When Liene returned to find the scissors, Black's subordinate Fermos, who had arrived one step ahead of the doctor, had already taken all the necessary measures. Werose, who had come with Fermos, realized that he could not help, and stood awkwardly with Madame Flambard as a wall decoration.
“You were hit by an arrow?”
Fermos wrapped a cotton cloth around Black’s shoulder and asked. It was a very strange question for someone who had cut into his own flesh to pull out the arrow, wiped the blood away to gauge the depth of the wound, and even applied medicine.
“So, you’re saying you were really shot by an arrow? My lord? Again?”
“...It’s noisy. Be quiet.”
Black silenced Fermos. The thought that Fermos’ question was strange was soon overtaken by another thought.
“Don’t stand, sit down.”
While Liene was looking at Black, Black also looked at Liene. He also observed her face as it turned pale at the sight of his wounds, and her dramatically widening green eyes.
“I still feel like you might collapse.”
“...I’m fine.”
It was fortunate that there were other people. If it had been just the two of them, looking like that, she wouldn't have been able to hide her agitation any longer.
“How bad is Lord Tiwakan’s injury?”
Liene asked Fermos.
“It’s not too serious, but it’s not so mild that we can ignore it. It’s not severe enough to leave any permanent disability, but it’s going to be hard for a while. He’ll have a fever, and it’ll probably be hard to sleep at night. If he's been poisoned, it’ll be even worse.”
The word poison changed the already fine atmosphere in an instant. Werose raised his voice in frustration.
“Nauk’s guards are working together to track down the culprit. Even if there was poison, it should be easy to obtain an antidote.”
“The culprit will be caught, but isn’t the mastermind behind it a bigger problem?”
The savages had no way of beating around the bush for reasons of courtesy.
“As for us, since both sides have come to an agreement without a hitch, I don’t want to think that the unexpected arrow could be Nauk’s hidden true feelings.”
“What kind of rudeness is that... Absolutely not! Do you think Nauk is a place without gods!”
The upright knight, feeling insulted, became angry.
“Sir Werose.”
Liene stopped Werose.
“Calm down. It was Nauk who failed to properly display our divine will.”
"Princess!"
“Can’t we deny that the arrow is Nauk’s?”
“Well...”
Werose bit his lip. This had happened in the castle’s backyard, not anywhere else. The arrow was definitely Nauk’s. If he thought about it from the other person’s perspective, he would have suspected the other person’s intentions as well.
“There may be those who oppose marriage... but that is by no means Nauk’s official position.”
That was true. Liene said, desperately hoping that Black would believe her words.
“We will do everything we can to ease Tiwakan’s concerns. We do not want the marriage vows to be undone, nor do we want the two sides to fight again. We only wish for complete peace.”
“So you say, my lord.”
Fermos asked Black.
“Does my lord wish for the same thing as the Princess of Nauk?”
Nauk's future depended on Black's answer. Ironically, at this moment, Liene was in a position where she wanted the marriage she had so desperately wanted to reject more than anyone else.
“...What I want is still the same.”
And the moment Black said this, she felt relieved. That's why she couldn't believe it. All the emotions that were caused by that man were contradictory. Today was the day that her lover's body came back. But Liene had already forgotten about that fact.
“If that’s the case.”
Fermos nodded. An amusing clicking sound came from his monocle.
“But forces are certainly opposing Tiwakan in Nauk, so we must sort it out before the wedding.”
There could be no disagreement.
“Nauk thinks the same way.”
“That’s good to hear. I want Tiwakan to take on the task of uncovering and clearing up the background of this incident. Oh, and please don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to steal the guard’s work. Anyway, Tiwakan is now a member of the Arsak family’s guardian knights, so shouldn’t we be responsible for dealing with the assassination of Lord Tiwakan, who is now a member of the family?”
"That..."
Werose looked back and forth between Liene and Masilou. If he refused, it would easily lead to suspicions that he was hiding something behind the scenes. The ship Liene was on had already left the land and was sailing along the waterway.
“I will allow it.”
Today, everything written in the newly-made marriage contract, except for the wedding ceremony, seems to be carried out ahead of time.
“You were hit by an arrow?”
Fermos wrapped a cotton cloth around Black’s shoulder and asked. It was a very strange question for someone who had cut into his own flesh to pull out the arrow, wiped the blood away to gauge the depth of the wound, and even applied medicine.
“So, you’re saying you were really shot by an arrow? My lord? Again?”
“...It’s noisy. Be quiet.”
Black silenced Fermos. The thought that Fermos’ question was strange was soon overtaken by another thought.
Ah... Liene stood there with scissors in one hand.
He took off his clothes... His blood-soaked cloak and shirt were torn and rolling on the floor. Black sat in front of the chair he had been sitting on, leaving it empty, and received treatment.
What first caught her eye were the numerous wounds carved into his bare body. Some were big, some were small. Some were covered in white flesh, and some were bumpy and protruding. From top to bottom, from bottom to top. After looking at the wounds where their eyes met, she realized that what she was staring at was the upper body of a man. It was a body more dynamic and vivid than anybody Liene had ever seen. And it was contradictory. The body with so many wounds did not look ugly at all. In fact, it was the opposite.
The man’s body showed off its beautiful form without having to measure its skeleton and length. It was like a wonderful statue. It seemed as if the master had deliberately scratched and painted over the surface to breathe life into the flawless statue he had painstakingly created.
“Don’t stand, sit down.”
While Liene was looking at Black, Black also looked at Liene. He also observed her face as it turned pale at the sight of his wounds, and her dramatically widening green eyes.
“I still feel like you might collapse.”
“...I’m fine.”
It was fortunate that there were other people. If it had been just the two of them, looking like that, she wouldn't have been able to hide her agitation any longer.
“How bad is Lord Tiwakan’s injury?”
Liene asked Fermos.
“It’s not too serious, but it’s not so mild that we can ignore it. It’s not severe enough to leave any permanent disability, but it’s going to be hard for a while. He’ll have a fever, and it’ll probably be hard to sleep at night. If he's been poisoned, it’ll be even worse.”
The word poison changed the already fine atmosphere in an instant. Werose raised his voice in frustration.
“Nauk’s guards are working together to track down the culprit. Even if there was poison, it should be easy to obtain an antidote.”
“The culprit will be caught, but isn’t the mastermind behind it a bigger problem?”
The savages had no way of beating around the bush for reasons of courtesy.
“As for us, since both sides have come to an agreement without a hitch, I don’t want to think that the unexpected arrow could be Nauk’s hidden true feelings.”
“What kind of rudeness is that... Absolutely not! Do you think Nauk is a place without gods!”
The upright knight, feeling insulted, became angry.
“Sir Werose.”
Liene stopped Werose.
“Calm down. It was Nauk who failed to properly display our divine will.”
"Princess!"
“Can’t we deny that the arrow is Nauk’s?”
“Well...”
Werose bit his lip. This had happened in the castle’s backyard, not anywhere else. The arrow was definitely Nauk’s. If he thought about it from the other person’s perspective, he would have suspected the other person’s intentions as well.
“There may be those who oppose marriage... but that is by no means Nauk’s official position.”
That was true. Liene said, desperately hoping that Black would believe her words.
“We will do everything we can to ease Tiwakan’s concerns. We do not want the marriage vows to be undone, nor do we want the two sides to fight again. We only wish for complete peace.”
“So you say, my lord.”
Fermos asked Black.
“Does my lord wish for the same thing as the Princess of Nauk?”
Nauk's future depended on Black's answer. Ironically, at this moment, Liene was in a position where she wanted the marriage she had so desperately wanted to reject more than anyone else.
“...What I want is still the same.”
And the moment Black said this, she felt relieved. That's why she couldn't believe it. All the emotions that were caused by that man were contradictory. Today was the day that her lover's body came back. But Liene had already forgotten about that fact.
“If that’s the case.”
Fermos nodded. An amusing clicking sound came from his monocle.
“But forces are certainly opposing Tiwakan in Nauk, so we must sort it out before the wedding.”
There could be no disagreement.
“Nauk thinks the same way.”
“That’s good to hear. I want Tiwakan to take on the task of uncovering and clearing up the background of this incident. Oh, and please don’t misunderstand, I’m not trying to steal the guard’s work. Anyway, Tiwakan is now a member of the Arsak family’s guardian knights, so shouldn’t we be responsible for dealing with the assassination of Lord Tiwakan, who is now a member of the family?”
"That..."
Werose looked back and forth between Liene and Masilou. If he refused, it would easily lead to suspicions that he was hiding something behind the scenes. The ship Liene was on had already left the land and was sailing along the waterway.
“I will allow it.”
Today, everything written in the newly-made marriage contract, except for the wedding ceremony, seems to be carried out ahead of time.
***
It was true that the fever would rise. As evening came, Black fell into a deep sleep. Liene and Madame Flambard stayed by Black's side as he intermittently regained consciousness and then groaned again.
“Get some rest, Princess. It seems like he's fallen asleep again.”
Liene turned her gaze back to Black, who she had been trying hard to ignore.
“No... Hia eyelids are moving. He's not asleep.”
“But he won’t even notice that the Princess is there.”
“We have to show sincerity. This is a dangerous time for both of us.”
Liene handed a new towel to Madame Flambard.
“Please wipe away some sweat with this.”
“...”
Mrs. Flambard hesitated and took the towel, her eyes filling with tears.
“You probably don’t even like physical contact, so how could you possibly think of marrying a man like that? How could you endure it? ...Poor princess.”
Liene quickly shook her head.
“Madam, don’t be so talkative. We’re not alone. There are Tiwakan people outside the door.”
“Oh, then...”
Mrs. Flambard realized her mistake only then and hurriedly covered her mouth. Liene took the towel back from her hands.
“And it’s not like I can’t stand physical contact. Give it to me. I’ll do it.”
... It’s true that she didn’t like it. It was true that she felt uncomfortable with this man’s physical contact. However, she thought that it wasn’t a little different from the feelings Mrs. Flambard was talking about.
“Get some rest, Princess. It seems like he's fallen asleep again.”
Liene turned her gaze back to Black, who she had been trying hard to ignore.
“No... Hia eyelids are moving. He's not asleep.”
“But he won’t even notice that the Princess is there.”
“We have to show sincerity. This is a dangerous time for both of us.”
Liene handed a new towel to Madame Flambard.
“Please wipe away some sweat with this.”
“...”
Mrs. Flambard hesitated and took the towel, her eyes filling with tears.
“You probably don’t even like physical contact, so how could you possibly think of marrying a man like that? How could you endure it? ...Poor princess.”
Liene quickly shook her head.
“Madam, don’t be so talkative. We’re not alone. There are Tiwakan people outside the door.”
“Oh, then...”
Mrs. Flambard realized her mistake only then and hurriedly covered her mouth. Liene took the towel back from her hands.
“And it’s not like I can’t stand physical contact. Give it to me. I’ll do it.”
... It’s true that she didn’t like it. It was true that she felt uncomfortable with this man’s physical contact. However, she thought that it wasn’t a little different from the feelings Mrs. Flambard was talking about.
It’s not that she dislikes this man or finds him disgusting. She just... Then what on earth did she dislike?
Liene felt a contradiction within herself and began to wipe Black’s forehead. She didn’t dislike it, but she disliked it. She disliked it, but she didn’t dislike it. She couldn’t figure out what it was on her own.
“Then I will go change the water, Princess.”
Madame Flambard, perhaps embarrassed to stay in her seat because of her mistake, left the bedroom to find something to do. It was the bedroom that Liene had used when the former King was alive. At the time, she had thought it was a uselessly large bed, but with Black lying there, it somehow seemed cramped.
“When you come to your senses, I’ll have to tell you to move rooms.”
It was the moment when Liene muttered quietly to herself and moved the towel to the back of her neck.
“...The room is fine.”
“... !”
She dropped the towel in surprise. Black's pale eyes were looking at her.
“You woke up...”
Since when and how far have you heard it?
“I first heard that it wasn’t something that you couldn’t bear to touch.”
“...”
Liene clutched the hem of her skirt tightly. She looked at the towel that had fallen on her injured shoulder with resentment. She had no choice but to get closer to pick it up again.
“Please... give me time. I have been in a relationship. On the other hand, Lord Tiwakan is still a stranger.”
“I am not.”
“Then I will go change the water, Princess.”
Madame Flambard, perhaps embarrassed to stay in her seat because of her mistake, left the bedroom to find something to do. It was the bedroom that Liene had used when the former King was alive. At the time, she had thought it was a uselessly large bed, but with Black lying there, it somehow seemed cramped.
“When you come to your senses, I’ll have to tell you to move rooms.”
It was the moment when Liene muttered quietly to herself and moved the towel to the back of her neck.
“...The room is fine.”
“... !”
She dropped the towel in surprise. Black's pale eyes were looking at her.
“You woke up...”
Since when and how far have you heard it?
“I first heard that it wasn’t something that you couldn’t bear to touch.”
“...”
Liene clutched the hem of her skirt tightly. She looked at the towel that had fallen on her injured shoulder with resentment. She had no choice but to get closer to pick it up again.
“Please... give me time. I have been in a relationship. On the other hand, Lord Tiwakan is still a stranger.”
“I am not.”
...What.
“The Princess is not a stranger to me.”
Black's last words were so small and soft they almost sounded like a sigh.
“If it’s not unbearable, how much is it?”
"...Yes?"
She seemed to distinctly hear the movement of Black's eyes. Slowly and persistently, he searched through Liene's expressions.
“I wonder if it’s because I have a fever. I want to check.”
“What are you talking about...”
“I ask. If it is not unbearable, then what is it?”
Black raised his hand. His hot hand slowly reached out and touched Liene's cheek.
“Is this okay?”
“Lord Tiwakan. I am..."
“Tell me, Princess.”
...I don’t know. What should I say? Why isn’t the hand that touched my cheek moving away and is still caressing my cheek?
“Is this okay?”
“...”
Liene couldn't tell. It was just hot. The fever was high. His blue eyes, as pale as water and as if they were all reflecting, were clouded with heat. He looked very hot. It felt like the heat was spreading to her too.
“The fever is high. Lord Tiwakan.”
Liene shook her head and got away from him.
“Close your eyes and rest. If you are very tired, it would be a good idea to take a painkiller.”
“...The fever is high.”
She couldn't tell if he was talking to himself, telling her to listen, or just rambling in excitement.
“Then this is.”
Liene realized that he had sat up at some point. And that the hand that was touching her lips was hot. Black asked, lightly rubbing her lower lip with his thumb.
“Is this bearable?”
There was definitely a fever. The finger touching her lips was different from someone who didn't have a fever. It was different from a lover. It was extremely hot. So much so that she couldn't force it out of her head.
“Can you bear this too?”
The thumb that had been rubbing her lips moved down her chin. It slowly stroked her jawline and then moved to her neck. The hot hand brushed her skin, and at some point, it began to caress her. Not only her eyelashes, but her entire body began to tremble. The reason a man is hot is because he has a fever, but the heat keeps bringing about a strange sensation. It was a heat that she had never felt even when kissing her lover. She couldn’t bear it anymore. She felt like she would end up lying to herself if she kept doing this. That she wanted this man.
“Enough is enough.”
Liene, who had her eyes tightly shut, pressed Black's hand to stop his movements. It wasn't because he was grabbing her neck, but because the hand holding her neck was so hot that she was afraid.
“What... do you want me to endure?”
Liene barely opened her eyes and met Black's pale blue eyes.
“What and how far...”
“I don’t know either.”
The answer of the one with a fever was muddled. Black glanced at Liene’s hand that was holding his hand and slowly moved his tongue.
“What and how far I intend to go.”
"That..."
“I thought I was trying to see how the Princess would treat me...”
Black slowly pulled her hand. Then, Liene’s hand also came closer to him. He left a short kiss on the back of the hand that he pulled to his lips for an unknown reason.
“Maybe I just wanted to touch it.”
“...”
“Does that matter?”
"... Yes."
Liene steeled herself and spoke firmly.
“Surely you don’t think this is just any ordinary engagement. Lord Tiwakan demanded the engagement from Nauk, and I was forced to separate from my lover... Even while pregnant with the child.”
When she added that last word, her voice shook slightly. It couldn't be helped. Lying wasn't easy.
“Surely in this situation, do you expect affection and passion as if we were people who wanted each other and promised to get married?”
“...Like I said, I don’t know. What I want now.”
His eyes, which were usually like those of a beast, were closed in the heat and looked hazy. That's why his words about not knowing anything seemed to be true.
“All I know is that I didn’t want the Princess to be taken away by someone else.”
“The Princess is not a stranger to me.”
Black's last words were so small and soft they almost sounded like a sigh.
“If it’s not unbearable, how much is it?”
"...Yes?"
She seemed to distinctly hear the movement of Black's eyes. Slowly and persistently, he searched through Liene's expressions.
“I wonder if it’s because I have a fever. I want to check.”
“What are you talking about...”
“I ask. If it is not unbearable, then what is it?”
Black raised his hand. His hot hand slowly reached out and touched Liene's cheek.
“Is this okay?”
“Lord Tiwakan. I am..."
“Tell me, Princess.”
...I don’t know. What should I say? Why isn’t the hand that touched my cheek moving away and is still caressing my cheek?
“Is this okay?”
“...”
Liene couldn't tell. It was just hot. The fever was high. His blue eyes, as pale as water and as if they were all reflecting, were clouded with heat. He looked very hot. It felt like the heat was spreading to her too.
“The fever is high. Lord Tiwakan.”
Liene shook her head and got away from him.
“Close your eyes and rest. If you are very tired, it would be a good idea to take a painkiller.”
“...The fever is high.”
She couldn't tell if he was talking to himself, telling her to listen, or just rambling in excitement.
“Then this is.”
Liene realized that he had sat up at some point. And that the hand that was touching her lips was hot. Black asked, lightly rubbing her lower lip with his thumb.
“Is this bearable?”
There was definitely a fever. The finger touching her lips was different from someone who didn't have a fever. It was different from a lover. It was extremely hot. So much so that she couldn't force it out of her head.
“Can you bear this too?”
The thumb that had been rubbing her lips moved down her chin. It slowly stroked her jawline and then moved to her neck. The hot hand brushed her skin, and at some point, it began to caress her. Not only her eyelashes, but her entire body began to tremble. The reason a man is hot is because he has a fever, but the heat keeps bringing about a strange sensation. It was a heat that she had never felt even when kissing her lover. She couldn’t bear it anymore. She felt like she would end up lying to herself if she kept doing this. That she wanted this man.
“Enough is enough.”
Liene, who had her eyes tightly shut, pressed Black's hand to stop his movements. It wasn't because he was grabbing her neck, but because the hand holding her neck was so hot that she was afraid.
“What... do you want me to endure?”
Liene barely opened her eyes and met Black's pale blue eyes.
“What and how far...”
“I don’t know either.”
The answer of the one with a fever was muddled. Black glanced at Liene’s hand that was holding his hand and slowly moved his tongue.
“What and how far I intend to go.”
"That..."
“I thought I was trying to see how the Princess would treat me...”
Black slowly pulled her hand. Then, Liene’s hand also came closer to him. He left a short kiss on the back of the hand that he pulled to his lips for an unknown reason.
“Maybe I just wanted to touch it.”
“...”
“Does that matter?”
"... Yes."
Liene steeled herself and spoke firmly.
“Surely you don’t think this is just any ordinary engagement. Lord Tiwakan demanded the engagement from Nauk, and I was forced to separate from my lover... Even while pregnant with the child.”
When she added that last word, her voice shook slightly. It couldn't be helped. Lying wasn't easy.
“Surely in this situation, do you expect affection and passion as if we were people who wanted each other and promised to get married?”
“...Like I said, I don’t know. What I want now.”
His eyes, which were usually like those of a beast, were closed in the heat and looked hazy. That's why his words about not knowing anything seemed to be true.
“All I know is that I didn’t want the Princess to be taken away by someone else.”
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