Chapter 49
49. Revenge and Proposal
“……”
“……”
A strange silence flowed. Liene faced the old man in the audience chamber. Since there were no chairs for anyone other than royalty in the audience chamber or hall, it was an uncomfortable place for the old man with his bad legs. Black, who had brought the old man as promised, closed the door and left. Liene took her time, watching the old man's one eye until he fully accepted the situation of being alone with her. …He doesn't have any injuries. That meant Black hadn't forced anything on the old man. Liene twisted her lips to herself. I must not trust that man very much. Actually, it was the opposite. Because she wanted to trust him, she looked into things more closely. She wanted to eliminate even the slightest suspicion.
“I know you have something to tell me. I've arranged this so you can speak comfortably, so please open your mouth.”
“Some…”
The old man moved his lips and made a small sound.
“Daughter of Arsak is a sinner of Nauk. Soon, blood will flow. He will take revenge. Didn't he do that to me?”
“……”
“Tell me what that means. What did I do to be called a sinner?”
“……”
The old man's mouth did not open easily.
“You cannot move from this spot until you answer. Even if you die and only bones remain, I will not let you be taken out of the palace.”
It was a mean threat, saying she wouldn't even give him a grave.
“Arsak… brought… drought… to this land… The sin of Nauk…”
Finally, the old man parted his lips haltingly.
“Continue.”
“So… many… lives… died… That sin… The blood of the Arsak Family… washes…”
“So?”
Liene frowned without realizing it. There were those who said such things. Since the time of the late King, the drought had continued for too long, and there were those who said it was a curse from God or the sin of the King. Twenty years had passed, and the same words were no longer circulating, but that didn't mean that once spoken, the words completely disappeared.
“Sometime… God will… take revenge…”
“You're lying to me. How dare you.”
Liene glared at the old man.
“That wasn't what you meant when you first opened your mouth. You said that the Daughter of Arsak would bleed because of revenge. God's revenge is not done in a way that makes humans bleed. That kind of revenge belongs to humans.”
“False… No, no… Arsak's revenge… God… will…”
“You recognized Lord Tiwakan.”
“……”
The old man's eyes narrowed slightly for a moment. Liene interpreted it as embarrassment.
“How do you know Lord Tiwakan? Did you have a connection in your childhood?”
“……”
“What is Lord Tiwakan's name?”
“……”
The old man closed his mouth and stared intently at Liene. It was as if his gaze was asking if she could handle knowing the truth.
“Answer me.”
Liene chewed on the anxiety that was slowly rising from her stomach. Tell me, the truth. I'll listen to whatever it is. I need to know who that man is.
“Henton.”
The word that came from the old man's mouth was too clear. For a moment, she even suspected that it might be someone else.
“Henton?”
It was a name she had never heard before.
“Henton's… second… son.”
“That was Lord Tiwakan?”
“……”
The old man closed his mouth again. But he had the expression of someone who had finally spat out the words he had to say. Liene decided to accept those words.
“Okay. Then now for the last question.”
The old man nodded silently. It was the attitude of someone who had revealed a hidden fact and no longer intended to keep his mouth shut.
“Why did you hit my cousin Klima?”
“Saw…”
“Saw what?”
“Corpse… putting in… coffin…”
“Ah…”
It was as she suspected. Her cousin Klima was the culprit. That meant he was a messenger used by the Kleinfelter Family, and that included terrible things like assassinations. Liene recalled Klima's condition when she caught him, with blood flowing thickly. He said he had to offer prayers of atonement. Was that… why? It was a completely incongruous thing. Why would a priest who whipped his own body because he couldn't bear the guilt be acting as an assassin for the Kleinfelter Family?
“Thank you for answering. Now you can go wherever you want. If you need a place to stay, I will provide you with a residence in the castle. Or is there anywhere else you want to go?”
“Grave.”
“Pardon?”
She wondered if she had misheard, but that didn't seem to be the case.
“Life soon to die… No need… to be comfortable…”
After speaking, the old man used his cane to support himself and struggled to get up. It was a more resolute action than a hundred words. No matter how comfortable a bed she provided, the old man would not welcome it.
“I hope you find the rest you desire in the place you go.”
Liene got up from her chair and left the audience chamber first. She deliberately left the door open as a consideration to make it a little easier for the old man. * * * Even after hearing the answers, her heart was not entirely at ease. Liene didn't stop walking and headed straight for the back garden. It was still desolate and unsightly. Liene slowly walked through the garden, which had only thorny bushes left, and gathered her thoughts.
“Henton. Henton. Henton…”
No matter how much she repeated it, it was a name she had never heard before. But strangely, it felt familiar. It was a name she had never seen in the records either. That meant it was a family of that level. One that no one would remember even if they suddenly disappeared.
“No… There's the old man.”
When she thought of the broken old man, she felt heavy for no reason, even though it wasn't her fault. The same was true of her scarred cousin.
“Maybe I shouldn't have just let him go.”
I should have packed something for him. Some clothes or food. Liene turned around abruptly. …And saw someone approaching. It was Black. The moment she found him, all other thoughts disappeared. If someone drew a picture of the amount he occupied in her head, Liene would never believe it. Compared to Black, everything else was just a tiny dot.
“How did you know I was… here?”
Liene waited quietly until he got closer.
“I saw you.”
“Where?”
“From the east tower.”
Then he had been watching her from the moment she left the audience chamber.
“I wanted to stop you from coming here because it's a dangerous place, but you seemed to have a lot on your mind.”
“So… you waited?”
“Yes.”
Why does this man… always say things that seem to be for my sake? Liene, who was embarrassed to look at Black's face for no reason, tapped the floor with her toes.
“It's not dangerous here. It's the back garden.”
“An arrow was once fired, so that means there is a passage leading to the outside.”
“Oh… Nauk Castle has such… I didn't know.”
As Liene looked surprised, Black pointed ahead.
“I found one. But just in case. Were you on your way back?”
“Yes. I was worried about just letting the old man go.”
“If that's the case, you don't have to go back. Fermos will take care of it.”
“I wanted to send him with some food.”
“Yes.”
The short reply contained the meaning that he would take care of all that as well. Liene, feeling relieved, let out a refreshing sigh.
“Thank you. To even do such a thing.”
“I was just imitating the Princess. …Then shall we continue our walk?”
Liene looked at the arm coming towards her. The intention was clear. She just had to put her arm in his, and walk around the back garden, shoulder to shoulder like affectionate lovers, chatting quietly. …But, is that okay? Have I now completely gotten rid of all my doubts about this man?
-Do anything. So I can trust you.
-In return, Your Highness can never break your promise again.
That was their last conversation. From the moment Liene played the old man card, the result was set. Whether her heart was still heavy or not, Liene had to keep her promise.
"I heard Lord Tiwakan's name."
Liene hesitated and placed her hand on Black's outstretched arm. As Black turned and started walking, the two naturally strolled side by side.
"The old man knew."
"What did he say?"
"Lord Tiwakan, tell me."
Tell me your name. Who you really are.
"...Hinton."
The same name came up. So, is that name real? Is Black not lying?
"That was my name right before I left this land."
"And... did you change your name?"
"I didn't exactly change it. After that, it didn't really matter what my name was."
"..."
Liene didn't know exactly what life in a mercenary group was like. But she knew that a child couldn't join a mercenary group. Black must have gone through countless things he didn't say himself.
"Tell me more. Was the blood relative who was killed your father?"
"Yes."
There was no particular sense of falsehood in the simple reply. Black spoke as if it were someone else's business, or a long-forgotten past.
"Do you... know who killed him?"
"I was young at the time, so I don't know all the exact circumstances. But I remember the emblem engraved on the gauntlets of those who killed my father."
"What was it?"
"A leaf."
"...!"
Liene stopped walking abruptly.
"If it's a leaf..."
The laurel leaf was the symbol of the Kleinfelter Family. The laurel leaf pattern was always included on helmets and flags. Laffite putting leaves behind his arrows was also from the family tradition.
"Then..."
Liene staggered, unable to overcome the shock. Black's enemy was Kleinfelter. The eldest son of Kleinfelter was her lover, and she said she was pregnant with his child to reject Black's proposal. The Kleinfelter Family killed Black's blood relative. Black believed that Liene was carrying the Kleinfelter Family's blood in her womb. Her ex-lover said. Black came to take revenge. Black proposed first. Revenge. Proposal. Two words that could never be the same became one under the name of Kleinfelter. She might become the bride of Kleinfelter. Because she had Kleinfelter's child.
"That's why I didn't tell you. I was afraid you'd react like this."
Black supported the staggering Liene.
"I... then why the child..."
"It didn't matter whose child it was."
"Why... why!"
"Do I have to say it again?"
Black brushed the hair that had fallen over Liene's forehead, implying that he had already said it many times.
"I wanted Your Highness more than I wanted revenge. Your Highness doesn't want me to kill Kleinfelter, so I'm going to leave him alone. Is that still hard to believe?"
"That's... that doesn't make sense... How can you do that... How can you do that. How..."
"Since leaving Nauk, I have never stayed in one place. Even more so after my name became Tiwakan."
Black, having swept all the hair back, stroked the neatly exposed round forehead once.
"After the war, I needed a home to return to. Not just one with a roof, but a place I could truly call home."
It was strange. The hand stroking the forehead of the woman carrying the enemy's blood was as affectionate as ever.
"To me, the closest thing to a home is Your Highness. Even if it wasn't Your Highness, I remembered Your Highness as my fiancée."
"...How, how can you..."
"I'm not good at making excuses. I was afraid that if I revealed my name, clumsy excuses would become more difficult, so I hoped not to get caught. I still feel the same way. If I could, I would have kept hiding it. Because then I would have stayed in that moment."
"..."
Liene stared at Black with eyes asking what that moment was.
"That moment when I open my eyes and Your Highness is next to me, and I can kiss you without permission or hesitation."
"..."
"That was the home I was thinking of."
"..."
