An Unexpected Proposal - Chapter 12

TL: Kay (kkrivulet)

“You’re wearing makeup.”

“I want to look pretty.”

“As I said before, you’re a bad liar.”

“…….”

“I don’t expect any words from you. There are quite a few other people who will tell me what I want, even if you don’t.”

“Then what does Your Grace want from me?”

Instead of answering, Cabellenus stared at Alicia quietly.

In the reflection of her ashen grey eyes, he had an indescribably strange expression.

“I don’t know what you’re up to.”

“I have no hidden intentions.”

“You still sincerely desire nothing but death, and yet you unexpectedly begged me to hug you. It’s obviously suspicious.”

Cabellenus’s fingers touched Alicia’s head ornament.

Alicia instinctively flinched and looked up at him with nervous eyes.

‘Does he know?’

The weapon was seemingly a perfect ornament on the outside. But the opponent was an armed soldier who had been wandering the battlefield for a long time.

She thought he might notice it if he had a lot of experience in this kind of thing.

“So what are you up to?”

“I am….”

She tried to make an excuse, but she did not know what to say. Alicia blurted out the words feebly.

As expected, she was not used to this kind of work.

“If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Alicia’s eyelashes trembled.

Cabellenus’s dull answer was neither consideration nor mercy.

He was not worried.

No matter what Alicia did, he would be fine.

It was no different from a little bug buzzing around.

The arrogant ruler who was unaware of defeat had never once thought he would collapse.

“I don’t care what your ulterior motive is. There’s only one thing I want to check.”

Suddenly, the ornament was pulled out of Alicia’s neatly twisted hair, causing her hair to tumble down to her neck.

Alicia winced at the strange sensation of flowing hair and swallowed dry saliva when she saw the object in his hand.

Cabellenus’s thumb was on the jewel.

He knew everything.

The moment she realised that fact, the jewel was rotated and what was hidden in it popped out.

Alicia stared blankly at the stolen trinket and slowly raised her head.

Now that the assassination tool was discovered, all that was left was to wait for the tool’s disposal and her punishment.

However, contrary to expectations, Cabellenus silently inserted the blade of the ornament back in.

“Why, don’t you ask anything?”

“I told you, I don’t care what you’re up to.“

“I tried to kill you.“

Alicia bit her lips as she stared at the trinket that was held in front of her.

“Kill me? You mean me?“

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

Alicia’s earlobe flushed red with embarrassment at Cabellenus, who inquired calmly with an expressionless face.

“If I were to die from these thin, slender arms, I would never have survived.”

Cabellenus narrowed his eyes.

He was sure the woman was eating properly, but she was still too thin.

“It’s poisoned. It would have been fatal if the blade had cut you.”

“The members of the Blanche’s Royal Family grow up eating small amounts of poison from an early age to develop tolerance. Most poisons are meaningless. Especially in my case.”

Cabellenus raised his head with a sour face.

He did not know when it started.

A body that had gone beyond its limits had, at some point, surpassed that of ordinary human beings.

For a man who survived the countless battles that everyone had foreseen would die, death was only a distant affair.

It was not a life that would end with a clumsy assassin who could not even hold a knife properly.

“…….”

“Did you think I’d kill you if you tried to assassinate me?”

Cabellenus’s voice lowered.

There was no way she did not know about the obvious victory or defeat.

Nevertheless, it was for a different purpose that she thought of attempting an assassination.

Death.

Cabellenus, who recalled the word, noticeably furrowed his brows.

Even with nothing, this woman knew too well how to stimulate his nerves.

“I told you. If you save the royal family of a ruined kingdom, it will cause future troubles.”

“I told you, too. That’s none of your business.”

Cabellenus growled in a low voice.

He did not like it at all.

The woman’s empty eyes, her melancholy expression, her habit of crouching, all of it.

Ironically, however, the displeasure stimulated Cabellenus.

“Stab me if you want.”

Cabellenus grabbed Alicia’s hand and made her hold the weapon.

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

“I—”

“You can’t kill me.”

“…….”

“Assassination? Don’t make me laugh. You didn’t mean to kill me from the start. You just wanted to kill yourself.“

Cabellenus’s eyes flashed.

If she wanted to die so badly, he could kill her, but he did not.

Rather than wanting to kill her, he was nervous.

What could he do to make her eyes become alive?

What on earth should he say to a woman who wanted to die to make her want to live?

Even if he did not try to think about it, it was the only thing that circled in his head and it was driving him crazy.

“…… Give me a chance.”

Cabellenus tightened his grip.

The skin that had been touching became closer together.

Alicia was hot with an unknown fever.

The warmth of his hand spread redness over Alicia’s face.

The sound of another person’s heart pounding through their skin was strange and caused the inside of her mouth to dry up.

“Alicia Neinstein.”

“……yes. Go ahead.”

His sharp instincts sounded a warning that he should no longer be involved with her.

Nevertheless, Cabellenus did not let go of the woman’s hand.

He had never once in his life let go of anything he had in his hands.

‘You can have it if you want, that’s all.’

A haughty smile spread on his face.

He was quite pleased with the conclusion he made.

“Do you really want me to hug you?”

The distance neared.

Alicia reflexively swallowed dry saliva.

Only she was reflected in the eyes of the approaching man.

“One more time, I’ll give you a chance. Instead—”

“…….”

“If it’s the same answer again, it’s no use regretting it.”

His face approached.

At such a close distance, she could feel his hot breath hovering over her lips.