“What is it?”
Liene asked, excited with anticipation.
“You're the first Princess I've ever thought of carrying around because you hurt your foot, so just hold on to me.”
Liene asked, excited with anticipation.
“You're the first Princess I've ever thought of carrying around because you hurt your foot, so just hold on to me.”
“...”
So Liene has nothing to say.
“What if Grand Prince Dieren makes fun of me? I’m on my way to negotiate.”
“No one will look down on the Princess when you are carried or carried by me. And what I am doing with Dieren is not a negotiation.”
"Sure?"
“Notice. And a little mercy. But not too much. I will not forget that human poisoned the Princess.”
That's right. He's the one who's at fault. Just because he's capturing Grand Prince Dieren in Alito doesn't mean he can just send his troops there. If it were the other way around, she guess.
“What kind of person is Grand Duke Alito? Is he the kind of person who is reckless when it comes to his son?”
“No. He is more of a seasoned businessman. He's not the type of person to risk money like a war while his son is still alive.”
That was fortunate.
“What do you want to do with Grand Prince Dieren?”
“In half...”
Black stopped walking as he spoke. He almost blurted out that he wanted to cut Dieren in half and send him to the Principality of Alito and the Kingdom of Sharka.
“In half?”
“...Forget about that. If Princess Bliny thinks about the situation in her homeland, she will agree to the offer to trade him for the ring.”
“Oh, so there is a way like that.”
As soon as the topic of rings came up, Liene suddenly hugged Black's neck.
“Tell me again. That you have never liked the Grand Princess.”
Black stopped walking and patted Liene very affectionately.
“As I said, no matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work.”
“Why did you put in so much effort?”
“Because I thought she looked like me.”
“What does it look like?”
“Born into royalty, but twisted.”
“...”
“As I said, it was the time when the name Tiwakan had just been created. Because of that, I was conflicted about what to do next. Should I return to Nauk and take my place, or should I continue living as a mercenary? It was around that time that I met Princess Bliny.”
“Did the Grand Princess... listen to your worries?”
“I didn’t say it myself. However, the Princess realized that I was not a slave as I was known, but a royal. The Princess was also in a conflict over the right to rule the duchy, so I thought that we were in a similar situation.”
“Does it give you any comfort that the Princess is in a similar situation?”
“At first.”
“Was it different later?”
“I realized sooner than I thought that I couldn’t love someone for that reason. Princess Bliny...”
Black paused for a moment to consider his words.
“...It didn’t feel like home.”
“...”
“I never felt like there was a place I could go back to. Not for a moment.”
At those words, all the anger melted away. Liene knew she couldn’t be angry anymore. He said he wanted a home from the moment he left Nauk. She couldn’t be upset and angry because he was trying to find a home. Liene is so sorry for that time... and she's so grateful. That he didn’t look for another home. That he came to her in the end. Liene whispered softly, rubbing her cheek against his.
“That's it, I don't need to find another twenty.”
“Don’t you get angry too quickly?”
“It’s better than being angry.”
“I don’t mind paying more. I’m also a little happy that the Princess is angry because of me.”
Look at what this guy is saying.
“So I pinched your ear and you don’t even remember that?”
“It seems that there are different types of pain.”
Black started walking again. Now, Liene didn't bother to ask him to get off.
“You’re not trying to tell me that being sick is good, are you?”
“Not all of them.”
Black stopped walking again and bit the tip of Liene's nose as if he didn't know what to do with it because it was so adorable. Liene smiled and wrinkled her nose.
“Oh, it hurts.”
“I think this much is good.”
“What are you going to say to other people if you have a bite mark on your nose? It’s not like there’s a dog in Nauk.”
“They would think that the Princess has a tooth mark for decoration.”
This guy is saying such ridiculous things...
“Even I think that’s an exaggeration. Other people would laugh.”
“I told you to smile. But I have a Princess who can bite my nose.”
This guy seems a bit too much... But if someone were to ask Liene how she feel right now, she would never say no.
“This way.”
Randall quickly led the way.
“Grand Prince Alito has come to his senses a bit now. He seemed shocked and stunned after his leg was... no, no, just a little bit injured, but he’s fine now. He seems to be starting to understand the situation.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Randall didn't say much, but Liene felt that he was trying hard not to look at her sideways. It would probably look too weird. She's a little embarrassed too...
“The road here is narrow. If you keep carrying me, won’t it be uncomfortable for other people?”
“No way. Is it uncomfortable?”
Randall was so flustered by the question that suddenly came back to him that he twisted his ankle and almost fell.
“Uh, it’s uncomfortable! What do you mean? That’s impossible!”
“Then just a moment.”
Black shouted outside the prison.
“Bring me a chair.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Soon a chair was brought in. Black had Liene sit on it.
“I have a question.”
“My sister should have seen this just now.”
Instead of answering, Dieren said this, but what he said was essentially an answer to a question that hadn't yet been asked.
“I guess it was Princess Bliny Bashad who ordered me to be kidnapped to the Kingdom of Sharka.”
“I can’t say that with my own mouth. Even in the Principality of Alito, there is such a thing as honor.”
It was nonsense from the beginning. The conclusion was a failure. Bayard used his brain to lay the net double and triple, but Princess Liene somehow made a hole in the net and escaped. It was completely incomprehensible. How could someone who seemed so kind and gentle have such sharp claws that could tear the net?
“Why?”
“I told you, I can't tell you. It would be a shame if the head of Tiwakan left her to marry because she was fond of you, don't you think?”
She had hoped that wasn't the reason, but she hoped that wasn't the case. Liene continued with a sour look on her face.
“I don’t understand. Doesn’t the Princess know that Lord Tiwakan is already married?”
“Is that so? There are many people in this world for whom marriage means nothing other than continuing blood relations.”
“But she is royalty. You know that if you try to satisfy your greed in this way, it could cause irreparable harm to our two countries. Princess Bliny not only sent an assassin as a messenger but also used the captain of Nauk’s guard to betray me. This is not something that can be apologized for.”
Dieren chuckled.
“Princess. That’s your opinion. You are the kind of royalty that you are.”
“Isn’t that Princess Bliny?”
“Yes. Instead, I’m sure she’s prepared a good escape route. Even if he dies, Bayar won’t say that my sister ordered him to do it, and neither will I. Besides, the people my sister has dragged in are Nauk’s humans, so whether they live or die, it’ll be up to the Princess.”
“No, that’s not necessarily true. Even if Princess Bliny gets away with what she did, the Prince is here. Does that mean Princess Bliny will be okay with whatever trouble the Prince gets into? That would ultimately be a problem for the Principality of Alito?”
“You would have thought I would be okay. Surely the chief of Tiwakan wouldn’t kill me... Damn it.”
Dieren shuddered. It was because he remembered the axe striking down on him. He had believed that Black would not kill him, but he was wrong. If Princess Liene had not appeared at that moment, his body would have been torn into several pieces. Did his sister not know that?
So Liene has nothing to say.
“What if Grand Prince Dieren makes fun of me? I’m on my way to negotiate.”
“No one will look down on the Princess when you are carried or carried by me. And what I am doing with Dieren is not a negotiation.”
"Sure?"
“Notice. And a little mercy. But not too much. I will not forget that human poisoned the Princess.”
That's right. He's the one who's at fault. Just because he's capturing Grand Prince Dieren in Alito doesn't mean he can just send his troops there. If it were the other way around, she guess.
“What kind of person is Grand Duke Alito? Is he the kind of person who is reckless when it comes to his son?”
“No. He is more of a seasoned businessman. He's not the type of person to risk money like a war while his son is still alive.”
That was fortunate.
“What do you want to do with Grand Prince Dieren?”
“In half...”
Black stopped walking as he spoke. He almost blurted out that he wanted to cut Dieren in half and send him to the Principality of Alito and the Kingdom of Sharka.
“In half?”
“...Forget about that. If Princess Bliny thinks about the situation in her homeland, she will agree to the offer to trade him for the ring.”
“Oh, so there is a way like that.”
As soon as the topic of rings came up, Liene suddenly hugged Black's neck.
“Tell me again. That you have never liked the Grand Princess.”
Black stopped walking and patted Liene very affectionately.
“As I said, no matter how hard I tried, it didn’t work.”
“Why did you put in so much effort?”
“Because I thought she looked like me.”
“What does it look like?”
“Born into royalty, but twisted.”
“...”
“As I said, it was the time when the name Tiwakan had just been created. Because of that, I was conflicted about what to do next. Should I return to Nauk and take my place, or should I continue living as a mercenary? It was around that time that I met Princess Bliny.”
“Did the Grand Princess... listen to your worries?”
“I didn’t say it myself. However, the Princess realized that I was not a slave as I was known, but a royal. The Princess was also in a conflict over the right to rule the duchy, so I thought that we were in a similar situation.”
“Does it give you any comfort that the Princess is in a similar situation?”
“At first.”
“Was it different later?”
“I realized sooner than I thought that I couldn’t love someone for that reason. Princess Bliny...”
Black paused for a moment to consider his words.
“...It didn’t feel like home.”
“...”
“I never felt like there was a place I could go back to. Not for a moment.”
At those words, all the anger melted away. Liene knew she couldn’t be angry anymore. He said he wanted a home from the moment he left Nauk. She couldn’t be upset and angry because he was trying to find a home. Liene is so sorry for that time... and she's so grateful. That he didn’t look for another home. That he came to her in the end. Liene whispered softly, rubbing her cheek against his.
“That's it, I don't need to find another twenty.”
“Don’t you get angry too quickly?”
“It’s better than being angry.”
“I don’t mind paying more. I’m also a little happy that the Princess is angry because of me.”
Look at what this guy is saying.
“So I pinched your ear and you don’t even remember that?”
“It seems that there are different types of pain.”
Black started walking again. Now, Liene didn't bother to ask him to get off.
“You’re not trying to tell me that being sick is good, are you?”
“Not all of them.”
Black stopped walking again and bit the tip of Liene's nose as if he didn't know what to do with it because it was so adorable. Liene smiled and wrinkled her nose.
“Oh, it hurts.”
“I think this much is good.”
“What are you going to say to other people if you have a bite mark on your nose? It’s not like there’s a dog in Nauk.”
“They would think that the Princess has a tooth mark for decoration.”
This guy is saying such ridiculous things...
“Even I think that’s an exaggeration. Other people would laugh.”
“I told you to smile. But I have a Princess who can bite my nose.”
This guy seems a bit too much... But if someone were to ask Liene how she feel right now, she would never say no.
While they were talking like that, they arrived at the dungeon where Dieren was locked up.
***
“This way.”
Randall quickly led the way.
“Grand Prince Alito has come to his senses a bit now. He seemed shocked and stunned after his leg was... no, no, just a little bit injured, but he’s fine now. He seems to be starting to understand the situation.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Randall didn't say much, but Liene felt that he was trying hard not to look at her sideways. It would probably look too weird. She's a little embarrassed too...
“The road here is narrow. If you keep carrying me, won’t it be uncomfortable for other people?”
“No way. Is it uncomfortable?”
Randall was so flustered by the question that suddenly came back to him that he twisted his ankle and almost fell.
“Uh, it’s uncomfortable! What do you mean? That’s impossible!”
...But his expression looks really uncomfortable.
“Oh, the road is rough, so of course the Princess shouldn’t walk this way! Of course, it is. I know that!”
Randall's voice was much louder than usual. The voice that resonated through the basement conveyed the message that this was the first time he had seen his lord like this. Liene let out a light sigh and tugged at the hem of Black's clothes so that it would not be noticeable to others.
“I’m glad you found out... I really did hurt my foot.”
“Oh, of course!”
“...”
Liene turned her head without saying a word. Of the three, only Black remained calm as if nothing had happened. Randall was taken aback, but he wasn't completely oblivious. Eventually, everyone would get used to this kind of sight. They knew that Liene would always be an exception. If her foot was hurt, it would be natural to carry her when going to meet the Prince of another country.
“This is the room.”
Randall stopped in front of the cell where he had posted a guard. The mercenary on guard quickly opened the door. Squeak!
“Watch your head. The ceiling is low.”
Black gently wrapped one hand around Liene's head and then entered the prison.
“...”
Dieren, who had to watch the scene of the two people entering, had a distorted expression on his face. His expression was not good to begin with because of the injury on his thigh where the skin was split open, but it was even worse now.
“What a picturesque couple.”
“I, Your Highness...”
The servant called him to be careful with his words. But Dieren wasn't mocking Black. He was mocking himself and his sister.
“I wasted my time trying to separate these things... Ha, this is driving me crazy.”
Liene, who was looking at him bitterly, said to Black.
“Now put me down. I can't do the papers while being held.”
“Oh, the road is rough, so of course the Princess shouldn’t walk this way! Of course, it is. I know that!”
Randall's voice was much louder than usual. The voice that resonated through the basement conveyed the message that this was the first time he had seen his lord like this. Liene let out a light sigh and tugged at the hem of Black's clothes so that it would not be noticeable to others.
“I’m glad you found out... I really did hurt my foot.”
“Oh, of course!”
“...”
Liene turned her head without saying a word. Of the three, only Black remained calm as if nothing had happened. Randall was taken aback, but he wasn't completely oblivious. Eventually, everyone would get used to this kind of sight. They knew that Liene would always be an exception. If her foot was hurt, it would be natural to carry her when going to meet the Prince of another country.
“This is the room.”
Randall stopped in front of the cell where he had posted a guard. The mercenary on guard quickly opened the door. Squeak!
“Watch your head. The ceiling is low.”
Black gently wrapped one hand around Liene's head and then entered the prison.
“...”
Dieren, who had to watch the scene of the two people entering, had a distorted expression on his face. His expression was not good to begin with because of the injury on his thigh where the skin was split open, but it was even worse now.
“What a picturesque couple.”
“I, Your Highness...”
The servant called him to be careful with his words. But Dieren wasn't mocking Black. He was mocking himself and his sister.
“I wasted my time trying to separate these things... Ha, this is driving me crazy.”
Liene, who was looking at him bitterly, said to Black.
“Now put me down. I can't do the papers while being held.”
“Then just a moment.”
Black shouted outside the prison.
“Bring me a chair.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Soon a chair was brought in. Black had Liene sit on it.
“I have a question.”
“My sister should have seen this just now.”
Instead of answering, Dieren said this, but what he said was essentially an answer to a question that hadn't yet been asked.
“I guess it was Princess Bliny Bashad who ordered me to be kidnapped to the Kingdom of Sharka.”
“I can’t say that with my own mouth. Even in the Principality of Alito, there is such a thing as honor.”
It was nonsense from the beginning. The conclusion was a failure. Bayard used his brain to lay the net double and triple, but Princess Liene somehow made a hole in the net and escaped. It was completely incomprehensible. How could someone who seemed so kind and gentle have such sharp claws that could tear the net?
“Why?”
“I told you, I can't tell you. It would be a shame if the head of Tiwakan left her to marry because she was fond of you, don't you think?”
She had hoped that wasn't the reason, but she hoped that wasn't the case. Liene continued with a sour look on her face.
“I don’t understand. Doesn’t the Princess know that Lord Tiwakan is already married?”
“Is that so? There are many people in this world for whom marriage means nothing other than continuing blood relations.”
“But she is royalty. You know that if you try to satisfy your greed in this way, it could cause irreparable harm to our two countries. Princess Bliny not only sent an assassin as a messenger but also used the captain of Nauk’s guard to betray me. This is not something that can be apologized for.”
Dieren chuckled.
“Princess. That’s your opinion. You are the kind of royalty that you are.”
“Isn’t that Princess Bliny?”
“Yes. Instead, I’m sure she’s prepared a good escape route. Even if he dies, Bayar won’t say that my sister ordered him to do it, and neither will I. Besides, the people my sister has dragged in are Nauk’s humans, so whether they live or die, it’ll be up to the Princess.”
“No, that’s not necessarily true. Even if Princess Bliny gets away with what she did, the Prince is here. Does that mean Princess Bliny will be okay with whatever trouble the Prince gets into? That would ultimately be a problem for the Principality of Alito?”
“You would have thought I would be okay. Surely the chief of Tiwakan wouldn’t kill me... Damn it.”
Dieren shuddered. It was because he remembered the axe striking down on him. He had believed that Black would not kill him, but he was wrong. If Princess Liene had not appeared at that moment, his body would have been torn into several pieces. Did his sister not know that?
...Maybe she did. But she would not have cared. After all, if he died, his sister would naturally inherit the duchy. If this incident threatened his position in the Sharka Kingdom, his sister would return to the duchy and become the Grand Duchess.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Dieren squeezed his eyes shut and swore repeatedly.
“I, Your Highness...”
The attendant stopped Dieren while observing Liene's expression. Dieren continued to tremble with his face turned pale and cold sweat dripping down his body.
“Write a letter to Princess Bliny.”
As she said this, Liene gently squeezed Black's hand. Black nodded in agreement.
“Tell her that I will guarantee the Prince’s life if she returns the ring.”
“...A, a ring?”
Dieren came to his senses after a long time and asked again.
“Just do that and she will know. And tell her that I know a secret of the Princess. If the ring arrives safely, the secret will quietly disappear, but if not, it will come to life before everyone’s eyes.”
After finishing her speech, Liene stood up from her chair. The moment she was about to stand up, Black quickly hugged Liene. Now, she didn’t even have to say anything embarrassing. Liene made a calm expression as if there was a rule that said you have to be carried when going to and from prison. In fact, it was hard.
“I look forward to seeing how well the writing education is taught at the Grand Duke Alito’s house.”
That was the end of the conversation. As soon as they left the dungeon, news came that Werose's men had been discovered.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Dieren squeezed his eyes shut and swore repeatedly.
“I, Your Highness...”
The attendant stopped Dieren while observing Liene's expression. Dieren continued to tremble with his face turned pale and cold sweat dripping down his body.
“Write a letter to Princess Bliny.”
As she said this, Liene gently squeezed Black's hand. Black nodded in agreement.
“Tell her that I will guarantee the Prince’s life if she returns the ring.”
“...A, a ring?”
Dieren came to his senses after a long time and asked again.
“Just do that and she will know. And tell her that I know a secret of the Princess. If the ring arrives safely, the secret will quietly disappear, but if not, it will come to life before everyone’s eyes.”
After finishing her speech, Liene stood up from her chair. The moment she was about to stand up, Black quickly hugged Liene. Now, she didn’t even have to say anything embarrassing. Liene made a calm expression as if there was a rule that said you have to be carried when going to and from prison. In fact, it was hard.
“I look forward to seeing how well the writing education is taught at the Grand Duke Alito’s house.”
That was the end of the conversation. As soon as they left the dungeon, news came that Werose's men had been discovered.
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