An Unexpected Proposal

November 23, 2020

"Uncle! Uncle!"

"Mikael, don’t run. You’ll trip."

Cabelenus lifted his head with stiff, mechanical movements. Down the hall, Mikael was dashing toward him excitedly, with Alicia following behind, clearly unsure of what to do.

"Uncle, you promised to show me the dog today, right?"

Mikael ran straight to him and grabbed onto the hem of his coat.

"The dog?"

"You said you’d show me last time, but you never did. So this time, I brought Mom with me so you wouldn’t make excuses again."

"You’ll probably end up crying."

"I won’t!"

Mikael pouted, his lips jutting out in defiance. Cabelenus quietly stared at the small hand that had left a slight wrinkle in his coat.

"…I still don’t know."

"Huh? What did you just say? You’re not trying to get out of it again, are you?"

"Mikael, stop that. His Highness might find it troublesome."

"But he keeps making promises and not keeping them. Promises are meant to be kept!"@@novelbin@@

With a sulky huff, Mikael buried his face in Alicia’s skirts, his voice quivering as if he were about to cry. Alicia looked down at his small, trembling head and let out an awkward chuckle. Ever since meeting Cabelenus, Mikael had become more prone to acting childish. It wasn’t necessarily a good thing, but at least now, he seemed more like a child his age. She couldn’t bring herself to scold him for it. It was better than pretending to be mature and constantly watching his surroundings.

"If you want to see the dog, then I’ll show you."

Before Alicia could respond, Cabelenus stepped forward. Mikael clung tightly to Alicia, but his eyes remained locked onto him.

"You’re not lying this time, right?"

"First, come here."

"Why?"

"Just do it. Come on."

Mikael hesitated, his eyes darting around before cautiously stepping forward. Cabelenus crouched down to meet him at eye level.