An Unexpected Proposal

June 8, 2020

"Are you enjoying the party?"

"Hmm. It seems well put together, but…"

Veloa surveyed the ballroom with an indifferent gaze, but the corners of her lips, hidden behind her fan, were slightly curved upward. She did not show it outwardly, but the party had exceeded her expectations. The dazzling chandeliers, the bustling guests, and even the man escorting her—everything was just as she had hoped.

"If anything is lacking, please let me know."

"Would anything actually change if I did?"

"I do not make the same mistake twice."

"I like that about you."

Veloa’s smile deepened. This confirmed it. The young Grand Duke of the North was wealthier than she had anticipated. More importantly, he was trying to please her. And that delighted her.

Her father’s favor had taught her one thing: It was enjoyable to have people beneath her.

Especially if those people were powerful and envied by others.

"I don’t fully believe all the rumors about you, Your Highness."

"Which rumors do you mean?"

"The one about you being a bloodthirsty monster."

"…"

"Or, to be more honest, I suppose it doesn’t really matter to me either way."

Veloa lowered her fan slightly. She knew that under the warm glow of the ballroom, her eyes shone more brilliantly than the sapphire necklace adorning her neck. It was effortless to ensnare a man with such poor taste that he could fall for a mere slave.

"What makes you so confident to say such things?"

"When I heard that you turned an insignificant land into something untouchable, I wasn’t particularly impressed. Stories like that are often exaggerated. After all, magic stones are valuable, and there are many who desire them."

"You’re not wrong. Everything Schwarhan enjoys now comes from magic stones."

"Wealth can come to anyone by chance. But how one chooses to use it—that is an entirely different matter."

Veloa leisurely flicked her fan.

The next Emperor of Blanche.

That alone made Cabelenus an excellent prospect.

But it was only natural to want more.

Bloodline alone wasn’t enough—it would be better if he had competence as well.

"I must admit, I was disappointed when I arrived in Schwarhan. For all its supposed wealth, all I saw was an enormous castle with little else of interest. I even wondered if Your Highness’s riches were merely exaggerated."

"Rumors tend to be like that."

"Or perhaps they were actually downplayed?"

Veloa’s gaze curved smoothly.

"And why would you think that?"

"Schwarhan has never been known for its party culture. Even my request was made on short notice. Yet, Your Highness managed to put together a passable event without any difficulty. Given that, isn’t the next conclusion obvious?"

"…"

"Wealth is power. It’s only natural to want to flaunt it. Yet, you haven’t done so. In cases like this, there are usually only two possibilities."

Either you had no ambition for power—or you were hiding something.

Veloa smiled lazily.

"I like ambitious people. You have to look upward to rise to power, don’t you?"

"An interesting perspective."

"I have even more interesting things to share, of course… but only once our relationship becomes clearer."

She barely lifted her gaze, yet even that simple movement was a masterpiece in itself.

From the moment she stepped into the ballroom, all eyes had been drawn to her.

Pleased by the attention, Veloa tilted her head up to look at Cabelenus.

"Do you dance, Your Highness?"

"I’m not particularly skilled at it."

"But surely, you could dance with me?"

Her fingertips brushed lightly against the inside of his wrist.

Though she wore gloves, preventing direct skin contact, the sensation was still unwelcome.

Cabelenus remained silent, looking down at Veloa, who was much smaller than him.

The foreign princess wore a mask of dignity, but her self-assurance—bordering on arrogance—was impossible to hide.

"I can’t tell what she’s after."

Cabelenus’s brow furrowed slightly.

He had been observing Veloa for days, but his opinion of her hadn’t changed.

She was nothing more than a vain princess, intoxicated with her own charms.

And yet, there were too many suspicious things about her for him to dismiss her as just that.

"Are you going to leave my hand waiting?"

"Of course not. Let’s have a dance."

Even so, Cabelenus took her hand.

Whatever his half-brother's true intentions were, the only thing that mattered was securing his own advantage.

For a fleeting moment, his eyes gleamed—like a predator watching its prey.

Veloa mistook his acceptance as compliance.

But she was wrong.

Cabelenus had not thrown this party for her.

He had thrown it for himself.

Until Alicia’s position was solidified, he needed a distraction for the public’s eyes.

And Veloa would serve that purpose perfectly.

***

"Are you alright, Your Highness?"

"It felt as if I had returned to the capital after a long time."

The moment Cabelenus stepped back into his office, he yanked off his gloves and tossed them into the trash.

Unwanted touches, driven by desire, were enough to bring back memories he would rather forget.

"I will have the bath prepared immediately."

"More importantly, what about the matter I asked you to look into?"

Until he uncovered Jerpeneus’s true motives, this charade would continue.

Cabelenus brushed his hair back, resisting the cloying scent of perfume that still clung to him.

"We checked the communication mirror among Princess Veloa’s belongings."

"Magical artifacts are a specialty of Christi. It’s not surprising for her to have one."

"Yes, but the design does not match those produced in Christi. It was made in the Empire."

"Then she might be using it to contact someone even now."

Cabelenus’s brows knitted together.

"We have someone monitoring it, but so far, there’s been no progress."

"Is it a sound-blocking artifact?"

"It’s highly likely. We deliberately placed her in a room with thin walls, yet no conversations have been overheard. If magic wasn’t involved, it wouldn’t make sense."

"Thorough, isn’t she?"

Cabelenus clicked his tongue.

"Most likely, His Majesty ordered it."

"And yet, she made no attempt to hide the mirror that so obviously connects her to him."

"Perhaps that’s intentional—to draw suspicion."

"Suspicion?"

"Just as you know His Majesty well, he knows you just as thoroughly. His plan might be more superficial than it seems."

Gajev rested his chin on his hand as he murmured.

In his experience, Jerpeneus was like a cunning serpent.

A useful ally, but an infuriatingly difficult opponent.

"It could also be the opposite. He might have anticipated that thought and prepared something even deeper."

"This is getting complicated."

A wrinkle formed on Gajev’s otherwise smooth forehead.

"Given the opponent, it won’t be simple."

Cabelenus smirked grimly.

"Jerpeneus won’t make it easy for us."

Cabelenus responded flatly.

"Hah. For now, I’ll dig deeper into the Christi Kingdom. The king dotes on the princess excessively, so there’s little information available, but at this point, it’s our best lead."

"I’ll also look further into the princess myself."

"I’d appreciate that, but…"

Gajev started to nod but hesitated when a particular face came to mind.

"What is it?"

"Well…"

"Speak."

Cabelenus’s sharp gaze made Gajev’s throat tighten.

His lord was on edge.

A careless word could easily lead to unintended consequences.

"…I was just wondering if the young lady is alright."

"Alicia? Why?"

Cabelenus’s expression turned even sharper.

Gajev exhaled slightly, forcing an awkward smile.

He had known Cabelenus for a long time, but those moments—when his superior looked at him with that particular gaze—still sent a chill down his spine.

"I know it’s not my place, but my aunt mentioned something to me."

"What did she say?"

"That she seems… down."

"Down?"

Cabelenus’s voice dropped an octave.

"It makes sense. Lately, Your Highness hasn’t visited her much. And if she finds out you’ve been spending time with Princess Veloa, well… from her perspective, that might be—"

"I just saw her yesterday."

Cabelenus tilted his head slightly, arms crossed.

Schwarhan Castle had many secret passageways.

As long as he used them, he could reach Alicia without anyone noticing.

"She doesn’t know that, does she?"

"If she knew, she’d wait for me."

Cabelenus frowned slightly.

Veloa was unpredictable.

Adjusting to her whims constantly disrupted his schedule, leaving him little time for Alicia.

Meeting her regularly like before had become nearly impossible.

"Is it a bad thing for her to wait?"

"If she waits, she’ll skip meals until I arrive. She won’t sleep properly, either."

Cabelenus clenched his jaw.

At first, he had found Alicia’s habit of waiting for him endearing.

But what followed was far less pleasant.

She often dozed off, barely able to keep her eyes open like a sickly chick.

Her appetite had decreased again, undoing all the effort put into improving her eating habits.

"Ah, then that must be the reason."

"The reason for what?"

"My aunt mentioned that her symptoms resemble those of a pregnant woman."

"…Pregnant?"

"We were planning to have a physician confirm it before reporting to you. It wasn’t certain, so there was no need to make a fuss. But, well… now I think I may have spoken too soon."

Gajev let out a sheepish laugh.

He had briefly worried about what would happen if Alicia was actually pregnant.

A Schwarhan heir would be an undeniable joy… but the timing was far from ideal.

A child born before an official marriage would be in an awkward position, and it would add yet another burden to Cabelenus.

"It hasn’t been ruled out yet, has it?"

"But just now, Your Highness—"

"In the end, it’s still just speculation."

Cabelenus’s gaze narrowed.

There had been only one night.

The possibility was low.

"Lady Morco has sharp instincts, though."

"My aunt merely mentioned the possibility. She isn’t a physician, after all."

"Even if the chances are slim, it’s best to confirm it."

Cabelenus tilted his head.

He had always known he would eventually need an heir, but he had never seriously considered the idea of a child.

Newborns—weak, fragile creatures—were of no interest to the Wolf of Schwarhan.

Unless it was Alicia’s child.

For an instant, his golden eyes gleamed coldly.

An heir was necessary.

But not yet.

"If a child has indeed been conceived… what will you do?"

Gajev tried to gauge Cabelenus’s expression, carefully suppressing any sign of unease.

Even if the timing was poor, if Alicia was truly pregnant, it would mean that Cabelenus was about to become a father.

But his current expression…

It was far from anything that could be called paternal.

His demeanor was too cold.

Too detached.

"Hmm. What should I do?"

Cabelenus slowly stroked his chin with his thumb.

With his limited imagination, it was difficult to picture the face of a child that might not even exist.

But one thing came to mind—

If the child resembled Alicia, it wouldn’t be unpleasant.

If it had her auburn hair and gray eyes, a perfect mirror of her—

Then perhaps he wouldn’t mind holding it.

But that was impossible.

His Blanche blood ensured that.

He had inherited raven-black hair, just as Jerpeneus had.

And beyond that—

Cabelenus’s lips curled slightly, an ugly twist forming in his expression.

Gajev hesitated for a long moment, then finally spoke.

"It would be your child, Your Highness."

"That’s the problem."

"If it had been born later, at least it would have had some worth."

Cabelenus tapped his fingers idly against the desk.

Had the child been born after Alicia was made Grand Duchess, it would have been valuable—a legitimate heir.

But one born too soon?

It had no value.

It would only serve as a lifelong stain on its mother’s honor.

"It would also be her child."

"And yet, no matter how much I look at it, it wouldn’t resemble her. No matter how many times I examine that tiny face, I wouldn’t find a trace of her."

Cabelenus’s voice was low.

Gajev frowned instinctively.

The child didn’t even exist yet.

There was no way to know what it would look like.

And yet, Cabelenus spoke as if he had already seen it.

"Would you not accept it?"

"If the child exists because of me, I must take responsibility."

"Then—"@@novelbin@@

"But that doesn’t mean I need to leave a mark on Alicia."

Cabelenus responded with unsettling calm.

No emotion.

Or perhaps—

It would be better if there was no emotion at all.

"After all, if such a thing is born… it will be nothing more than a monster."

His scoffing tone held no trace of fatherhood.

Gajev remained silent, watching as Cabelenus idly toyed with the hilt of his sword.