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Chapter 9: Please Have Me (1)
"Good. You made the right decision. It's a little brother's job to amuse his older brother, right?"
"I don't plan on losing."
Was this a desire to win or a refusal to yield? Either way, it didn't matter. The fact that the woman was on his own mind. His own attitude towards her was unfamiliar and it gave him an unpleasant feeling. He had to find out why. Otherwise, he didn't think he could shake off this discomfort,
"Me neither. Generally speaking, if a man is not interested in a woman, he won't pay her a lick of attention."
Zerfenus smiled as he poured himself some wine. The clever emperor's gaze was fixed on Cabelenus' thumb, which was unconsciously touching his lips.
Passing the time on a bench on a sunny day was a simple and easy task. No matter what she said or did, nobody paid attention to Alicia. Alica was openly Cabelenus' woman, and she existed in a separate space.
Though her quality of life had improved greatly, she still remained an outsider in Neustein castle, Alicia didn't really get along with normal people, much like how oil and water don't mix. But this fact didn't really sadden Alicia.
She was used to it.
That Alicia was feeling surprised, not sadness, proved this. Alicia touched her lips with a blank look on her face. Though it only lasted for a second, the moment her lips touched someone else's for the first time stayed vivid in her mind.
It was surprisingly warm.
A living person should feel warm as expected, but it still surprised her. It didn't seem like the man was capable of bleeding, and she had imagined his skin would be cold to the touch. When it wasn't, it startled her. His look of surprise, which was uncharacteristic, remained clear in her mind. She couldn't help but think of it.
She shouldn't be doing this. Unable to shake the memory away, Alicia closed both eyes tightly. Everything she was experiencing right now was unexpected, and she had no idea what to do.
"It seems like you're enjoying yourself."
When someone suddenly offered her a blanket, Alicia slowly lifted her head. The sun was shining brightly behind the maid so she couldn't see her face, but her voice was familiar.
"You're alive and well, I see," Alicia said grinning as if disappointed.
She wasn't the maid that usually tended to her, but it wasn't difficult to recognize her.
It was Bellita, who had once served the queen of Neustein before she retired.
"I came to you because I need your assistance, Your Highness."
"I didn't realize you thought of me as a princess until today," Alicia said, her lips twisting.
There were still burn marks on Alicia's thigh from the hot tea that the queen spilled. Bellita was one of the people who laughed when Alicia was covered in tea. Alicia was certain that Bellita referred to her as a vermin more than she did a princess.
"Though you may be a princess who is groveling at the invader's feet to be spared, as long as you have the Neustein blood in you, you must do your part. As compensation for the queen who has fed and clothed you all this time, and as thanks for the noble blood flowing through your veins."
"If you came here to spew nonsensical things like that, leave now."
Tired, Alicia avoided Bellita's gaze. She knew the queen was dead, but just thinking about her made her hands tremble.
Everybody praised the queen for her benevolence after she accepted the illegitimate child, but what the queen did to Alica was not benevolent, it was abuse under the guise of mercy.
But there was no way Alicia could make Bellita understand this. It was better not to react at all in case she made a scene.
"I don't wish to take up too much of your time. What I have to say is quite simple."
Bellita smiled confidently.
"We have the woman who gave birth to you."
"Lies," Alicia snapped back.
"You don't believe me."
"My mother is dead."
"It's not important whether you believe it."
Bellita removed a pendant from her dress and tossed it to Alicia. Alicia picked up the pendant that had fallen on her lap. Then, as Alicia touched the pendant that had opened slightly on impact, she heard a familiar voice.
Alicia looked up at Bellita with a puzzled look. Bellita already knew she had won.
"The pendant was made with the blood of the woman who gave birth to you. Thus, it only reacts when you, who share her blood, touch it. You've seen this before. Necklaces that react to the blood of kin. Such methods are used in the empire to confirm blood relations."
"..."
"It took a long time to produce this precious magical tool in times like these, but judging by the look on your face, it wasn't all for nothing."
Bellita laughed triumphantly and grabbed Alicia's chin.
"Let me repeat myself. It's not important whether you believe it. What's important is that you have no choice but to do as I say. If you refuse, it will be her blood on your hands."
"What do you want....?"
"Cabelenus. Kill him."
Bellita's face was withered and wrinkled, and her eyes gleamed under the sunlight. There was a glimmer of madness in them that could not be erased,
"What...?"
"You seem to have a gift for luring men, perhaps because you share her blood. Use it."
"I can't do it."
Cabelenus did not touch her. And even if he did, the situation would not change. He was a seasoned warrior. He didn't know how to lay down his guard even when he was at rest, and he always had a weapon next to his bed. It would be foolish to try and assassinate a man like that.
"No. You must. If you want to save her."
"What if I fail?"
"I told you. Blood will be in your hands. So kill the devil while we can still be civil."
"Killing him won't change anything."
"You're wrong. If we can kill that murderer, it will all end. The kingdom of Neustein is not dead yet."
Bellita gritted her teeth as she gripped Alicia's shoulder. Alicia opened her mouth to try and persuade Bellita but remained silent. Drunk in the glory of the past, the old woman still knew nothing.
The Neustein royal family was not loved. Rather, they were objects of hatred, resentment, and fear. When the king was beheaded, the tears that the majority of the people of Neustein shed were not of sorrow.
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