Alicia’s mother always told her stories about Rubertine.
She would say that someday, the two of them would go to Rubertine. And they would live happily there.
Alicia thought it was all a futile hope, but she never spoke it aloud.
She could never forget her mother’s earnest eyes as she clutched Alicia’s hand tightly in her final moments and whispered, “Let’s meet again in Rubertine.”
Alicia always missed her mother dearly.
So much that she clung to a superstition she didn’t even believe in and begged for death from a man of an enemy nation.
“If my story has even slightly moved Your Grace, please end my life now.”
Alicia cautiously rose and knelt before Cabelenus.
Clasping her hands together, she looked into the eyes of the beast-like man and pleaded for mercy in a soft voice.
“...I have no intention of killing you.”
Cabelenus let out an exasperated sigh and raked his hand roughly through his hair.
“Why?”
Alicia’s ash-grey pupils quivered.
Cabelenus tightly clenched his fist.
“Because I don’t want to.”
A woman who wanted to die could just die, and that would be the end of it.
But the woman before him was too small and fragile to be talking about death.
With that delicate neck of hers, he was confident he could snap it with one hand without even drawing his sword.
But... those eyes have always been the problem.
The faded, dull eyes of the woman bothered him endlessly.
“Even if I may seem worthless, I am still a princess of Neustein. Killing me would spare you any future repercussions.”
“...Repercussions?”
Before Alicia could even react to the low growl in his voice, she sharply inhaled.
“You seem to be mistaken. Making judgments is my prerogative. A mere slave has no place to speak.”
In an instant, his breath brushed against her lips.
Startled, Alicia blinked slowly, unable to judge the situation.
Without a moment to retreat, Cabelenus’s face was right in front of hers.
His deep golden eyes, as if they contained the sun, appeared unnervingly close.
They were so close that their noses nearly touched, and even the slightest breath immediately reached one another.
“I just...”
She tried to speak, but as she gazed into those burning, sharp eyes, chills ran down her spine, her mind going completely blank.
The man in front of her was the ‘real deal.’
He was nothing like her father, who merely flaunted the name of royalty without any substance.
This man, his demeanour sharp enough to cut through anything at any moment, resembled a beast wearing the skin of a human.
Not only was he born into the imperial family, but he had earned every ounce of glory himself. He was a true ruler
"To think you're cowering at something so trivial, yet you're still speaking out."
‘...Did he just smile?’
It might have been an illusion, but for a moment, she thought she saw Cabelenus’s eyes curve slightly.
Alicia’s expression, once frozen like stone, subtly shifted.
"Don't entertain any foolish thoughts. I don't change my decisions."
Cabelenus slowly exhaled and tilted his head.
"You're not going to change your mind?"
Alicia's eyes unwittingly followed his movement.
It was said that true rulers possessed the power to captivate others in any way.
They had an innate ability to disorient people’s minds and make them follow.
Whether it was a tale she had once heard or something she understood deep down, one thing was certain.
The man before her was exactly that kind of person.
“I won’t kill you.”
“You said you might show mercy.”
“I said I might. I never gave a definite answer that I would make it happen.”
It was what he had said in the courtroom.
Alicia let out a hollow laugh without realising it.
“Then do I have to live like this forever?”
“I don’t think it’s such a bad life. At least it’s better than living in a state where you can't tell if you're a maid or a princess."
Alicia’s expression was noticeably distorted.
She thought she had forgotten about the shame from before, but seeing his eyes search her face made her uneasy.
"...Your Grace truly knows nothing. You have no idea what kind of heart I had when I hoped for mercy."
Alicia released her grip on the fabric she had been clutching like a lifeline.
She relaxed her stiff body and looked up at Cabelenus with helpless eyes.
If she moved her head just a little, their lips would touch.
‘If I kiss him first, will that man kill me?’
It was more of an impulse, but Alicia knew that was exactly the way to shake up that arrogant ruler.
And then, her actions outpaced her thoughts.
Press.
"What are you doing?"
In the blink of an eye, Cabelenus grabbed Alicia by both shoulders, pushed her away, and growled.
The piercing, predatory glint in the man's eyes was terrifying, as if he might devour the life in his hands at any moment. It was enough to send chills coursing through her entire body.
“A lowly slave has touched noble blood without permission, so I was wondering if now you might feel inclined to kill me."
Even so, Alicia forced the corners of her lips into a smile, struggling to maintain it. It was such a brief moment that it could have been mistaken for a trick of the mind, but she was certain it happened.
The faint warmth lingering on her lips told her more clearly than anything else that it was real.
・・・・・
Would it have been better to end it then?
Cabelenus gently smoothed his furrowed brow with his index finger as he watched Alicia strolling along the garden path.
He had thought the issue lay solely in her eyes, but it wasn’t.
Now, even the expression she had worn a few days ago refused to fade from his memory.
"What a laughable state."
Cabelenus let out a hollow sigh.
Since that day, he had been spending his nights in his office instead of his chambers.
On the surface, he used work as an excuse, but in truth, he found it awkward to face Alicia.
Cabelenus knew all too well that situations like this rarely led to anything good.
The instincts of a man who had spent half his life on the battlefield were as sharp and unerring as those of a beast.
"My Lord, may I enter for a moment?"
As he stared blankly at the garden, the sound of steady knocking broke his reverie.
It was his aide, Gazeff.
"What is it?"
"His Majesty has contacted you.”
Gazeff gave an awkward smile as he held up a communication mirror.
His superior had never been particularly pleased about dealings with the Emperor.
"Put him through."
Cabelenus gestured towards Gazeff with a short sigh.
Talking to the Emperor was never pleasant, but it was something that had to be done eventually.
「Well, well. As expected of the renowned Grand Duke of the North, it’s nearly impossible to catch a glimpse of you.」
The moment the communication connected, the Emperor appeared in the mirror, sneering mockingly.
At a glance, the Emperor’s appearance, reminiscent of Cabelenus, made it unmistakable that the two were blood relatives.
"Why have you contacted me?"
「I thought I’d get an update by now, but there’s been no word from you.」
"I was planning to contact you soon."
「If that’s the case, I should’ve waited longer. I was curious to see how long my stoic little brother would leave me in suspense, but, as always, you’ve never once reached out first.」
"I’ve been diligently submitting reports."
「What good are reports? The priority is seeing with my own eyes that my only blood relative survived the battlefield.」
Zerpenus leaned in close to the mirror, grinning widely and baring his teeth, in a manner unbecoming of an emperor's dignity.
"I doubt you contacted me just to check on that."
「If I get straight to the point, you’ll cut the call as soon as I do. Naturally, I can’t just dive right in.」
"Then I’ll end the call now."
「Wait! Wait!」
Zerpenus frantically waved his hand through the communication mirror.
He just wanted to play a little prank, but his cold-hearted brother did not know how to play along.
"Just get to the point. Unlike Your Majesty, I’m very busy."
「Even though I told you to just call me ‘brother,’ you stubbornly insist on ‘Your Majesty.’」
"Shall I end the call?"
「Cabelenus, you heartless little brother. Even after seeing me for the first time in ages, you’re as indifferent as ever. You’ve not an ounce of affection in you.」
Zerpenus clicked his tongue and leaned back against the throne.
He had hoped to prolong the conversation by picking at trivial points, but his aloof brother wasn’t playing along.
"I only wish to hear the main point."
「I heard you spared the Princess of Neustein.」
“...”
「I suspected it, and it turns out I was right!」
Zerpenus’ voice rose a notch, while deep wrinkles formed on Cabelenus’s smooth forehead.
「I thought that since you always looked at women with such disdain, you must be some kind of sodomite, but now you're bringing a woman into your chambers! If Father had heard this, he would've risen from his grave.」
When he first heard the rumour, he thought it might not be true, but it turned out to be fact.
Zerpenus curled his lips into a sly smile.
"This isn’t something Your Majesty needs to concern yourself with."
「If I don’t, then who will? Come on, tell me. What kind of woman is she?」
Cabelenus openly frowned, his displeasure clear, but Zerpenus’s sparkling eyes were already filled with curiosity.
"I told you. It’s not something you need to concern yourself with."
「Didn’t I order you to wipe out every last remnant of Neustein’s royal bloodline?」
Zerpenus’s eyes curved in an infuriatingly smug arc.
“...”
The muscles in Cabelenus’s jaw twitched.
「There are few who survive defying my orders. But how could I ever raise a blade against my dear little brother?」
"Is this how you're going to handle this?"
「My bratty little brother never listens unless I assert my authority. If you’re so resentful, why don’t you take the throne yourself? I’ll hand it over right now if you’d like. I wouldn’t mind giving it to you.」
It was said like a joke, but there was sincerity mixed in.
Cabelenus deliberately ignored that fact, pressing a hand to his forehead in frustration.
“She’s just an ordinary woman.”
Though he wasn’t sure if it was fair to call a woman ‘ordinary’ when all she wished from him was her own death.
Cabelenus’s gaze flicked briefly back to the window.
Alicia remained seated quietly on the garden bench, passing the time.
With the overcast sky and not a hint of sunlight, her reddish-brown hair looked all the more dreary and unremarkable.
No matter how many times he thought about it, there was truly nothing remarkable about her.
「An ordinary woman managed to seduce my little brother?」
“I wasn’t seduced.”
「So, were you the one who seduced her? Is she such a beauty that even you couldn’t resist? Is she that pretty?」
“As an emperor, Your Majesty shouldn’t speak so crudely.”
「You're so uptight. Well, fine. Alright. That's not what's important right now.」
Zerpenus smiled contentedly and stroked his chin.
“As I’ve said, this is none of Your Majesty’s concern. Nothing has happened, and nothing will.”
"That's something we'll have to wait and see."
"There's nothing to wait and see."
「Then how about a bet? Let’s see if you’ll fall for the Princess of Neustein or not.」
“I don’t have the leisure to make bets.”
Cabelenus shook his head firmly.
「Oh, don’t be like that. Just try it once. Doesn’t it sound like it could be fun? For the record, I’m betting you’ll fall for the Princess of Neustein.」
“I refuse.”
「Why? Afraid you’ll lose?」
Zerpenus’ eyes narrowed.
Even when he feigned kindness and leniency, he was still the emperor.
If Cabelenus was the hunting dog, Zerpenus was the hunter who controlled it.
He wouldn’t let such a golden opportunity slip by.
“I have no interest in wasting my time.”
「What if I promised you wouldn’t have to return to the imperial palace if you won?」
“...”
「One year... No, I'll be generous and forgive you, even if you don’t return for ten years.」
Cabelenus’s eyebrows twitched ever so slightly.
The offer was admittedly tempting.
「If, as you say, nothing happens, you’ve got nothing to lose. So why not indulge your elder brother, who’s tired of royal affairs, and grant him a little amusement?」
Zerpenus lowered his voice and chuckled softly.
He was the only one who did not fear Cabelenus.
“Stop with the nonsense and get back to work. If there’s nothing else to say, I’m ending this conversation.”
Zerpenus was the kind of person who saw things through once he set his mind to them. Getting involved in his games would only lead to more trouble.
‘And above all…’
Cabelenus turned his head back towards the window but stopped himself mid-thought.
Alicia was rising from the garden bench, perhaps signalling the end of her stroll.
At that moment, a single ray of sunlight broke through the clouds.
“...”
Ah, their eyes met.
Cabelenus’s throat tightened.
It was just an illusion.
Only Cabelenus thought their eyes had met.
Even knowing that Cabelenus couldn’t take his eyes off Alicia.
Alicia's red hair, which he had always thought of as dull and rusted, caught the sunlight for just a brief moment, and he couldn't shake the thought that it resembled a vibrant sunset.
And naturally, her eyes came to mind again.
In that fleeting moment, he found himself wondering what colour her eyes must have shone.
「Ah, don’t tell me — you’re saying nothing will happen, but deep down, you’re not so sure. That’s why you have no confidence in winning.」
“…Fine. I’ll do it.”
Zerpenus’ playful voice snapped Cabelenus out of his daze. Gritting his teeth, he muttered under his breath.
When he closed his eyes and opened them again, Alicia’s hair still looked as dull and shabby as rusted iron.
But something felt strange.
Even as he forced himself to accept reality, he couldn’t ignore the simmering sensation bubbling in his gut.
And he just didn't want to admit that fact.
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