An Unexpected Proposal

March 23, 2020.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

As Cabelenus turned, their gazes met midair.

Alicia forced a small smile despite the coldness in his eyes, but she couldn’t control the rapid pounding of her heart.

Even after sharing the same bed for countless nights, she was still afraid of him.

"I meant exactly what I said. If you won’t kill me, then take me as a woman."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I’m trying to accept reality."

"Reality?"

"If I can’t die, then wouldn’t it be better for me to live as your woman? If I have to keep living, I’d rather enjoy good things."

She succeeded in holding his gaze without flinching, but she already knew she had failed.

Cabelenus’s stare, looking down at her, was too dull—too indifferent—for him to have fallen for such a feeble attempt at seduction.

"The princess of Neuschwein is a terrible liar."

"A liar?"

"Saying such things with a face that looks half-dead hardly makes you convincing."

"……"

"Besides, I have no shortage of women. I certainly don’t need one who shakes like a newborn foal."

Especially one who blushed at the mere sight of bare skin.

Without changing his expression, Cabelenus unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off.

Alicia, her face turning crimson, bit down hard on her lower lip.

"If you want good things, you don’t have to resort to such tactics. I can give you as much as you want. Jewels? Dresses? What would you like? Just tell me."

"……"

"I’ll send people tomorrow morning. They’ll tailor you some new dresses and bring you jewelry. That should be enough to count as ‘good things,’ shouldn’t it?"

"……"

"But you don’t want any of that, do you?"

His gaze swept over her from head to toe, as if he already knew everything about her.

Alicia instinctively shrank back, cold sweat trailing down her spine.@@novelbin@@

"Stop these foolish thoughts."

Even without such antics, I’m already confused enough.

Cabelenus swallowed those words and rubbed his temple.

The glistening moisture in Alicia’s eyes kept bothering him.

He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he couldn’t deny it either.

"From tomorrow, you’ll move to the separate palace. You don’t need to wait for me every night anymore."

Maybe if she was out of sight, things would settle.

But as he gave the order, Alicia went pale—so pale that his brows furrowed.

She had always been pale, but now she looked even worse.

"Princess of Neuschwein."

"……"

"Alicia von Neuschwein."

Cabelenus called her name again.

Only then did Alicia look at him.

Her expression was full of shock.

"What’s wrong? Is there a problem?"

"No… there’s nothing."

She quickly shook her head, but she couldn’t hide from his eyes.

Her body was trembling ever so slightly—like someone afraid of something.

Cabelenus unconsciously took a step toward her.

"What are you afraid of?"

The distance between them shrank.

"Nothing."

Alicia avoided his gaze, looking troubled.

Cabelenus opened his mouth to press further—but then stopped.

It was absurd to even ask.

She was a princess reduced to a slave.

Her situation was none of his concern.

And even if he wanted to know, he didn’t need to ask—he could simply command her to tell him.

The fact that he even considered questioning her was laughable.

And yet, despite knowing all of this, he still couldn’t rid himself of the questions swirling in his mind.

He could still remember the first time he saw her.

Even with an injured leg, she had gritted her teeth and chased after her father.

She hadn’t looked at him—the invader of her kingdom—but had instead lifted a weapon, intent on killing the man who had given her life.

If Cabelenus hadn’t killed the king, perhaps it would have been his own daughter who ended his life.

Watching Alicia’s desperate eyes back then, a thought had crossed Cabelenus’s mind.

And that thought had turned into curiosity.

Cabelenus looked down at Alicia, who was curled in on herself.

He wanted to ignore it.

But in the end, he had to acknowledge it.

He was curious about her.

"…Do you still want me to hold you?"

His voice was lower than before, but Alicia, tense as she was, didn’t notice.

She simply stared at him, her lips parting soundlessly, unable to process his unexpected words.

"I asked if you still want me to hold you."

Cabelenus repeated himself.

"…Are you going to hold me?"

Alicia hesitated before cautiously lifting her head.

Her tear-brimmed eyes glistened under the light.

Cabelenus’s jaw tensed.

"A man doesn’t waste even a grain of thought on a woman he has no interest in."

Why, at that moment, did Jerpeneus’s words come to mind?

Cabelenus exhaled sharply, recalling his half-brother’s smirk.

"I need to confirm something."

Deep down, he already knew.

His feelings toward Alicia weren’t just curiosity.

He had never cared about another person’s circumstances before.

To be interested in Alicia alone was contradictory.

"Confirm?"

Instead of answering, Cabelenus reached out his hand.

Alicia reflexively squeezed her eyes shut.

For a fleeting moment, time seemed to slow.

And then—

He touched her.

Alicia’s eyes shot open at the sensation on her cheek.

Cabelenus’s hand was cupping her face.

She swallowed reflexively.

His palm, hardened with calluses from wielding a sword, felt rough.

But his touch was warmer and gentler than she had expected.

Just like his lips had been.

The memory surfaced in her mind, making her cheeks flush.

"Not bad."

Cabelenus muttered as he stared at her faintly blushing face.

He had never enjoyed the presence of others.

But the warmth in his palm wasn’t unpleasant.

If anything, he liked it.

He knew how fragile she was, how easily she could break.

He couldn’t even grip her properly—he had to be careful not to crush her completely.

And yet, he didn’t want to let go.

His hand slowly moved from her cheek, trailing down to her neck.

Alicia shivered at the ticklish sensation, her body tensing.

Her mouth felt dry under the weight of his gaze.

"You put on makeup."

"I just… wanted to look a little prettier."

"I’ve told you before—you’re a terrible liar."

"……"

"I don’t expect flattery from you. There are already plenty of people willing to feed me sweet words."

"Then… what do you want from me, Your Grace?"

Cabelenus didn’t answer.

He simply stared at her.

In the reflection of her gray eyes, he saw himself.

And for once, he had no idea how to define the expression he was making.

"I don’t know what you’re scheming."

"Scheming?"

"You still don’t truly desire anything from me except death. There’s no reason for you to beg me to hold you. It’s so obvious it’s suspicious."

Cabelenus’s fingers brushed against Alicia’s hair ornament.

She instinctively stiffened, looking up at him anxiously.

Does he know?

The weapon was disguised as a perfect ornament, but Cabelenus was a seasoned warrior who had spent years on the battlefield.

A man like him could easily recognize a hidden blade.

"So, what exactly are you planning?"

"I…"

She tried to come up with an excuse, but no words came to mind.

Her voice trailed off weakly.

She wasn’t used to this.

"If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Yes."

Alicia’s eyelashes trembled.

His dry, indifferent response was neither consideration nor mercy.

He truly didn’t care.

No matter what she did, it wouldn’t affect him.

To him, she was no more than a buzzing insect—an insignificant nuisance.

A ruler who had never known defeat had never even considered the possibility of his own downfall.

"Whatever your intentions, I don’t care. There’s only one thing I want to confirm."

With a single motion, he pulled the ornament free, and Alicia’s neatly pinned hair cascaded down her back.

The sensation of her hair falling made her flinch.

Then, her breath caught in her throat.

Cabelenus’s thumb deliberately pressed against the jewel of the ornament.

He knew.

The moment she realized that, the mechanism clicked, and the hidden blade flicked out.

Alicia stared blankly at the exposed weapon before slowly raising her head.

She had been caught.

There was nothing left to do now but await her punishment.

Yet, contrary to her expectations, Cabelenus merely retracted the blade and closed the mechanism again.

"Why aren’t you questioning me?"

"I already told you—I don’t care what you’re planning."

"I was going to kill you."

Alicia bit her lip as she stared at the ornament he handed back to her.

"Kill me? You?"

It would have been better if he had laughed at her.

But Cabelenus only responded with a blank expression, his voice devoid of emotion.

Heat pooled in Alicia’s ears.

"If I were going to die from a frail arm like yours, I wouldn’t have survived this long."

Cabelenus’s eyes narrowed.

He was certain she had been eating properly, yet she was still far too thin.

"The blade was coated in poison. If it had cut you, it would’ve been fatal."

"The Blanche royal family builds immunity by ingesting small doses of poison from childhood. Most poisons have no effect on us. Especially on me."

His tone remained indifferent as he tilted his head slightly.

He wasn’t sure when it happened, but his body had long surpassed human limits.

He had endured countless battlefields where everyone had predicted his death, yet he had survived every single time.

To him, death was a distant, abstract concept.

There was no way a clumsy assassination attempt could end his life.

"……"

"Did you think I’d let you die if you tried to kill me?"

Cabelenus’s voice dropped lower.

She wasn’t stupid.

She must have known she couldn’t win.

Yet, she had still tried.

Which meant there was another purpose.

Death.

His jaw clenched.

She was nothing—insignificant—yet she had a way of getting under his skin.

"I told you before—keeping a fallen princess alive will only cause problems in the future."

"And I told you—that’s not your concern."

Cabelenus growled.

Everything about her irritated him.

Her lifeless eyes, her sorrowful expression, the way she curled into herself—it all annoyed him.

And yet, paradoxically, that irritation only provoked him further.

"If you want to stab me, go ahead."

He grabbed her hand and placed the weapon back in her grip.

Then, without hesitation, he guided her hand to his chest.

"I…"

"You can’t do it."

"……"

"Assassination? Don’t make me laugh. You never intended to kill me. You just wanted to die yourself."

His golden eyes gleamed.

If she wanted to die so badly, he could just kill her.

But he couldn’t.

It wasn’t that he wanted to kill her—he was impatient.

How could he make those empty eyes come to life?

What would it take for her to say she wanted to live?

No matter how much he tried not to think about it, the thought circled endlessly in his mind, driving him mad.

"…I’ll give you another chance."

Cabelenus tightened his grip.

Their skin pressed together, their shared warmth growing unbearable.

Alicia’s face flushed as she felt the heat of his body against hers.

The steady thump of his heartbeat was foreign, making her mouth dry.

"Alicia von Neuschwein."

"…Yes, Your Grace?"

His instincts screamed at him not to get involved.

But Cabelenus didn’t let go of her hand.

He had never once let go of anything he wanted.

If he wanted something, he took it.

That was all.

A smirk curled at his lips.

He liked that conclusion.

"Do you truly want me to hold you?"

The distance between them closed.

Alicia swallowed dryly.

His golden eyes reflected nothing but her.

"I’ll give you one more chance. But—"

"……"

"If you give me the same answer again, regret will do you no good."

His face inched closer.

A breath apart.

His warmth lingered against her lips.