An Unexpected Proposal - Chapter 23

TL: Kay (kkrivulet)

“The wound is not as deep as I thought. Although it may leave some scars, it will not disrupt her life.”

“But why isn’t she waking up?”

“She must still be in shock due to what happened to her.”

“Is that all?”

The beast-like eyes made the doctor’s spine shudder even though they were only looking at them. The doctor stammered with a white-stained face.

“She’ll wake up sooner or later. If you’re very anxious, I can stay overnight–”

“It’s okay, just leave.”

“Ah, yes! Alright.”

At Cabellenus’s gesture, the doctor hastily grabbed the medical bag and went outside. Cabellenus’s notoriety was famous. The doctor didn’t want to get caught up in any of his anger by staying longer than necessary.

“Huu…….”

Cabellenus sighed briefly, touching his forehead. The woman always bothered him, but the appearance of her lying down with a bloodless face was even more so. Besides…….

‘I want to live.’ 

Even as she was showing her condition to the doctor, Alicia did not let go of her arm holding Cabellenus.

Even when she lost consciousness, she desperately kept their hands interlocked.

Cabellenus’s gaze reached Alicia’s hand, which was wrapped in a bandage.

It was a familiar sight to see wounds, so he did not feel much emotion. But for some reason, when he looked at Alicia, he kept getting angry.

‘I should have saved it.’ 

It was not just an accident to break into the depths of the palace.

There was a high probability that there was a force moving intentionally.

Rather than killing the intruders right away, it was more efficient to catch them alive and make them confess.

But he never thought of it.

When he smelled the faint scent of blood from the overly tranquil corridor, he could not think of anything.

Cabellenus cautiously reached out his hand towards Alicia. Keeping a slight distance, he gently stroked her forehead, nose, lips, and chin.

It was as if he was slowly drawing.

Just like she did before.

Cabellenus’s mouth trembled. Suddenly, the first night he had spent with Alicia came to mind.

At dawn, Cabellenus had woken up to the movement of the woman. The body, which was sensitive to the prolonged war, easily responded to small sounds and weak movements.

Still, Cabellenus pretended to sleep. The gaze that peeked at him, the poor hand gestures, and…….

“Cabellenus von Schvarhan Blanche.”

……. The voice calling him was quite pleasant.

Gulp. 

Cabellenus swallowed.

It was only once. However, he clearly remembered the moment when his name appeared on the woman’s lips.

At that time, the woman’s voice seemed to fade away anytime soon, but it was good to hear.

He could not wait till she called him one more time.

“……Do you know that?”

There was no answer.

Nevertheless, Cabellenus did not stop moving his lips.

“I hate shabby things. Weakness is even worse, and I think it’s really foolish to be overwhelmed with emotion and be unable to make a proper judgement. Really, you seem to make up a bunch of things I hate.”

“…….”

“But, funny enough, I don’t hate your existence.”

A woman would be a stain on him.

Knowing it instinctively, Cabellenus did not want to clarify his feelings for Alicia. But he was no longer confident of that.

Cabellenus reached out and wrapped his fingers around Alicia’s face. He realised the moment he saw the grey eyes looking at him even in the midst of blood.

It was too late to stop now.

No, maybe he didn’t intend to stop from the beginning.

“Don’t forget. You started it. You said you wanted to live with your own mouth.”

Cabellenus’s fingertips touched Alicia’s lips.

The woman’s breath on his skin that was so weak, like it was going to stop anytime soon, made him anxious.

She was too weak.

As soon as he realised that fact again, his worries disappeared like snow melting away.

The way to solve the problem was really simple.

Throw it away or own it completely.

But throwing away was already impossible. There was only one way left.

“I swear. As of today, I will make sure that no one can lift a hand against you, and that even death will not dare seek you. Instead, you’ll have to pay a high price for it.”

He did not know what to fill the empty woman with, so he gave her things, but he realised that the more he did that, the more meaningless it became.

Flowers wither too quickly, and jewels break easily.

In order to fully possess a woman who was in danger of disappearing at any moment, a more certain method was required.

“Get a good rest now.”

‘When you wake up, a lot of things will be different.’

Cabellenus slowly closed and then opened his eyes.

The clear gold eyes that did not lose its light even in the dark was shining brighter than ever.

* * *

「It must be a big deal if you’re contacting me first.」

“I’m calling you to tell you something.”

「If that’s the case, so am I. I’m not sleeping well lately because of the news that my lovely brother is having fun with Princess Neinstein.」

Gerpenus smirked and leaned further towards the mirror. Cabellenus stared at his half brother without changing a single expression.

“I’m getting married.”

「Marriage?」

“Yes.”

Gerpenus’s eyes slowly examined Cabellenus’s expression.

Other people would have thought it was a joke, but the opponent was a serious younger brother who did not know anything about fun. His straight eyes, which did not shake, were sincere.

「The sudden remark is surprising, but I don’t think that’s a bad idea either. I hope you also stop wandering and settle down. However, it takes quite a while to find a woman who fits the ruler of Schwarhan–」

“You don’t have to find another woman.”

Cabellenus replied with an expressionless face. It was obvious how Gerpenus would react to his words afterwards, but it did not matter. Cabellenus never reversed his decisions.

「Does that mean you have a suitable person assigned for the position already?」

Gerpenus frowned. The emperor quickly noticed the situation but pretended not to know. Understanding it with his head and accepting it was a completely different matter.

“I’m going to marry Princess Neinstein.”