Alicia’s mother told her not to feel guilty, but she couldn’t.
After she was born, her mother’s power gradually diminished, and at some point, it disappeared like a well running dry.
[T/N: If a “well runs dry” it means that the entire supply of something has been used up and is no longer available.]
No matter how much she thought about it, she could not erase the thought that her mother’s life would not have ended so miserably if she had not been born.
“She sounds like a good person.”
“……she was a good person.”
Alicia’s mouth drooped helplessly.
It was sadder since she knew what kind of person her mother was.
“My lady resembles her, isn’t that right?”
Mrs Morco affectionately looked into Alicia’s eyes.
Alicia hesitated and shook her head.
“I wish I look like her, but I don’t think I really resemble her much.”
“I’m sure you look alike. Usually, parents and children are said to be mirrors of each other. So it’s only natural to resemble one another.”
“Is that so? I hope that’s the case.”
Mrs Morco sounded so confident in her words even though she was not talking about her own child.
Alicia rubbed her lower abdomen out of habit.
She knew it didn’t exist, but her hands kept moving.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Alicia hurriedly removed her hand from her lower abdomen.
However, the warmth of where she touched faintly remained.
That fact made her feel depressed for no reason.
She certainly didn’t want anything like a child, and her feelings remained unchanged, but she kept feeling empty inside.
“If you’re not feeling well, please tell me right away.”
“I’m fine now. Most of all, I want to help recreate my mother’s soup.”
“Do you remember anything else?”
“She put a large number of unknown plants and water and boiled it, but it didn’t taste that nice. Even though I was hungry, I didn’t want to eat it.”
A light smile spread around Alicia’s mouth.
It was a difficult life, but the time she spent with her mother was still a happy one.
“I don’t know what kind of ingredients were in the soup, but I remember that there were a lot of plants with vines and thorns, and I think the plants came from a rugged area.”
“How come?”
“That’s…….”
Alicia wiggled her fingers.
Her mother’s soup was so terrible that she wanted to spit it out immediately as soon as she ate it, but Alicia never complained.
“I couldn’t openly ask, but on the days my mother cooked the soup, her hands were always in a mess. So I vaguely thought that was the case.”
“…….”
“Ah, is there a plant encyclopedia in the castle? I don’t know the names of the plants, but if I see a picture, I might recognise it.”
“…….”
“Will it be difficult?”
With round eyes looking up at her, Mrs Morco finally regained her senses and took a step back.
“No. I will find it tomorrow.”
“Thank you”
“But…….”
Mrs Morco stared at Alicia for a moment.
Even though it wasn’t something to reveal lightly, Alicia seemed okay.
Although Mrs Morco had felt all along, the lady she served was too indifferent about her own wounds.
It was never a good thing to be numb to a wound.
“What is it? Do you have something to say to me?”
“No.”
Mrs Morco shook her head, but her eyes were still on Alicia.
‘I thought she looked like Jane, but…….’
When she first saw Alicia, Mrs Morco naturally thought of her hunting dog.
But now that she looked closely, Alicia looked much more like Cabellenus, not Jane.
The young boy who first came to Schwarhan.
‘I hope my lady does not go down the same path as His Grace.’
Mrs Morco slightly frowned as she recalled Cabellenus as a child.
The eyes directed toward Alicia were dark as if sediments had piled up.
* * *
“So, have you thought about my proposal?”
Veloa gracefully raised her chin.
“You mean our engagement?”
Cabellenus stared at Veloa without a change in expression.
“Of course, it’s an engagement with marriage in mind.”
The confident princess never lost her courage as she faced the wolf of Schwarhan, whom everyone feared.
On the contrary, she had a triumphant gaze, as if she had seized the upper hand.
“I guess the princess must like me a lot.”
“Do you want an honest answer? Or do you want an appropriate answer?”
“Let’s be frank.”
That way, they could end the tedious war of wits.
Cabellenus nodded lightly, concealing his innermost thoughts behind an indifferent expression.
His mind was already completely preoccupied with Alicia.
“The unbelievably cold snowfields are really the worst. The fashion is definitely outdated, and the party culture is lacking. Honestly, I don’t like this place very much. It isn’t called the land of death for nothing.”
Veloa nodded lightly.
It was clear from her slight grimace that she had no intention of concealing her hatred for Schwarhan.
“But you still want to marry me anyway.”
“Yes.”
Veloa nodded without hesitation.
“May I ask why?”
“There’s no great reason. It’s just because I know Your Grace will be the next emperor.”
There was a gleam in her blue eyes.
Although Veloa’s eyes were full of greed, the eyes as beautiful as glass beads suited her well.
“That’s interesting.”
“Do you like my story?”
“I don’t hate honest people.”
Cabellenus murmured calmly.
“Then our conversation will be easier.”
Veloa’s smile deepened.
“It will depend on what the princess can offer me.”
“Are you trying to check my worth?”
“Since the princess confirmed mine, I should do the same.”
“Your Grace has a rather interesting side.”
Veloa giggled, and her eyes elegantly curved.
“So you don’t like it?”
“No. I’m satisfied. No one has ever spoken to me as boldly as Your Grace, so it’s quite refreshing.”
Veloa grinned, tucking her hair behind her ear.
Cabellenus’s eyes narrowed slightly.
It was an obvious temptation that Veloa didn’t try to hide.
On the contrary, she seemed relaxed and laughed as she exposed her pale white neck.
“May I take that as a positive sign?”
“I like Your Grace more than I thought, so of course, it’s a positive sign, don’t you agree?”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Cabellenus gave a brief nod.
He had already considered the extent of an engagement with Veloa.
As long as the agreement moved in line with interests, the engagement between nobles flowed fluidly until marriage. However, it was not strange to break the engagement depending on the circumstances.
Besides, Veloa was a princess of another country.
Even if they were bound by the name of an engagement, he would rarely actually see her.
He could use Veloa as a shield to adequately hide Alicia’s existence, and then once the timing was right, he could break off the engagement.
“I’m glad you feel the same way as I do.”
“Before that, the princess must prove her worth.”
Cabellenus gently swept his chin.
“Isn’t my existence enough?”
“…….”
“It’s not easy to possess the highest title for anything. And that title naturally becomes power. Just having me by your side would be beneficial to Your Grace.”
“Having a beautiful woman beside me is enviable, but that is all.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“There are things in the world than just a pretty face cannot get done. Beauty is vainer than you think and will wither away easily.”
It was time to show his teeth.
[T/N: To “show one’s teeth” means to demonstrate or use one’s power or authority in an aggressive or intimidating manner.]
Cabellenus shed a little of his hidden thoughts.
“Your Grace is quite rude.”
“The attitude the princess demonstrated is also quite rude.”
“If you do this to me, Your Grace will not get what you want.”
“If that happens, the princess won’t get what she wants, either.”
Cabellenus smiled languidly.
Veloa’s face, which had always remained arrogant, turned pale.
The life of a long-running, war-torn beast was not something that a princess, who grew up like a flower in a greenhouse, could endure.
“Think carefully, Your Grace. It’s not good for you if you keep doing this to me.”
“There’s nothing good, but there’s also nothing bad.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Even if it’s not the princess, there are many others who can offer better conditions.”
Cabellenus looked at Veloa indifferently, concealing his innermost thoughts.
It seemed like she could barely endure this much and could only speak in a strained voice.
“Are you saying that it doesn’t matter if it’s another woman?”
Veloa raised her eyes and clenched her teeth.
It seemed that her noble pride was hurt, but it wasn’t a bad result for Cabellenus.
Since she lacked nothing, it meant that she didn’t know how to give up.
Rather than simply holding someone perfectly in his hands, it was better to maintain a distance and keep their interest.
“This is a noble marriage.”
“…….”
“And, it’s also a marriage between the two countries.”
“…….”
“If there’s no satisfactory outcome between us, there’s no reason to push forward and endure the losses. That’s all.”
Cabellenus said nothing else after that, but Veloa’s face colour changed over and over again.
In the prolonged silence, Cabellenus recalled Alicia, who would now be seeing a doctor.
Although he had called for all the famous doctors in Schwarhan, no one could diagnose Alicia’s illness properly.
All he could do was watch her struggle to eat and become skinnier.
That fact made him grow more anxious and also made him more annoyed at the performance that he was currently delivering.
“Then, what does Your Grace want from me?”
“That’s what the princess should figure out. Among all the people, there’s a good reason why I chose a princess of the Kingdom of Christie.”
“……A princess of the Kingdom of Christie?”
She wasn’t a fool after all.
Cabellenus smirked at Veloa, who frowned upon realising the meaning of his words.
“Upon investigation, it turned out the second princess is also unmarried.”
“Do you think the second princess is as beautiful as I am?”
“I told you that a beautiful face is not important.”
“…….”
Cabellenus looked indifferently at the young princess, who was gritting her teeth and trembling as she tolerated the disgrace.
It was easy to notice that Veloa was a princess who grew up under protection.
So, why did Gerpenus choose her?
Cabellenus crossed his arms and pushed his mysterious brother’s face out from his mind.
No matter what Gerpenus intended, it was now time to get what Cabellenus wanted.
“I’ve satisfied the princess, so now it’s your turn.”
Cabellenus narrowed his eyes.
The reason he had overlooked Veloa’s rudeness so far was because of magic.
With the future in mind, Schwarhan’s magic level was currently far from enough.
In order to survive in the harsh land where the brutal cold continued every day, they couldn’t last without the power of magic.
“What do you want from me?”
“Well, that depends on what the princess can offer.”
The more profits he could get, the better.
Therefore, it was not necessary for him to set the standard first.
It was better to let the opponent set the standards.
If the opponent hated losing like Veloa and had a lot of pride, they would show off as much as they owned.
“It wouldn’t be good for you to treat me like this.”
“As much as the princess knows her worth, so do I. The seat next to me is limited, but there are a lot of people aiming for it. If it’s a marriage that has to proceed anyway, it’s natural to choose the one that benefits the most.”
“It’s none other than the imperial position as the Duchess.”
Veloa’s gaze wavered at his additional remark.
In the meantime, she seemed unwilling to relinquish her position as the future Empress.
The collapse of her pride was only temporary, and she eventually settled on a conclusion.
“……. give me a few more days to think about it.”
“Feel free to discuss it with your father. It’s not something a young princess can handle in the first place.”
“I won’t discuss this with my father. I’ve always made my own decisions.”
There was a tinge of irritation in Veloa’s voice.
Her appearance was no different from that of a child’s anger at being labelled as young.
“Oh, I see.”
Veloa’s eyes quivered at the plain answer.
Even from just the slightest touch, she would tremble. It was clear that she was not suitable to sit at the negotiation table.
At this point, despite trying to relax, Cabellenus couldn’t help but be suspicious of what Gerpenus really had planned.
However, Cabellenus didn’t have those thoughts for long.
Now there was something that worried him more than that.
Cabellenus sneaked a look at his watch and then sighed inwardly.
It was time for the doctor to finish the examination.
It was necessary to send someone to check Alicia’s condition.
If he could, he would go and visit her himself.
‘I’ll have to stay up all night again.’
Cabellenus exhaled, propping up his chin.
He was pretending to be calm, but in fact, he felt a knot in his chest and couldn’t stand it.
The terrible situation where he could do nothing but wait made him feel helpless.