Chapter 16 | On the Count of Three

* * *

It was a cheap move to ask her whether or not she didn’t like it. Rienne had asked herself that same question over and over, and every time she told herself she didn’t.

[Rienne] “Even if you could move…what are you planning on doing?”

[Black] “There’s lots of things I could do.”

As he slowly swept his hands over the back of her neck, she started to feel things thought she wasn’t able to feel, as though her long since dulled senses were being revived.

It was like something deep inside of her was trembling, spreading all throughout her, branching out as it moved down her spine.

Only then did Rienne realize her fingers were quivering as they rested on Black’s chest.

[Rienne] “We shouldn’t…do that.”

[Black] “Is that so?”

Black raised an eyebrow.

[Black] “Just a quick one.”

[Rienne] “I… have a lot keeping me busy right now…preparing for the wedding…”

Even as she said it, Rienne knew it was a weak excuse. Her shaking body as Black held her in his arms betrayed her flimsy words.

[Black] “Then it should be alright if I do it quickly, right?”

What could Rienne do in this kind of situation? She was the one who had agreed to be in a true relationship with him so she had no real reason to refuse him. There was no possible justification to say no.

But the strangest problem was that she wasn’t sure if she wanted to in the first place.

[Black] “It would be a waste to spend our time in any other way.”

Rienne felt Black wrap his arms around her waist as his soft voice brushed against her ears. Her body was being leaned back, but oddly enough she didn’t feel nervous. Instead she was comforted by the feeling of his broad hand supporting her.

She already knew how safe she felt with these arms around her.

[Rienne] “. . .”

It was only after Black had taken her chin in his hand and gave her a gentle kiss that she realized what happened earlier was rather regrettable.

It was regrettable that he was only checking for a wound before.

Knowing that’s how she felt deep down meant that somewhere within her existed desire. A fire that had been locked away inside of her yet was always there nonetheless. Thinking about that made her head swim.

That passion inside of her was just waiting for a chance to burst forth.

No matter what was happening, she always felt like this man was invading her very mind. It was a feeling that ensured any contact with him left her trembling and shaking.

Soon enough, they began to sink into one another with a frantic kiss.

The feeling of desire from earlier was left unfulfilled but it only came back stronger the moment they made contact. It was a greedy feeling, growing greedier and greedier with every touch.

That fervent craving they had for one another flowed between them like a tidal wave, eventually washing over them as Rienne indulged in the sensation—eagerly wrapping her arms around his neck.

And as their kiss slowed, their lips slowly fell apart but their distance remained the same.

[Black] “We should stop here if we want to make this short.”

Black muttered as he loosened the grip he had on Rienne’s waist. He wasn’t holding her down at all—she could move away from him whenever she wanted.

[Rienne] “….Yes.”

Rienne agreed with him.

I must be going crazy.

She actually thought for a moment that it was shame, but that was all the more reason they needed to stop.

That’s what the two of them told themselves.

But even so, they didn’t move away. Even though they knew they needed to part, that they needed to stop, they kept holding onto each other.

As if they didn’t know how to let go.

Black slowly tapped his large hand against Rienne’s sensitive back.

Even something small like that was too inciting to her. Rienne grabbed his sleeve as hard as she could and whispered almost to herself.

[Rienne] “I’m going to count to three and we should both move away.”

[Black] “. . .”

Black muttered something under his breath that Rienne couldn’t hear before responding.

[Black] “I’ll try.”

[Rienne] “Okay….One. Two. Three.”

As she counted down, Rienne released Black’s sleeve and tried to take a step back.

[Rienne] “…..?”

But Black didn’t.

Instead, he kept his hand on her chin and rubbed her lips with his thumb, looking at her in a way that kept her locked in place as she stared at him with a questioning look on her face.

[Black] “You’re counting too fast.”

[Rienne] “Really?”

[Black] “Count again. Slowly, this time.”

[Rienne] “I don’t know what difference it’ll make.”

[Black] “Probably not much.”

[Rienne] “Then why?”

[Black] “I’m just trying to buy some time.”

[Rienne] “What?

Black hugged her instead of responding. Though it was sudden, Rienne didn’t feel embarrassed. She even thought, however briefly, that it would be nice to stay like that.

…I must really be going crazy.

Black only asked her to count slowly, not stop counting all together. But despite that, Rienne stayed in his tight embrace until someone knocked loudly against the door.

* * *

[Phermos] “Oh… my apologies, have I interrupted?”

It was Phermos who had come to see Black.

[Phermos] “Shall I come back later?”

[Rienne] “….? No, that won’t be necessary. Rather, I should apologize for interrupting you. I’ll take my leave now, so please—speak comfortably.”

Rienne couldn’t understand why Phermos seemed to be acting so cautiously.

The moment Rienne and Black heard the knock on the door, they immediately let go of one another. Now there was a decent distance between the two of them, and Rienne hurriedly picked up the tape measure she borrowed from Mrs. Flambard.

She didn’t think he knew what just happened.

[Phermos] “And what do you mean by that, Princess?”

But such thinking was too naïve.

Just by looking at Black’s eyes, it made obvious the fire that was burning in the room. It was so palpable, Phermos’ mind was completely caught up in trying to make sense of it.

I don’t think he’s just playing around. (1)

Phermos knew his Lord wasn’t the kind of person to do anything just for the fun of it, much less this. He was more the type to vocally express his dislike for pointless things.

So why?

Not enough time had gone by for Princess Rienne to truly prove her sincerity to him. If nothing else, she was becoming more and more suspicious by the minute.

Just today, Princess Rienne had gone to her lover’s home and they still didn’t have a clear picture of what transpired there.

Black knew all of this.

Did he just not care? No, that couldn’t be it. That would go against his very character.

[Phermos] “This is something that should be discussed with you here as well, Princess. I regret to inform you that Lord Weroz has not yet been found. We’ve seen no sign of him.”

[Rienne] “He wasn’t at the Kleinfelder Estate?”

Rienne was certain he would be there somewhere. She thought Linden had planned the forced wedding and decided to temporarily get Weroz out of the way by locking him up.

Now that his plans had fallen through, he had no reason to keep Weroz locked away.

[Phermos] “Yes. I thought it was strange as well.”

Phermos continued talking as he fiddled with his monocle-like glasses.

[Phermos] “If he had defected or escaped, he would’ve left a trail of some kind but we found nothing of the sort. The Kleinfelders also didn’t exhibit any suspicious behavior in regards to keeping someone locked up.”

If Weroz was trapped somewhere in the Kleinfelder Estate like Princess Rienne claimed, there would have been some sign of it.

But Linden Kleinfelder was a confident man. He told them they were free to look around as much as they wanted, but if they couldn’t find what they were looking for, he would make them pay for the transgression.

That must’ve meant Weroz wasn’t there at the estate.

But at the same time, it was doubtful they smuggled him out. There wasn’t enough time for something like that, and the Tiwakan had eyes all over the place under the pretext of searching for the person who shot the arrow. They would’ve seen something.

[Phermos] “It’s possible he’s gone into hiding.”

[Rienne] “Absolutely not. Lord Weroz would never!”

Rienne firmly believed the Captain of Castle Nauk’s guard would never do something so cowardly and irresponsible.

[Phermos] “I thought so too, but the circumstances are quite telling.”

[Rienne] “What ‘circumstances’?”

[Phermos] “What other reason would he have to cover his tracks to the point of being untraceable? Whatever it is, it must’ve been very urgent.”

[Rienne] “You…”

He had a point. What reason would he have for doing that?

[Phermos] “If it turns out to be true, then I don’t think I’ve said anything terrible. He’ll likely return once things settle down. Or maybe he’ll even try to contact you, Princess.”

[Rienne] “That’s…”

No matter how many times the idea repeated itself in her head, it didn’t make any sense. Rienne shook her head as her legs buckled beneath her.

[Phermos] “Ah, Princess!”

As Phermos shouted out in surprise, Black wasted no time reaching out to help her, holding onto her unstable body. Phermos clicked his tongue in annoyance.

[Phermos] “I know this must come as a shock to you, Princess, but you must be more careful. I hear it’s dangerous to exert yourself in your condition……especially when alone. If you were to fall down, you’d be in trouble so you should take care to remain seated whenever possible.”

Even though Phermos danced around the subject, Rienne could feel Black’s arm tense up as he held her.

I’ve nearly forgotten…they still think I’m pregnant….

Eventually she’d need to fake a miscarriage but even thinking about it made her eyes darken. Would she really be able to do such a shameless thing?

….No, I don’t think I can. I’d rather just be honest with him. I’ll tell him I’m not having a baby. I wasn’t even pregnant to begin with.

But would he say in return?

They had already cemented the child’s existence in their marriage vows.

The clause stated that Rienne’s child would be bound to the Arsak family name and that the sovereignty of Nauk would be theirs no matter what. That pledge was what secured Nauk’s future.

It meant that even if this man, the leader of the Tiwakan, wanted to take Nauk for himself after the proposal, he couldn’t take it from the Arsak family due to the existence of the child.

Wouldn’t it be best to keep that promise?

This child was the last line of defense Rienne had in case all else failed.

[Rienne] “….Thank you for your concern.”

So she chose the safest option.

Until she knew more about the Tiwakan’s true motives, she couldn’t tell the truth yet. She couldn’t let go of the child—the only thing keeping her and Nauk safe. (2)

[Black] “Sit.”

Black knew Rienne well enough to know she wouldn’t just listen, so he lifted her up and set her down in a chair himself. (3)

[Phermos] “Well, cough.”

Feeling the air get awkward, Phermos called attention back to himself with a cough.

[Phermos] “I have something else I should tell you. The head of House Kleinfelder, was it? He promised to send a gift in the form of two gold chests, a new bed, and five servants in celebration for the marriage. He must really be greedy. He claims to be the richest man in Nauk and yet he sends such paltry gifts.”

[Rienne] “What?”

But for Rienne’s part, she was shocked that Linden Kleinfelder of all people was sending a wedding gift at all.

[Rienne] “He’s sending us… a gift?”

An actual gift? Or was he secretly trying to curse her?

[Phermos] “Well, he didn’t exactly settle on that decision on his own. But eventually, he came around and decided to send one.”

[Rienne] “But how?”

Rienne asked breathlessly. Phermos, who had the displeasure of interacting with Linden Kleinfelder, immediately understood her cautious reaction.

He thought it was strange that the Kleinfelders were able to accumulate so much wealth in such a poor kingdom. It was likely the result of squeezing all they could from such a gentle princess.

[Phermos] “I don’t mean to sound too proud, but I can be very persuasive.”

[Rienne] “You mean you convinced Lord Kleinfelder with words alone?”

[Phermos] “It wasn’t easy, but like I said: I’m persuasive. We both agreed its best to show our sincerity to one another.”

[Rienne] “Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”

Rienne loudly sighed, but no matter how you looked at it, she seemed relieved.

She looked incredibly pitiful in Phermos’ eyes. Just looking at her expression, it was clear what kind of hard work she had put in to support her failing kingdom.

….It was crazy to think even Phermos’ mind was wavering at such a sight. Maybe that’s how it was for Black, too. He wasn’t an especially compassionate person, but he was supposedly still human and people had a tendency to get that way sometimes.

But there was no point thinking about it. Phermos decided this was a question he’d probably never get the answer to.

[Phermos] “Just believe, Princess.”

Obviously Linden Kleinfelder didn’t agree to the request easily. It was all the result of Phermos’ clever threats.

Phermos had hinted that the Tiwakan knew Rafit Kleinfelder was still alive. Linden, who was desperate to keep the secret, was forced to make a concession.

[Phermos] “But I’ll admit it doesn’t come without a price. Lord Linden Kleinfelder asked us to acknowledge his illegitimate son in exchange for his loyalty to the Arsak family. I didn’t give him an answer since that’s for the both of you to decide.”

Immediately Phermos noticed Rienne’s expression sink the moment he said the word ‘illegitimate’.

I knew it. That son must be the Commander of the knights. He’s pretending to be dead, all while crawling back home and pretending to be someone else.

And judging by Princess Rienne’s reaction, she must already know that.

They must have gotten into some kind of fight over it. It was obvious after the disappearance of the captain of the guard and how Rienne was trapped inside that house.

Regardless, I’ll need to remember how she wanted to keep this from us.

Taking into account everything as a whole, it seemed like Princess Rienne wanted to keep her lover’s existence a secret.

[Phermos] “In regards to what happened at the estate, is there anything you’d like to add, Princess? Any further orders or requests?”

[Rienne] “No. Thank you for everything you’ve done to help.”

[Phermos] “It is no trouble. My duty is my loyalty.”

After receiving an unexpected gift, Rienne left Black’s room. As for the amount of money she received, it was more than the engagement gift—an amount that had gone completely unused.

* * *

[Phermos] “What will the Princess do, I wonder?”

As soon as Rienne left, Phermos immediately spoke his mind. He raised an eyebrow towards Black as he asked his question.

[Phermos] “It’s just as you thought. An illegitimate son appears out of nowhere the moment the eldest son’s death is confirmed. And if the eldest son yet lives… well it’s as obvious as one plus one.”

Black was a quiet man and his silence could almost always be taken as confirmation.

[Phermos] “The Princess must have reunited with her lover. I don’t know if she intended to betray you, but it’s obvious that man is in still in her heart.”

[Black] “….I’m aware.”

After Phermos mentioned the word ‘illegitimate’, Black also noticed how pale Rienne’s face got.

It would be even stranger if he didn’t. Without even trying, whenever his eyes fell on Rienne, rarely could he ever take them away.

* * *

T/N: (1) Phermos means like, doing things just for the enjoyment– suggesting Black isn’t doing what he’s doing because he’s toying with her

(2) Rienne refers to the child as being her ‘safety net’ or ‘protection device’. Basically she means that the child will protect her as a last resort in case something happens.

(3) Reference to chapter 5, where Rienne kept refusing to sit.

Translator Comment: Rienne must’ve really not been attracted to Rafit at all lol. To the point of thinking her feelings were broken or something. I’d feel bad for him if he wasn’t the worst. And Linden apparently decided to stick with this whole ‘illegitimate son’ lie. I guess he would since the Tiwakan still don’t know what Rafit looks like…