A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 37 | Pitfall (2)

translator/editor: astralmech | editor: ghost

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Linden’s threats only heightened.

[Linden] “Return Rafit. He’s the only reason I haven’t broken your neck already. Use that body of yours to convince the barbarian.”

[Rienne] “Don’t lie to yourself. It’s far too late for the Kleinfelders to do anything now. You may as well give up and just accept who joint sovereignty of Nauk belongs to.”

[Linden] “You seem to have the strangest sense of faith in those monsters, but you should really use that tiny head of yours to think. Do you honestly believe he came all this way to Nauk just so he could be at your side?”

[Rienne] “…….?”

Just as Rafit had done before, Linden was trying to say that Black had some other motive.

What do they even know?

Rienne’s expression turned tactically cold.

[Rienne] “What nonsense is it this time?”

[Linden] “He’s come to take your head. All this time, his goal was to enter Nauk through the pretext of marriage. It’s in his nature—to use something for all he can, only to throw it away the moment it’s outlived its use. Such an obvious thing never occurred to you?”

[Rienne] “You’re wrong. Nothing you’re saying makes an ounce of sense. Saying the leader of the Tiwakan is doing all of this just to get Nauk is enough to make a dog laugh. All because he covets a nation he could easily take in a single day if he wanted?”

Linden laughed at her. It was a strange, awful laugh.

[Linden] “You have the luxury of thinking like that because you know nothing. That’s why the crown is an ill fit for you.”

[Rienne] “What are you talking about?”

As Rienne continued to press for answers, Linden pulled back. It was as if he realized he said too much.

[Linden] “Well, perhaps he’ll have a little fun with you before he takes your head. Your body must be worth something in eyes of that animal. He did spend quite a bit of money on you.”

[Rienne] “Stop it, and tell me what it is I don’t know…….Ah!”

Rienne cried out as Linden increased his grip on her wrist, squeezing hard on it—ready to break it in a moment’s notice. While Rienne was quiet, Linden spat out another snide comment.

[Linden] “Unless you want him to eat Nauk whole, you know what you need to do. Get Rafit out. Then kill the barbarian.”

[Rienne] “What…..? Never…..”

[Linden] “It’s not as though it’s impossible for you. Take him to your bed. He’ll let his guard down and that’s when you take the chance to cut his throat. Then I’ll take care of the rest. That’s the only way to save Nauk from those monsters.”

[Rienne] “Haha…… ha….Why would I ever…..”

[Linden] “You still don’t understand. Must I show you proof he seeks to kill you?”

[Rienne] “…….!”

Rienne slowly looked up.

[Rienne] “There’s…..proof?”

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If there was one thing she wanted to know more than anything else, it was that.

The truth about Black.

What did he want with such a small, destitute land? Was it really revenge that he sought? And was the vengeance he desired because of a grudge against her? Against the royal family?

I want to know.

Even if it was Kleinfelders who were giving her the answer.

[Rienne] “What…..what is it?”

She wanted to know above all else.

[Linden] “You want to know? Then kill him.”

[Rienne] “You’re absurd. Show me the evidence, if it even exists.”

Linden gave an ugly smirk.

[Linden] “Even like this, you still want to negotiate. You’re the only one curious, so you’re hardly in any position to make demands.”

[Rienne] “Are you not here to save your nephew? If anyone is here to negotiate, it’s you so don’t try to bargain with me…..”

[???] “Actually, I’m quite curious myself.”

Everyone in the room stiffened as a voice rose up from the floor and entered the air.

It was a voice that didn’t match anyone there.

[Phermos] “What is it that my Lord intends to do?”

It was Phermos.

His voice was coming from the floor because that’s where he was—hiding under the desk.

But he seemed too casual for someone hiding. More than trying to conceal himself, he looked languid and drowsy. Like he’d been taking a nap in the room.

[Linden] “You sneaky little rat!”

Linden Kleinfelder was more surprised than anyone else. Completely forgetting his honor as a noble, he shouted out with great fervor. He was so off put, he cried out at a volume he didn’t even know was possible.

[Phermos] “I know I was the one hiding, but why does that make me the only rat in this room? And what exactly is going on here?”

Rienne bit down on her lip to stifle a laugh.

Saying the situation was funny would be an understatement.

The King’s Office wasn’t a rat’s den and yet people were somehow coming out of the woodwork. ⁽¹⁾

Even if there wasn’t anything particularly valuable hidden there nor anything worth stealing, it was still a place where others couldn’t freely come and go without Rienne’s permission.

[Rienne] “Lord Phermos. Can I ask what you’re doing under my desk? I don’t think I’ve ever given you permission to be here.”

[Phermos] “My sincerest apologies. Even if I had ten mouths, I’d still have nothing of use to say. I will take any punishment you see fit.” ⁽²⁾

Phermos had a depressed look on his face. It appeared as though his apology was genuine, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten his main point.

[Phermos] “But I ask that you put that aside for now. To say my Lord intends to take the Princess’ head….Ugh, such a filthy sentence. I feel my mouth getting dirty just repeating it. Though, I’m curious why my Lord would do such a thing. Care to explain to this curious little rat? What is this proof you speak of?”

[Linden] “……Shut up!”

Linden, whose eyes were rolling behind his head like a madman, suddenly shouted and rushed towards Phermos. No matter how he assessed the situation, there was no other way to fix this.

He’d be better off killing Phermos right here and now, shutting his mouth for good.

[Phermos] “Just as the Princess said, you are foolish and stupid man. You must be aware of who you’re attacking.”

But despite Phermos’ intelligent and clean appearance, with a monocle making him look more like a scholar, he was nonetheless a man who’d also spent those ten long years on the battlefield.

He cleverly sidestepped Linden, allowing the man to trip and stumble over his well placed foot.

Thump, boom!

[Linden] “Augh!”

Linden fell forward, smashing his head against the edge of the desk. The moment he hit the floor, Phermos walked up, quickly pressing his foot into the back of his neck.

[Linden] “Agh! How dare you…..! Get the hell…off…..!”

[Phermos] “I’ll make you a deal. Explain things now, and I’ll only relay half of what was said here today to my Lord. That means I’ll make things sound much nicer when I tell him. I promise you, this deal can’t get much better than that. My Lord doesn’t often get angry, but when he does, it’s truly heinous.”

[Linden] “What……!? Bastard, ugh!”

[Phermos] “So tell me. What does my Lord intend to do?”

[Linden] “I, it’s only obvious….cough! ……Why else, cough…..for such a small country…..cough!”

Phermos put more pressure on Linden’s neck.

[Phermos] “Hm, that’s not what you said before. You weren’t nearly as vague earlier. Didn’t you say you had proof?”

[Linden] “If you think I’ll tell you…….Augh!”

Crack.

There was a painful cracking sound coming from underneath Phermos’ foot.

[Maslow] “Princess! What are you doing? You must stop him!”

Maslow grabbed onto Rienne’s sleeve.

[Maslow] “A mercenary dares to harm a member of Nauk’s aristocracy like this! You cannot ignore such an insult!”

After he said that, both Rienne and Phermos had looks filled with discomforted energy.

[Phermos] “And you—standing idly by as your nation’s princess has her wrist twisted and nearly broken. Is that not the greatest insult?”

[Maslow] “Th, that’s…..”

Maslow immediately faltered as his words left him.

[Phermos] “You want her to stop me? What sort of decent man clings to the sleeve of a princess like that? Aren’t you too old to be hiding behind someone so much younger than you? Have you no shame?”

[Maslow] “Shame……how dare you ask…..”

Maslow gasped out as his face turned red.

Just by looking at his face, it was obvious what the problem was.

This was how the people of Nauk lived after state affairs were passed onto Rienne. The Kleinfelders, as heads of the aristocratic delegation must’ve ensured that.

Phermos heard it was around six years ago that Rienne first rose to power. It would’ve been right after her coming of age, so she still would’ve been young. At that age, she’d have difficulty distinguishing between merely fulfilling her responsibility and sacrificing her all for her people.

To that end, she must have been led to believe bending to the whims of the aristocratic delegation was part of her sovereign duty.

[Phermos] “Tch. So you’re staying silent?”

[Linden] “Ugh…..cough!”

Linden was in a position where he couldn’t speak at all, even if he wanted to. His neck was utterly ruined by now.

[Linden] “Fine then. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Phermos pulled his foot off of Linden’s neck, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him away. It was obvious he was making his way out of the King’s Office.

Once he went through that door, it would all be over. There’d be no hiding what happened today.

[Maslow] “Princess!”

With panic in his voice, Maslow called out to Rienne again.

[Maslow] “You can’t let this happen! The royal family cannot make an enemy of the Kleinfelders! You have to stop him!”

[Phermos] “…..Hah.”

Phermos straightened out his back and stopped in his tracks.

He knew things must have been like this all along. He turned and asked Rienne.

[Phermos] “What do you want to do, Princess? Do you wish to stop me?”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Obviously Phermos wasn’t hinting he was willing to ignore Linden Kleinfelder’s presence. He just wanted to see whose side Rienne was on.

During all of this, Linden had ordered Rienne to kill Black.

She didn’t answer right away, but Phermos needed to know what kind of conclusion she’d come to.

[Rienne] “……..No, I don’t.”

Rienne took a deep breath before she answered.

[Rienne] “There’s no point in trying to stop you, nor do I want to.”

It was all the same in the end.

Now that Phermos had found out about this, she couldn’t cover this up even if she tried.

And after she had lied continually to Black in order to help settle the Kleinfelder’s mistakes, Rienne had become extremely embittered by the entire situation.

Because no matter what she did, House Kleinfelder would never change.

So long as he was left alive, Rafit would continue to make such foolish attempts in the future, and Linden would continue to put pressure on Rienne to cover it up.

Sooner or later, it all needed to come to an end.

Even if every family in the aristocratic delegation tried to fight this, she had to deal with this eventually. It just so happened to be now.

[Phermos] “Well thought.”

Phermos nodded, saying this with a smile on his face. It was a strange sight, side by side with Maslow and Linden whose mouths hung open in unabashed shock.

[Phermos] “Then I’ll drag this one away and lock him up. I’m starting to look forward to the trial.”

Boom!

Once he was done talking, Phermos opened the once tightly closed door to the office.

[Phermos] “You, over there! Come here and take him away. Oh, and there’s another one in here, too.”

Poor Maslow discovered just a little bit too late that the other ‘one’ Phermos was talking about was him.

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The Tiwakan worked extremely quickly.

Maslow and Linden were placed in the dungeons, along with the guards who had been deceived into allowing them to slip in.

The captain of the castle guard was a little confused, but Phermos didn’t yield a single step.

All the while, the time Rienne was meant to take breakfast with Black came and went.

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[Rienne] “……No one’s here.”

By the time Rienne arrived, the dining hall was empty.

Food had been served but with no one to partake, it was left to turn cold—untouched on the table. Still, Rienne could tell Black had been there at one point or another. One of the chairs had been turned over.

Maybe he’d arrived earlier than they promised and while he was waiting, he received a report of what happened, so he left.

Rienne took the seat opposite of where Black had once sat.

She didn’t expect him to come back, though. He must be busy dealing with the aftermath of everything. But despite that, Rienne still came, wanting to keep her side of their promise as best she could.

[Rienne] “I should’ve changed my clothes.”

Rienne took a neatly folded napkin from the table and spread it across her lap, muttering to herself. Her beautiful lilac dress had flowing sleeves that rolled down, revealing her bruised and darkened wrist.

[Rienne] “Unsightly.”

Touching the mark, Rienne winced bitterly as she looked at it.

It’s not just unsightly. It hurts, too.

And now it was starting to swell.

[Rienne] “I hope it’s not serious.”

Rienne picked up her fork and knife, cutting into the nearest roasted pheasant. She felt a tinge of pain every time she moved her wrist, but she could move nonetheless.

[Rienne] “…….It’s fine. I can do this much.”

The cooking was amazing, but unfortunately, she had no appetite.

The Tiwakan must’ve had a very good cook with them. It’d been so long since she’d been able to see such a fancy dish set before her.

……But now it’s all gone to waste.

Black, who had invited to her a meal, must’ve put a lot of attention and care into this.

But that just made it even more disappointing.

I wish we could’ve eaten together.

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T/N: (1) A quip, expressing awe that there’s so many people in her office, despite none of them having permission to be there.

(2) Phermos uses an idiom literally meaning “If I had ten mouths, I’d have no words”. Basically, saying there’s no excuse/he doesn’t know what to say.

astral comment: Oh no, Phermos is exactly my type. Side characters have no right being more appealing than the ML *sob*

ghost comment: Excuse us while we figure out how to isekai into this novel as a side-character so we can hit him up.