Chapter 37
37. Trap (2)
Lyndon Kleinfelter's threats continued.
"Return the eldest son. The only reason your neck isn't broken right now is because of that. Your body, which needs to coddle the barbarians, must be intact."
"Don't be mistaken. The time when the Kleinfelter Family could do whatever they wanted is over. Get your head out of your ass and prepare to welcome Nauk's co-ruler."
"You seem to be acting up because you trust those beasts, but you should use that tiny brain of yours to think. Do you really think he came to Nauk just to take your side?"
"……?"
Following Laffite, Lyndon Kleinfelter was also saying that Black had ulterior motives. What the hell did these people know? Liene deliberately put on an even colder face.
"What other nonsense are you going to spout?"
"He's here to take your head. His goal is to set foot on this land under the guise of marriage. Someone like you will be discarded without hesitation once your usefulness is gone. Can't you even think of that obvious fact?"
"Nonsense. Do you not realize how ridiculous you sound even as you speak? Tiwakan's leader is doing all this to obtain Nauk? That's laughable. What would he gain from coveting this small place that he could seize in a single day if he wanted to?"
Lyndon Kleinfelter gave a very strange, peculiar sneer.
"You can think so arbitrarily because you know nothing. That's why that crown doesn't suit you."
"What am I supposed to not know?"
As Liene pressed him, Lyndon Kleinfelter changed the subject as if he had said something he shouldn't have.
"Well, he probably wants to have some fun before taking your head. Your body might be appealing to a beast's eyes. Besides, there's the money he's invested so far."
"Shut your filthy mouth! Tell me what I don't know…… Ack!"
Liene screamed as Kleinfelter squeezed her wrist as if he would break it. Taking advantage of the brief pause in her words, Kleinfelter quickly spat out what he had to say.
"If you're not planning to feed Nauk to him whole, there's only one way. Release Laffite. And kill him."
"What…… Absolutely not……."
"It's not like there's no way. Lure him into your bed. Make him lower his guard and then stab him in the neck. Then I'll take care of the rest. That's the only way to drive the beasts out of Nauk."
"Don't be…… ridiculous. Why would I……"
"Are you still not understanding even after I've explained it this clearly? Do I need to show you proof that he's trying to take your head?"
"……!"
Liene abruptly raised her head.
"You have…… proof?"
* * * If she had to pick the one thing she desired more than anything else, it might be that. The truth about Black. What was he trying to do in this small land? Was it really revenge? Was the target herself, a member of the Nauk royal family? She wanted to know. Even if the one giving her the answer was Kleinfelter.
"What…… is it?"
She wanted to know so desperately.
"Do you want to know? Then kill him."
"That's absurd. Show me the proof first. If there really is such a thing."
Lyndon Kleinfelter gave a crooked, ugly smile.
"Negotiating even in this situation. You shouldn't have the luxury. You're the one desperate to know."
"Which side came here asking to save the eldest son? You're the one who's more desperate, so don't try to bargain and just hand it over……."
"Ah, I'd like to know too."
Suddenly, an entirely out-of-place voice rose from the floor, freezing everyone in the room.
"What is my Monarch doing?"
It was Fermos. The reason the voice came from the floor was because he was hiding under the desk. But despite hiding, he looked as calm and relaxed as if he had just taken a nap in his own room.
"Why is there a rat!"
Lyndon Kleinfelter was the most surprised, without a doubt. He shouted as if he would jump up, forgetting all decorum. He was clearly so flustered that he couldn't even think about not shouting.
"Come now. We're both hiding, so why am I the only one called a rat? What are you trying to do, anyway?"
Liene bit her lip tightly, almost laughing out loud. The situation was beyond just funny. The royal office wasn't a rat's nest, and random people were sneaking in and out as they pleased. Of course, there was nothing to steal or particularly hide, but it was even more unacceptable for them to enter and leave without her permission.
"Sir Fermos. What were you doing under my desk? I have never granted you access to this office."
"Ah, I sincerely apologize for that. I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths, so I will gladly accept any punishment."
Fermos looked genuinely contrite, with a gloomy expression. However, he hadn't forgotten his priorities.
"But could we postpone that discussion for now? I'm just so curious as to why my Monarch would try to take the Princess's neck…… Ah, I can't bring myself to quote that expression. It feels like it's dirtying my mouth. Anyway, I'm so curious as to why my Monarch would even think of doing such a ridiculous thing. Would the rat over there open his mouth? What exactly is this proof?"
"……Shut up!"
Lyndon Kleinfelter, who had been frantically darting his eyes around, suddenly screamed and lunged at Fermos. No matter how much he thought about it, there was no way to salvage this situation. Killing Fermos to silence him was the best option.
"Tsk. Just as the Princess said, a rude and foolish man. You should know who you're picking a fight with before you attack."
Although he played the role of a smart-looking advisor with glasses, Fermos was also a man who had fought on the battlefield for ten years. He lightly dodged and tripped Lyndon Kleinfelter's ankle. Thwack! Thud!
"Ugh!"
Lyndon Kleinfelter fell forward and hit his head on the corner of the desk. Fermos quickly stepped on the back of his neck as he lay on the floor.
"Ugh, ugh! How dare you……! Get off me!"
Lyndon Kleinfelter flailed his arms and struggled, but it was futile. Fermos stood leisurely and spoke to the back of Lyndon Kleinfelter's head.
"I'll give you a chance. If you quietly open your mouth here, I'll only tell my Monarch half of what you said. I mean, I'll soften the filthy words that feel like they're rotting my mouth. I guarantee, that's a pretty good deal. My Monarch doesn't usually get angry, but once he does, it's absolutely terrible."
"What…… bullshit, ugh!"
"Tell me. What is my Monarch trying to do?"
"That's obvious, isn't it……, if not, out of all the places…… why this small place…… Kuk!"
Fermos put more force into the foot stepping on his neck.
"That's not it. It wasn't such a vague hint. You said you had proof, didn't you?"
"As if I'd tell you…… Ugh!"
Crack. A painful sound reached Fermos's toes.
"Princess! What are you doing! Why aren't you stopping him!"
mashilow grabbed Liene's sleeve and clung to her.
"A mere mercenary dares to trample on the Grand Council Chairman of Nauk! How can you stand by and watch such disrespect!"
At those words, both Liene and Fermos looked dumbfounded.
"But you were just standing there while this guy was twisting the Princess's wrist. Wasn't that disrespectful?"
"Th, that's……."
mashilow lost his words and hesitated.
"And what about stopping him? What are you doing, a grown man, clinging to the Princess's sleeve? You're old enough to eat your fill of age, and you're whining to the Princess, who's much younger than you. Aren't you ashamed?"
"Ashamed? How dare you……."
mashilow's face turned red, and he puffed out his breath. Looking at that expression, she seemed to understand what the problem was. The people of Nauk must have been living by passing on state affairs to Liene in this way. It was obvious that Kleinfelter, the Grand Council Chairman, had been doing the same. Liene had inherited the crown six years ago, she heard. She was just barely an adult then. If she had taken over the monarchy at that age, it was understandable that she wouldn't be able to distinguish between responsibility and sacrifice. She would have understood the Grand Council's demands as the Monarch's duty and considered them her rightful tasks.
"Tsk. Anyway, so you're not going to talk?"
"Kuk…… Huk!"
Lyndon Kleinfelter had been stepped on the neck too hard, so he was now in a position where he couldn't speak even if he wanted to.
"Then don't talk. I warned you, clearly."
Fermos removed his foot. Then, he grabbed Lyndon Kleinfelter by the scruff of his neck and dragged him away. He was clearly trying to go outside the office. Once he opened the door, it would be over. There would be no way to conceal what had happened today.
"Princess!"
mashilow, becoming desperate, had no choice but to call out to Liene again.
"You can't do this! The royal family cannot turn the Kleinfelter Family into an enemy! Stop that man immediately! Hurry!"
"……Good grief."
Fermos abruptly stopped walking. It was obvious that it had always been like this. He turned his head and asked Liene.
“What shall we do, Princess? Do you want to stop me?”
“……”
Of course, that didn't mean Liene was willing to pretend she didn't know Lyndon Kleinfelter. Fermos just needed to know whose side Liene would ultimately take. Lyndon Kleinfelter had even told Liene to kill Black. Liene hadn't answered immediately, but he needed to confirm what decision she had made.
“……No.”
Liene took a breath and answered.
“It’s not a situation where stopping you would mean anything. And I have no intention of stopping you.”
It was as she said. Now that Fermos knew, this couldn't be covered up. And Liene was disillusioned with covering up the Kleinfelter Family's accidents with lies to Black. The Kleinfelter Family wouldn't change. As long as Laffite was alive, he would continue to cause the same accidents, and Lyndon Kleinfelter would naturally force Liene to cover them up. It had to end somewhere, sometime. Even if all the nobles of the Grand Council protested, she had to bear it this time.
“You’ve thought it through well.”
Fermos nodded with a smile. It was in stark contrast to mashilow and Lyndon Kleinfelter, who were alternately gaping in shock.
“Then I’ll drag this one away and lock him up. I’m looking forward to the trial.”
Thump! Fermos, having finished speaking, opened the door to his office, which had been tightly shut.
“Hey, you there! Come here. Drag this guy away. Oh, and there’s another one inside, so take him too.”
mashilow unfortunately realized a little too late that the "one inside" referred to him. * * * Tiwakan's handling of the matter was very swift. He imprisoned mashilow and Kleinfelter in the underground dungeon. Then, he weeded out the guards who had turned a blind eye to Kleinfelter entering the castle. The guard commander protested vehemently, but Fermos didn't budge an inch. In the meantime, the breakfast time that Black had suggested had long passed.
“……No one’s here.”
When Liene arrived, the dining hall was empty. The food set on the table was cooling down, untouched. Still, she could tell that Black had been in the dining hall. One of the chairs was overturned, leaning backward. Black, who had probably arrived earlier than the appointed time and was waiting for her, seemed to have left the dining hall after receiving a report. Liene sat down opposite the seat where Black had been sitting. It wasn't that she expected Black to come back. She figured he would have things to do since such a thing had happened. Liene just didn't want to unilaterally break the promise she had made with him.
“I should have changed my clothes.”
Liene muttered as she unfolded the neatly folded napkin on the table and placed it on her lap. The wrist with the dark red handprint was exposed at the end of the lilac dress that she had deliberately dressed up in.
“How unsightly.”
Liene frowned as she lightly touched her wrist. It wasn't just unsightly, it was also painful. It seemed to be swelling up little by little.
“Surely it’s not seriously injured.”
Liene picked up a fork and knife and cut the pheasant roast closest to her. She felt pain every time she moved her wrist, but she could still move it for now.
“……It’s okay. It’s nothing.”
She had no appetite at all, but unfortunately, the food was excellent. Tiwakan must have a skilled chef. It had been a long time since she had faced such splendid cuisine. ……What a waste. Black, who had invited her to the meal, must have put a lot of thought into it. That made it even more regrettable. It would have been nice to eat together.
