Asking if she didn't like it was cheating. She asked herself this question several times, but the answer was always the same: she didn't like it.
“If you move... what are you going to do?”
“There is so much to do.”
The slow motion of the hand sweeping her hair stopped at the nape of her neck. The sensations she had decided to ignore came back to her in full force. A shiver that started deep inside her body spread down her spine. Liene could see the fingers resting on Black’s chest trembling.
“You can’t do all that... You can’t do that.”
“Is that so?”
One of Black's eyebrows twitched.
“Not really.”
“I’m really busy with the wedding preparations right now, so...”
Even as he spoke, she wondered if it was some kind of excuse. He was holding her in his arms and she was shaking without moving.
“Then can I make it short?”
What did you do?
Liene agreed with those words. This is crazy. She still feels regretful. That’s why she should have stopped here even more. However, even as they said to stop, their postures did not change. They stayed touching each other as if they didn’t know how to stop. The large hand supporting her back slowly tapped her skin. Even that small movement was too stimulating. Liene tightly grabbed Black’s sleeve and spoke softly.
“I’ll count the numbers so you can move away at the same time.”
“..."
Black kept muttering something she couldn't understand.
“I guess I’ll just try.”
“Yes... One, two, three.”
Liene, who had counted the numbers, let go of Black's sleeve and stepped back.
“...?”
But it wasn't Black. When Liene looked at him with an expression asking why he was still, he rubbed the corner of Liene's mouth with his thumb.
“I think the numbers were too fast.”
“That’s... me?”
“Do it again. Slowly this time.”
“I’m not sure what the difference is if I count slowly.”
“It won’t have much effect.”
“Then why are you telling me to take it slow?”
“Just to buy some time.”
"Yes?"
Instead of responding, Black hugged Liene tightly. Even though he was suddenly hugged, she wasn’t as flustered as before. She wants to stay like this...
“Oh... Did I interrupt?”
The one who came to find Black was Fermos.
“Shall I come back later?”
“...? No, it’s okay. I think I may have been the one who interrupted you. I’ll be leaving now so you can talk comfortably.”
Liene didn't understand why Fermos was being cautious. When they heard the knock, the two let go of each other's hands. The distance was appropriate, and Liene also took the tape measure she had borrowed from Madame Flambard. She didn't think Fermos could know what had happened before.
“What are you talking about, Princess?”
But that was too naive of Liene. Just by looking at Black’s eyes, he could tell that passion had been kindled between the two. That kept bothering Fermos. He couldn’t be having fun with it. Black wasn’t the type of person to find that kind of thing fun, and he would rather think it was useless. Fermos don’t know why. If he says that he's become serious, then that’s too short a time. Besides, there was something suspicious about Princess Liene.
“...Thank you for your concern.”
In the end, Liene chose safety. Still not knowing Tiwakan's purpose, she could not let go of the safety device.
“Sit here.”
Black picked up Liene as if he knew her very well and placed her on the chair.
“Ugh, hmm.”
Fermos noticed the awkward atmosphere for a moment and cleared his throat to draw attention away.
“And, um, I think I should tell you this too. The head of the Kleinfelter family, was he the grand master? He promised to send you two gold chests, a new bed, and five servants as a wedding present for you two. What a greedy man he is. The richest man in Nauk, yet he acts so stingy.”
"Yes?"
As for Liene, she was surprised that Linden Kleinfelter had even offered to give her a wedding gift.
“He decided to give me a gift?”
A gift? I wonder if it's a curse.
“Well, to be exact, it wasn’t something he had planned to give, but rather something he had to give in to while crying... But he will give it to you anyway.”
“How?”
Liene asked breathlessly. Fermos, who had just come across Linden Kleinfelter, immediately understood Liene’s reaction. There must be a reason why the Kleinfelter family was able to increase its wealth every year in this poor kingdom. It must have been the result of squeezing the relatively less evil Princess.
“I know it may sound like I’m bragging, but I’m quite persuasive.”
“You convinced Sir Klinefelter with words alone?”
“Well, it wasn’t easy. But as I said, I’m good with words. In the end, he agreed to show his sincerity.”
“That’s... I just can’t believe it.”
Liene let out a loud sigh. Anyone could see that her face was relieved. Even Fermos found it somewhat pitiful. Just by looking at her expression, he could tell how much that frail person had struggled to support this crumbling kingdom...
“What do you plan to do with the Princess?”
After Liene left, Fermos brought up the things he had been thinking about. He raised his eyebrows as if asking what Black meant.
“Haven’t you guessed it already? As soon as the eldest son died, an illegitimate child emerged from somewhere. If the eldest son actually didn’t die, then one plus one is not one, but two.”
Black was silent. The silence was usually an affirmation.
“The Princess has reunited with her lover. Whether or not she intends to betray my lord, there is no denying that she cares about her lover.”
“...I know.”
The moment the word illegitimate child came out, Liene's face turned pale, and Black also saw it. It was strange not to know. Because whenever he saw Liene, his eyes never thought of leaving that woman.
“If you move... what are you going to do?”
“There is so much to do.”
The slow motion of the hand sweeping her hair stopped at the nape of her neck. The sensations she had decided to ignore came back to her in full force. A shiver that started deep inside her body spread down her spine. Liene could see the fingers resting on Black’s chest trembling.
“You can’t do all that... You can’t do that.”
“Is that so?”
One of Black's eyebrows twitched.
“Not really.”
“I’m really busy with the wedding preparations right now, so...”
Even as he spoke, she wondered if it was some kind of excuse. He was holding her in his arms and she was shaking without moving.
“Then can I make it short?”
What did you do?
There was no reason or justification to stop him. It was Liene who suggested that they become a relationship where they wanted each other. The problem was that she didn't even know if she really wanted to stop him.
“It was a mistake to send it as is just now.”
Black, who had whispered these words, wrapped his arms around Liene's waist. Her upper body leaned back, but she didn't feel uneasy. A wide palm was firmly supporting her back. Liene knew how comfortably those arms wrapped around her.
“...”
When Black grabbed her chin and pressed his lips together, Liene could understand that it was a mistake. It meant that he regretted only checking the wound. It meant that the desire that had been shut down there had remained inside him and made him feel dizzy. That was why he had finally found the opportunity to explode like this.
“It was a mistake to send it as is just now.”
Black, who had whispered these words, wrapped his arms around Liene's waist. Her upper body leaned back, but she didn't feel uneasy. A wide palm was firmly supporting her back. Liene knew how comfortably those arms wrapped around her.
“...”
When Black grabbed her chin and pressed his lips together, Liene could understand that it was a mistake. It meant that he regretted only checking the wound. It meant that the desire that had been shut down there had remained inside him and made him feel dizzy. That was why he had finally found the opportunity to explode like this.
Liene was like that too. She felt like he was still inside her the whole time. That was why her body trembled the whole time. The crazy kiss continued like that. The desire that had stopped once was even more intense and greedy when it started again. When the desire that had once swept over the two of them like a tidal wave slowly receded, Liene wrapped her arms around his neck and desperately felt the sensation of their lips touching. Their lips separated very slowly. However, even after they separated, they were still close.
“I think I should stop here to make it short.”
Black said, relaxing the arm around her waist. Liene could get away from him whenever she wanted.
"... Yes."
“I think I should stop here to make it short.”
Black said, relaxing the arm around her waist. Liene could get away from him whenever she wanted.
"... Yes."
Liene agreed with those words. This is crazy. She still feels regretful. That’s why she should have stopped here even more. However, even as they said to stop, their postures did not change. They stayed touching each other as if they didn’t know how to stop. The large hand supporting her back slowly tapped her skin. Even that small movement was too stimulating. Liene tightly grabbed Black’s sleeve and spoke softly.
“I’ll count the numbers so you can move away at the same time.”
“..."
Black kept muttering something she couldn't understand.
“I guess I’ll just try.”
“Yes... One, two, three.”
Liene, who had counted the numbers, let go of Black's sleeve and stepped back.
“...?”
But it wasn't Black. When Liene looked at him with an expression asking why he was still, he rubbed the corner of Liene's mouth with his thumb.
“I think the numbers were too fast.”
“That’s... me?”
“Do it again. Slowly this time.”
“I’m not sure what the difference is if I count slowly.”
“It won’t have much effect.”
“Then why are you telling me to take it slow?”
“Just to buy some time.”
"Yes?"
Instead of responding, Black hugged Liene tightly. Even though he was suddenly hugged, she wasn’t as flustered as before. She wants to stay like this...
I’m really going crazy.
Black didn’t tell her to stop counting. Liene stayed in his embrace until someone knocked on the door.
***
“Oh... Did I interrupt?”
The one who came to find Black was Fermos.
“Shall I come back later?”
“...? No, it’s okay. I think I may have been the one who interrupted you. I’ll be leaving now so you can talk comfortably.”
Liene didn't understand why Fermos was being cautious. When they heard the knock, the two let go of each other's hands. The distance was appropriate, and Liene also took the tape measure she had borrowed from Madame Flambard. She didn't think Fermos could know what had happened before.
“What are you talking about, Princess?”
But that was too naive of Liene. Just by looking at Black’s eyes, he could tell that passion had been kindled between the two. That kept bothering Fermos. He couldn’t be having fun with it. Black wasn’t the type of person to find that kind of thing fun, and he would rather think it was useless. Fermos don’t know why. If he says that he's become serious, then that’s too short a time. Besides, there was something suspicious about Princess Liene.
Just today, Princess Liene had visited her lover’s house and was keeping quiet about what happened there. Black knew all of this. And yet he didn’t care... Of course not. He wasn’t that kind of person.
“Uh, um... But I think it would be better to discuss this in the presence of the Princess. We haven’t found Sir Werose. And we don’t have any other clues.”
“Yes? Are you saying that he’s not in the Klinefelter household?”
Liene figured he'd be there. She thought Linden Kleinfelter had planned a forced marriage and had kept Werose out or away from her for a while to prevent him from getting in the way. Since the wedding was aborted, Werose should have shown up too.
“Yes. That seemed strange to me.”
Fermos continued, fiddling with his monocle.
“When something happens to a knight of that caliber, there should be a trace, but there was nothing. And judging from the Klinefelter family’s reaction, there was no sign at all that they were hiding someone.”
If Werose was locked up in the Kleinfelter household as Liene said, there would have been some kind of sign. However, Linden Kleinfelter was confident. He said without any hesitation that they could search for him wherever they wanted, but if they couldn’t find him, they would have to pay the price. He meant that Werose wasn’t in the mansion.
“Uh, um... But I think it would be better to discuss this in the presence of the Princess. We haven’t found Sir Werose. And we don’t have any other clues.”
“Yes? Are you saying that he’s not in the Klinefelter household?”
Liene figured he'd be there. She thought Linden Kleinfelter had planned a forced marriage and had kept Werose out or away from her for a while to prevent him from getting in the way. Since the wedding was aborted, Werose should have shown up too.
“Yes. That seemed strange to me.”
Fermos continued, fiddling with his monocle.
“When something happens to a knight of that caliber, there should be a trace, but there was nothing. And judging from the Klinefelter family’s reaction, there was no sign at all that they were hiding someone.”
If Werose was locked up in the Kleinfelter household as Liene said, there would have been some kind of sign. However, Linden Kleinfelter was confident. He said without any hesitation that they could search for him wherever they wanted, but if they couldn’t find him, they would have to pay the price. He meant that Werose wasn’t in the mansion.
However, it didn’t seem right to say that he had smuggled him out of the mansion. First of all, there was too little time for that, and it was impossible to avoid all the eyes of Tiwakan, who had been placed all over the streets under the pretext of searching.
“I think he must have hidden himself on his own.”
“That’s ridiculous... There’s no way Lord Werose would do that!”
There was no way that the captain of Nauk's guard would do something so irresponsible.
“I think so too, but that’s the situation.”
“For what reason?”
“So, is there a reason why he had to hide his tracks like that? Maybe it was something very urgent.”
"That..."
What on earth could be the reason for that?
“If that’s the case, then since there hasn’t been any major change in his life, I think he’ll come back on his own when things get better. Or he can contact the Princess.”
"That is..."
No matter how many times she heard it, it was a confusing story. Liene shook her head and staggered as her legs gave out.
“Hey, Princess!”
Fermos was surprised, and Black quickly supported Liene. Fermos clicked his tongue and said.
“What is it? I know you’re really surprised, but you still need to be careful. I’ve heard that it’s dangerous to be surprised when you’re not alone... No, yes. If you fall, you’ll be in big trouble. Please stay seated whenever possible.”
Although Fermos tried to cover it up, Liene could feel Black’s arm muscles tensing as he held her. That’s right. This person knows I’m pregnant...
“That’s ridiculous... There’s no way Lord Werose would do that!”
There was no way that the captain of Nauk's guard would do something so irresponsible.
“I think so too, but that’s the situation.”
“For what reason?”
“So, is there a reason why he had to hide his tracks like that? Maybe it was something very urgent.”
"That..."
What on earth could be the reason for that?
“If that’s the case, then since there hasn’t been any major change in his life, I think he’ll come back on his own when things get better. Or he can contact the Princess.”
"That is..."
No matter how many times she heard it, it was a confusing story. Liene shook her head and staggered as her legs gave out.
“Hey, Princess!”
Fermos was surprised, and Black quickly supported Liene. Fermos clicked his tongue and said.
“What is it? I know you’re really surprised, but you still need to be careful. I’ve heard that it’s dangerous to be surprised when you’re not alone... No, yes. If you fall, you’ll be in big trouble. Please stay seated whenever possible.”
Although Fermos tried to cover it up, Liene could feel Black’s arm muscles tensing as he held her. That’s right. This person knows I’m pregnant...
She’d have to lie about having a miscarriage or something soon, and the thought made her eyes darken. Could she do it shamelessly? ... No, she's not sure. Then she'd rather just be honest. That she's not pregnant. That it never even happened.
Then what would this man say?
The problem was that they had already signed a marriage contract. In the contract, they agreed that the child’s last name would be Arsak and that they would guarantee that the child would inherit Nauk’s rule. With that, Nauk’s rule was secure. In other words, even if the Tiwakan chieftain tried to swallow Nauk up with a marriage proposal, he couldn’t steal the rule once the child was born.
Shouldn’t they protect that? The child was the minimum safety net Liene had.
“...Thank you for your concern.”
In the end, Liene chose safety. Still not knowing Tiwakan's purpose, she could not let go of the safety device.
“Sit here.”
Black picked up Liene as if he knew her very well and placed her on the chair.
“Ugh, hmm.”
Fermos noticed the awkward atmosphere for a moment and cleared his throat to draw attention away.
“And, um, I think I should tell you this too. The head of the Kleinfelter family, was he the grand master? He promised to send you two gold chests, a new bed, and five servants as a wedding present for you two. What a greedy man he is. The richest man in Nauk, yet he acts so stingy.”
"Yes?"
As for Liene, she was surprised that Linden Kleinfelter had even offered to give her a wedding gift.
“He decided to give me a gift?”
A gift? I wonder if it's a curse.
“Well, to be exact, it wasn’t something he had planned to give, but rather something he had to give in to while crying... But he will give it to you anyway.”
“How?”
Liene asked breathlessly. Fermos, who had just come across Linden Kleinfelter, immediately understood Liene’s reaction. There must be a reason why the Kleinfelter family was able to increase its wealth every year in this poor kingdom. It must have been the result of squeezing the relatively less evil Princess.
“I know it may sound like I’m bragging, but I’m quite persuasive.”
“You convinced Sir Klinefelter with words alone?”
“Well, it wasn’t easy. But as I said, I’m good with words. In the end, he agreed to show his sincerity.”
“That’s... I just can’t believe it.”
Liene let out a loud sigh. Anyone could see that her face was relieved. Even Fermos found it somewhat pitiful. Just by looking at her expression, he could tell how much that frail person had struggled to support this crumbling kingdom...
Could it be that she was relenting to such an appearance? Right now, he feels like she would be a bit like that. Black wasn’t the type to be very sympathetic, but it seemed that sometimes humans could be like that. At that point, Ferrmos gave up on the question he didn’t know the answer to.
“You can trust me, Princess.”
Of course, Linden Klinefelter did not come out quietly from the beginning. It was the result of Fermos mixing inappropriate threats. Fermos hinted at the right time that he knew that Lafitte Klinefelter was not dead, and Linden Klinefelter, who had to hide that fact at all costs, made a forced concession.
“But it’s not completely free. Linden Kleinfelter wants you to acknowledge the illegitimate child in exchange for his loyalty to the Arsak royal family. I didn’t answer because that was up to the two of you to decide.”
Fermos noticed that Liene's complexion changed the moment the word "illegitimate child" was mentioned. As expected. That illegitimate child must be the commander of the knights. He's pretending to be dead and crawling into a corner of his house to pretend to be someone else. Judging from Liene's reaction, it seemed like the Kleinfelter family had found out about this. There must have been some conflict because of that. It was obvious when the captain of the guard disappeared and Liene was left trapped in the house. Whatever it was, he had to keep in mind that the Princess had no intention of saying it herself. It seemed like Princess Liene wanted to keep the existence of her lover a secret.
“You can trust me, Princess.”
Of course, Linden Klinefelter did not come out quietly from the beginning. It was the result of Fermos mixing inappropriate threats. Fermos hinted at the right time that he knew that Lafitte Klinefelter was not dead, and Linden Klinefelter, who had to hide that fact at all costs, made a forced concession.
“But it’s not completely free. Linden Kleinfelter wants you to acknowledge the illegitimate child in exchange for his loyalty to the Arsak royal family. I didn’t answer because that was up to the two of you to decide.”
Fermos noticed that Liene's complexion changed the moment the word "illegitimate child" was mentioned. As expected. That illegitimate child must be the commander of the knights. He's pretending to be dead and crawling into a corner of his house to pretend to be someone else. Judging from Liene's reaction, it seemed like the Kleinfelter family had found out about this. There must have been some conflict because of that. It was obvious when the captain of the guard disappeared and Liene was left trapped in the house. Whatever it was, he had to keep in mind that the Princess had no intention of saying it herself. It seemed like Princess Liene wanted to keep the existence of her lover a secret.
“That’s pretty much what happened at the Klinefelter House. Do you have any further instructions?”
“No. Thank you for what you did for Nauk.”
“You are absolutely right. Loyalty is my proper duty.”
Liene left Black's room with an unexpected gift. Roughly speaking, it was worth more than the engagement gift that she had paid off without even using it once.
“No. Thank you for what you did for Nauk.”
“You are absolutely right. Loyalty is my proper duty.”
Liene left Black's room with an unexpected gift. Roughly speaking, it was worth more than the engagement gift that she had paid off without even using it once.
***
“What do you plan to do with the Princess?”
After Liene left, Fermos brought up the things he had been thinking about. He raised his eyebrows as if asking what Black meant.
“Haven’t you guessed it already? As soon as the eldest son died, an illegitimate child emerged from somewhere. If the eldest son actually didn’t die, then one plus one is not one, but two.”
Black was silent. The silence was usually an affirmation.
“The Princess has reunited with her lover. Whether or not she intends to betray my lord, there is no denying that she cares about her lover.”
“...I know.”
The moment the word illegitimate child came out, Liene's face turned pale, and Black also saw it. It was strange not to know. Because whenever he saw Liene, his eyes never thought of leaving that woman.
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