「Indeed. You've made the right decision. It’s a younger brother’s duty to humour his elder brother.」
"I have no intention of losing."
Was this a competitive spirit, or sheer stubbornness?
It didn’t matter either way, but one thing was certain — she always got on his nerves.
Even his own attitude towards her felt unfamiliar and unsettling.
That was why he had to find a reason.
Without one, it seemed impossible to shake off this irritating feeling.
「I feel the same way. A man never spares even a grain of thought for a woman he doesn’t care about.」
Zerpenus smiled brightly as he poured wine into his glass.
The crafty emperor’s gaze unconsciously lingered on Cabelenus’s thumb as it traced the curve of his own lips.
・・・・・
On a sunny day, sitting on a bench and passing the time was very easy and simple.
No one paid any attention to Alicia, no matter what she said or did.
Alicia was openly acknowledged as Cabelenus’s woman, a being apart from everyone else.
Even though her life was far better now than before, the fact that she was still an outsider in Neustein Castle hadn’t changed.
Just as oil and water cannot mix, Alicia could not blend in with the common people.
But Alicia wasn’t particularly sad about that.
It was simply a familiar part of her daily life.
Proof of this lay in her current thoughts, which weren’t filled with sadness but astonishment.
With dazed eyes, Alicia touched her lips absentmindedly.
Even though it had been only a fleeting moment, the warmth of another person’s touch was shockingly vivid.
‘It was surprisingly warm.’
It was natural for a living body to emit warmth, but the sensation struck her as extraordinary.
She had always imagined that someone like him — who seemed incapable of shedding even a single drop of blood — would be cold to the touch. The fact that he wasn’t left her stunned.
His uncharacteristically flustered eyes were etched into her mind, as if preserved in her memory, refusing to leave her thoughts.
She shouldn't be doing this.
Unable to suppress the persistent memory, Alicia tightly shut her eyes.
Everything she was experiencing now was so far beyond her expectations that she had no idea how to handle it.
“It seems you’re doing quite well for yourself.”
Alicia slowly raised her head and was met with a stack of blankets that appeared out of nowhere.
Though the face of the maid standing with her back to the sunlight wasn’t visible, her voice was familiar.
“And you seem to be alive and well, too.”
Alicia smirked faintly, her tone tinged with irony.
This wasn’t the maid who usually attended to her, but it wasn’t difficult to deduce her identity.
The woman was Velita, a retired knight who had once served the Queen of Neustein.
“I’ve come to you because I need your help, Princess.”
"I only realised today that you thought of me as a princess."
Alicia’s lips twisted into a wry smile.
A burn mark from the hot tea the queen had spilled on Alicia’s thigh still lingered on her skin.
And Velita was one of those who had mocked Alicia as she was drenched in the scalding liquid.
Alicia could assert with certainty that Velita had more often referred to her as 'vermin' rather than 'princess.'
“Even a disgraceful princess who grovels before invaders, begging for her life, must fulfil her duties if she carries the blood of Neustein. It’s the only way to repay the queen who fed and clothed you, and to honour the noble blood flowing through your veins.”
“If you’re here to spew nonsense, leave at once.”
Alicia averted her gaze, her face weary.
Even though the queen was dead, just thinking of her made Alicia’s fingertips tremble slightly.
People praised the queen for her mercy in accepting the illegitimate princess, but what she had shown Alicia wasn’t mercy. It was abuse masked as benevolence.
But there was no way to make Velita understand that fact.
It was better not to react at all and avoid stirring up unnecessary trouble.
"I too have no intention of dragging this out with lengthy words. After all, the main point I wish to convey is quite simple."
Velita smiled smugly.
“We have the woman who gave birth to you.”
“Don’t lie.”
Alicia’s response was immediate.
“You don't seem to believe me."
“My mother is dead.”
“Whether you believe it or not is irrelevant.”
Velita casually retrieved a pendant from her garment and tossed it towards Alicia.
With a hesitant expression, Alicia picked up the pendant that had fallen into her lap.
Then it happened.
A familiar voice was heard as Alicia touched the pendant that had opened from the impact of the fall.
Alicia’s gaze lifted to Velita, her eyes unfocused with disbelief.
Velita was already certain of her victory.
“This pendant was made with the blood of the woman who gave birth to you. That’s why it only reacts to you, who share her blood. You’ve experienced this before, haven’t you? Necklaces that respond to the blood of kin — this is how the kingdom verifies royal bloodlines.”
“...”
“It took some time to create such a precious magical artifact, especially in times like these, but judging by your reaction, it wasn’t in vain.”
Velita grinned triumphantly, reaching out to grasp Alicia’s chin.
“Let me say it again. Whether you believe me or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that you have no choice but to obey me. If you defy me, the one who bleeds won’t be you — it will be her.”
“...What do you want?”
“Cabelenus. Kill that man.”
Velita's eyes, set within her wrinkled features, gleamed eerily in the dim light.
A madness that could not be entirely concealed lurked within those eyes.
“...What?”
“Perhaps because you’ve inherited her blood, you seem to have a natural talent for seducing men. Let’s put it to good use.”
“I can’t do it.”
Cabelenus wouldn’t embrace Alicia.
And even if he did, the situation wouldn’t change a thing.
Cabelenus was a seasoned warrior.
Even in his rest, his guard was never down, and there was always a weapon within reach beside his bed.
Attempting to assassinate a man like that would only provoke his wrath.
“No. You have to. You want to save that woman, don’t you?”
“What if I fail?”
"I told you. There will be blood. So, while I'm speaking nicely, do as I say and kill that devil."
“Killing him won’t change anything.”
"No. Once that murderous bastard is dead, it will all be over. The Kingdom of Neustein is not finished yet."
Velita gritted her teeth as she roughly clutched Alicia’s shoulders.
Alicia opened her mouth to argue but quickly shut it, her lips pressed tightly together.
The old knight, intoxicated by past glories, truly understood nothing — just as she never had.
The Neustein royal family had never been beloved.
They were nothing more than objects of hatred, resentment, and fear.
When the King was executed by beheading, the tears shed by most Neusteins weren’t tears of sorrow.
・・・・・
Alicia clenched her fists tightly, trying to hide her trembling hands.
She couldn’t bring herself to believe that her mother was alive based on a single pendant.
After all, Alicia had witnessed her mother’s death with her own eyes.
‘Besides, something like this could’ve been made while she was still alive. This pendant isn’t proof my mother is alive — it’s just another trick to use me.’
Alicia tried to calm her racing heart, but her thoughts wouldn’t easily stop.
Looking back, it wasn’t that they were necessarily suspicious.
The queen and her faction had often repeatedly reminded Alicia just how wasteful it was to go through the trouble of proving her royal lineage.
Thanks to that, Alicia could imagine how much money and effort it must have taken to create a pendant capable of verifying bloodlines.
‘Perhaps, my mother might really be alive.’
Alicia slowly raised her hand and touched the ornament pinned in her hair.
It looked like an ordinary hairpiece used to hold up her hair, but when the gemstone was twisted, a sharp blade would spring out — a concealed weapon.
‘If I were to try to kill him…’
Alicia shook her head quickly, not allowing the thought to linger.
Velita had assured her that the blade was coated in deadly poison, potent enough to kill with just a scratch.
But Alicia knew she wouldn’t even have the chance to land such a blow. And even if she somehow succeeded in killing Cabelenus, it would be catastrophic.
Cabelenus was the emperor's brother, and the Kingdom of Neustein, which had already been invaded once, did not have the strength to defeat the empire.
Velita was always quick to boast about the strength of those who shared her cause, but if they had truly been formidable, the kingdom wouldn’t have fallen in the first place.
Cabelenus's death would surely lead to the annihilation of the remaining survivors of the kingdom.
With a deep sigh, Alicia closed her eyes.
From the very beginning, she wasn’t in a position to celebrate the possibility of her mother’s survival with pure joy.
Given that, in the end, Alicia had only one choice.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror, her eyes vacant with dilated pupils.
The maids had always tried their hardest to make her appear as beautiful as possible, but they couldn’t mask the melancholy that tinged her expression.
Her pale, bloodless complexion was always shadowed by deep exhaustion. Alicia knew this but never bothered to hide it.
Still, the thought that this might be her last time made her feel a pang of sadness.
Perhaps the taste of luxury, so foreign and undeserved, had left her reluctant to let it all go.
Alicia reached for a lipstick on the dressing table, picking it up absentmindedly.
With an awkward hand, she carefully applied the colour along her lip line.
"It doesn’t suit me at all."
Her clumsy makeup was worse than doing nothing at all.
The lip line was misaligned, creating a crooked shape, and the overly applied lipstick made her lips excessively red.
With her pale face, her lips seemed to float, creating a ghastly look.
Nevertheless, Alicia found herself quite fond of the look.
The absurd sight helped ease the tension that had been tightly wound in her.
・・・・・
“You’re here early tonight.”
“Yes.”
That night, as usual, stiff greetings were exchanged between them.
Even if nothing had happened, they had spent countless nights together, yet silence always lingered between them.
Alicia swallowed dryly as she looked at the expressionless man.
She didn’t know whether Cabelenus had spared her out of curiosity or mercy, but she knew it was over now.
No matter how composed he was, he wouldn’t let an assassin targeting his life go unpunished.
“What did you do today?”
“I just took a walk since the weather was nice.”
"So, the Princess of Neustein likes to take walks?"
“I never thought I’d still be alive, so I didn’t know what to do and just stayed where I was.”
Alicia curled her legs up and silently gazed at Cabelenus’s back.
His back was large and broad, and Alicia envied it greatly.
If she had been as strong as that, she probably wouldn’t be in the situation she was in now — tossed around, exhausted, and wishing for nothing but death.
“Do you still want to die?”
“Would you grant me that wish if I said yes?”
“No.”
His answer came without hesitation, and Alicia’s lips twitched.
“If you’re not going to kill me, why do you ask every night if I want to die?”
“...”
She wanted an answer, but all she received was silence.
Alicia stared at him, drawing her knees closer and silently moving her lips.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Cabelenus spoke casually.
The sensitive man, despite having his back turned, easily reacted to the gaze of others.
“Do you really have no intention of killing me?”
“Yes.”
“Then, would you do something else for me?”
Alicia unconsciously gulped down her saliva, her body trembling with tension and anxiety.
She knew she should act composed, but her hands were already slick with sweat.
"Is there anything you want from me besides death?"
“Would you listen if I told you there was one?”
Cabelenus paused briefly while taking off his coat.
Alicia, unaware of Cabelenus's subtle reaction, forced herself to speak.
Just straightening her back and holding her head high felt like an insurmountable challenge.
Even though he declared he wouldn’t kill her, Alicia was always afraid of Cabelenus.
She could convince herself she was fine, but meeting his gaze always made her heart drop.
When standing before him, her hair stood on end, her legs trembled, and she even felt like crying like a child.
His golden eyes, with prominent pupils, appeared indifferent, but a closer look revealed the deep hunting instincts of a beast.
“If it’s within reason, I’ll consider it.”
Cabelenus muttered in a low voice, his tone even deeper than before.
“Please embrace me.”
“...”
Though she spoke with difficulty, Alicia took a deep breath as she watched Cabelenus’s lack of response.
As soon as her breath settled, she moved her lips again.
“If you’re not going to kill me… then please, embrace me instead.”
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