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nChapter 28 | Klimah, the Servant (1)

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nServant “I couldn’t…..avoid it.”

nHis feeble voice came out from close to Linden’s feet.

nEver since he was a young, his life had belonged to the Kleinfelders. With the life he would’ve lost otherwise, he took care of all the dirty work they needed.

nHe had even killed the former High Priest in the past. Back then, everyone thought he had simply tripped down the stairs and broken his neck.

nLinden was hoping for the job to be done just as cleanly this time, too.

nServant “….There wasn’t enough time…. The window of opportunity was small and too many people were watching…..”

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nHe was speaking very quietly, wearing a long robe closing over his ankles. All the while, his eyes were cast towards the ground.

nLinden “You call that an excuse?”

nThwack!

nDown came another blow.

nWithout even flinching, the young servant endured the beating from Linden, not a single sound of pain escaping him. Kicking him from every side, Linden stopped and took a deep breath.

nLinden “You left no evidence?”

nServant “Yes.”

nLinden “You can’t ever get caught. Do you understand me? Never let them know I was the one who gave the order.”

nServant “Yes, sir.”

nLinden “They’re a difficult opponent. We must never…..be caught…..”

nIf they ever did, the obvious end result would be the end of the Kleinfelders. Linden shuttered just thinking about it.

nLinden “Or I’ll have no choice but to throw you away.”

nServant “…….Yes, sir.”

nThe young servant nodded obediently. Seeing that, Linden felt a little more reassured.

nHe was oddly loyal, not to mention tight lipped. Even if the worst should come to pass and his own identity was revealed, Linden was confident his name would never leave the servant’s mouth.

nLinden “Get out.”

nHe nodded and pulled himself up off the ground, placing a palm over his bleeding head. He seemed more concerned over not getting any blood on his clothing than the fact he was injured.

nUsing his clean hand, he took the hood of his cloak and carefully covered his face. After he left Linden’s room, he silently stepped into a dark corner of the servant’s hall.

nWithout a light to guide him, he descended down the long and winding stairs towards the basement. Eventually he made his way out of the main building towards the small detached house behind it.

nOnce the house was within his view, he quickly hid behind a nearby tree. Just beyond his reach was the window, his eyes trained on it as he peered out from his vantage point.

nThrough that window of colored glass, a figure could be seen—like a barely visible shadow.

nIt was a woman, thin and filled with sorrow, holding a water basin.

nServant “. . .”

nThe servant’s eyes began to fill with tears as he watched the woman. She was the reason why a simple servant such as himself was forced to do such horrible things for the Kleinfelders.

nAfter staying there for a while, he left the Kleinfelder estate, returning to where he lived by taking the same path as he always did.

nThe servant was heading towards the Temple, and his name was Klimah. (1)

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nRienne “. . .”

nEven though she was exhausted, losing sleep was starting to become a habit. As the early morning sun made its way through the windows, Rienne’s eyes trembled as they adjusted to the light.

nRienne “It’s already morning.”

nBut her body was so tired, it didn’t want to move. Opening her eyes, Rienne counted.

nRienne “One… Two…. Three.”

nFinally gathering the strength, Rienne pushed aside her blankets.

nRienne “It’s colder than yesterday, too.”

nOnce Rienne began to lower her bare feet from the bed to the floor, she felt the cold air nip at her skin. Not wasting a moment, she put on her slippers and brushed out her nightgown.

nI really hate winter. It feels like things just get harder the colder it gets.

nWinter hadn’t even truly started and yet, as soon as the temperature dropped in the slightest, she started to yearn once more for the warmth of her bed sheets.

nRienne “I should hurry.”

nThe season seemed to bring with it an overarching feeling of lethargy, but she knew the stronger that feeling was, the more she needed to push herself to move.

nWanting to wash up and change, Rienne took off the shawl she was wearing and hurriedly entered the bathroom, wearing only her thin nightgown.

nRienne “……Ah.”

nBut the moment she opened the door, her body froze.

nThere was already someone inside.

nNot so different from her, Black was wearing only a pair of pants, and it looked as though he was about to take them off—like he was thinking of washing up, too.

nRienne “Why…..are you here…..?”

nRienne was so embarrassed she completely neglected to shut the door and leave. All she was thinking about was the burning question of why he was undressing in her bathroom in the first place.

nBlack “Did you want to get ready first?”

nBlack asked with his hand still on the waist line of his pants.

nRienne “No, I…. Why are you here…..?”

nBlack “I didn’t know you’d woken up already.”

nRienne “But why….?”

nBlack “This is my bathroom too, now.”

nRienne “Oh…..”

nShe just remembered.

nHe was already using the room next door now, which meant they’d need to share a bathroom from now on. That meant Rienne should just…..

n…Thump!

nComing to her senses, Rienne closed the bathroom door.

nRienne “My apologies… A lot of things happened recently… so I’m not fully awake yet.”

nRienne said this through the tightly closed door. She was still so shocked her mouth wasn’t working properly either.

nWhat have I done…..How could I have forgotten about this?

nJust then, she could hear footsteps approaching on the other side of the door. Rienne tightly held the doorknob just in case he tried to open it.

nBlack “It’s fine.”

nBut that’s all he said. He made no attempt to open the door. Even so, Rienne couldn’t let go. Though no one was around to witness her embarrassment, she could feel her face heating up.

nRienne “I’ll pay more attention to these kinds of things in the future…. So please, wash up.”

nBlack “There’s no bathtub here. Is a reason for that?”

nBefore Rienne had the chance to leave, Black asked a very sudden question.

nRienne “What?”

nBlack “I’m asking why you don’t have a bath.”

nRienne “Oh, a bath……”

nThere used to be one.

nThere was once a large and colorful marble bathtub inside that room. It was a beautiful piece, lined with golden edges, and it did wonders to liven up the now big and empty bathroom.

nBut like so many other things, it was sold. The fine marble was cut into several pieces, and was now sitting in the Kleinfelder’s garden as decoration.

nRienne “…..I had no use for it. I felt like I was using too much water with a bathtub like that.”

nSaying that, Rienne’s heart stung for a moment.

nIt was a much smaller lie in comparison, but she didn’t feel good about having to do it so often.

nRienne “Do you require a bathtub?”

nBlack “Not right now.”

nRienne “Then why….?”

nBlack “There’s a chance we might want to bathe together in the future.”

nRienne “Wha……what?”

nRienne tried coming up with the words to say, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.

nBathe……together? But why?

nBlack “I’ll get you a new one.”

nRienne “. . .”

nAnd that was the end of the conversation.

nSlip. Tap.

nBeyond the door, inside that quiet bathroom, was the sound of fabric brushing up against skin—the sound of Black taking his clothes off.

n….But… why….

nUnconsciously, Rienne swallowed the dry saliva in her throat.

nWhy……would you want to take a bath with me….?

nThen she heard the sound of splashing water. He was probably washing his face now. Suddenly, Rienne remembered the moment when he had his face bowed towards her as she carefully cleaned it for him.

nIt made it too easy to imagine the sight of his damp shoulders and arms, or his hair soaked in water, sticking to his forehead.

nWhy would we…. together……?

nRienne couldn’t stand the thought and quickly turned away.

nThis is all his fault, saying so many strange things while he looks like that.

nCovering her ears, Rienne returned to her room. The sound of splashing water was nothing. She heard it all the time whenever she washed her own face.

nAnd yet, her heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

nClosing the door behind her, Rienne stood still and waited until her beating heart quieted down.

n…..I can’t keep doing this.

nIt wasn’t a good idea to have any feelings for that man beyond strict vigilance.

nI have to know what his true motives are—the truth behind why everyone keeps saying his purpose is revenge. Focus on that and don’t think any useless thoughts.

nRienne swallowed hard.

nShe needed to meet with the old beggar again.

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nMrs. Flambard “What? Where did you say you were going?”

nRienne “To the Temple entrance.”

nMrs. Flambard “But why so suddenly? Do you have business there—?”

nRienne “Yes.”

nAs Mrs. Flambard asked, puzzled and confused, Rienne quickly interrupted.

nThere was no point in telling her everything. It was Rienne’s job to worry about what Black was up to, and she didn’t wish to cause the woman any unnecessary worry.

nMore importantly, Mrs. Flambard was an honest woman. If Rienne told her anything, she wouldn’t be able to stand in front of Black calmly if she knew he was potentially there to bring them harm.

nRienne “I’m just worried about the old man I saw yesterday. The Temple normally hands out food, but the stairs haven’t been repaired yet, so I’ll take him something myself.”

nMrs. Flambard “In that case, you should order the guards to do it for you. Aren’t you too busy to be handling something like that?”

nRienne “I’d like to do it personally. I’m sure you have plenty to do yourself, so I’ll be fine going alone.”

nMrs. Flambard jolted forward hearing that.

nMrs. Flambard “What? No, you can’t do something like that! It’s much too far to go all on your own!”

nRienne “I’ll ask a guard to escort me.”

nShe needed to move as fast as she could.

nThe Tiwakan were already beginning to settle in Castle Nauk.

nIf Rienne ever wished to go out, Black told her he would escort her himself or tell one of his men to go with her. That meant she needed to speak with the head of her guard separately and come back before anyone noticed.

nRienne “So please give me some food to take with me. Preferably something that’s easy to eat with your hands.”

nMrs. Flambard “If you have no choice, then it can’t be helped, but I must insist on coming with you.”

nRienne “No, ma’am. You need to focus on altering the wedding attire. Have you forgotten? With the wedding only eight days away, not a moment has gone by where I’m not worried about running out of time.”

nMrs. Flambard “Ah, that’s right…. Then I’ll take care of the food and get back to work…. But…..”

nRienne “What is it?”

nMrs. Flambard looked away, turning silent.

nRienne “What is it, ma’am?”

nMrs. Flambard “About the wedding ceremony.”

nRienne “Yes?”

nMrs. Flambard “I’ve been taking care to be mindful of the date while altering the clothes but…..Yesterday, the High Priest…..”

nMrs. Flambard hesitated for a moment and then continued to talk.

nMrs. Flambard “Don’t we need to wait until a new High Priest has been appointed?”

nRienne “Right….”

nMrs. Flambard “From what I can remember, nine days had gone by after High Priest Motiya was buried before High Priest Milrod was given the position. I know there was a reason why they needed to wait, but now the wedding is only eight days away, so I’m unsure what we’ll do about the officiant. I hope God won’t punish me for working on the wedding attire so soon after the death.”

nRienne “Oh…..”

nRienne’s expression stiffened.

nSo that’s why they killed him….to try and delay the wedding.

nThat was the reason why the Kleinfelders had the High Priest murdered. After the new High Priest was selected, in accordance with Temple law, he would fast for nine days to commit himself to God in prayer.

nIt was considered his first ‘conversation’ with divine. They said if God did not recognize the new High Priest’s legitimacy, he would not be able to endure the nine days and collapse of hunger.

nThis process was considered a rite of passage for the High Priest and could not be ignored for even a day.

nMrs. Flambard “You look unwell, Princess. Are you feeling sick?”

nHer face was filled with worry as she looked at Rienne.

nRienne “No…. I’m not sick.”

nShe was afraid.

nWhat were the Kleinfelder’s planning on doing after going through such great lengths just to delay the wedding?

nThey were not the kind of people to just give up control over Nauk, but they also knew they could never defeat the Tiwakan in an outright war. They would resort to trying to stab her in the back under the cover of darkness if it came down to it.

nMrs. Flambard “Are you sure?”

nRienne “Yes…..I’m fine.”

nMrs. Flambard “Well, alright then. With all that’s happened, I know you haven’t been able to sleep well, so I’d understand if you were a little tired.. But I’m glad that there’s at least one less thing to worry about now.”

nRienne “What?”

nMrs. Flambard gingerly patted Rienne on the arm, as if telling her she can rest assured.

nMrs. Flambard “Your monthly fever, Princess. If the wedding must be postponed, then so must your first night, so at least we needn’t worry about that now.”

nRienne “Oh……yes, you’re right.”

nMrs. Flambard “Then I’ll go and prepare some food. I’ll do what I can, but early apologies if it’s not much.”

nRienne “I understand. Please, hurry.”

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nMrs. Flambard “Yes, Princess.”

nAfter Mrs. Flambard left, Rienne started getting ready to leave. The whole time, confusion stirred in her head.

nIf they held off the wedding, she’d be able to safely hide her monthly fever. But at the same time, she’d be giving the Kleinfelders a chance to prepare their next move.

nSo what can I do now?

nThe complexities were tied like a knot, one she could not undo herself.

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/N: (1) According to the original Korean, Klimah’s name should be pronounced like Klee-mah, but we went with a nicer looking spelling.

nastral comment: We barely know Klimah and I’m already starting the protection squad (ง’̀-‘́)ง

nghost comment: Rienne was a whole mood in this chapter though. I also wanna low-key melt into my bed during the winter lolol

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