PG | Chapter 4: The Proposal

The man who had effortlessly caught Aloissia gently set her back on her feet.

“Why are you here…?”

Aloissia took a deep breath and looked up at him. The man’s red eyes shone brightly under the the orange light. Cassius, with a gentle expression, opened his mouth.

“I was waiting for Your Highness.”

“Did we… have an appointment?”

Aloissia unconsciously clutched the hem of her dress and asked. He silently looked down at her, his gaze intense, as if he was binding her.

“No.”

His deep voice resonated through the temple, creating ripples.

“Excuse me, but could you give us some privacy? I have urgent business to attend to.”

Aloissia anxiously glanced at Felix’s coffin. Cassius, reading her gaze, raised an eyebrow.

“That’s nexpected.”

“What is?”

“I thought you’d jump at me the moment you saw me.”

Wouldn’t I be better than your dead husband?

Cassius murmured softly. The distance between them was now close enough to feel each other’s breath.

“Your Highness is easy to read, yet difficult to understand.”

As Cassius spoke softly, his hand reached out and gently cupped her cheek.

“That’s what makes you interesting.”

“Hah…!”

The moment Cassius touched her, Aloissia’s breath hitched, her chest heaving. The hand clutching her dress trembled. A thrilling sensation spread through her entire body from the point of contact. Aloissia struggled to maintain her balance.

‘Haa…’

Aloissia took a deep breath. Warmth gradually returned to her pale face, and her breathing normalized.

She finally felt alive.

‘I don’t want to let go.’

Aloissia quickly grasped Cassius’s hand on her cheek. Both her hands trembled pitifully as she held onto him.

Cassius readily offered his hand. He watched her, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I don’t understand.”

“What… do you mean?”

“Everyone praises the Crown Princess of the empire as a benevolent being who creates the protective barrier. A precious Esper who keeps the empire safe from monsters.”

Cassius shifted his weight slightly. He looked down at her light brown hair and spoke.

“Then why have you been neglected to this extent? You look as if you haven’t received any Guiding at all. What has the Crown Prince been doing all this time?”

“Th-That’s…”

Aloissia flinched at his sharp question. Even though it wasn’t her fault that she had been neglected, she shrank back like a criminal.

“Your Highness, do you know?”

Cassius’s hand cupped her slender chin. He leaned down and looked into her eyes.

“You…”

Cassius stared intently into Aloissia’s eyes, as if trying to see right through her.

“Do you know what you truly desire?”

Aloissia’s eyes widened at Cassius’s question.

What I truly desire?

‘What… I desire…’

Aloissia’s fingertips twitched. Everywhere he touched felt hot, as if she was burned. Yet, she welcomed his touch.

Welcomed it? In fact, she wanted to open her arms wide and embrace him. She wanted to touch him more, deeper. She wanted to receive every kind of purification a Guide could offer an Esper. She wanted to be immersed in him.

‘No.’

Aloissia shook her head violently and ran towards Felix’s coffin. Her legs and arms trembled as she ran desperately.

“Ha… Ha…”

Aloissia barely made it to her dead husband’s coffin, surrounded by white chrysanthemums. She touched the closed lid with trembling hands and clenched her fists.

Even though she was treated like an insect, she was the Crown Princess of the great Delatosa Empire. If she thought of the favor of the empire that had taken her in, she couldn’t be swayed by the ruler of Bedua.

Even if he offered sweet purification.

He was the ruler of another country.

Steeling her resolve, Aloissia stood guard before Felix’s coffin. She struggled to straighten her posture, trying to control her trembling body.

“Why…”

Aloissia took a deep breath.

It was strange.

She should have returned to her normal state after receiving purification. But her heart was pounding as if she had just run a race.

‘I need to pull myself together.’

Aloissia clutched the hem of her dress and opened her motuh.

“Why is the ruler of Bedua showing interest in me? Why were you waiting for me? What are you scheming?”

“Scheming?”

Cassius replied with a dry expression. He strode towards her with his long legs. And as if to avoid touching her, he clasped his hands behind his back.

“The empire made a proposal to me, so I’m simply making a counter-proposal to the empire.”

“If that’s the case, you should speak to Her Majesty.”

“It’s a proposal that Her Majesty cannot accept.”

“What…?”

“I heard Her Majesty no longer uses her powers to create the barrier. Is that not correct?”

“…”

“I need an Esper who can create a protective barrier for Bedua.”

“Then… there’s Leda. If you marry Princess Leda…”

“Ha, Princess Leda?”

Cassius scoffed. At that moment, Aloissia was struck with an ominous intuition.

‘Don’t tell me… Does he know about Leda’s abilities?’

Leda was a considerably weaker Esper compared to Aloissia. She was too weak that she couldn’t even protect herself, let alone create a protective barrier.

There was a reason why the Empress adopted Felix and brought Aloissia into the Imperial family. Espers as powerful as Aloissia were rare.

Protecting the vast lands of the empire from monsters was impossible with ordinary abilities.

One in a hundred years.

Or one per dynasty.

That’s how rare and overwhelming her power was. That was also why the side effects Aloissia experienced were so severe.

“If the Princess possessed abilities comparable to Your Highness, the empire wouldn’t have even proposed a marriage alliance in the first place. They would never willingly hand over such a valuable Esper.”

“Don’t presume to know the empire’s intentions.”

Aloissia said defensively. But Cassius remained unmoved.

“So, am I wrong? If so, I apologize.”

His deduction, though based on speculation, was astonishingly accurate. Aloissia was momentarily speechless. She lowered her gaze and changed the subject.

“…Doesn’t Bedua have a dedicated monster hunting unit? I heard you have dedicated units.”

“You know about ‘Nur’ and ‘Ticon’?”

Aloissia nodded silently.

“Then you must also know that I lead ‘Nur,’ and my sister leads ‘Ticon.'”

‘Nur,’ specializing in close combat, and ‘Ticon,’ specializing in long ranged attacks, were the two pillars protecting Bedua. Aloissia had also learned about them during her Crown Princess training.

All those men who had stood behind Cassius in the audience chamber all had daggers strapped to their thighs. The thigh daggers were the symbol of ‘Nur.’

Cassius was the leader of Nur. That’s why the Empress had made an exception and allowed him to carry weapons in her presence.

Furthermore, it was also likely intended gesture to demonstrate the empire’s goodwill towards Bedua. It was an unusual display of hospitality from the Empress.

Yet, Cassius harbored other intentions while accepting the empire’s kindness. The fact that he sought out Aloissia, not Princess Leda offered by the Empress, was proof of this.

“My sister said…”

Cassius sighed softly. He tapped his foot on the floor.

“How long are we going to keep fighting monsters like barbarians? Bedua needs to progress.”

It was a valid argument. Bedua excelled at monster hunting, but that was all. Their focus on survival had hindered the development of their industry and economy.

“Well, anyway. So,”

Cassius shrugged.

“I’m looking for a powerful Esper. An Esper capable of protecting Bedua.”

His red eyes gazed intensely at Aloissia.

“The moment I saw Your Highness, I knew. You are the one I’ve been searching for.”

He continued, looking deeply into her eyes.

“Create a protective barrier for Bedua. I will compensate you handsomely.”