Chapter 8
08. False Death
Leaving the chapel was as quiet as entering it. It seemed that an unexpected encounter with Tiwakan's search party wouldn't be a problem. Liene took a deep breath only after getting quite a distance from the chapel. The moon was dark. It felt like today was the first day she was glad it wasn't too bright.
“We must hurry.”
Liene suddenly stopped walking and spoke softly, and Weroz asked back.
“What do you mean?”
“Contacting the bereaved families.”
“Of course. By bereaved families, you mean… Ah.”
The words, carefully chosen with potential eavesdroppers in mind, meant that she needed to find her lover and contact him as soon as possible. It wouldn't be difficult. He would surely be hidden by the Kleinfelter Family. Weroz also realized that the word "bereaved families" referred to Kleinfelter.
“Yes, Princess. I think that's the most urgent matter as well.”
“Please tell them I want to discuss how to hold the funeral. I want to see them and talk in person if possible.”
“I will convey that.”
The conversation, whose exact meaning was known only to the two of them, ended, and their briefly halted steps resumed quickly. But Liene's guess was wrong. Fermos knew far more than she thought.
* * *
“It's a lie.”
Fermos visited Black when others were asleep. The two, in what could be considered the heart of enemy territory, seemed as relaxed as if they were in their own tent.
“The one who died wasn't the captain of the Arsak Family's royal guard. His swordsmanship was too poor for that. And the helmet and armor didn't match. It was as if he hastily put on the helmet and pretended to be the captain of the royal guard.”
“……”
“Of course, you already know all this, don't you?”
Black frowned without saying a word. As his fever began to subside, the pain from his wound became more acute.
“Hmm. Then the question is how involved the Princess is. Not from the beginning, I presume… Let's see, she must have thought he was dead, and only realized he wasn't after confirming the body. No, but he's as good as dead anyway. He abandoned his subordinate to die and ran away to save his own skin… Ah, I see.”
Fermos slapped his forehead as if he had remembered something.
“He might have sneaked in. Into Nauk.”
When they besieged the castle, they thought they had blocked all the paths leading outside, but there must be a way for even a rat to sneak in.
“He seems more attached than I thought. He should have run away and saved his own life when the Sharkan Kingdom refused to send reinforcements.”
They also knew that the captain of the Arsak Family's royal guard had requested reinforcements from the Sharkan Kingdom. They had expected Nauk to do so, and the Sharkan Kingdom to refuse. However, they didn't expect the captain of the Arsak Family's royal guard to be so clueless. Fermos clicked his tongue.
“What does he think he can do coming here alone…? The moment Nauk opened the castle gates with his own hands, it was over.”
Black opened his mouth with a frown.
“He might have thought only Nauk was over.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“He might think their relationship isn't over.”
“That… Ugh.”
Fermos made a very unpleasant expression.
“So, you're saying the captain of the Arsak Family's royal guard is dreaming of eloping with Princess Liene? What nobleman in his right mind would think of such a thing? Above all, it wouldn't be easy to persuade Princess Liene. Her sense of responsibility towards Nauk is immense. That's why she accepted the lord's proposal in the first place.”
“Just because he's a nobleman doesn't mean he can't be crazy.”
Fermos's expression changed as he paused to think.
“Well… I suppose so. I'm one to think love affairs are utterly useless, but there have always been people who risk their lives for them, so it's not incomprehensible.”
Fermos fiddled with his monocle for no reason.
“Anyway, this has become troublesome. He's a man with quite a base in Nauk, so it'll be difficult to deal with him without causing a stir… Ah, was the arrow from earlier today his doing? Did you happen to see his face? Or his approximate height, or even his hair color?”
“It wasn't that close.”
Black recalled what had happened in the garden earlier that day. The arrow had come from quite a distance. By the time he heard the sound, it was already a close call.
“That means he was quite skilled with a bow. The captain of the Arsak Family's royal guard is said to use a bow, so we should assume it's the same person. But… Ah, but you were hit by an arrow?”
Fermos's voice jumped with amusement.
“You didn't get hit on purpose, did you? Am I right?”
“……”
Black avoided answering. That was the answer.
“Seriously! Did you have to do that? Do you know how dumbfounded I was? Of course, thanks to you willingly taking the injury, seizing Nauk was faster… But you didn't have to get hit on purpose. It's going to be a pain to heal, too.”
Black said something else instead of answering.
“I didn't know such a man was her lover.”
Black's low voice sent shivers down his neck. Fermos looked at his lord, rubbing the back of his neck. He knew why he was getting goosebumps. It was because Black had revealed his anger.
“The Princess could have been hit instead of me.”
“Oh dear…”
So, while Fermos felt a tightening of his nerves, he was also a bit dumbfounded. Is he angry that Princess Liene almost got hit by an arrow…? It was only a day ago that he said no when I asked if he had fallen in love at first sight. Has his mind changed in the meantime…? No, that's too far-fetched. If Black had shown as much interest in women as the average man, there wouldn't be such ominous rumors about Tiwakan's supposed homosexuality. …Right. He's not swayed by beauty. He's doing this because the Princess has value to him. Imagine if she had died from an arrow. They weren't even married yet. That would be troublesome. No, it wouldn't be particularly troublesome, but still. And damn it, anyone who shoots an arrow when their lover might get hit is not a human but a son of a bitch. It's natural to be angry. It was a natural thing. It was okay to be angry at such a son of a bitch. But why do I feel so uneasy?
“Anyway, we should keep Princess Liene's betrayal in mind. They seem like they're going to start a fight. What should we do? Instead of a petty search, how about uprooting the Kleinfelter Family altogether? That would be faster and easier. Before the captain of the Arsak Family's royal guard tries to contact the Princess again.”
“……”
Black's answer was slow. In fact, his thoughts were slow. He knew that Fermos was right. If this were a war, and if he had to win, he would have done that without hesitation. But what he was trying to do was not war, but marriage.
-Just wish for it.
That's what he promised. Whether it was because of the fever or not, there was no excuse for the fact that he had done it because he wanted to at that moment.
-Then I will strive to have the same desire.
Was that a lie? Or did it become a lie the moment he learned of her lover's survival? Black needed to know.
“No. Just leave it alone.”
“Oh dear. Are you sure?”
“It will reveal what kind of person the Princess is. Whether it's worth maintaining the marriage, or the opposite.”
“Hmm… If that's the case.”
Fermos felt the same way. Tiwakan's god seemed unwilling to fight against Nauk.
“I'll keep an eye on them for now. The Princess is quick to act.”
“Make sure she doesn't notice.”
“Understood.”
Fermos, having finished his business, left the room with a nonchalant expression as if nothing had happened. Laffite Kleinfelter sneaking into Nauk was unexpected, but it wasn't a big problem. That much wasn't a threat to mercenaries who had rolled around on the battlefield for ten years. What really bothered Black was something else.
“……Should I have killed him?”
A mumble mixed with increasingly sharp and subtle pain escaped his lips. If he had known he was her lover. It might have been better. Liene's lover wasn't a threat, but he left behind annoyance.
“Annoying.”
Black roughly rubbed his forehead. Until he kissed her, Liene's existence bothered him. After he kissed her, this time her lover began to bother him. Black didn't yet know what this annoyance was. * * * The day dawned after barely any sleep. Liene got out of bed as usual, washed her face, and got dressed. She could see in her own eyes that her complexion wasn't good.
“There's a lot to do. I can't be sick.”
The woman in the mirror, who looked particularly pale, muttered. Her eyes looked hollow, as if she had lost some weight in the meantime.
“At this rate, there won't be many clothes left that I can wear.”
Liene chuckled briefly, imagining her clothes being too big and slipping off.
“That would be quite a sight.”
Then maybe that man wouldn't say he wanted her anymore.
“……What nonsense. He didn't fall for me because I looked good in the first place.”
Liene stopped thinking around that point and closed the lid of the mirror. The problem that had tormented her all night remained intact, but in any case, it had to be postponed until she could contact her lover.
“Today… Ah, I have to wear mourning clothes. The funeral preparations start now.”
Since the body had returned, she had to wear black clothes as a sign of mourning. It was customary for Nauk's funeral to be held for three days, and to take off the mourning clothes at midnight on the day the funeral ended. Without bothering Madam Flamvard, Liene found and put on black clothes herself. She didn't realize it at the time, but black was not a good choice. Her white skin looked as smooth as marble against the black fabric. The slightly loose clothes did not hide her figure, but rather revealed it. The thin, soft fabric clung to her skin as if it were flowing down whenever she moved. Liene in black clothes seemed to have added a precarious and seductive atmosphere to her usual beauty. Again, it was not a good choice at all. It was even worse that she wasn't aware of it at all.
* * * Liene packed breakfast, painkillers, and a new bandage and headed to Black's bedroom. The loose clothes kept getting caught on her ankles. After learning of her lover's survival, she didn't have the confidence to face Black calmly. She hadn't made a choice yet, and she couldn't forget that feverish kiss. …He probably hasn't either. That was the scariest thing. Black would not have changed from that moment when they promised to desire each other. So how should I treat him? I was afraid that he would still be so hot.
“Hoo.”
Black's bedroom, which she wished was very far away, felt too close today. Liene sighed as she arrived at the door. But no matter how much she sighed, nothing changed. Knock, knock. Liene slowly knocked on the door.
“It's morning. Are you done sleeping?”
She listened for a moment, but there was no reply. He must still be sleeping. …That's a relief. Liene bent down, intending to put down the things she was holding in front of the door and turn around. It was at that moment that she heard a thud and the door burst open.
“Ah……”
Her heart almost dropped. The person who opened the door was Black.
“Did I startle you?”
“No, n-no……”
“That's a relief. I'll take that.”
At first, she didn't know what the problem was. He was standing so normally on two feet and naturally took the large tray Liene was holding with both arms. If he didn't have a bandage tied around one shoulder, she would have just watched.
“What are you doing!”
Liene was startled and grabbed the tray back.
“Let go. You hurt your shoulder.”
“It's okay. It's not heavy.”
“It's not about it being heavy……”
No matter how hard she pulled, the tray didn't budge.
“You're hurt.”
Liene looked up at Black, holding onto the tray. She had to lift her head to make eye contact. He was very close.
“Are you worried about me being hurt?”
The voice asking this was also heard from too close.
“……Yes.”
Black's lips moved subtly. It sounded like he was sighing, or like he was talking to himself.
“I'm worried too.”
“I'm not hurt.”
“Not that, but that dress.”
