"I don’t understand what you’re saying."
Cabelenus turned his body and the gazes of the two individuals tangled in the air.
Alicia tried to force a smile, attempting to seem unaffected by the cold look in the man’s eyes, but she couldn’t mask the thudding of her heart.
Even though they shared a bed and continued to spend the night together, Alicia was afraid of Cabelenus.
"I’m saying exactly what I mean. If you’re not going to kill me, then embrace me as a woman."
"Why? What’s with the sudden change in attitude?"
"I’m just trying to accept reality."
"Reality?"
"If I can’t die, then living as Your Grace’s woman would be better, wouldn't it? If I’m going to live, I want to enjoy the good things."
Alicia barely succeeded in meeting Cabelenus's gaze without fleeing, but she could already foresee her own failure.
The way Cabelenus looked down at her showed no hint of being moved by a clumsy attempt at seduction; his gaze was completely indifferent.
"The Princess of Neustein is truly terrible at lying."
“I’m not lying.”
"Saying such things with a face like you're on the brink of death lacks credibility."
"...“
"Moreover, I’m not lacking in women to the point of embracing one who’s trembling like a newborn foal."
Especially if it was a woman who blushed just from being near a man's bare skin.
Cabelenus expressionlessly unbuttoned his shirt and removed it.
Alicia, her face flushed bright red, could only chew on her lower lip nervously.
"If you want good things, you don’t need to do anything foolish; I’ll give them to you. Jewels? Dresses? What would you like? If you need anything, just let me know."
"...“
"I’ll send someone when the sun rises. I’ll have some clothes made for you and buy you some jewellery. Those should count as good things, right?"
"...“
"The thing is, you probably wouldn't want any of that, though."
His eyes scanned her from head to toe as if he could see right through her.
Alicia flinched as she felt cold sweat running down her spine.
"Stop thinking nonsense."
‘You don't have to do something like that; I'm already confused enough as it is.’
Cabelenus bit back the rest of his words and touched his forehead.
The woman’s tearful eyes were beginning to irritate him.
He didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he couldn’t deny it either.
"Starting tomorrow, you ’ll move to a separate palace. You no longer need to wait for me every night."
Maybe it would be better if she was out of sight.
Cabelenus spoke indifferently, but then noticed Alicia’s pale, shocked expression and furrowed his brow.
Her face was already pale to begin with, but now it was even more so.
"Princess Neustein."
"...“
"Alicia Neustein."
Cabelenus called Alicia’s name again.
Only then did Alicia look back at Cabelenus.
There was a look of bewilderment on her face.
“What's the matter? Is there something wrong?"
"No. There isn’t."
Alicia quickly shook her head, but she couldn’t avoid Cabelenus’s gaze.
Her body was trembling slightly.
As though she were afraid of something.
Cabelenus unconsciously took a step towards Alicia.
"What are you afraid of?"
The distance between Cabelenus and Alicia narrowed.
"It’s nothing."
Alicia avoided his eyes with a troubled expression.
Cabelenus tried to open his mouth to ask more questions but quickly shut it.
It was ridiculous to ask questions.
He did not need to know the circumstances of a princess reduced to slavery, and even if he wanted to, he could just give an order.
It was amusing that he had even considered asking a question rather than giving an order.
Nevertheless, even with this knowledge, Cabelenus couldn't shake off the doubts he held about Alicia.
He still vividly remembered the first time he met Alicia.
A woman, limping yet gritting her teeth, was chasing after her father.
Instead of confronting Cabelenus, who had invaded the castle, she took up arms [1] to kill the father who had brought her into this world.
If Cabelenus had not killed the King of Neustein, it might have been his daughter who had done so.
Gazing into Alicia's desperate eyes, Cabelenus suddenly found himself thinking this, and soon it turned into curiosity.
Cabelenus silently stared at Alicia, who was crouched down.
Although he wanted to pretend not to notice, he couldn’t deny it.
The man was curious about this woman.
“Do you still want to be embraced by me?”
His voice had dropped lower than before, but Alicia, completely on edge, didn’t notice the change.
Alicia could only falter, unable to understand the sudden, unfamiliar question thrown at her, her lips moving awkwardly but no sound escaping.
"I asked if you want me to embrace you."
Cabelenus repeated himself.
“...Are you going to embrace me?”
Alicia hesitated, then cautiously lifted her gaze to ask.
Her tearful eyes shimmered under the light.
Cabelenus's jaw muscles tensed as he watched her.
‘A man never spares even a grain of thought for a woman he doesn’t care about.’
Why, at that moment, did the words of Zerpenus come to mind?
Cabelenus exhaled a sigh, recalling the mischievous smile of his half-brother.
"I need to confirm something."
In fact, Cabelenus already knew that his feelings for Alicia were not mere curiosity.
He had never cared about the affairs of others.
So, it was contradictory that he was so intrigued by Alicia.
"Confirm?"
Instead of answering, Cabelenus reached out his hand.
Alicia instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
Though it was just a fleeting moment, time seemed to slow, as though it had stopped.
He touched her.
Startled by the sensation on her cheek, Alicia hurriedly opened her eyes.
Cabelenus’s hand was gently cupping her cheek.
Gulp.
Alicia swallowed reflexively.
The rough texture of his palm, calloused from gripping a sword, felt coarse.
But the touch was warmer and softer than Alicia had expected.
Just like his lips, which she had touched not long ago.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in her mind, and a blush spread across Alicia’s face.
“Not bad.”
Cabelenus murmured quietly, gazing at the pink tint on Alicia’s cheek.
He had never once considered the presence of others as a welcome thing.
But the warmth in his hand now didn’t bother him.
No, in fact, it pleased him.
He knew the person before him was fragile, so weak that even the slightest pressure could break them, and he couldn’t bring himself to apply force.
Instead, he had to be careful, afraid of snuffing out that fragile life.
Nevertheless, he didn’t want to let go.
Cabelenus’s hand, still holding Alicia’s cheek, slowly descended and brushed against her neck.
Alicia trembled and flinched at the tickling sensation.
The man’s gaze, persistent and intense, made her mouth go dry.
“You’ve put on makeup.”
“I wanted to look pretty if possible…”
"I've told you many times, but you're not good at lying."
"...“
“I don’t expect flattering words from you. Even if it weren’t you, there are plenty of people who say such things to me.”
"Then what does Your Grace want from me?"
Instead of answering, Cabelenus silently stared at Alicia.
In the reflection of her ashen grey eyes, he had an indescribably strange expression.
“I don’t know what your intentions are.”
“Intentions?”
"You still want nothing from me except death. There's no need to beg me to embrace you. It's so obvious suspiciously."
Cabelenus's fingers brushed against Alicia’s hair ornament.
Alicia instinctively tensed up and nervously looked up at him.
‘Could it be that he knows?’
The weapon, outwardly a perfect piece of jewellery, was in the hands of a seasoned warrior who had roamed the battlefield for years.
She thought he might notice it if he had a lot of experience in such matters.
"So, what are your real intentions?"
“I…”
She tried to come up with an excuse, but she had no idea what to say.
Alicia trailed off, feeling helpless.
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.
Cabelenus’s dry, emotionless reply was neither an act of consideration nor mercy.
He simply wasn’t concerned.
No matter what Alicia did, he really didn't care.
It was no more significant than a tiny bug buzzing around.
The arrogant ruler who knew no defeat never once thought that he would fall.
"Whatever your intentions may be, it doesn't matter. There's only one thing I want to confirm."
As the ornament was removed, Alicia’s carefully styled hair fell in a cascade.
Alicia flinched at the odd sensation of her hair flowing down, and then, as she looked up, swallowed dryly at what she saw.
Cabelenus’s thumb was deliberately pressing against the jewel of the ornament.
He knew everything.
The moment she realised that fact, the jewel of the ornament spun, and a hidden blade shot out.
Alicia stared blankly at the ornament she had lost, then slowly lifted her head.
Now that the assassination tool had been exposed, all that remained was to await her fate.
But to her surprise, Cabelenus calmly returned the blade to the ornament.
“Why? Aren’t you going to ask me anything?”
“I told you. Your intentions don’t concern me.”
“I was trying to kill you.”
Alicia bit her lip as she looked at the jewellery held out in front of her.
“Kill me? You?”
It would have been better if he had laughed at her instead.
As Cabelenus asked calmly with a blank expression, warmth lingered on Alicia's earlobe.
“If I were to die from those thin arms, I wouldn’t have survived this long.”
Cabelenus narrowed his eyes.
Despite eating properly, the woman was still unnaturally thin.
“The blade is coated with poison. If you had been cut by it, it would have been fatal.”
“The Blanche Imperial Family has been building resistance to poison since childhood. Most poisons are meaningless. Especially in my case.”
Cabelenus nodded with a still indifferent expression.
He didn’t know exactly when it started.
His body, having surpassed its limits, had long since transcended that of an ordinary human.
For a man who had steadfastly survived countless battlefields where death was inevitable, death itself seemed like a distant and abstract notion.
This was not a life that would end from a clumsy assassin who didn’t even know how to properly wield a sword.
"...“
"Did you think that if you even attempted an assassination, I would just willingly kill you?"
Cabelenus’s voice dropped lower.
There was no way the woman didn’t know the obvious result.
Even so, the fact that she attempted an assassination meant there was another purpose behind it.
Death.
The thought of that word made Cabelenus furrow his brow deeply.
Despite having nothing to her name, this woman knew all too well how to get under his skin.
"I’ve told you before. Leaving the royalty of a fallen country alive will only cause trouble later."
"I told you too. It’s none of your concern."
Cabelenus growled in a low tone.
He didn’t like any of it.
Her empty gaze, sorrowful expression, and the way her body habitually hunched — he despised it all.
But paradoxically, that unpleasantness stimulated Cabelenus.
“If you want to stab me, then go ahead.”
Cabelenus handed Alicia the weapon and held her hand.
Then without hesitation, he brought her hand to his chest.
“I—”
“You won’t kill me.”
"...“
"Assassination? Don’t be ridiculous. You never planned to kill me from the start. You just wanted to kill yourself.”
Cabelenus’s eyes flashed.
If she truly wanted to die like that, he could just kill her, but he couldn't bring himself to do that.
Rather than wanting to kill her, he was more anxious.
What should he do to bring life back to her eyes?
What should he do to make this woman, who only desired death, say she wanted to live?
Even if he tried not to think about it, it was the only thing spinning in his mind, driving him to the brink of madness.
“…I’ll give you a chance.”
Cabelenus tightened his grip.
The skin that had been in contact pressed even closer.
Her body burned with an unfamiliar heat, unsure of its source.
The warmth that touched her hand spread a flush across Alicia’s face.
The sound of another person's heartbeat pulsed through her skin, so unfamiliar that it made her mouth go dry.
“Alicia Neustein.”
“…Yes. What is it?”
His sharp instincts rang a warning, telling him not to get involved with her anymore.
Nevertheless, Cabelenus couldn’t let go of the woman’s hand, which he held tightly.
He had never once let go of anything he held in his hands.
If he wanted it, he simply took it — that was all.
A haughty smile spread across Cabelenus’s face.
He was quite pleased with the conclusion he reached.
“Do you really want to be embraced by me?”
The distance between them closed.
Alicia instinctively swallowed dryly.
Only she was reflected in the eyes of the approaching man.
"Just one, I’ll give you one more chance. But—”
"...“
“If you give the same answer again, it will be useless to regret it.”
His face drew closer.
Their lips were tantalisingly close, almost touching — his breath lingered over hers, hot and heavy.
Translator's Corner:
[1] "Took up arms" means to pick up a weapon and prepare to fight.
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