And Black slept later than Liene. He had things to do when Liene wasn't around.
“...”
“...”
There was a reason for the silence. Neither Lafitte Kleinfelter, who had woken up to a slap from Randall, nor Black, who had woken him up, were in a position to talk.
“...What is it? If you wake me up, tell me what’s going on.”
It was Lafitte who could no longer bear the tension of facing each other.
“Why are you just staring blankly! Why!”
"Be quiet."
Black spoke low and softly.
“It’s a little far away, but Liene is sleeping.”
“Damn...”
Lafitte gnashed his teeth. In a few days, he had become a completely different person. His face was so gaunt and rough that no one could tell that he was the eldest son of the Kleinfelter family. The downfall of the Kleinfelter family was his expression.
“You woke up a sleeping person at this hour just to say something like that? Are you bragging that you’re sharing a bed with Liene? Damn it, you’re next to me anyway. What the heck, uh...”
Without Black having to step forward, Randall covered Lafitte's mouth.
“Watch what you say.”
“Ugh...”
As if that wasn't enough, Randall went so far as to hit Lafitte in the head with a blow.
“Tsk tsk... Are those corner seeds like this? Even when they’re about to die, they still have no clue where they are.”
“...!”
Lafitte made a weak resistance with a body that seemed like it would break. But that was only for a moment. Lafitte Klinefelter was quick to give up. He lived a life that was too peaceful because he desperately held on to something. He had never known lack. Everything was given to him. Liene was the same. It was given to him as a matter of course. What Lafitte did not know was that what he held in his hands could disappear. Black approached Lafitte, who had become quiet.
“You have two choices.”
“...?”
Lafitte raised his head, which had been hanging down, diagonally.
“Either you leave here or you stay here.”
Randall quickly removed his hand from his mouth.
“What... what does that mean?”
“If you tell the truth in front of Queen Dileras tomorrow, I will hand over your soldiers to you. If you keep quiet, I will hand them over to the Queen.”
“What... are you asking me to tell you the truth?”
“Whatever you did with the Grand Princess. Whether it was killing Prince Bashad or making the Grand Princess pregnant. If you tell the truth, I will make sure that Queen Dileras cannot touch you.”
“What the... crazy... are you going to save me? Of all people, you?”
“There’s no reason for me to cut off your neck now. Liene probably wouldn’t like it.”
It wasn't a lie. Lafitte, who had lost everything he had, wasn't someone who had to be eliminated like before. It was just too trivial to take the trouble to kill him.
“What if I don’t say anything?”
“Queen Dileras will know to open your mouth. Her family must know many good torturers.”
“Ugh...”
Lafitte frowned at the word torture.
“I like it better that way. There must be a price to pay for your fearless return to Nauk.”
"Price?"
Lafitte let out a breath of relief.
“Isn’t this the price I paid for ending up like this? Do you know what it was like to starve to death in that tomb-like cave...!”
"Thank god."
Black laughed briefly, cutting off Lafitte's words.
“You are a human being who suffers even after starving for a few days. It would be more effective if you were properly tortured.”
Black sat up lightly.
“Then I’ll assume you chose the second one. Put him back to sleep.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Randall grabbed Lafitte by the collar. A well-placed strike to the back of the head would put a man to sleep.
“Hey, wait a minute...! I didn’t choose anything!”
Lafitte shouted urgently before being hit on the back of the head.
“If you hand over my new recruits, tell me what you will do with them.”
“I will let you go somewhere other than Nauk or Sharka. This time, I will even give you travel expenses. Because I have become a very good person.”
Randall and Lafitte shared a similar look at Black's nonchalant comment. They seemed to wonder where such a remark came from.
“Are you sure about that? Can you promise?”
Lafitte, who asked hesitantly, showed no sign of pride anymore. He did not even think that it was shameful for a man to promise his life to Black, of all people.
“If you promise.”
“Then... then fine. I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Or so.”
Black, who had expected Lafitte to come out like this, turned around without much emotion.
“Now put him to sleep. Don’t make any noise.”
“Yes, my lord.”
When he returned to the bedroom, trying to silence his footsteps, Liene was sound asleep. The moon by the sea was unusually large, and he could see the thin shadows cast by her eyelashes. When Black carefully climbed into bed, Liene groaned and dove into his arms. For a moment, he was surprised to see that she was awake, but that wasn’t the case. Judging from the way her face pressed against his cheek without even noticing it, it was a habit she had developed. Black smiled slightly and lowered his head to touch Liene’s crown. It seemed like a good idea to build a castle where the two of them could be alone on the seashore.
“It’s dirty. I need to take a bath. I think something is stuck on me.”
Back at the palace, Bliny pulled down her stuffy mourning clothes. The maids rushed over and diligently helped her take off the clothes that were difficult to take off on her own. The problem was that Bliny did not return alone. The King's secretary was standing quietly in a corner of the bedroom, holding a letter in his hand. Bliny, who had cleanly taken off her cumbersome clothes, walked barefoot toward the bathroom. She calmly gestured behind her back.
“Come in. I will read the letter.”
“...Yes, Your Highness the Princess.”
The King's secretary quickly followed Bliny without showing any sign of panic. The maids followed and hurriedly filled the bathtub with water. The water still seemed a little cold, but Bliny went into the bathtub without a care. On her hand that came out of the water, a thick ring that did not match her white hand or bathing caught her attention. The reason her thumb with the ring was awkwardly raised was that she had hidden the large decoration by turning it inside her finger.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you reading?”
“Yes, Your Highness the Princess.”
The secretary unfolded the Queen’s letter and began to read it. If the few letters she had sent in the past had begun with heartfelt regrets and pleas, today was different. Today’s letter was an invitation. It said that someone was in the villa and that he should come and see them.
“Who is there?”
Bliny, who was getting impatient, interrupted and asked. The secretary hesitated for a moment, then quickly scanned the next sentence with his eyes.
“They have something to say about the Prince’s child who will be born in the future.”
“...Who is that?”
“The name was not disclosed.”
“...”
Bliny chewed his lip. Black met Queen Dileras. Queen Dileras suddenly knew something about her child. Bliny brought her thumb to her mouth and chewed on the ring.
“...If you want it, don’t you have to beg?”
Instead of showing up and pleading, Black decided to strangle her.
“Why don’t you appear in front of me?”
What did I do to call that guy? You knew all this. Why on earth?
“...”
“...”
There was a reason for the silence. Neither Lafitte Kleinfelter, who had woken up to a slap from Randall, nor Black, who had woken him up, were in a position to talk.
“...What is it? If you wake me up, tell me what’s going on.”
It was Lafitte who could no longer bear the tension of facing each other.
“Why are you just staring blankly! Why!”
"Be quiet."
Black spoke low and softly.
“It’s a little far away, but Liene is sleeping.”
“Damn...”
Lafitte gnashed his teeth. In a few days, he had become a completely different person. His face was so gaunt and rough that no one could tell that he was the eldest son of the Kleinfelter family. The downfall of the Kleinfelter family was his expression.
“You woke up a sleeping person at this hour just to say something like that? Are you bragging that you’re sharing a bed with Liene? Damn it, you’re next to me anyway. What the heck, uh...”
Without Black having to step forward, Randall covered Lafitte's mouth.
“Watch what you say.”
“Ugh...”
As if that wasn't enough, Randall went so far as to hit Lafitte in the head with a blow.
“Tsk tsk... Are those corner seeds like this? Even when they’re about to die, they still have no clue where they are.”
“...!”
Lafitte made a weak resistance with a body that seemed like it would break. But that was only for a moment. Lafitte Klinefelter was quick to give up. He lived a life that was too peaceful because he desperately held on to something. He had never known lack. Everything was given to him. Liene was the same. It was given to him as a matter of course. What Lafitte did not know was that what he held in his hands could disappear. Black approached Lafitte, who had become quiet.
“You have two choices.”
“...?”
Lafitte raised his head, which had been hanging down, diagonally.
“Either you leave here or you stay here.”
Randall quickly removed his hand from his mouth.
“What... what does that mean?”
“If you tell the truth in front of Queen Dileras tomorrow, I will hand over your soldiers to you. If you keep quiet, I will hand them over to the Queen.”
“What... are you asking me to tell you the truth?”
“Whatever you did with the Grand Princess. Whether it was killing Prince Bashad or making the Grand Princess pregnant. If you tell the truth, I will make sure that Queen Dileras cannot touch you.”
“What the... crazy... are you going to save me? Of all people, you?”
“There’s no reason for me to cut off your neck now. Liene probably wouldn’t like it.”
It wasn't a lie. Lafitte, who had lost everything he had, wasn't someone who had to be eliminated like before. It was just too trivial to take the trouble to kill him.
“What if I don’t say anything?”
“Queen Dileras will know to open your mouth. Her family must know many good torturers.”
“Ugh...”
Lafitte frowned at the word torture.
“I like it better that way. There must be a price to pay for your fearless return to Nauk.”
"Price?"
Lafitte let out a breath of relief.
“Isn’t this the price I paid for ending up like this? Do you know what it was like to starve to death in that tomb-like cave...!”
"Thank god."
Black laughed briefly, cutting off Lafitte's words.
“You are a human being who suffers even after starving for a few days. It would be more effective if you were properly tortured.”
Black sat up lightly.
“Then I’ll assume you chose the second one. Put him back to sleep.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Randall grabbed Lafitte by the collar. A well-placed strike to the back of the head would put a man to sleep.
“Hey, wait a minute...! I didn’t choose anything!”
Lafitte shouted urgently before being hit on the back of the head.
“If you hand over my new recruits, tell me what you will do with them.”
“I will let you go somewhere other than Nauk or Sharka. This time, I will even give you travel expenses. Because I have become a very good person.”
Randall and Lafitte shared a similar look at Black's nonchalant comment. They seemed to wonder where such a remark came from.
“Are you sure about that? Can you promise?”
Lafitte, who asked hesitantly, showed no sign of pride anymore. He did not even think that it was shameful for a man to promise his life to Black, of all people.
“If you promise.”
“Then... then fine. I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Or so.”
Black, who had expected Lafitte to come out like this, turned around without much emotion.
“Now put him to sleep. Don’t make any noise.”
“Yes, my lord.”
When he returned to the bedroom, trying to silence his footsteps, Liene was sound asleep. The moon by the sea was unusually large, and he could see the thin shadows cast by her eyelashes. When Black carefully climbed into bed, Liene groaned and dove into his arms. For a moment, he was surprised to see that she was awake, but that wasn’t the case. Judging from the way her face pressed against his cheek without even noticing it, it was a habit she had developed. Black smiled slightly and lowered his head to touch Liene’s crown. It seemed like a good idea to build a castle where the two of them could be alone on the seashore.
***
The Princess of Nauk and her husband were on their honeymoon, and when Queen Dileras found out about it, she invited them from the morning and spent time with them until the evening, and the story spread through the Sharka royal family. It was a strange story that didn’t fit the times. It was the same for a guest who had just come to a country that had just held the funeral of the First Prince, and it was the same for the Queen to welcome such a guest.
The Queen was now in such a state that she would burst into tears and throw things at the slightest. It was useless for a Princess from another country to accept the Queen’s invitation. The Queen had now lost all her power. She had been kicked out by the King, and the First Prince was dead. There was nothing left for the Queen to gain power over.
Now, the real power in the palace was going to Princess Bliny, who would eventually produce the First Prince. The King was also diligently chasing away Princes who disliked Princess Bliny. In any case, the unexpected invitation of guests to the villa was strange. And the strangest thing was that after the guests had left, Queen Dileras sent a letter to the King.
“Ah, that’s enough. I’m tired.”
The King waved his secretary away from reading the letter. The secretary stepped back in embarrassment.
“Ah, that’s enough. I’m tired.”
The King waved his secretary away from reading the letter. The secretary stepped back in embarrassment.
“It’s probably the same story again. The Prince’s tomb and the memorial service and all. Why does she keep insisting on doing a funeral that’s already been held?”
The King, who was over sixty, was unnecessarily vigorous. He hated the gloomy talk of death and such to spoil his mood. The King was completely interested in spending every moment of his life more enjoyably and pleasantly. For example, admiring the young and fresh face of his daughter-in-law who was left alone after his son died.
The King, who was over sixty, was unnecessarily vigorous. He hated the gloomy talk of death and such to spoil his mood. The King was completely interested in spending every moment of his life more enjoyably and pleasantly. For example, admiring the young and fresh face of his daughter-in-law who was left alone after his son died.
No, perhaps it was like that from the beginning. From the moment the Grand Princess of Alito set foot in the kingdom as his son's bride, the King had been vigorous. Just looking at that face made him feel infinitely younger. Because of that face, the sadness of his son's death had no place to settle.
“What do you think? Isn’t I right?”
After the Queen left the palace, it became the Princess's job to guard the King's side.
“...”
Instead of answering, Bliny met his eyes and gave a short smile. That was enough for the King. What made Bliny so special was that she never opened her mouth unnecessarily. Bliny was like himself. She knew how to focus on the most important thing at the moment.
“I thought you were going to wear new clothes today.”
The King felt sorry for his daughter-in-law who was still wearing mourning clothes, so he sent her new clothes. He expected her to wear them and please his eyes, but today, she wore similar mourning clothes.
“It’s still early.”
Bliny changed the direction of her legs under her mourning clothes. The King flared his nose because he thought she smelled good. If the Queen died or left on her own, he might be able to remarry Bliny. The King had such expectations. Even though he could only hold her hand now, if the child to be born was to be called a Prince, it wouldn’t be strange for Bliny to be called Queen. Bliny must know what he’s thinking. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be looking at him with such a clever gesture.
“It’s not early. The funeral is already over.”
“He’s my husband, so he should remember me.”
Bliny turned her head with a languid expression as if to say, "That's it," and muttered softly.
“The clothes are heavy... Should I change them?”
The King nodded vigorously.
“If that’s true, then at least wear different clothes now. No people are coming and going anymore.”
“...It looks like you really want to see it.”
Bliny stood up, her expression slightly sharper than a smile.
“Then I’ll go and try it on.”
“I will accompany you.”
The King stood up and followed Bliny without hesitation. Bliny stopped him.
“Just sit there. What if someone sees you?”
“Are you worried?”
That made the King look forward to it. The King smiled faintly and patted the back of Bliny's hand.
“Have a nice trip.”
“...”
Bliny turned around and left the King's room without saying a word. The King watched her back as it moved away, licking his lips as if he was thirsty.
“What do you think? Isn’t I right?”
After the Queen left the palace, it became the Princess's job to guard the King's side.
“...”
Instead of answering, Bliny met his eyes and gave a short smile. That was enough for the King. What made Bliny so special was that she never opened her mouth unnecessarily. Bliny was like himself. She knew how to focus on the most important thing at the moment.
“I thought you were going to wear new clothes today.”
The King felt sorry for his daughter-in-law who was still wearing mourning clothes, so he sent her new clothes. He expected her to wear them and please his eyes, but today, she wore similar mourning clothes.
“It’s still early.”
Bliny changed the direction of her legs under her mourning clothes. The King flared his nose because he thought she smelled good. If the Queen died or left on her own, he might be able to remarry Bliny. The King had such expectations. Even though he could only hold her hand now, if the child to be born was to be called a Prince, it wouldn’t be strange for Bliny to be called Queen. Bliny must know what he’s thinking. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be looking at him with such a clever gesture.
“It’s not early. The funeral is already over.”
“He’s my husband, so he should remember me.”
Bliny turned her head with a languid expression as if to say, "That's it," and muttered softly.
“The clothes are heavy... Should I change them?”
The King nodded vigorously.
“If that’s true, then at least wear different clothes now. No people are coming and going anymore.”
“...It looks like you really want to see it.”
Bliny stood up, her expression slightly sharper than a smile.
“Then I’ll go and try it on.”
“I will accompany you.”
The King stood up and followed Bliny without hesitation. Bliny stopped him.
“Just sit there. What if someone sees you?”
“Are you worried?”
That made the King look forward to it. The King smiled faintly and patted the back of Bliny's hand.
“Have a nice trip.”
“...”
Bliny turned around and left the King's room without saying a word. The King watched her back as it moved away, licking his lips as if he was thirsty.
***
“It’s dirty. I need to take a bath. I think something is stuck on me.”
Back at the palace, Bliny pulled down her stuffy mourning clothes. The maids rushed over and diligently helped her take off the clothes that were difficult to take off on her own. The problem was that Bliny did not return alone. The King's secretary was standing quietly in a corner of the bedroom, holding a letter in his hand. Bliny, who had cleanly taken off her cumbersome clothes, walked barefoot toward the bathroom. She calmly gestured behind her back.
“Come in. I will read the letter.”
“...Yes, Your Highness the Princess.”
The King's secretary quickly followed Bliny without showing any sign of panic. The maids followed and hurriedly filled the bathtub with water. The water still seemed a little cold, but Bliny went into the bathtub without a care. On her hand that came out of the water, a thick ring that did not match her white hand or bathing caught her attention. The reason her thumb with the ring was awkwardly raised was that she had hidden the large decoration by turning it inside her finger.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you reading?”
“Yes, Your Highness the Princess.”
The secretary unfolded the Queen’s letter and began to read it. If the few letters she had sent in the past had begun with heartfelt regrets and pleas, today was different. Today’s letter was an invitation. It said that someone was in the villa and that he should come and see them.
“Who is there?”
Bliny, who was getting impatient, interrupted and asked. The secretary hesitated for a moment, then quickly scanned the next sentence with his eyes.
“They have something to say about the Prince’s child who will be born in the future.”
“...Who is that?”
“The name was not disclosed.”
“...”
Bliny chewed his lip. Black met Queen Dileras. Queen Dileras suddenly knew something about her child. Bliny brought her thumb to her mouth and chewed on the ring.
“...If you want it, don’t you have to beg?”
Instead of showing up and pleading, Black decided to strangle her.
“Why don’t you appear in front of me?”
What did I do to call that guy? You knew all this. Why on earth?
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