Instead of trying to throw off the blanket, Black hugged Liene with the blanket.
“Don’t do this. Leave me alone. Please.”
“Ten days isn’t that long. If you look at the time, the Princess was in love with someone else for much longer.”
“Oh, what is that... Well, I have nothing to say, but my situation was a little different.”
In fact, it wasn’t that different. Liene had also tried to have affection for Lafitte Kleinfelter. She thought that if she could truly accept him, the relationship she had forced herself into would be a little less horrible.
“But it was much longer. That’s why my head also gets hot whenever the Princess mentions someone else.”
“...I like that expression. My head gets hot too.”
“That’s why I was suffering, but I survived thanks to the Princess’s comfort.”
“Um... So you’re going to comfort me in the same way now?”
“It doesn’t have to be the same. Tell me what you want. I’ll do anything.”
“...”
Liene pulled the blanket down a bit.
“Don’t you think I’m annoying and pathetic? It’s already over, but I’m just standing still.”
“Did you find me annoying, Princess?”
Liene thought seriously and shook her head.
“No. Actually...”
Then her cheeks turned red.
The relationship that started with the excuse of needing comfort was perfect.
The afternoon sun shone on each and every hair, revealing every delicate expression.
Her face, which had been excited and disheveled, was still vivid. If he were to take out the best thing in his head, it would definitely be there.
Black pressed his lips to her bare cheek that was slightly exposed above the blanket and whispered.
“Tell me. What I have to do.”
“...Well, I don’t know.”
Liene eventually turned around and hugged Black. The hand that tightly squeezed his shoulder was pitiful and yet so beautiful.
“What did you think when you broke up and met again?”
She asked about when he met Princess Bliny again in the Principality of Alito.
“It was good at first.”
“...What did you say?”
“I thought I might get my ring back.”
Liene tilted her head slightly and looked at him with a suspicious face.
“Is that all?”
“Really. I soon realized it was just a wish.”
It was obvious that Bliny was planning to use the ring as bait to manipulate him. When she told him to propose if he wanted the ring back, he decided to throw it away instead.
He wasn’t going to become the King of Nauk again.
On the one hand, he felt relieved. He also felt like he had cut off his identity which was still hanging on like an invisible tail.
“Why did Princess Bliny do that? Wasn’t it because you were too kind?”
“I think I should ask that too. The Princess didn’t show compassion to anyone else until this afternoon.”
“This has nothing to do with rejection... No, that’s right. Kleinfelter didn’t listen to what I said either. He interpreted it strangely as he pleased.”
Thinking that made her feel a little better.
Liene hugged Black again and patted his back. Black quickly followed Liene’s movements.
“This feeling will gradually get better. It will get better with time.”
Instead of answering, Black simply smiled.
Liene might be like that, but he wasn’t. If Liene ever said something like “poor Lafitte Kleinfelter,” he would receive comfort then.
“But... can’t you give it back? It’s something that means nothing if it’s something from the past. I don’t think you need to keep it.”
“I’ll do that. But to whom?”
Black asked, pushing Liene’s bangs that had fallen forward behind her forehead.
“To Princess Bliny... No, there was someone else?”
“That can’t be it. But what are you talking about?"
“Scissors.”
“Scissors?”
“You hid it.”
“...Oh, you saw that.”
Black only now realized that the bedroom had changed. Newly woven curtains had arrived, but it seemed that Liene had moved his luggage.
Liene rubbed her forehead against his shoulder and spoke playfully.
“Isn’t it...okay?”
“Scissors?”
“You hid it.”
“...Oh, you saw that.”
Black only now realized that the bedroom had changed. Newly woven curtains had arrived, but it seemed that Liene had moved his luggage.
Liene rubbed her forehead against his shoulder and spoke playfully.
“Isn’t it...okay?”
“...If I had known you were this kind of person, I wouldn’t have kept it hidden.”
Black let out a short breath.
“I’m sorry, I'm this kind of person. I didn’t know I was this narrow-minded.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it...”
Black let out a short breath.
“I’m sorry, I'm this kind of person. I didn’t know I was this narrow-minded.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it...”
Black abruptly cut her off and pulled Liene away from his body.
“Give me your hand.”
“My hand?”
Liene released the arm that was holding him and absentmindedly reached out her hand.
Black grabbed her hand and pressed it under her thumbnail, causing the skin to split.
Liene flinched.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not much. But why are you doing this?”
“The Princess got hurt here once. You said you cut yourself with nail scissors.”
“Uh...? When?”
Liene, indifferent to small wounds, couldn’t remember.
Black didn’t know his own wounds well either, but Liene’s wounds were different. He remembered everything.
He held her thumb and licked under her nail as he had always done.
“That’s why I bought it.”
“Uh... um? What did you say?”
“So that you don’t get hurt.”
“You bought it for me? But... it wasn’t new.”
“Yes. That’s why I just left it.”
It wasn’t easy to find something he liked in Nauk.
He chose the best one out of the few choices, but it wasn’t something he really liked, so he didn’t feel like giving it away. Aside from that, it was also a relationship where he couldn’t comfortably give gifts.
At that time, he couldn’t guess every moment.
He thought they’d gotten closer, but he would drift away again.
He didn’t want to hurt her nails with dull scissors again, but he couldn’t convey his feelings as they were.
“I don’t know if you’ll like receiving something like that.”
He left it somewhere out of sight, but then Liene got a serious injury to her hand with sewing scissors again.
After that, it became something he really couldn’t give away.
With these small scissors, Liene could easily hurt herself.
After hearing the story, Liene let out a sigh.
“That’s why I feel so pathetic.”
“I didn’t tell you to do that.”
“You always thought of me, but I just doubted you.”
“That’s not true.”
“How can you say no?”
Liene pulled her knees together and turned her head to the side.
“Look at me. Don’t you believe me?”
“No. That’s not it... I’m embarrassed to look at you right now.”
“Then don’t turn your head away and close your eyes.”
“Oh, there’s a way.”
Liene innocently closed her eyes.
Black wiped the smile off his face and lowered his lips.
“Don’t open your eyes.”
“Um... I’m closing them because I’m embarrassed right now... Ah.”
Liene flinched her shoulders as his lips brushed her ankles while lifting the hem of her pajamas.
“You won’t be embarrassed since your eyes are closed.”
He tickled her ankles and moved closer.
“Look at me. Don’t you believe me?”
“No. That’s not it... I’m embarrassed to look at you right now.”
“Then don’t turn your head away and close your eyes.”
“Oh, there’s a way.”
Liene innocently closed her eyes.
Black wiped the smile off his face and lowered his lips.
“Don’t open your eyes.”
“Um... I’m closing them because I’m embarrassed right now... Ah.”
Liene flinched her shoulders as his lips brushed her ankles while lifting the hem of her pajamas.
“You won’t be embarrassed since your eyes are closed.”
He tickled her ankles and moved closer.
Liene blushed and gasped for breath.
“It’s weird... I think it’s more embarrassing to close my eyes.”
“Then you can open your eyes.”
“What’s that...?”
It was the same.
Even if Liene misunderstood and threw a tantrum, or got angry, or turned away because of something useless, what he did was the same. He showered her with affection.
Liene twisted her body here and there, not knowing what to do with the breath tickling her thighs.
“The scissors are... mine... right?”
Liene asked, tangling Black’s hair with both hands. Black briefly pulled away and answered.
“No. I have no intention of giving them to you now.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want the Princess to have to use scissors. I said it back then.”
“That’s... back then, I was a bit...”
“It’s weird... I think it’s more embarrassing to close my eyes.”
“Then you can open your eyes.”
“What’s that...?”
It was the same.
Even if Liene misunderstood and threw a tantrum, or got angry, or turned away because of something useless, what he did was the same. He showered her with affection.
Liene twisted her body here and there, not knowing what to do with the breath tickling her thighs.
“The scissors are... mine... right?”
Liene asked, tangling Black’s hair with both hands. Black briefly pulled away and answered.
“No. I have no intention of giving them to you now.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want the Princess to have to use scissors. I said it back then.”
“That’s... back then, I was a bit...”
“Even now, I sometimes dream about that scene.”
“It really surprised me... I, ah...”
“Yes. So please make sure you don’t get hurt in the future. If you wake up from a nightmare, I'll want to wake the Princess.”
“Then... wake, wake me up.”
Liene gasped for breath, her face completely red.
Black slowly lifted the hem of her pajamas and laid Liene down.
“It was a promise.”
“Yes...”
The feeling of the pajamas sliding against her skin was especially erotic today.
Liene swallowed dryly and watched Black take off his gown.
In the end, the scissors ended up in Madq. Flambard's hands.
Every time she trimmed her nails with the jeweled scissors, she would say the same thing as Black, never to even think about touching the scissors.
***
Time passed quickly.
It seemed peaceful, but it wasn't.
There were still two prisoners left in Nauk's dungeon.
One was Ternan Kleinfelter, and the other was Werose.
“Are you here?”
Liene, who had visited the dungeon again today, nodded to Tiwakan, who was greeting her.
“How is it today?”
“Still the same.”
“...”
Still the same meant that Werose was not eating.
He chose the method of risking his life as a last resort.
“Open the door.”
“Yes.”
Creak.
The cell door opened and a damp and gloomy smell flowed in.
It was a smell that she smelled every time, but her nose still felt stuffy.
Liene prayed inwardly that there would be no one in this prison so that she would never smell the same smell again.
“...Sir Werose.”
Werose, who had been leaning against the wall with a listless body, forcibly raised his head as Liene entered.
Even though the room was dark, she could see his lips, blackened and peeling.
It was impossible for his heart not to ache.
“You don’t have to come often. Unless you’ve decided to abandon, don’t come.”
“That won’t happen.”
“Then I have nothing to say.”
Werose firmly believed that the hereditary disease of the Gainers royal family would be passed on to Black.
He had said that to protect Nauk, Liene had to leave him.
Ternan Kleinfelter had been captured, and his ties with the Sharka kingdom had been cut off, so even now that there was no other way, he was stubbornly insisting while ruining his own body.
“Can’t you believe me? Only nine of the nineteen Kings died young. Just because they are of Gainers’ blood doesn’t mean they all get the same disease.”
“Was he someone who could bet Nauk’s future on a half chance?”
“I trust him. He wouldn’t do anything to harm me.”
“If you go crazy, all that’s useless, Princess.”
“Then you protect me. If Lord Tiwakan gets sick, you can do something then.”
“After Nauk has already fallen into Gainers’ hands? That can’t be.”
“That’s not true. Lord Tiwakan has no intention of becoming the King of Gainers. He said he would live as my husband and the guardian knight of Arsak. I’ve told you several times. Why don’t you believe me?”
“I’ve told you several times.”
Werose clenched his fists that had become as dry as tree branches.
“I swore to protect the Princess and Nauk. What I’m doing now is the last way to keep that oath. I don’t value a knight’s life to keep that oath. Leave me alone. Instead, just remember why I had to die. That is my last loyalty to the Princess.”
“...No. Don’t say it’s the end. I don’t want to lose my pride like this.”
“The moment I chose him over Nauk, my path may have already been decided.”
Stubborn as she was.
Liene held back her feelings and pressed the tips of her toes.
Why are you doing that when I’m fine with that illness?
No matter how worried he is, it’s not like she's the only one. No matter how scared or sad he is, it won’t be as much as she is.
But why is Sir Werose, who should be on her side, making it so hard for her?
“I’ll pack three meals for you until you eat. If you don’t want to keep harassing me, then eat.”
“...Go back, princess. You don’t have to come anymore.”
“That’s not true. Lord Tiwakan has no intention of becoming the King of Gainers. He said he would live as my husband and the guardian knight of Arsak. I’ve told you several times. Why don’t you believe me?”
“I’ve told you several times.”
Werose clenched his fists that had become as dry as tree branches.
“I swore to protect the Princess and Nauk. What I’m doing now is the last way to keep that oath. I don’t value a knight’s life to keep that oath. Leave me alone. Instead, just remember why I had to die. That is my last loyalty to the Princess.”
“...No. Don’t say it’s the end. I don’t want to lose my pride like this.”
“The moment I chose him over Nauk, my path may have already been decided.”
Stubborn as she was.
Liene held back her feelings and pressed the tips of her toes.
Why are you doing that when I’m fine with that illness?
No matter how worried he is, it’s not like she's the only one. No matter how scared or sad he is, it won’t be as much as she is.
But why is Sir Werose, who should be on her side, making it so hard for her?
“I’ll pack three meals for you until you eat. If you don’t want to keep harassing me, then eat.”
“...Go back, princess. You don’t have to come anymore.”
Even Werose can be stubborn.
“Stop talking nonsense and just eat everything. Please also consider that if you don’t eat the food I brought, I’ll be the one who has to clean up the spoiled food.”
It was the moment Liene turned and was about to leave the cell.
“...Huh? How did you come?”
Black was standing there without a sound.
“Stop talking nonsense and just eat everything. Please also consider that if you don’t eat the food I brought, I’ll be the one who has to clean up the spoiled food.”
It was the moment Liene turned and was about to leave the cell.
“...Huh? How did you come?”
Black was standing there without a sound.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment