Rafit didn't know anything else, but he was certain of one thing: The Princess of Sharka was extremely displeased with the marriage of the leader of the Tiwakan.
Rafit jumped to his feet.
[Rafit] "When did she want to meet? Now?"
His cousin looked at him, clicking his tongue as if he were stunned.
[Cousin] "Whoa, calm down. She said the sooner the better, but you can't go off seeing the Crown Princess like that, can you?"
[Rafit] "…..Shit."
With a frustrated expression, Rafit approached his cousin, grabbing him by the arm.
[Rafit] "Let's go."
[Cousin] "Like that? Did you not hear what I said?"
[Rafit] "I heard you. That's why we're stopping by my uncle's place first."
[Cousin] "Why?"
[Rafit] "There should be something there for me to wear."
[Cousin] "What? No, wait, I've got the money I was supposed to give you, but I can just give you some clothes….."
[Rafit] "Just shut up and walk."
Thwack—
Age hierarchy be damned, Rafit shoved his cousin out the door.
*
* * *
*
The flame of the candle danced in the light breeze, the low light casting shadows against the walls.
[???] "You came at a good time."
It was past midnight when Rafit entered the Princess' bedroom.
An unidentified outlander stepping into the royal palace at such a time would normally be an impossibility, especially in regards to a princess' bedroom.
But it still happened.
That could only mean she had a very serious reason to meet with Rafit at such a time.
[Rafit] "What did you call me here for?"
Thanks to his cousin's help, Rafit managed to somewhat return to his former noble dignity. His slightly longer hair created shadows that perfectly hid just how bleak his expression had become in more recent days.
Meanwhile, the Princess of Sharka laughed, the sound all too similar to the hiss of a venomous viper.
[???] "You look like you could use someone to put you at ease."
[Rafit] "Are you planning on comforting me?"
[???] "Of course not."
[Rafit] "....?"
The Princess, Brinley Bashed held out her hand, reaching towards Rafit.
[Brinley] "I was actually hoping you could comfort me, instead."
[Rafit] ". . ."
Rafit bit his lip, silently approaching Princess Brinley and taking her hand, but he was confused on what she wanted him to do. He could not figure out what exactly it was that the princess was asking of him right now.
[Rafit] "And why might you need that?"
After he hesitated for a moment, asking his question, Princess Brinley squeezed down hard on his hand, cutting her nails into his palm.
As Rafit frowned at the pain, Brinley looked up at him.
[Brinley] "You fool. Though I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, considering I went out of my way to give you that information, and yet you couldn't even upset the wedding, much less stop it.
That was when the look in Rafit's eyes changed dramatically.
[Rafit] "Wasn't that information just a useless lie from the start?"
[Brinley] "What was that?"
[Rafit] "Like you said, that information did nothing to stop the wedding. If it were true that he came to Nauk looking for revenge, then he wouldn't be able to act like he was madly in love!"
[Brinley] "....Madly in love?"
Princess Brinley narrowed her eyes, a dangerously dark look flashing across her face.
[Brinley] "Him?"
[Rafit] "Exactly like that."
Rafit couldn't take the feeling of her touching him anymore. He shook off Princess Brinley's hand, and there were clear nail marks left between his thumb and his index finger.
[Rafit] "If you wanted to stop the engagement, you should've given me military strength, not information..."
[Brinley] "If I had, you wouldn't be standing here speaking with me right now. He would've cut off your head long ago."
[Rafit] "You're saying the Kingdom of Sharka's military can't handle a single mercenary company?"
[Brinley] "Of course not. No kingdom, not even Sharka, can handle him alone."
Princess Brinley's voice was firm.
[Brinley] "You are still an immature young lord who knows nothing of how this world works. You've just been living comfortably in the arms of your powerful noble house, stuck in the countryside."
Rafit forgot the woman sitting in front of him was a princess, and openly gritted his teeth in her presence while spitting out his words.
[Rafit] "You dare speak like that—"
[Brinley] "Well, that's alright. Knowing nothing might be for the best. All the other men I've known were smarter than that, but they were weak. There was no one willing to fight him so recklessly like you are."
Rafit wasn't sure if he should take that like a compliment or an insult.
[Rafit] "What do you mean to say?"
[Brinley] "I want you to show me just how reckless you can be. Do you have the courage to try and steal your woman back from the arms of another, even if your opponent is a god of war?"
Rafit widened his eyes.
[Rafit] "You mean...you want to help me?"
[Brinley] "No, we'll be helping each other. You get to have his woman and I get to ruin him."
[Rafit] "Works for me."
Hearing her proposal, Rafit didn't even need to think twice about it.
And this was no longer just because he still loved or desired Rienne—this went beyond just her now. After living as a poor outlander in the Kingdom of Sharka, he no longer wanted to carry out such a miserable existence.
That meant his course was clear. What the leader of the Tiwakan had stolen from him needed to be taken back.
His family, his honor, his wealth—even the self-worth that had been crushed without mercy.
[Rafit] "What do you need me to do?"
As if she knew what his answer would be, Princess Brinley readily pointed to the door on the wall closest to her bed.
[Brinley] "Just beyond that door is my husband's bedroom."
That was obvious to anyone, even Rafit.
[Brinley] "Tonight, my husband will be sleeping like the dead. Apparently he called three prostitutes to his side."
[Rafit] ". . ."
Rafit's face stiffened.
He knew that Sharka's royal family was open when it came to the concepts of love and pleasure, but it was still hard to believe that the first prince, who'd only been married for a year, would so calmly call prostitutes to his room.
The Crown Prince of Sharka already had two recognized concubines. That alone would be enough to insult his wife, but prostitutes, too?
[Brinley] "I wouldn't recommend a blade, it's too messy. Try smothering him with a pillow."
Then he'd suffocate to death with no injury to his body. It would be impossible to say what exactly killed him and no doctor would dare pierce his nose just to see if any feathers had been forced in.
[Rafit] "Then…..what comes after that?"
[Brinley] "For a while, I'm sure a battle for succession will occur. Everyone will fight, quietly killing each other off one by one, and by the time everything is done, I will have given birth to my child. Once that happens, I will become the regent, and then this kingdom will be mine. I could do whatever I wanted, even start a war if I so choose."
[Rafit] "How are you so sure you're pregnant?"
[Brinley] "I'm not."
Princess Brinley smiled silently, holding a finger to Rafit's lips.
[Brinley] "But as it so happens, today is a good day for me to conceive."
She trailed her long and pale finger down his face, tracing a line down his neck and onto his chest, pressing deeply into his heart.
[Brinley] "If you manage to return from that room safely, I will give you the honor of providing the seed I require for a child."
[Rafit] ". . ."
Rafit bit his lip tightly.
In order to get back that which had been taken from him, he had to kill the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Sharka. If he failed, he would just become an outlander assassin—executed and torn limb from limb.
[Rafit] "I have a question."
The price for this choice would be high, and failure was no option. If he was going to entertain this idea, there was something he needed to know first.
He needed to know if Princess Brinley was as serious about this as he was.
[Rafit] "Why do you want to ruin him?"
[Brinley] "So I can own him."
[Rafit] ". . ."
[Brinley] "I realized I can't have every part of him all to myself while he's so filled with life, so though it's a shame, I have no choice but to break him first."
Her narrow eyes, which seemed like they were carrying something completely unknown within them, were now glistening with something darker—something more wicked like black stones.
That wasn't a lie.
This woman was absolutely crazy, but her desire was pure and real.
Rafit nodded once. Then, in an instant, he roughly pulled up Brinley's chin, kissing her like he wanted to tear out her tongue.
[Rafit] "Warm up. I'll be back."
Princess Brinley smirked, smiling as she slightly stuck out her tongue, revealing the very clear imprints that Rafit had left behind.
Squeak—!
Rafit opened the door decorated with a black border. Crossing this threshold was no different from walking into hell, but he crossed the boundary without a second thought.
*
* * *
*
From below her balcony, she could hear them—the song of over a thousand people, singing loudly, not a single person in tune. But even so, she didn't want to miss a single verse.
The song of Nauk's people as they flocked beneath her terrace was their wedding gift to Rienne.
[Rienne] "Oh…..Wow."
After one song, they started again.
Rienne listened carefully, smiling with tears in her eyes. Every time she smiled and waved at them, the sound of their song became louder.
She was so entranced by the sight that she hadn't even gotten undressed yet.
[Black] "I don't think it'll ever end."
By now, the moon was already high in the sky.
Black walked up from behind her. He disappeared for a while so she thought he was going to get changed, but he was still wearing his wedding clothes.
[Rienne] "I'm a little worried, too. They might keep at it until they get it right, just as the morning dew starts to set in."
As Black approached her, he naturally wrapped his arms around her waist, and Rienne smiled, comfortably leaning back and resting her head on his chest.
Her hair, braided back with an assortment of jeweled pins, felt incredibly heavy.
Though truthfully, her whole body felt heavy. The wedding ceremony had been going on since the early morning, and she wasn't sure what strength she had left at this point.
The ceremony itself took place in the royal chapel.
It was held in conjunction with the naming ceremonies of Black and the other Tiwakan mercenaries, in which they were given both honors and noble titles, which made the whole thing amazingly long.
Then, they rode to the Temple by carriage, signed their oaths and sealed them at the altar. After hearing the sermon of the High Priest, which was also very long, that was when they were finally able to return to the castle.
Except, once they reached the Aini bridge, they got off the carriage and walked across it with their own two feet.
The people who were crossing the bridge from the other side gave them their blessings, one by one, and the procession only ended after they said their greetings and thanks to each and every one of them. Once that was done, they returned to their carriage to finish out their ride to the castle to enjoy the banquet.
Never before had such a large feast been held in Nauk nor was there ever a time when the path from the gate entrance to the banquet hall was filled with so many flower and silk decorations.
It was also new seeing so much food and alcohol, piled up like mountains and being shared equally even with those who had come from the poorest lands far away.
In fact, this was probably the most beautiful the castle had ever looked since the day it was first constructed on this land.
It was like a massive festival, attended by the whole kingdom. On a day like this, even the mice tucked away in the stables were flushed with happiness.
But among all those wonderful and memorable moments, the one that would be remembered the clearest was when Black took off the veil that was hiding her face in their uncovered carriage.
It was right when Rienne was musing about how she wanted to see all the people cheering, but that the veil was blocking her sight.
[Black] –'Then take it off.'
Like it was no big deal, Black pulled out one of the pins that was keeping her veil in place.
[Rienne] –'Oh, the veil can only be taken off once the dress is removed. It's supposed to symbolize the purity of the bride and the sanctity of marriage.'
But once her veil was removed, Black smiled at the sight he was greeted with.
[Black] –'Your face is already sacred enough. What more could I possibly require?'
She couldn't remember what she said back, though she probably didn't say anything at all.
[Black] –'I just want you to be here. That's all I need.'
Once her veil was gone, she could see everything she wanted to with vivid clarity. And it was especially wonderful being able to see him so starkly in his wedding attire.
[Rienne] –'You always manage to surprise me, my love.'
When Rienne whispered softly in his ear, Black took her hand, and she smiled at the ticklish feeling of him between her fingers.
[Black] –'Not as much as you surprise me, Princess.'
And all of those cherished moments, both big and small, eventually led to this one right now.
[Black] "They should quit before they lose their voices."
As she leaned against his chest, Black gently started removing the jewelry pins from her hair with a careful hand. And with every pin that was removed, more of her hair unfurled, and the tension in her head slowly faded.
[Rienne] "But I don't know how to stop them. They all look so happy."
[Black] "They just want to please you, Princess. Just let them know that there are other fun things you'd rather be doing besides listening to their song."
[Rienne] "But how?"
[Black] "Like this."
Setting aside the last jewelry piece, Black fluffed out Rienne's hair, bending down to wrap his arms around her waist again.
And then, the song outside ended like it was never playing as the crowds fell into silence.
Black dipped Rienne's body down, and as he supported her back with his arms, he overlapped his lips with hers in a deep kiss, gently sucking on her bottom lip.
[Rienne] "Oh, this is….."
The kiss was intense and breathless, continuing on and on as Rienne grabbed his shoulders, holding onto him as if to keep herself steady. And once he finally decided to let her lips go, both her cheeks were dyed a crimson red.
…..It was so very embarrassing because now it was all too obvious to the people just how much she loved this man.
[Black] "Now turn around and wave to them. Everyone will be happy enough to leave."
[Rienne] ". . ."
Rienne followed his words, awkwardly turning and smiling brightly as she waved towards the crowds that had gathered below the terrace.
And just as Black said, though the people had stopped singing, they all looked extremely happy, smiling and waving back.
[Rienne] "How did you know?"
[Black] "How did I know what?"
[Rienne] "That doing that would work."
Black turned Rienne around to face him, and for some reason, he had a very telling smile on his face. One that made an immediate shiver and tremble travel down her spine.
[Black] "You were always their Princess, but you're also my wife now."
[Rienne] "Hm? What do you mean?"
[Black] "I mean I've been losing my mind waiting for tonight."
Thwip—
Stepping away from Rienne, Black closed the door leading to the terrace without taking his eyes off her.
Slip—
Then he undid the rope keeping the curtains tied back, and with a dramatic flourish, the curtain fell in place, completely covering the window.
[Black] "Right now, I want you to focus only on me."
[Rienne] ". . ."
Looking at Black, staring at her so deeply, Rienne swallowed hard without even realizing it.
Black's eyes towards her were always so soft and kind, but right now, their paleness was hazed over with an expectant and dense darkness.
* * *
T/N: (1) The word she uses is [가지려고] which is literally 'to own/possess'. She is, in no uncertain terms, referring to Black as an object, which is also why she uses the terminology of breaking him in the same way someone might break a toy.
A new challenger….approaches!? Plot's getting really spicy now! And in more ways than one Though, I nearly threw my phone in panic after seeing Brinley for the first time And she's so pretty, too! Such a waste!
But I think this is one of the few times I've actually cheered on a ML. Heck yeah, go get your wife!