

[Phermos] “Oh…”

Phermos sat still, just blinking in surprise. Whenever he moved, the muscles in his face shifted, accompanied by the sound of his monocle, clicking in place.

[Rienne] “I have nothing left to calculate nor do I have anything left to fear or be disappointed by. I believe that Lord Tiwakan is a man lacking in nothing, and would make a fine king of Nauk.”

[Phermos] “That’s only obvious, but I’m still a little confused. I’m glad to hear you wish to be sincere, but it seems too early for you to be saying that…..”

[Rienne] “Do you think I’m lying to you?”

Rienne turned and faced Phermos, her expression beyond calm.

Nothing she said was a lie. Yes, she had things she wished to keep hidden, but everything she said now was the complete and honest truth.

Besides, Phermos himself even said that Rienne was a terrible liar. If he looked at her properly now, he would be able to see her expression and recognize her honesty.

[Phermos] “No, please forget what I said. There’s no reason for me to speak like this to you. As someone who has pledged my loyalty to my Lord, I am only happy to hear you speak of your sincerity.”

[Rienne] “And I only wish to do everything I can for him. I want Lord Tiwakan and those of his blood to become the rightful ruler of this land.”

[Phermos] “Well, if that’s the case, then very well. But I fail to see what this has to do with covering up the sins of the servant.”

[Rienne] “It’s important. That’s all you need to know.”

[Phermos] “Hm……You don’t seem to want to talk about it.”

[Rienne] “The way we help others can vary from time to time. But know that it’s for Lord Tiwakan’s sake that I wish to clear the servant of his sins. Lord Tiwakan is the only one on my mind right now.”

[Phermos] “W, well, if you put things like that…….then I cannot refuse.”

As if looking through a window, he felt like he could see the truth a little more clearly.

Phermos stuttered for a moment, feeling strange as if he’d been stabbed somewhere.

Both his Lord and the Princess were coming at things from different angles, but what they were doing was exactly the same. Their feelings were genuine, so they wanted to do things for each other. And one of those things was keeping the servant, Klimah alive.

Though their methods were different, for some reason it felt like they wanted the same things.

But they had no idea because they weren’t talking to each other.

Feeling a little frustrated, Phermos aimlessly scratched his head.

He once heard that humans often gave their affection to those they felt were similar to themselves, and though he had his doubts before, seeing the two of them now, he felt like it was true.

The two of them, though completely different on the outside, were eerily similar on the inside.

[Phermos] “If this cannot be helped, then we will find another way.”

As if she were relieved, Rienne smiled widely.

[Rienne] “Thank you.”

[Phermos] “Ah…..Yes. Thank you, too.”

At that moment, Phermos was so stunned that he ended up accidentally saying the wrong response.

[Rienne] “What are you thanking me for, Lord Phermos?”

[Phermos] “When you smile like that, of course such a sight is something worth being thankful for……Ah, wait no, what am I saying……I, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

And without even saying a proper goodbye, Phermos stood up squarely from his seat and quickly left the room.

[Rienne] “…….?”

Even Rienne had to take pause at how strange that was—a behavior so unlike the Phermos she knew. It wasn’t as though she expected Phermos to be polite to her all the time, but it was still very weird.

[Rienne] “Well, anyway, Klimah…..needs to find a proper hiding place. If he stays in the Temple, the Kleinfelders might find him.”

But Rienne had so much other work to worry about.

Not to mention Klimah’s mother, who was a hostage under the guise of working at the Kleinfelder estate, also needed to be rescued somehow.

[Rienne] “What should I do about that…..?”

But little did Rienne know that Mrs. Henton’s circumstances were a concern she didn’t need to think about. After all, she was already far away from that house. Somewhere safe and sound.

_^*

* * *

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The fact that the Kleinfelder estate was turned upside down made the remaining five families tremble in anger.

Or was it the fear making them shake so much?

Even if Linden Kleinfelder was away, the door to the estate should not have been broken down so easily. But the fact that it was, just proved how much stronger the Tiwakan were than all of them, even if they were to combine their strength.

They couldn’t stop them.

[Ellaroiden] “Goddammit.”

Ellaroiden spat under his breath.

Despite the fact that his visit had been announced, the Rosadel mansion still wasn’t ready to receive him. He cursed, thinking even his harsh swears were too polite for slow, bastard workers.

[Ellaroiden] “Why haven’t they opened up yet?”

This was a crisis for all six families.

This wasn’t just some political spat or general disagreement. This was a bloody threat, one that could potentially take all of their lives directly.

If they allowed the situation to remain like this, they would lose everything they had to those barbarous Tiwakan.

So the six families had to join together with what forces they had. Even if it resulted in war or the crime of treason, they had to do everything they could to drive out the Tiwakan.

These talks should have been led by Linden Kleinfelder, but because he was still in prison, Ellaroiden had no choice but to step up, take the risk, and make his own move.

But these days, with Castle Nauk newly defended and the Tiwakan roaming the streets, it was terrifying even leaving the house.

Not to mention that Ellaroiden had his own sin to bear—even if it was merely the sin of a messenger.

Just as Linden had asked, he sent on the message to the servant that he’d mentioned. There was no word of the man being caught yet, but the Tiwakan had already trampled on the head of the delegation’s home.

And that meant his own home wouldn’t be safe either.

Whether Princess Rienne returned or not, he thought the remaining five families would be left alone, but now that couldn’t be guaranteed.

Bang, bang—!

Feeling nervous, Ellaroiden put strength into his fist, banging against the door of the Rosadel estate.

He was wearing the clothes of a worker and left behind his escort all for the sake of avoiding the eyes of the Tiwakan. He had to do this himself.

[Ellaroiden] “Open the door! Hurry up!”

Click. Squeak!

Eventually the door opened, but only by barely an inch.

[Butler] “Shush….. You must be quiet.”

It was the butler of the Rosadel estate who answered the door. But Ellaroiden had been kept waiting so long, he was furious.

[Ellaroiden] “If you were going to open the door eventually, why did you make me wait so long? How could you keep me standing out here?”

[Butler] “My master doesn’t wish to see you, sir. Please, you should return now…..”

[Ellaroiden] “What?”

Ellaroiden’s face twisted.

[Ellaroiden] “How dare you! Get out of my way!”

As he yelled out in anger, Ellaroiden pushed past the butler, forcing his way through the door.

[Butler] “No, you can’t! Sir!”

[Ellaroiden] “Shut up and call Lord Rosadel. How dare you tell me what I can’t do!”

With heavy steps, Ellaroiden stomped through the mansion recklessly. The butler tried to stop him, but he couldn’t touch him, so all he did was follow after him as he yelled.

[Ellaroiden] “Rosadel! Come on out! Do you really think you’ll be safe if you hide!? Do you think those barbarians will leave you alone if you hunker down like this!?”

[Butler] “S, sir! Please lower your voice. My master did not mean to offend you…..”

[Ellaroiden] “Then what is this?”

The butler didn’t know what to do, so he awkwardly shut his mouth. But just as he was about to shrivel away, Rosadel finally showed himself.

[Rosadel] “Quiet, sir.”

[Ellaroiden] “…..? Lord Rosadel?”

Ellaroiden’s mouth was left agape.

Rosadel’s lack of energy was already suspicious, but looking at his face, he looked deathly exhausted and defeated.

After losing sixteen soldiers in a single encounter, Rosadel collapsed—suffering after he’d heard the news. Out of those sixteen men, only one managed to barely escape with his life. But he’d lost an arm, and couldn’t even be called a knight anymore.

Some may think losing sixteen soldiers out of two-hundred was hardly cause for concern, but not for Rosadel.

Because in less than an hour, those sixteen men were utterly decimated like mashing rotten grain.

And apparently, it wasn’t even a true battle. All of this carnage was carried out by a single man.

The Tiwakan were a disaster. Like a blighted swarm upon the land. They were not something that could be stopped using human power.

Realizing this, Rosadel had already lost his will to fight.

[Rosadel] “I already know what you’re here for, and I don’t agree. I’m pulling myself out of this fight. So just……send him back outside.”

[Ellaroiden] “What the hell are you talking about!?”

During this entire conversation, Rosadel didn’t even bother inviting Ellaroiden to the drawing room—instead just having him stand in the main hall.

And now he was being sent back outside.

[Ellaroiden] “Are you just going to give up?”

[Rosadel] “I don’t want to fight the Tiwakan. It’s impossible…..”

[Ellaroiden] “Wake up! Do you really think the Tiwakan will leave you alone? You were the one who delivered that message to the servant of the Kleinfelders!”

[Rosadel] “You!”

Rosadel shouted, pointing his finger at Ellaroiden.

[Rosadel] “What are you talking about!? You did that all on your own! You were the only one who spoke to that slave!”

[Ellaroiden] “Do you think they’ll care about that!? That day, both of us spoke to Lord Kleinfelder! That’s all they know!”

[Rosadel] “Ah…..no….”

Rosadel fell to his knees on the ground.

[Butler] “Oh, master. You can’t sit in such a cold place.”

Loyal as he was, the butler grabbed onto Rosadel, trying to bring him back to his feet. Meanwhile, Rosadel’s body was staggering as he shook his head.

[Rosadel] “No……I didn’t do anything. Everything was done by the Kleinfelder family and the Ellaroiden family…….”

As Rosadel sat on his knees, Ellaroiden looked at him, clicking his tongue in near shock.

[Ellaroiden] “Such a shameful display as a lord. Are you not ashamed of what the name Rosadel has become?”

[Rosadel] “I didn’t do anything……I didn’t do it……”

[Ellaroiden] “Ha, this is—!”

Ellaroiden clicked his tongue, exhaling harshly.

He didn’t understand why Rosadel was so terrified, but clearly he was useless now.

[Ellaroiden] “Fine, I’ll go back for today, but you should really come to your senses. Do you really expect to protect your family’s name with such a pathetic look? This is the time for the six families to be working together.”

[Rosadel] “. . .”

Rosadel stayed quiet.

[Ellaroiden] “I’ll come back. I don’t know what happened, but pull yourself together.”

Ellaroiden turned on his heel.

Right now, he needed to decide if he should make a move, or pretend he knew nothing of what was going on and watch the situation for now.

[Ellaroiden] “There’s still no word on what happened to Princess Rienne. Should I plant a man in the castle…..?”

But the moment he was muttering to himself and opening the door to leave—

[Ellaroiden] “……? …..A, ah!”

At first, he thought his eyes were lying to him, but there was no mistaking it. As soon as the gates were opened, the first thing he saw was that terrifying black armor.

[Ellaroiden] “T, Tiwakan….!”