Chapter 77

Chapter 77 | On the Eve (4)

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To prevent the contents from being altered and run the risk of one of them attempting to remove Black from the contract, the parchment was sealed before being shoved in front of Serquez.

The movement was so forceful, Serquez jumped back because he thought he was going to be hit. But after seeing the parchment fall so perfectly in front of him, he scoffed.

[Serquez] “What?”

[Burey] “What is this?”

After Burey repeated the question, Black narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brow.

[Black] “Your tongue is too short, it would seem. And when speaking to the Princess’ husband of all people.”

With a grin, Randall excitedly stood up from his seat.

[Randall] “I’ll cut it, sir!”

And this time, Black didn’t bother to stop him. Randall was humming to himself as he reached down, pulling out the dagger he had tied to his leg.

The fact that he was crazy enough to be humming at the thought of cutting out a person’s tongue made certain the fact that he was a madman, just like the rest of them. All the nobles felt chills being sent down their spine, their bodies freezing in place.

[Burey] “N, no you mustn’t! How dare you attempt this against a noble house leader!”

[Black] “How dare?”

Black cocked his head.

[Black] “The fools among Nauk’s nobility must never have learned how to speak properly from their families.”

[Randall] “So we’ve got no choice but to cut out their tongues.”

Randall’s humming grew louder.

[Randall] “A tongue you still haven’t learned how to use right at your age is pretty useless, isn’t it?”

Taking a long stride forward, Randall deftly grabbed Burey by the collar, locking him in place like a hunter catching their prey in a snare.

[Randall] “Would you mind opening your mouth a little? If you work with me on this, I can make it as painless as possible.”

[Burey] “Argh! No! No, let me go!”

[Randall] “Shh. You have to stay still. If you struggle around like that, I can’t guarantee it’ll be a clean cut.”

[Burey] “Agh! No! Why isn’t anyone stopping him! Hello!? What are you all doing!?”

In the midst of his struggles, Burey tried to turn his head to the other nobles, yelling at them as he did. But the other nobles looked like they were going to be sick. They did not have the courage to step in.

And besides, the cause for punishment was clear.

Of course, the punishment was exceedingly harsh in comparison to the crime, but what could they do? It was one of their rulers who issued it.

It was only occurring to them now that Rienne was a very amicable person to deal with. Especially when faced with her other half.

[Randall] “Open up. As wide as you can, if possible. If you don’t stick out your tongue, I’m just gonna have to yank it out.”

Randall gingerly tapped the sharp end of his blade against Burey’s mouth.

[Randall] “……..!……”

Suuuuuuu………

Turning sickly blue, Burey’s eyes rolled back into his head as a questionable puddle formed from his pants to the ground.

[Randall] “Ah, what the hell!?”

Randall jumped back, disgusted at how that mess almost hit his boots, throwing Burey back down on the ground and stepping aside, leaving the noble to sit in his own filth.

[Black] “Sign it.”

Again, Black’s low voice broke through the tense air, making everyone’s bodies stiffen like stone.

[Serquez] “B, but something like this…well…..”

After seeing Burey’s example, Serquez’s tone became noticeably more polite and formal.

[Black] “The Treaty of Risebury.”

[Serquez] “Excuse…..me?”

[Black] “I know how much you all love the Treaty of Risebury, so think of this as a gift from the Princess’ husband to the noble heads of Nauk’s families.”

[Serquez] “But why are we signing this now……?”

[Black] “One of the original six names is missing. If that’s the case, then the Treaty is ineffective at this time. I thought you all might be disappointed, so I prepared a new one just for you. My name will be replacing the missing one.”

[Serquez] “……?”

Confused, Serquez quickly picked up the sealed parchment, carefully unfolding it. The other nobles, curious about Black’s claims, leaned in, gathering to see what was written.

The parchment, containing the original stipulations of the Treaty of Risebury, was mostly intact, but looking closely, some of the wording had been carefully changed.

For example, there was a specific line listing all of the powers that Nauk’s delegation had over the royal family, except that the once clear ‘does have’ was changed to ‘does not have’. In other words, they would no longer be given that power under any circumstance.

Another one of the many amendments was that the noble houses, who once enjoyed an exemption from this, were now required to pay taxes, and any member of the royal house was given the clear right to convene and attend delegation meetings.

And all of this was done through small and clever changes in the wording—ones that you would not notice if you were not reading closely.

[Serquez] “No……No, this has to be a joke……….”

Serquez’s mouth trembled.

[Black] “The way I see things, the original Treaty of Risebury was no different. A treaty or a veiled threat, I wonder?”

[Serquez] “. . .”

[Black] “Sign it. You should do it now if you want to be able to sign it with your hand.”

[Serquez] “…..? What’s that supposed to mean?”

Everyone except for Serquez understood the meaning loud and clear. If both of their hands were broken, they would have no choice but to sign it with the pen in their mouths.

[Rosadel] “Give it here.”

Rosadel reached over, snatching the parchment from Serquez’s hand.

[Serquez] “Don’t be so rash, Lord Rosadel! This is something that must be discussed with all of us before we decide to sign it.”

[Rosadel] “What good is that at this point? All we need to do is sign and be done with it.”

Black nodded.

[Black] “That’s exactly right. You have until the count of ten if you wish to use your hands. One.”

[Rosadel] “Eek!”

Making a suffocating sound, Rosadel hastily grabbed the nearest pen, scratching down his name in the empty spot.

[Ellaroiden] “I’ll go next, Lord Rosadel!”

Any arguments about whether or not ten seconds would be enough time for everyone to clamor in and sign went out the window as Ellaroiden finished his signature so quickly, it looked like his hand was about to take flight.

[Black] “Two, three…….”

Armendaris also finished signing before the number reached five.

Now there were only two left.

[Black] “……Seven, eight.”

And as the number hit eight, Serquez quietly endured the chills streaking across his shoulders, finally signing his name just as the others did. Looking at the left wrists of the other nobles, he knew what fate awaited him if he did not touch that pen.

[Black] “Ten. There’s only one left.”

Black gestured to Burey, passed out on the ground.

[Black] “Wake him up.”

[Randall] “Yes, sir.”

Randall didn’t even bother getting a bucket of water to stir the unconscious noble. The time limit for signing the new treaty with both hands had passed, which meant Burey would be saying goodbye to his right hand.

[Burey] “ARGH!”

Burey screamed and opened his eyes.

Not long after that, the revised treaty was finally completed.

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[Black] “Uh…….What did you just say?”

He could feel his voice shaking.

After completing what work he had left after the meeting, Black returned to the castle only to be met with news he didn’t want to believe.

[Rienne] “I have something I need to take care of, so you’ll have to sleep alone for the next two nights.”

[Black] “…..? Are you being serious right now?”

What escaped him were words of utter disbelief, but because he didn’t really clarify his words well enough, Rienne was left to misunderstand his phrasing.

[Rienne] “I’m not lying just so I can get out of it. Do you not trust me?”

[Black] “Ah, that’s…”

Realizing his mistake a second too late, Black held his face in his hand.

[Black] “That’s not what I meant…….I just mean I don’t want to believe it.”

[Rienne] “It can’t be helped. It’s unfortunate for me too, but this absolutely needs to be finished.”

He wanted to ask so badly what the hell could possibly be so important.

In all his time traveling across the continent, never before had he, the leader of the Tiwakan, been denied something he desired, nor has he been unable to do what he wanted.

[Black] “Think about this carefully, Princess. Shouldn’t you be asking for my permission right now?”

[Rienne] “Oh, should I?”

It was at their dinner table where the two of them were discussing this. Rienne gave an embarrassed smile before quietly speaking again.

[Rienne] “My apologies. This is my first time having a husband so I didn’t think about this as being something I needed permission for. But something happened that requires me to stay with my nanny for the next two nights, so I hope it isn’t a problem.”

[Black] “. . .”

Clink.

Sighing, Black set down the fork he was holding.

[Black] “If it were a problem, would you not do it?”

[Rienne] “Um…..Well, unfortunately, that’s not an option. This is something unavoidable, and it must be finished.”

[Black] “. . .”

What the hell could be so important that you can’t sleep with me?

The thought kept spinning in his head.

But he didn’t want to be rude and actually say that out loud. Rienne said it was necessary and unavoidable, so he should just respect that. Besides, it wouldn’t be for long. It was just two nights.

And their wedding would be the day right after that, so he could understand.

He knew that in some places, it was customary for the bride and groom to avoid seeing each other until the day of the wedding itself. Not to mention there were probably a lot of things that the bride needed to take care of before the day came, including whatever preparation was necessary for the first night.

But for some reason, he hated the idea of having to be understanding right now.

……I didn’t know I could be so damn petty.

[Black] “…….I see.”

So his answer ended up coming out quietly and slowly.

And like it was never there to begin with, his appetite completely went away. Rather than picking up his fork again, he just wiped his mouth off with a napkin.

[Rienne] “Are you angry?”

Swallowing the wine soaked peas that were in her mouth, Rienne’s voice sounded nervous when she asked.

[Black] “I’m not.”

[Rienne] “You look upset.”

And now he felt even worse because he was caught with a clear expression of displeasure on his face, like she knew exactly how bratty he was being about this.

[Black] “Would it be weird if I was upset about this?”

Rienne] “Well…….If I were you, I would be upset. But I can’t say that, so I’ll just apologize instead.”

But those words made him feel a bit better.

Setting the napkin down, Black turned his chair towards Rienne.

[Black] “Does that mean this makes you sad too, Princess?”

[Rienne] “Of course, why wouldn’t it?”

Rienne turned her eyes down, her eyelashes fluttering as her lips were still wet with the remnants of the wine-soaked peas.

[Rienne] “That time is very precious for me as well. I like being able to lie down together, talking about how our day went.”

[Black] “And what do you plan on doing once you give that up?”

[Rienne] “Um….I’d rather you not know. It’s a little shameful.”

Bringing up the fact that wedding attire was once again ruined made Rienne feel embarrassed. She wasn’t sure she could take such a guilty heart again.

[Black] “I don’t want you to feel ashamed in front of me.”

[Rienne] “It’s just this once. It won’t happen a second time.”

[Black] “If you say so.”

Rather than pressing any further, Black swept his hand across Rienne’s cheek instead.

[Black] “Still, if I’m going to do this for you, then I want you to kiss me.”

[Rienne] “Are you done eating?”

Rienne looked up at him, curiously tilting her head with her eyes wide open. Right now, she herself was distracted by how delicious these pea dishes had turned out to be.

[Black] “It’s fine, I’m done. Just a real quick one, and then we can talk more.”

[Rienne] “Alright…..Well then, close your eyes.”

Holding out his cheek towards her, Black gently closed his eyes. But seeing him like that, Rienne gave a playful smirk as she kept a pea snug between her lips, pressing it against his.

[Black] “…….Uh?”

Swallowing it quickly Black stared right back at her.

[Black] “Why this?”

[Rienne] “It’s delicious.”

Tinged with red wine, Black’s lips looked redder than usual. Rienne smiled, pressing her own reddened lips against his, whispering to him that she thought he looked extra handsome like this.

[Rienne] “But I’m worried you might’ve lost your appetite, Lord Tiwakan. You ate too little. But now that you’ve tasted some, why not eat more?”

[Black] “That’s a good idea.”

But just as she pulled away, Black seized her chin, tasting what he could of Rienne’s lips, before kissing her deeply.

[Black] “You’re right. It’s delicious.”

[Rienne] “Oh, that’s not…..”

[Black] “Thanks for the meal.”

Before she could stop him, he hastily pulled her in again. She thought this would be the first quiet meal they would take together, so when he suddenly kissed her so fiercely, it felt like her mind was going especially blank the moment their lips touched.

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[Mrs. Flambard] “Princess!”

This was the third time now.

[Rienne] “Ah, I’ll be more careful.”

Rienne quickly dropped the fabric from her hand.

Having pricked herself on the finger for the third time in a row, she was afraid the small droplet of blood forming might accidentally stain the fabric.

[Mrs. Flambard] “Goodness, why do you keep hurting yourself?”

[Rienne] “I’m not doing it on purpose…….”

It was just that her heart kept wandering off somewhere else.

It would slip through the gap in the door frame, down the winding halls, and ending up in that bedroom where a certain man would be sleeping alone—settling in his arms, underneath the same blanket.

[Mrs. Flambard] “You must be tired already.”

[Rienne] “It’s not that. My hands are just tired from holding a pen for a long time. And my wound hasn’t quite healed yet.”

It wasn’t entirely that, but that was partially the reason as well.

Writing out that many letters of appointment was difficult, and the wound she sustained from the scissors not long ago hadn’t healed entirely. One wrong move, and she’d be met with a sharp pain.

Still, Rienne didn’t want to do anything that could result in the wedding being delayed. She was too excited for it now.

[Rienne] “But I suppose I am a little sleepy, so I’ll go splash some cold water on my face.”

Rienne set down her needle and thread, pulling herself up. A basin of fresh water had already been prepared in the room, set on a table next to the window. She cupped some of the water and threw it up her face.

The water was so cold, it immediately brought her back to her senses, but when she thought about the remaining work left, her expression immediately darkened.

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