An Unexpected Proposal

June 11, 2020

Cabelenus narrowed his eyes as he stepped into the room.

Alicia wasn’t alone.

"You’re still here."

"You’ve arrived at last."

Lady Morco, seated in a chair beside the bed, rose and offered a brief bow.

Cabelenus barely acknowledged it with a slight nod before striding toward the bed.

He wanted to check on Alicia’s face first.

"You may leave now."

"If it isn’t too much trouble, could we speak for a moment?"

"If it’s not urgent, save it for later."

"It is urgent."

Lady Morco’s voice was firm.

Cabelenus studied her for a moment before exhaling a short sigh.

"It concerns the young lady."

"…Then let’s speak outside. I don’t want to wake her."

"Of course."

As if expecting this, Lady Morco stepped out of the room first.

Cabelenus lingered for a moment, glancing once more at Alicia, before following her out.

"Make it quick."

The moment they stepped into the corridor, Cabelenus pressed impatiently.

"I have no intention of dragging it out."

Lady Morco looked up at him, completely unshaken.

"The young lady cried a lot today."

Because of you.

She did not scold him—she simply stared.

Cabelenus’s lips twitched slightly.

"…She cried?"

"She sees herself as a flower."

"A flower?"

"A mistress."

"Who put that idea in her head?"

Cabelenus growled lowly.

"The young lady is not a fool."

Lady Morco shook her head.

James had merely spoken the words, but Alicia had believed them because she had already been thinking the same.

"She is perceptive. She overthinks and watches everything closely."

"She’s always been timid."

"No. She is anxious. And it is only natural for her to be."

Lady Morco’s voice was unwavering.

Cabelenus’s treatment of Alicia was undeniably special—but he had never given her the one thing she truly needed.

"I once saw a dog raised in a cage. The space was so small it could barely move. The filth was never cleaned, and yet, the dog never resisted. It simply curled up inside, surviving off scraps its owner tossed at it."

"…"

"Feeling sorry for it, I bought the dog and immediately opened the cage door. But the dog did not come out. That tiny, filthy cage was its entire world. It had never imagined leaving it."

Cabelenus’s gaze turned cold.

It was clear who Lady Morco was comparing to the dog.

"It took a full month just to coax the dog outside. But even then, it could not walk properly. An old hunter told me its muscles had atrophied from disuse."

"…"

"It was a year before it took its first real steps. And another two years before it could walk normally, like any other dog."

"…So what are you trying to say? You dare compare the future Grand Duchess to a dog?"

Cabelenus’s golden eyes gleamed ominously.

"Even a beast needs time to stand again. It requires patience and unwavering care."

Lady Morco did not back down.

Her true master was now Alicia.

It was her duty to protect her.

"Are you trying to lecture me?"

"You chose my master, Your Highness. I am simply following that will."

"…I can’t win against you, can I?"

Cabelenus clicked his tongue and eased the tension in his eyes.

"I’ve lived twice as long as you, Your Highness."

Lady Morco’s lips curved into a knowing smile.

"So what is it you want me to do?"

"Give her certainty."

"Certainty?"

Cabelenus’s expression darkened.

"The young lady is not weak. She is not timid. She is simply uncertain and afraid."

"And?"

"She fears because she knows nothing."

"Knowing won’t change anything."

"It will."

Lady Morco’s voice held absolute conviction.

"Now is not the time."

Cabelenus lowered his gaze slightly.

He wanted to see Alicia become the perfect Grand Duchess.

But that was still a distant dream.

The current Alicia was fragile.

Not strong.

Not ready.

If he told her everything now, she would only be consumed by needless thoughts.

"She’s too weak."

"A flower raised in a greenhouse cannot survive the winter."

"Then it simply shouldn’t face winter."

"But it also cannot live under protection forever."

"…"

"She has never left a question unanswered. She seeks knowledge. She thinks for herself. She learns. That is why she will be able to move forward."

Lady Morco folded her hands neatly and smiled.

"Instead of keeping everything from her, try talking to her. Tell her what you think. Listen to what she thinks. In the end, trust is built on how much you know about each other."

"Do you truly believe she can handle it?"

With such a small and fragile body?

Cabelenus growled.

His jaw clenched tightly.

"The story I told you was about Janet, the mother of your hunting dog, Rex. Before she retired, she was the greatest hunting hound in all of Schwarhan."

Lady Morco’s expression remained unchanged as she faced him.

No matter how terrifying others found the Wolf of Schwarhan, she still saw him as the same boy she had once met.

A boy too young to bear the weight of so many war medals.

A boy who had not always been the Wolf of Schwarhan.

"When I first bought her, no one believed that scrappy mutt could become a hunting dog. But I believed in Janet, and she proved them all wrong. Even now, Rex cannot surpass her peak."

Lady Morco smiled knowingly as she looked up at Cabelenus.

He did not respond.

But it was enough.

The ruler of Schwarhan never made the same mistake twice.

***

In the darkness, Cabelenus’s fingers slowly traced Alicia’s face.

She used to be a light sleeper, waking at the slightest movement.

But recently, she had been sleeping too deeply.

Even as he carefully lay beside her, Alicia remained oblivious to his presence, breathing in soft, steady rhythms.

Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, Cabelenus wasn’t sure.

He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her cheek.

"…Can you really handle this?"

Cabelenus’s gaze narrowed.

The faint moonlight filtering through the window bathed her face, making her seem even more fragile.

So fragile, in fact, that he almost preferred to keep her blind and deaf to everything around her.

His fingers barely grazed her cheek.

He had never held something so delicate before.

At times, he wasn’t sure how to handle it.

Then, her eyelids trembled.

"…Your Highness?"

Alicia murmured in a drowsy voice.

For a moment, he thought she was awake.

But her sleep-heavy eyes told him otherwise.

Cabelenus remained silent, simply watching her.

A faint rose scent clung to her.

"I missed you…"

Alicia’s small hand wrapped around his, her fingers warm against his calloused skin.

A soft smile curled her lips.

She didn’t even realize he was real.

Cabelenus let her do as she pleased, allowing her fingers to hold onto his.

"You should come more often."

"…I was here every day."

His voice was rougher than intended.

With every small movement of her lips, her breath ghosted over his palm and brushed against the inside of his wrist.

"But this is my dream, isn’t it?"

She murmured softly.

It would be nice if I could see you every day in reality, too.

Her half-lidded eyes fluttered shut.

She wanted to keep looking at him but was too tired to stay awake.

"…Did you miss me that much?"

"Enough to dream of you."

Still half-asleep, Alicia rubbed her cheek against his palm, like a cat seeking warmth.

Cabelenus barely moved, afraid that his rough skin might hurt her.

Meanwhile, she smiled in satisfaction.

"This is nice… really nice."

For an instant, her soft lips brushed against his palm.

Cabelenus swallowed hard.

She had no idea what kind of predatory gaze was fixed on her, yet she continued smiling so innocently.

"I was scared."

"…"@@novelbin@@

At her whispered words, the hunger in his gaze faltered.

"But I’m glad… at least I can see you like this."

Her sleepy voice was like a child’s sleepy confession.

Cabelenus forced himself to relax his grip, shifting closer.

The faint rose scent grew stronger.

He had never liked floral fragrances, but Alicia’s scent wasn’t unpleasant.

Maybe it was because he remembered how she had once chattered excitedly about how fascinating rose oil and hot spring water were when mixed into cosmetics.

"I only wanted to spare you from waiting… but I ended up making you worry instead."

"How could I not wait? To me, Your Highness is everything."

"…I don’t think you’ve ever said that before."

"How could I?"

Alicia murmured weakly, threading her fingers over the back of his hand.

Her smile had disappeared.

"I thought I told you to say whatever you wanted to me."

"But this is something I can’t say."

"Why not?"

"You’re busy. And…"

"And what?"

Cabelenus gently caressed her cheek.

Alicia leaned into his touch, hesitated for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"What if… you get tired of me?"

Cabelenus clenched his teeth.

Up close, he could see the faint swelling around her eyes.

"…That would never happen."

A bitter smile crossed his lips.

"I’m still afraid that you’ll disappear."

A breath he had been holding escaped between his teeth.

He couldn’t be certain either.

While he thought of a future together, Alicia was always thinking of the end.

She always stepped back, looking at him like someone ready to run away.

"Do you really think that way, too?"

"Yes. A lot."

His golden eyes dimmed for a moment before regaining their usual glow.

But the light was weaker than before.

"…Liar."

"Why do you think I’m lying?"

"Because you’re strong."

"…Even I can be afraid of something."

They say that a newborn chick imprints on the first thing it sees, believing it to be its parent.

But that imprint never lasts.

Eventually, the chick realizes where it truly belongs.

That’s what terrified him.

That Alicia, who always followed him so closely, would one day realize she had been wrong.

That a day would come when she looked at someone else.

And when that moment arrived—

He feared what he would become.

Cabelenus quietly stroked her eyelids with his thumb.

Alicia, perhaps ticklish, giggled before snuggling against his chest.

"…You were lying."

"About what?"

"You didn’t forget to say it. You just didn’t want to."

"Say what?"

"That I wouldn’t be able to refuse you."

Cabelenus stiffened slightly.

He had been afraid of rejection.

"It’s pathetic, I know. But… you always make me uneasy."

"You wouldn’t have been rejected."

"You don’t even know what I was going to say."

"It doesn’t matter what you were going to say."

"…Even if I said I wanted to make you my wife?"

Cabelenus’s grip tightened.

"Yes. Gladly."

"…"

"I would have liked to hear it in reality, but even in a dream… I’m happy."

Alicia buried herself deeper into his arms.

The familiar way his arms held her made her chest ache.

"I thought I was fine. I thought just being by your side would be enough."

"…"

"But it wasn’t."

Alicia wrapped her arms around him.

And this time, Cabelenus let himself be pulled closer without resistance.

Her arms—tightly wound around him—felt stronger than anything.

"I want you."

"…"

"I want to be greedy for you."

Her whispered confession sounded just like an excuse.

A feeble attempt to blame the dream for the truth she had just revealed