Chapter 36: I Want to Marry You
Ailea’s peculiar sky-blue eyes widened at his words. She watched Clint, looking directly at his eyes; a beautiful man who could have any woman he liked if he so pleases. But it was her he chose, the woman he proposed to.
Tears welled up her eyes. She shook her head. “No… I can’t do that. Th-this is wrong. I’m not the one…”
‘I should have died, yet I remain standing, my heart beating. And no man would want me… I’m hideous…’
His pools of eyes softened, heart aching for her. Clint grabbed her arm as tears fell from her eyes. He pulled her closer. Lulled towards him, Ailea whispered, “Captain Clint?”
He smiles at her. “I told you. Call me by my name.”
He led her to the library and strung out words akin to temper tantrums softly. It was gone instantly, fading to oblivion a second later. He leaned his torso forward and unlocked a box with the key he had. There laid a book. He opened it, taking out an item inserted in between the pages.
It was Ailea’s letter. He had kept it.
She had forgotten the pools of tears dying a river on her face. She stared at the letter with incredulous eyes.
“You… still have that?” she says.
“You wrote this letter and I could sense from it that you’d sooner or later die,” Clint responded. “You spoke like you’d never see me again. I was angry, upset, any words I could think of. I wanted to come back and make sure you’re living well in the castle.”
Her eyes shivered; her lips parted, slightly.
It was the first she ever heard of this. She was not aware that he had worried about her on the battlefield.
“But after reading this letter, I rushed to the Imperial Castle to find you. I needed to see that you were alive…” Clint smiled lightly. “Then I saw enemy troops from afar preparing a surprise siege attack.”
“…Pardon?”
“Had we been ambushed then, we’d be pushed to the brinks of death.”
“…..”
“What I want to say is that a part of my success is thanks to you. I owe it all to you. You’re my lucky charm. So it got me thinking — if I were to be the lord of Excalibur Castle…”
“…..”
“I would want you as my wife,” Clint said, simply but seriously. “You’ve earned a place to take ownership of that castle. You helped me out a lot, Ailea Elgar Euliana.”
His words held deep meaning to Ailea. In the past two years, his return proved that she had not caused a negative impact on Clint’s life. Besides that, his words warmed her heart. Her heart fluttered. Was it happiness?
“That’s a relief…” smiling, she burst into tears. Warmth and happiness filled her core. The tears would not stop.
Clint looked at her anxiously. He simply can’t leave this woman alone. He would not allow it. And how come each one of her expressions always looked sad and unpleasant? Was it because she was Ron’s daughter?
He decided to put this beautiful woman in a safe place, somewhere that he could protect.
“Don’t you… loathe marrying me?” she asked, shoulders heaving up and down.
“Who said that?” Clint cocked his eyebrow. “I told you. I don’t care who I’ll marry. I don’t need a wife, but someone to act as my wife. I want you as my wife. And besides, Excalibur Castle is a total mess from the war. It needs someone to look after it.”
“…..”
“What do you think? Do you not like my proposal?” he asked mischievously.
Before those bastards’ orders came crashing down, Clint offered a marriage proposal to her in advance. He wanted her to know that he alone wanted her as his partner, not from the words of another nor from the emperor.
Ailea nodded. “If that’s the case… I… accept…” The sorrows of the past seven years surged in. She cried; it would not stop. Her shoulders trembled. “I really like it… you’ll be free to roam as much as you like, so… please marry me.”
“Ah, hold on. You have to take back what you said just now,” he said, touching her hair.
“Which… one…?” Ailea asked. She did not know what he wanted her to take back.
Soon, loud noises and clatters rang outside.
“Ah… why oh why am I not popular?” Tarren shouted solemnly.
“It’s your face, Vice-Commander,” Kaiton answered.
“This brat!”
“Aghh! Have mercy!”