A Barbaric Proposal

Chapter 67 | Courtship (3)

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[Rienne] “…….!”

She gasped so harshly, she almost hurt herself.

[Rienne] “Weren’t….you asleep?”

[Black] “I was.”

In the dense darkness, his pale eyes looked even clearer as he stared at Rienne. His gaze was unshakable and unwavering—no different from a wild animal eyeing down its prey.

[Black] “You’re awake too, Princess.”

[Rienne] “I….couldn’t sleep.”

[Black] “I see.”

……And because she couldn’t sleep, she came into someone else’s room at such a strange time just to look at their face. Yes, that makes perfect sense.

Rienne hid her troubled expression, casting her glance at the door and measuring how far it was. She needed to run away before he started asking any questions. If that happened, she’d only panic for lack of any good answers to give him.

[Rienne] “Then, please excuse me.”

Keeping her voice casual, as if everything was completely fine, Rienne turned to leave the room.

But it was useless.

[Black] “Why did you bring a blanket?”

[Rienne] “S…sorry?”

Rienne blinked in a daze. She had completely forgotten about the blanket she was carrying in her hands. Like she’d been entertaining the thoughtless idea of sleeping next to him without even realizing it.

[Rienne] “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just……I was afraid you might get cold at night and might not have a blanket.”

…….What am I even saying? Of course he has a blanket. What would you call the thing that’s covering him right now—a carpet?

[Rienne] “I was worried, but I only ended up waking you needlessly. I’ll be going back now.”

[Black] “Is that what you had in mind, Princess?”

Black sat up from the bed, pushing the blanket off of him. As it slid down, it revealed the clothing he was wearing to bed that night, but the front of his robe was untied.

Rienne held her breath, fearing he might hear her nervous swallowing.

[Rienne] “I was just worried.”

[Black] “And have you cleared away your worries?”

[Rienne] “I’m…..not quite sure.”

[Black] “Alright. Do as you please, then.”

Acting as though nothing had happened, Black just sat there, watching Rienne from his sitting position.

…….What do I want to do?

If she went back like this, she probably wouldn’t be able to get any sleep. She would likely just stay wide awake, wondering if he’d fallen back asleep on his own. Tomorrow morning would probably end up being so awkward, she wouldn’t be able to make eye contact with him.

And I’d probably just miss him even more than I do now.

[Rienne] “…….Then, if you don’t mind, please scoot over a bit.”

With ease, he shifted his body to the side and in his place, there was room enough for her in the bed. Like he was inviting her to lie down with him.

[Rienne] “No, not that way. Closer this way.”

[Black] “Are you sure?”

[Rienne] “Yes.”

Though he had moved himself to the edge of the bed, at her request, Black moved back to the center. Seeing the remaining space left, Rienne nodded.

[Rienne] “I’m going to sleep here, too. I don’t want to sleep alone.”

[Black] “……..If you want.”

Rienne lifted up the blanket, climbing into the bed next to where Black was. He was so massive and he was lying right in the middle, so it was a bit of a snug fit.

But that made her happy. It gave her an excuse to be close to him.

As Rienne settled in next to him, Black tilted his head to meet her eyes.

[Black] “Do you want to sleep like this?”

When they slept in the same bed like this, lying side by side while looking into each other’s eyes, it made a spark like magic that could stop time. Rienne looked up at him, unconsciously biting her lip.

[Rienne] “Yes.”

[Black] “It’s a bit close.”

[Rienne] “Better than not close enough.”

[Black] “. . .”

Maybe it was her imagination, but for a second, it sounded like Black’s breathing was getting rough.

[Black] “Is there anything else you want to do?”

Yes. There were so many she could think of.

[Rienne] “If I were to say yes, then would it be alright to do them?”

[Black] “Why don’t we take turns?”

Rienne’s eyes shook.

[Rienne] “There’s……something you want to do, too?”

What could this man want with her after all this?

[Black] “It’s nothing bad, I don’t think…….Do you not want to?”

Well, when it came to him, he could very easily do something ‘bad’ that could upset her. Like what he did in the bathroom earlier.

[Rienne] “Then, let’s agree to not do anything bad to one another.”

[Black] “……Fine.”

For some reason, he took a second to respond, and when he finally did, he frowned with creases forming on his forehead.

[Black] “You go first, Princess.”

[Rienne] “Well….”

But what should she choose first? Lying next to him like this, there were an unfathomable amount of thoughts running through her mind to choose from.

Settling on one of them, Rienne held out her hand and touched it against Black’s face. She gently ran her fingers along his cheek as if she were playing an instrument, carefully feeling his skin against hers.

[Black] “Are you sure this is what you wanted?”

As he said that, Black lowered his head, bringing his face closer to her touch.

[Rienne] “Yes, it’s the first thing that came to mind. And what about you, Lord Tiwakan?”

[Black] “Something like this.”

Black reached out, running his hand through Rienne’s hair and pushing it back. And as her hair was moved aside, her bare neckline and shoulders were revealed.

[Black] “I want to see you come completely undone right in front of my eyes, Princess.”

[Rienne] “. . .”

The comment was so obviously suggestive in nature that even before Rienne caught onto what he truly meant, she instinctively swallowed harshly.

[Black] “What’s next?”

But before she could ask anything else, Black moved the conversation along, resting his hand upon her shoulder.

[Rienne] “Then……this.”

As Black lightly pressed against her shoulder with his hand, Rienne held it in her own, raising it up. But she didn’t do so with the intent of pushing him away, but rather to get him to lift up his arm.

And then, she wrapped herself around him, pushing her body underneath his arms.

Black looked down at Rienne, now closely attached to him within his embrace. She was digging so deeply into him like a cat trying to cuddle that all he could see was the top of her head. Even Rienne, whose face was buried in his chest, could not see what kind of face he was making.

But unknown to her, just beyond her eyesight was Black, clenching his teeth tightly to fight back the obvious smile that was about to burst forth.

[Black] “You can’t do this.”

[Rienne] “….What? Why not?”

[Black] “Because it’s a bad thing. And we agreed not to do that.”

[Rienne] “You don’t like it?”

[Black] “I don’t. We’re too close.”

[Rienne] “Ah…..”

……I like it a lot, but he seems to hate it. He didn’t feel that way before……

Slowly, Rienne pulled her body back, but as she fell away, there was clear hesitation.

[Black] “My turn now.”

Black stretched out his hand, reaching past Rienne’s neck at an angle she couldn’t see.

Swip—

One of the buttons that hung from the back of her nightgown came loose. Once the sensitive skin was exposed, she could feel the sensation of cool air running across the nape of her neck.

[Rienne] “Ah, wait….Why are you….This…”

[Black] “We agreed to do what we wanted.”

[Rienne] “But you’ll undo it…..”

[Black] “So I can’t?”

[Rienne] “. . .”

If one were to ask her, she wasn’t really all that sure. All she knew was that she could already feel her throat running dry again.

Did that count as a ‘bad’ thing?

[Rienne] “It’s my turn again.”

Rienne didn’t tell him he couldn’t do this, but instead, she had something else she wished to do as well.

[Black] “Do it. But don’t get too close.”

[Rienne] “That’s a little unfair.”

[Black] “I can’t do anything if you stick too close to me like before, Princess.”

[Rienne] “But if we’re too far apart, then I can’t do it.”

[Black] “Do what?”

[Rienne] “I……..”

…….want to kiss you.

She wanted to kiss him, but to do that, their lips needed to touch. Ignoring Black’s warning, telling her not to get too close, Rienne pulled him in by the neck.

[Rienne] “If this is a bad thing, then tell me to stop.”

And in a flash, their lips were touching.

The moment they made contact, Black wrapped his arms around Rienne’s waist and pushed her over. As soon as Rienne was trapped between the bed and his body, he didn’t waste another second swallowing her lips entirely.

With his arms around her, Rienne could feel him tense up, and once she could taste his tongue, she deeply took in the sweet breath being shared between them. Even the sound of him greedily sucking away at her lips was terribly sweet.

But for some reason, she felt like she was going to cry.

Why? Just a moment ago, you left me behind like this would never happen again.

And yet, this was no different from before.

His kiss was like a wave, washing over her and carrying her away somewhere. Her body felt wet all over, being drifted along on the current by a gust of wind.

[Rienne] “. . .”

[Black] “. . .”

Their passion induced kiss went on for a long time.

When their lips pulled away and Rienne was given a moment to catch her breath, to her bewilderment, the tears she didn’t realize were pooling in her eyes started falling down her cheeks.

[Black] “…….Why are you crying?”

Black was just as shocked as she was. Confused, he took Rienne into his arms, hugging her while he put his lips against her ear as he tried to calm her.

[Black] “Don’t cry. What did I do wrong?”

[Rienne] “No, that’s not…”

But as she tried to talk, another soft sob escaped her.

Black was beyond panicked at this point. The smile he had on his face when Rienne nestled herself into his embrace of her own will disappeared in an instant like steam.

[Black] “Didn’t you want this?”

[Rienne] “…….?”

[Black] “Or were you just enduring something you didn’t like just to make me happy?”

…….? What was that supposed to mean?

[Black] “I told you not to do that. Just do what makes you comfortable, Princess.”

Black loosened his grip, quietly letting go of Rienne.

[Black] “Get up. I’ll take you back to your room.”

[Rienne] “Wha…what do you….”

[Black] “You don’t like that either?”

She didn’t know what to say, and she didn’t know what the right thing to do was right now.

[Rienne] “No, I don’t want that.”

[Black] “Then what should I do?”

[Rienne] “Tell me you won’t do it again.”

[Black] “What?”

[Rienne] “What you did earlier.”

She knows he’s not a cold person. The moment they kissed was the same as it always was, so she knew that he didn’t hate her. That a fire, however dim, still burned.

So please don’t act so cold to me. At least not until you know who I am. As the daughter of the one who took everything from you.

[Black] “What did I do?”

Black’s voice sounded harsh, like his words were scratching him on the way out.

[Black] “I didn’t touch you except for a button.”

And the worst part was that he didn’t even seem to realize what he did that hurt her so much.

[Rienne] “Not that. I meant what you did earlier. When I knocked on the door and called out to you, you pretended I wasn’t even there.”

[Black] “…..What?”

Then, his once straight jawline tensed and twisted.

[Black] “What don’t you want me to do?”

[Rienne] “You ignored me on purpose……..like you hate me.”

Even thinking about it made her sad.

[Rienne] “Please…don’t pretend to hate me unless you really do…..Otherwise it’s just too upsetting.”

Now she knew why she couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t just because Black wasn’t there with her. It was because she was still deeply hurt and saddened by what he did.

She could still remember the sight of him walking away from her, thoughtlessly closing the door behind him without sparing her a single look. Like he never intended to see her again, he turned his back on her and left.

It just…..hurt. A lot.

[Black] “Princess.”

[Rienne] “…..Hah…”

Feeling her emotions about to pour out, Rienne gathered them back up and pushed them deep inside her, letting out only a sigh instead.

Rienne was bad at emotionally relying on other people. She still had many tears she wished to shed and so many words she left unsaid, but her body habitually cut that feeling off, bottling the rest of it up.

[Rienne] “I want you to know that I’m only hurt by what happened in the bathroom, Lord Tiwakan. Nothing else. I just don’t like that feeling of being ignored by my fiancé.”

Pretending to rearrange her hair, Rienne pushed her sleeve across her face, wiping away her tears.

[Rienne] “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep here, either. I’ll be returning to my room now. Sleep well—ah.”

As Rienne stood up, she thought she tripped over her own foot, but it wasn’t a misstep on her part.

It was Black, pulling her back.

Supporting Rienne’s body as she leaned back against him, he bent down to hook his other arm beneath her legs, lifting her up into his embrace.

[Rienne] “Please put me down.”

Sat in Black’s arms, Rienne touched his shoulder.

[Rienne] “Why are you doing this?”

[Black] “If I let your feet touch the ground, I’m afraid you’ll leave.”

[Rienne] “…..I have to sleep……You too, Lord Tiwakan.”

[Black] “I know you won’t be able to sleep.”

[Rienne] “What are you trying to….”

[Black] “So finish crying.”

[Rienne] “…..What?”

[Black] “I don’t think you’re done crying. You can sleep once you are.”

…….What was he saying now? It sounded like he wanted her to cry.

[Rienne] “I’m fine.”

[Black] “No, you’re not.”

[Rienne] “No, really, I’m fine…..”

[Black] “And you’ve done that to me before too, Princess.”

[Rienne] “…..? Done what?”

[Black] “Ignored me.”

[Rienne] “……No, I haven’t?”

[Black] “Don’t deny it. It’s true.”

[Rienne] “But when did I…….”

[Black] “Remember when you pushed me away because you said you didn’t like it? Back when you said I wasn’t skilled enough?”

[Rienne] “I told you before, I had a reason for that….”

[Black] “And are you saying I didn’t?”

…..Yes. That was the problem. The problem was that she didn’t know why he ignored her so coldly.

[Rienne] “Why did you do that, then?”

[Black] “Because I wanted to know something”

Holding Rienne in his arms, Black brought his head to her eye level, gently kissing and biting her lower lip.

[Rienne] “If you wanted to know something, couldn’t you have just asked?”

[Black] “I asked you a question before, but you didn’t answer, Princess.”

[Rienne] “What did you ask me? And when?”

As she talked, she could still feel the slight sensation of his prodding and playful bite upon her lip. Rienne pressed her palm against Black’s shoulder.

[Black] “Do you really expect me to believe you ruined those clothes just because you thought they wouldn’t suit me?”

[Rienne] “. . .”

When Rienne didn’t answer, Black bit down on her lip harder this time.

[Black] “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine. I’ll let it slide this time. But I won’t yield on anything else.”

[Rienne] “Anything…..else?”

[Black] “Cry more.”

Imprinted upon Rienne’s lips was a very deliberate bite mark. Black ran his lips against it, as if to soothe it.

[Black] “I mean this sincerely. After seeing you cry, Princess, I realized something. I don’t think you’ve ever cried properly before.”

[Rienne] “What’s the point in crying? Crying is hardly a good thing.”

[Black] “You said you didn’t like it when I pretended you weren’t there, right?”

[Rienne] “. . .”

Just then, he brought up the thing that had upset her so terribly in the first place. As if to stoke the sensitive part of her heart that barely managed to calm down.

The tears that she thought were over started flowing down her cheeks again like they never stopped.

…..Why is he saying this?

[Rienne] “If you know…….then you shouldn’t have done that…..”

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