Chapter 6
06. If You Can Endure It (1)
By the time Liene returned with the scissors, Fermos, Black's subordinate, who had arrived ahead of the doctor, had already taken all the necessary measures. Weroz, who had come with Fermos, realized there was nothing he could do to help and stood awkwardly with Madam Flambard, like a piece of wall decoration.
“You were hit by an arrow?”
Fermos asked, wrapping a cotton cloth around Black's shoulder. It was a rather strange question, coming from the very person who had cut open the skin to remove the arrow, wiped away the blood to gauge the depth of the wound, and even applied medicine.
“So, you're really saying you were hit by an arrow? My Lord? Seriously?”
“……Shut up. Be quiet.”
Black silenced Fermos. The thought that Fermos's question was strange was quickly overtaken by another thought. Ah……. Liene stood rooted to the spot, scissors in one hand. He took off his clothes… The blood-soaked cloak and shirt lay torn on the floor. Black had vacated the chair he had been sitting in and was now sitting in front of it, receiving treatment. What initially caught her eye were the numerous scars etched onto his bare skin. Some were large, some were small. Some were filled with pale flesh, while others were bumpy and raised. From top to bottom, from bottom to top. After seeing the scars where her eyes landed, she realized that she was staring intently at the man's upper body. It was a more dynamic and vivid body than any Liene had ever seen. And it was contradictory. A body bearing so many scars did not look ugly in the slightest. In fact, it was the opposite. The man's body revealed a beautiful form without needing to measure its frame and length. It was like a magnificent sculpture. It was as if a master craftsman had deliberately scratched the surface and painted over the wounds to breathe life into a flawless sculpture created with great care.
“Don’t just stand there, sit down.”
While Liene was looking at Black, Black was also looking back at Liene. He, too, closely observed the pale complexion and the dramatically widening green eyes as she looked at the scars.
“You still look like you’re about to collapse.”
“……I’m fine.”
It was fortunate that there were other people present. If it had been just the two of them in that state, she wouldn't have been able to hide her agitation any longer.
“How serious is Lord Tiwakan's injury?”
Liene asked Fermos.
“It's not very serious, but it's not light enough to ignore. It won't leave him with any disabilities, but he'll suffer for a while. He'll have a fever, and he'll probably have trouble falling asleep at night. And if it was poisoned, it would be even more terrible.”
The word "poison" changed the atmosphere, which had been reasonably okay, in an instant. Weroz raised his voice with a sense of injustice.
“The Nauk guard is working together to track down the culprit. Even if there was poison, there will be no problem in obtaining an antidote.”
“The culprit will be caught, but isn't the mastermind behind it a bigger problem?”
The barbarians never beat around the bush out of politeness.
“We don't want to think that the unexpected arrow is the hidden truth of Nauk, as both sides have smoothly concluded the agreement.”
“What kind of rude…… Absolutely not! Do you see Nauk as a place without faith!”
The upright knight, feeling insulted, became angry.
“Sir Weroz.”
Liene stopped Weroz.
“Calm down. It is Nauk who has failed to properly demonstrate faith.”
“Princess!”
“Can't we deny that the arrow is from Nauk?”
“Well……”
Weroz bit his lip tightly. It had happened in the rear garden of the castle, no less. The arrow was definitely from Nauk. If he put himself in the other person's shoes, he, too, would have suspected the other's intentions.
“There may be those who oppose the marriage… But that is by no means Nauk's official position.”
That was the truth. Liene spoke, earnestly hoping that Black would believe her words.
“Nauk will do everything possible to alleviate Tiwakan's concerns. Nauk does not want the marriage vows to be nullified, nor does it want both sides to face each other in battle again. We only want complete peace.”
“Is that so, my Lord?”
Fermos asked Black.
“Does my Lord want the same thing as the Princess of Nauk?”
The future of Nauk depended on Black's answer. Ironically, at this moment, Liene was in a position to want the marriage she had so desperately tried to reject more than anyone else.
“……What I want is still the same.”
And the moment Black said this, she felt relieved. So, it was unbelievable. All the emotions caused by this man were all contradictory. Today was the day her lover's body had returned. But she had already forgotten that fact.
“If that's the case.”
Fermos nodded. A funny clicking sound came from his monocle.
“But since it's certain that there are forces in Nauk who oppose Tiwakan, we need to sort things out before the marriage.”
There was no room for disagreement.
“Nauk thinks the same way.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Tiwakan would like to take charge of uncovering the mastermind behind this incident and sorting things out. Oh, don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to steal the work of the guard. After all, Tiwakan has now become the Guardian Knights of the Arsak Family, so shouldn't we have a duty to deal with the mastermind behind the assassination of Lord Tiwakan, who has become a member of the family?”
“That's……”
Weroz looked back and forth between Liene and mashilow. If they refused, it would be easy to add suspicion that they were hiding the mastermind. The ship Liene was on had already left the land and was sailing on the water.
“I will allow it.”
It seemed that everything written in the marriage contract that had just been created today, except for the wedding ceremony, was being carried out ahead of schedule. * * * The words that he would have a fever were true. As evening approached, Black fell asleep as if he had lost consciousness. Liene, along with Madam Flambard, stayed by Black's side, who intermittently regained consciousness and then swallowed a groan.
“Please rest, Princess. It looks like he's fallen asleep again.”
Liene turned her gaze back to Black, whom she had been trying to avoid.
“No…… His eyelids are moving. I don't think he's asleep.”
“Even so, he won't recognize that you're here, Princess.”
“I have to show sincerity. It's a precarious time for each other.”
Liene handed a new towel to Madam Flambard.
“Please wipe away the sweat with this.”
“……”
Madam Flambard, who had hesitated and taken the towel, teared up.
“You must hate being touched, so how could you think of marrying such a man? How are you going to endure it? ……Poor Princess.”
Liene quickly shook her head.
“Madam. Watch your words. We're not alone. There are Tiwakan's people outside the door.”
“Oh my, then……”
Madam Flambard then realized her mistake and hurriedly covered her mouth. Liene took the towel back from the madam's hand.
“And it's not that I can't stand being touched. Give it to me. I'll do it.”
……It's true that I don't like it. It was true that she felt uncomfortable being touched by this man. But she didn't think it was quite the same as the feeling the madam was talking about. It's not that I hate or loathe this man. I just……. Then what do I hate? Liene began to wipe Black's forehead, feeling a contradiction within herself. She didn't hate it, but she hated it. She hated it, but she didn't hate it. She couldn't figure out what it was on her own.
“Then I'll go change the water, Princess.”
Madam Flambard, embarrassed to keep her seat because of her mistake, forced herself to find something to do and left the bedroom. It was the bedroom that Liene had used when the late King was alive. She used to think it was an unnecessarily large bed, but with Black lying on it, it somehow looked cramped.
“I should tell him to move rooms when he comes to his senses.”
It was the moment when Liene muttered to herself, moving the towel to his neck.
“……The room is fine.”
“……!”
She was so surprised that she dropped the towel. Black's light-colored eyes were looking at her.
“You're awake…….”
Since when? How much did he hear?
“I heard you say that being touched by me isn't unbearable.”
“……”
Liene clenched her skirt tightly. She looked resentfully at the towel that had fallen on the injured shoulder. She had to get closer to pick up the towel again.
“Give me…… time. I am a body that had a lover. On the other hand, Lord Tiwakan is still unfamiliar.”
“I am not.”
……What.
“You are not unfamiliar to me, Princess.”
Black's last words were so small and soft that they sounded almost like a sigh.
“If it's not unbearable, then to what extent is it?”
“……Pardon?”
It felt like she could clearly hear the sound of Black's eyes moving. He slowly and persistently rummaged through Liene's expressions.
“Maybe it's because of the fever. I want to check.”
“What are you……”
“I’m asking. If it’s not something you can’t stand, what is it?”
Black raised his hand. His feverish hand slowly reached out and gently touched Liene's cheek.
“Is this okay?”
“Lord Tiwakan. I……”
“Tell me. Princess.”
……I don’t know. What am I supposed to say? Why isn’t the hand that touched my cheek falling away, and why is it still caressing my cheek?
“Is this okay?”
“……”
I couldn’t figure that out either. It was just hot. The fever was high. His blue eyes, as pale as water, so pale they seemed to reflect everything, were clouded with feverish heat. He looked terribly hot. It felt like the heat would transfer to me.
“You have a high fever, Lord Tiwakan.”
Liene shook her head and moved away from him.
“Close your eyes and rest. If you’re having a hard time, you should take a painkiller.”
“……I do have a high fever.”
I couldn’t tell if he was talking to himself, saying it for me to hear, or just rambling deliriously from the fever.
“Then this.”
Liene realized that at some point he had sat up. And that the feverish hand was touching her lips. Black asked, gently rubbing her lower lip with his thumb.
“Is this also bearable?”
He definitely had a fever. The finger touching her lips was different from someone without a fever. Different from a lover. It was terribly hot. So hot that I couldn’t get it out of my head on my own.
“Can you bear this too?”
The thumb that had been rubbing her lips moved down her jawline. It slowly traced her jawline and moved towards her neck. The hot hand brushed against her skin, and at some point, it began to caress her. Not just her eyelashes, but her whole body trembled. The reason the man was hot must be because he had a fever, but the heat kept causing strange sensations. It was a heat I had never felt even when kissing a lover. I couldn’t bear it anymore. I felt like I would lie to myself if I kept this up. That I wanted this man.
“Stop now.”
Liene squeezed her eyes shut and pressed down on Black's hand to stop him. It wasn't because he was grabbing her neck, but because the hand grabbing her neck was too hot and frightening.
“What…… are you telling me to endure?”
Liene barely opened her eyes and met Black's pale blue eyes.
“What, how far……”
“I don’t know either.”
The answer from the feverish man was hazy. Black glanced at Liene's hand pressing down on his hand and slowly moved his tongue.
“How far I intend to go.”
“That’s……”
“I thought I was trying to see how the Princess would treat me……”
Black slowly pulled his hand away. Then Liene's hand also came closer to him. He gave the back of her hand, which he had pulled to his lips, a short, inexplicable kiss.
“Or maybe I just wanted to touch you.”
“……”
“Does it matter?”
“……Yes.”
Liene steeled her heart and said firmly.
“Surely you don’t think this engagement is a normal, ordinary engagement. Lord Tiwakan demanded an engagement with Nauk, and I was forced to part with my lover. ……Even with a child.”
Her voice trembled slightly when she added the last word. It couldn't be helped. Lying wasn't easy.
“Surely you don’t expect affection and enthusiasm in this situation, as if we were people who promised to marry each other because we wanted each other.”
“……As I said, I don’t know. What I want right now.”
His eyes, which were usually like a wild beast, looked hazy, clouded by the fever. The words that he didn't know something seemed true because of that.
“All I know is that I didn’t want to lose the Princess to someone else.”
