An Unexpected Proposal

April 13, 2020

"The wound isn't as deep as it seems. There may be some scarring, but it won’t be life-threatening."

"Then why hasn’t she woken up?"

"She must have been terribly shaken by what happened."

"Is that all?"

Even though his beast-like eyes were merely watching, they sent a chilling sensation down the spine. The physician, his face drained of all color, stammered his response.

"She should regain consciousness soon. If you're too anxious, I could stay here overnight to monitor—"

"Leave."

"A-Ah, yes! Understood."

At Cabelenus’s gesture, the physician hastily gathered his medical tools and fled the room. Cabelenus’s reputation was infamous. He had no desire to linger and risk provoking his wrath.

"Haah..."

With a hand pressed to his forehead, Cabelenus let out a short sigh. The woman had always irritated him, but seeing her lying there, pale as a corpse, unsettled him even more. And yet...

"I want to live."

Even as the physician examined her, Alicia had refused to let go of him. Even unconscious, her interlocked fingers clung to him desperately, almost pitifully. Cabelenus’s gaze fell upon her bandaged hands. He was used to seeing injuries, so the sight of wounds didn’t affect him. Normally, it wouldn’t. And yet, looking at Alicia, he felt nothing but anger.

"I should have kept them alive."

For someone to infiltrate so deep into the palace, it couldn’t have been a mere impulsive act. There was a high likelihood that an organized force was moving behind the scenes. The more efficient approach would have been to capture the intruders alive and extract information from them. But there had been no time for such thoughts. The moment he caught the faint scent of blood lingering in the eerily silent corridor, his mind had gone blank.

Cabelenus cautiously reached out to her, his hand hovering just slightly above her skin. Slowly, as if tracing a map, his fingers brushed over her forehead, her nose, her lips, and finally her chin. Just as she had once done to him. His tightly pressed lips trembled.

Suddenly, he recalled the first night they spent together.

It was before dawn, before the break of day. He had been roused from sleep by the faintest movement. Years of war had honed his body into reacting to the smallest of sounds, the slightest of shifts. And yet, that night, he had pretended to sleep. He had felt her cautious gaze, her hesitant touch, and then...

"Cabelenus von Schwarhan Blanche."

The way she spoke his name had been strangely pleasant.

Swallowing hard, Cabelenus’s throat bobbed. It had only happened once, but he remembered it vividly—the way his name left her lips. Her voice had been fragile, as if it might vanish at any moment. It had been beautiful. Beautiful enough that he had hoped she would say it again.

"...Did you know?"

No response.

Even so, Cabelenus did not stop speaking.

"I despise weakness. I loathe anything fragile. And I think it’s utterly foolish to let emotions cloud one's judgment. Truly, you embody everything I hate."

"..."

"But, strangely enough, I don’t hate your existence."

She would become a stain upon him. He knew it instinctively. That was why he had refused to define his feelings for her. But now, he could no longer avoid it.

Cabelenus reached out, cupping her face in his hands.

He had realized it the moment he saw those gray eyes staring at him, even as she lay covered in blood.

It was too late to stop now.

No, perhaps he had never intended to stop in the first place.

"Don’t forget. You were the one who started this. You were the one who said you wanted to live."

His fingers brushed against her lips.

Her breath was so faint, so fragile, that it made him anxious.

She was too weak.

That simple fact, once again made clear, melted away all his lingering doubts.

The solution was simple.

He could discard her. Or he could claim her completely.

But abandoning her was no longer an option.

Only one choice remained.

"I swear, from this day forward, no one will be able to lay a finger on you. Even death itself will not dare claim you."

"But in return, you will pay the price in full."

He had tried filling the emptiness within her with meaningless things—trinkets, riches, luxuries. But they had meant nothing. Flowers wilted too quickly. Jewels shattered too easily.

If he truly wanted to claim this precarious woman, he needed something far more binding.

"Rest well for now."

Because once you wake, everything will be different.

Cabelenus slowly closed and reopened his eyes.

Even in the darkness, his golden irises burned with an unwavering intensity.

—

"You reaching out to me first? Now that’s unusual."

"I contacted you because I have something to say."

"Well, so do I. I’ve been losing sleep lately, you know. I hear my beloved little brother has been having quite the fun with the Princess of Neuschwein."

Jerpeneus chuckled slyly, leaning in closer to the mirror.

Cabelenus, his expression utterly unmoving, met his half-brother’s gaze.

"I will marry her."

"Marry?"

"Yes."

Jerpeneus slowly studied his brother’s face.

If it had been anyone else, he would have thought it was a joke.

But Cabelenus was not the type to joke.

His unwavering eyes held nothing but sincerity.

"A surprising declaration, to say the least. But I suppose it’s not a bad idea. It’s about time you settled down instead of aimlessly wandering. However, if you want a bride worthy of the Lord of Schwarhan, it will take some time to—"

"There is no need to find another woman."

Cabelenus's voice remained indifferent.

He already knew how Jerpeneus would react, but it didn’t matter.

Once he had made a decision, he never changed his mind.

"Are you saying you already have someone in mind?"

Jerpeneus’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He was quick-witted enough to put the pieces together, but he pretended not to understand.

Understanding something and accepting it were two entirely different matters.

"I will marry the Princess of Neuschwein."

His heartless younger brother had no regard for his hesitation.

Jerpeneus’s face twisted, his head tilting slightly in disbelief.

"...What did you just say, dear brother?"

"I said I will marry the Princess of Neuschwein."

"The Princess of Neuschwein? You mean that slave girl?"

Jerpeneus let out a dry laugh.

It wasn’t a bad thing for his brother to finally take an interest in a woman.

Given his age and temperament, it was about time he learned to indulge in some pleasures.

But that was all.

Letting her live had been one thing.

That had been an allowance, an opportunity for his brother to experience a fleeting amusement.

But this? This was not what he had anticipated.

"It is an issue that must be dealt with sooner or later."

"Only you would refer to marriage as an issue to be dealt with."

"It doesn’t matter."

"It might not matter to you, but it does to me, dear brother."

Jerpeneus set down his teacup.

The humor had vanished from his face.

"I have fought for Your Majesty all my life. I believe this much is within my rights to request."

"Perhaps. But every rule has exceptions."

"Then let this be the exception."

"No. Absolutely not. What kind of deranged royal would marry a mere slave?"

Even if the Kingdom of Neuschwein had remained intact, she wouldn’t have been an acceptable match. But now, after losing everything and falling to the status of a slave, taking her as the wife of a noble bloodline was unthinkable.

Especially if that noble was Cabelenus.

Jerpeneus had always regarded his younger brother with a particular fondness. He couldn’t simply stand by and watch as Cabelenus willingly dragged himself into the mud.

"Her status as a slave is only temporary."

"You know better than anyone that this isn't just about status."

"It doesn’t matter."

"Are you being serious?"

Jerpeneus narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing Cabelenus before finally letting out a deep sigh and rubbing his forehead. He had known his brother’s stubbornness since the day he was born.

When Cabelenus had that look in his eyes, it meant he would never yield.

If he had known this would happen, he should have ordered Cabelenus to kill the Neuschwein princess instead of making that foolish bet. But regretting it now wouldn’t change a thing.

Pressing his fingers against his aching temple, Jerpeneus exhaled.

"You should know that this is a conclusion I reached after careful thought. If I had any intention of reconsidering, I wouldn’t have told you in the first place."

"Yes, that does sound like you. But no matter how I think about it, this is a mistake. Too many things will become tangled, and you’ll find yourself entangled in unnecessary trouble."

"I’ve already made my decision."

Gold and green.

Different colors, yet oddly similar, the two men’s gazes clashed midair.

Cabelenus was firm in his resolve, and Jerpeneus had no intention of backing down.

"Hah... My dear brother, I think you’re confused because this is the first time you’ve known a woman."

It was Jerpeneus who broke the tense silence first. He forced himself to appear composed as he sipped the last of his tea.

"I am not mistaken."

"No, you are. And even if you weren’t, you have to be."

"..."

"You are not a child, but a grown man. I won’t interfere with how you choose to enjoy yourself with a woman. But marriage is a different matter entirely. Marriage exists for the sake of producing an heir."

"Then she will bear my heir."

Cabelenus spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

He had never been interested in other women to begin with.

And after taking Alicia, he had lost all interest entirely.

"That is precisely the problem."

Jerpeneus finally set down his teacup, unable to finish it.

Remaining calm was impossible.

Dealing with an endless pile of documents or uncooperative ministers was nothing compared to the horrifying thought of his stone-faced younger brother standing at the altar, marrying a woman he had never even met.

"According to imperial law, a man may only have one wife. If you marry that woman, you will never be able to produce a flawless heir. Your only options will be a child born from a slave mother or an illegitimate heir not born from a legal wife."

"It doesn’t matter. I do not consider that a flaw."

"Of course, you wouldn’t."

Jerpeneus’s expression twisted.

He wanted to dismiss bloodlines as insignificant.

But no one knew better than him that such an idea was impossible.

"Cabelenus."

"An unrefined lineage is a flaw. For nobility, bloodline is the symbol of inherited power. No amount of effort can change that."

"..."

"You, of all people, should understand what I mean."@@novelbin@@

Despite the years that had passed since Jerpeneus took the throne, there were still those who wished to see Cabelenus sit upon it.

Even after Cabelenus had renounced his title as Crown Prince, claimed Schwarhan as his own, and shouldered all the empire’s worst reputations, it hadn’t changed.

He was the son of a dancer—an offering to the previous emperor.

That stain had haunted Jerpeneus his entire life.

"You can keep her by your side if you like. I won’t object to that. But marriage? That is out of the question."

Jerpeneus’s voice was firm.

"I did not come to ask for Your Majesty’s opinion."

"Perhaps not, but you do need my approval. No noble in the empire can marry without my consent. That’s why you contacted me in the first place, isn’t it?"

"I only needed to inform you before proceeding."

"And you think I will approve?"

Jerpeneus scoffed, tilting his head mockingly.

"I have never once failed to achieve my goals."

Cabelenus smirked arrogantly.

"Then perhaps it’s time for you to learn the taste of failure."

"You were the one who told me that failure does not suit a Blanche."

Once again, their gazes collided fiercely.

"..."

"..."

"...I wonder who you take after to be this stubborn."

"I could ask the same of you."

"Hah…"

Jerpeneus narrowed his eyes, scanning Cabelenus’s face.

There was no way he would ever allow his brother to marry a slave.

But provoking him like this would only make things worse.

The more you tell someone not to do something, the more determined they become to do it.

A different approach was needed.

"Fine, then. Go ahead and marry her if you want."

"What are you planning?"

Cabelenus’s eyes immediately darkened with suspicion.

He knew his brother well.

Jerpeneus was not a man who conceded easily.

"What a hurtful accusation."

"Your Majesty only makes that face when you have an ulterior motive."

"Well, what can I do? If I want something, even if it’s in a dragon’s lair, I have to find a way to get it."

"Stop circling around it and just say it."

"Do you remember the bet we made? Whether or not you’d fall for the Princess of Neuschwein?"

Jerpeneus smirked slyly.

"Let’s extend that bet. We’ll make another wager."

Because in the end, Cabelenus’s interest in the Neuschwein princess was nothing more than a fleeting amusement.

Once that amusement wore off, he would never again bring up marriage with a slave.