A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 74

Chapter 74 | On the Eve (1)

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All throughout the night, the story of two Kleinfelders losing their statuses and being expelled from Nauk spread like waves. But the Kleinfelder estate itself, occupying the largest swath of land in Nauk, remained firmly closed, refusing to comment on the situation.

From the outside, it looked completely empty with all the lights turned out. People wondered if the rest of the Kleinfelder family was even angered by what happened.

But at the same time, there was no word of workers being fired from the estate. Wary of the new law in Nauk, people just assumed the remnants of the family were trying to be careful.

Meanwhile, the remaining five families were very busy.

In preparation for the next day’s meeting, they secretly gathered at the Burey estate.

[Burey] “Never again will I allow myself to be humiliated like this!”

Burey was extremely incensed by how things went down, angrily waving around his unbroken hand. But Rosadel was too beaten down and tired to show any reaction, his face looking awfully pathetic.

[Ellaroiden] “But what can we even do? Is there anything all of us are capable of anymore?”

Ellaroiden looked around.

[Ellaroiden] “The Kleinfelders are finished.”

Burey took in a huff of air, cutting back quickly.

[Burey] “Will you just disappear too, then?”

[Rosadel] “If we just stay quiet and do as we’re told, we’ll be safe.”

But as Rosadel muttered out such weak and feeble words, Burey glared at him with a fierce expression.

[Burey] “How could you be so lax, Lords Rosadel and Ellaroiden!? A beast dares to stomp all over Nauk and declare himself king!”

[Ellaroiden] “Luckily, that beast has an owner. He said so himself.”

At this point, Ellaroiden and Rosadel had completely lost their will to fight. But Burey was a fool, having entirely forgotten his own mangled wrist, stepping before the noble party with unearned bravado.

[Serquez] “So what, you think we should lean on a little girl who isn’t afraid of the beast because she doesn’t know any better? For shame! Have you forgotten what the Arsak family owes us?”

The head of the Serquez family was the next to speak out. He was one of the lucky few who didn’t have a broken wrist, and thus sided with Burey’s foolishness.

[Serquez] “We must never forget……Do we not all agree?”

[Burey] “Obviously!”

With all the other nobles fixing their gazes on him, Burey confidently nodded.

[Burey] “The question now is, where does this leave us?”

[Serquez] “That beast has his owner, but she has yet to tie a leash around his neck. On the contrary, we have a leash tied around hers.”

The Treaty of Risebury was a leash, bound to the neck of the Arsak royal family.

[Serquez] “We cannot allow this marriage to happen. But if the beast wants so badly to share a bed with her, then we must be sure our grip on her leash is as tight as it can be.”

Rosadel shook his head.

[Rosadel] “But will the Tiwakan sit still and let this happen?”

[Serquez] “He has military force, but no roots. Nauk is a land that has been governed by the divine word and the law for a very long time now. If a beast wishes to live here, then he must abide by human law.”

What Serquez was talking about was the selection of the High Priest, and how the position must be selected by those of the Grand Council and the aristocratic delegation.

If they found a proper High Priest who followed orders well who could interfere with the marriage as much as possible under the guise of God’s will, even a beast like him would have no choice but to acknowledge the might of Nauk’s nobility.

[Serquez] “And besides. Something like this isn’t enough to make the Kleinfelders go away.”

Serquez gave a knowing smirk.

[Serquez] “You all know. After the coup twenty years ago, the new royal family of Nauk should have been the Kleinfelders. It’s a shame the old patriarch, Lucas Kleinfelder had to be cursed by God so suddenly. Had he not, the Arsaks would never have worn the crown.”

The nobles grit their teeth, recalling a past known only to them. 

It was twenty years ago, so some among the gathered nobles were not as adept back then as they were now. Like Lord Armendaris and Lord Rosadel, whose fathers participated in the rebellion and they merely picked up the slack after their deaths.

However, it was clear to all of them that the six families became the most powerful entities in Nauk because of what happened, dominating the nation’s wealth.

[Serquez] “The Arsaks must pay the price. The crown cannot be gained for free.”

After that, the five family heads chose one among them to replace Linden Kleinfelder as the head of the delegation—Serquez.

Of course, not everyone was happy with the decision. Among the six families, Serquez was near the bottom rung, holding fewer properties and wealth than the others. Some inwardly thought he was unfit to serve as their representative.

But regardless, even as that passive division cut through them, the five family heads waited patiently for the next day’s meeting.

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[Rienne] “It’s getting late now.”

Rienne whispered, standing beside the window. She opened her eyes widely, trying to see past the invasive darkness of the outside. Try as she did, she couldn’t pull away her gaze.

[Rienne] “Can I really trust that nothing will happen? He said he’d oversee the Kleinfelders’ exile from Nauk, but that doesn’t eliminate the chances of an accident. Oh, what should I do?”

Feeling the nervousness build up inside her, Rienne bit her nail. Already, the hard work Mrs. Flambard had put into manicuring them was going to waste.

[Rienne] “Why haven’t I heard back from the guards yet? Lord Phermos said he definitely would send them……He wasn’t just saying that, was he? Should I go ask?”

The ticking clock was nearing midnight and she couldn’t stand to wait any longer. Throwing a shawl over her shoulders, Rienne left in her nightgown with only a single candle to light her way.

[Rienne] “Lord Phermos should be in his room.”

Phermos recently changed rooms to one near the northern tower. That place was quickly becoming the lodgings of choice for the Tiwakan, so he seemed to be more comfortable there.

Barefoot, Rienne was almost running towards the northern tower. Even at such a late time, many mercenaries were still wide awake, keeping watch around the entrance and the stairs. 

To her luck, they answered that Phermos was in his room when she asked. Nodding her thanks, Rienne ascended up the stairs and knocked on Phermos’ door once she reached it.

[Phermos] “Hm..? Princess?”

Fortunately he wasn’t asleep yet. However, as he opened the door, he seemed to be in the midst of turning in, as half of his clothes were partially off.

[Phermos] “What are you doing here at this hour?”

Normally, Phermos had his hair tied back and his trusty monocle was always present, but like this, bare-faced with his hair unfurled, he seemed like a different person. But that wasn’t important right now.

[Rienne] “I wanted to make sure you sent off the guards. Are you certain you did so?”

[Phermos] “Ah, of course, I always follow my orders. But was checking now really necessary?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

[Phermos] “Well, you’ve successfully made sure of it, so please return to your room…….Princess?”

Phermos jumped as Rienne pushed past him into the room. But because Phermos was just about to go to bed, the only thing he was wearing was a pair of pants. A regulation set worn by all Tiwakan mercenaries.

[Phermos] “Is there any particular reason you needed to enter my room?”

[Rienne] “I can’t sleep.”

[Phermos] “Excuse me? I, I’m sorry, what?”

[Rienne] “Don’t you think it’s too late?”

[Phermos] “……Ah, you were waiting for my Lord?”

Walking barefoot, Phermos held his chin, speaking with a somewhat tired expression.

[Phermos] “Let’s see, the time is…….just past midnight. It’s late, but it’ll be fine.”

[Rienne] “How can you be so sure?”

[Phermos] “If something out of the ordinary happened, I would’ve received word by now. My guess is that the Kleinfelders had a lot of wealth hidden around, so it’s taking him some time to get it all sorted out.”

[Rienne] “No, that can’t be it. I’ve already heard. They say all the lights are down at the Kleinfelder estate. It’s completely silent, like there’s no one there at all.”

[Phermos] “I see. You must be very worried…….Ah.”

Just as Phermos was thinking about offering Rienne a seat out of courtesy, he realized he was wearing very inappropriate clothing for someone in the presence of a Princess, causing him to jump to his feet.

[Phermos] “I’m going to get dressed, Princess. Wait here for a moment.”

[Rienne] “It’s fine, don’t bother.”

[Phermos] “What………Wait, what?”

[Rienne] “Why don’t we send more soldiers? Although, I’m not sure where we’d send them, so I came here to ask.”

[Phermos] “No, Princess. I told you this before, but it’s really alright…..”

[Rienne] “But it’s past midnight and he hasn’t come back yet.”

[Phermos] “If you just go to sleep, he’ll be back before you know it.”

[Rienne] “I can’t sleep.”

[Phermos] “Princess.”

Feeling awkward, Phermos crossed his arms in an attempt to cover his bare chest, though it was a pointless effort. However, looking at Rienne, it was obvious she couldn’t care less how exposed he was, but that was hardly the point.

[Phermos] “Well……This might be a little unwarranted of me to say, but…..My Lord has his own way of solving things….so by worrying so much over nothing, you’ll end up stressing yourself out needlessly.”

[Rienne] “I understand you have faith in Lord Tiwakan, but I can’t help but worry.”

[Phermos] “I’m only saying there’s nothing for you to be worrying about in the first place.”

[Rienne] “But there is. This is about the exile of none other than Linden Kleinfelder. The remains of the Kleinfelder family might’ve made some attempt at retaliation and……”

[Phermos] “If that were the case, I would’ve heard about it sooner. And the Kleinfelders no longer have their private militia, Princess.”

[Rienne] “Sorry? But then where did their five hundred soldiers go?”

[Phermos] “They realized there was no payment to be earned in their current positions. It stands to reason they would leave.”

[Rienne] “Oh…..”

[Phermos] “Have you forgotten, Princess? The property of the Kleinfelders has been seized by the royal family, which means it all now belongs to you. Unless you choose to pay those soldiers, they will not remain.”

[Rienne] “Ah…..”

Rienne blinked.

From Phermos’ perspective, it was obvious the Kleinfelders’ fall from power was still a very unreal reality to her.

……But of course it would be hard for her to believe. She struggled for so many years under their iron grip. It was only natural that it would take her some time getting used to it.

[Phermos] “So, off to bed with you. Just like the Kleinfelders, the soldiers of the other families also have yet to make any kind of move.”

He wished she would just believe in his words and go to bed.

In war, collecting and analyzing information about the enemies’ numbers and movements was something that was done first and foremost. And when it came to war, the Tiwakan were a cut above the rest, so worrying like this was pointless.

[Rienne] “Is that so…….But what if there was an accident?”

[Phermos] “An accident?”

[Rienne] “Like……..what if his horse suddenly got spooked or………“

[Phermos] “Then at worst, he would break a bone.”

Hearing Phermos’ casual response, Rienne raised her voice.

[Rienne] “Then all the more reason we should send someone.”

[Phermos] “The poor soldiers would be the ones suffering for nothing. Wouldn’t it be too cruel to ask them to wander around the border at night, searching for someone who’s likely already left? Something like that would make even a member of the Tiwakan grumble and complain.”

[Rienne] “That’s…..Then just tell me the direction. I want to go out and meet him myself.”

Phermos’ expression immediately darkened.

[Phermos] “You can’t be serious, Princess.”

[Rienne] “It would be best if I could go see him for myself.”

[Phermos] “Best for who, I have to ask……”

Suddenly, Phermos’ mind cleared.

Seeing how serious Rienne looked, clearly she was absolutely dead set on going out to meet with his Lord, even if it meant dragging him out with her.

[Phermos] “Princess, if my Lord finds out I allowed you to leave the castle at this late hour, I would have to live using a cane for the rest of my life. Please, just let this go.”

[Rienne] “Then you can just go with me.”

[Phermos] “No, absolutely not! Right now, I’m in a position where I must stop you. So please just return to your room. Do you understand?”

[Rienne] “Lord Phermos, please don’t make me doubt your loyalty. He told me he would hurry back, but instead he’s beyond late at this point. You and I should both be concerned right now.”

Phermos breathed in deeply. At this point, he needed to say this.

[Phermos] “If my Lord had an unexpected accident, either one of us would’ve been contacted by now. At this time, waiting is the best thing you can do, considering you cannot ascertain his exact location. Besides, Princess……”

Still crossing his arms, Phermos’ expression shifted as he approached Rienne.

[Phermos] “You are aware you are presently only wearing your nightgown? Not to mention barefoot, as well.”

[Rienne] “How can you tell? I’m wearing a shawl over it.”

[Phermos] “It’s because you’re wearing a shawl. If you were fully clothed, there would be no need for that.”

Rienne turned her head away, and he could hear her quietly clicking her tongue under her breath.

[Rienne] “…….I should’ve known. You’re clever.”

[Phermos] “Are you not embarrassed? If anyone were to see us, you’re simply inviting a misunderstanding to occur. It would be better if you headed back to your room as soon as possible.”

[Rienne] “Who would be ridiculous enough to misunderstand a situation like this? We’re simply wearing our night clothes because it’s the middle of the night. That’s all there is to it.”

[Phermos] “Isn’t it only natural to misunderstand, given we are man and woman?”

[Rienne] “It’s a bit disrespectful to us both to reduce us to those mere physical attributes. Besides, there is not a soul disloyal enough among the Tiwakan to lay a hand on me.”

Though Rienne’s words were ever dignified, she gently tugged the hem of her shawl further over her body. It would appear this was something she was only just now realizing, but that didn’t mean she was willing to yield her point.

[Rienne] “I am going to get changed. Then, will you accompany me?”

[Phermos] “Hah, Princess……..”

Phermos ran his hands over his face, feeling like he was starting to lose his mind. But then, just as he was about to crack—

[Black] “You’re here?”

A low voice, the tone of which was filled with disbelief, echoed from outside the room, along with the thudding sound of something climbing up the stairs.

[Phermos] “Ah….! My Lord!”

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T/N: The title of this chapter is “전야” which is literally “the night before [usually a day of import]”. English doesn’t have a good 1:1 translation of that word, so I had to fudge it a little, ha.