An Unexpected Proposal-Chapter 54

"Should we inform the village chief? The adults always say that when a stranger arrives, we must let him know."

"…"

"Mikael!"

"…"

"Hey, Mikael!"

Chris shook him again. Finally, Mikael snapped to attention and shook his head roughly.

"You're acting really strange today, you know?"

"Sorry. Let's go to the village chief’s house first. We need to—"

Their progress came to an abrupt halt as an obstacle blocked their path. The children, eyes wide and round, all stared up at the barrier before them. Though the man riding with them had his face hidden in shadow from the sun, his eyes—thin, almost feral—glinted with an intensity that reminded one of a beast.

"It seems these children belong to the village. Something’s off…"

A brown-haired man who had followed behind caught Mikael's gaze, his tone trailing off as he spoke,

"…Hey, how old are you?"

A soft, low voice echoed. Chris, now tearful, hid behind Mikael. Unbidden, Mikael clenched his fists as he looked up at the man with the piercing golden eyes.

"Why do you ask?"

"…Because you remind me so much of someone I know."

The man said that, never taking his eyes off Mikael. The boy swallowed hard; the relentless scrutiny—from head to toe—was so intense that he felt utterly paralyzed. His heart pounded wildly, driven by the fear that if he turned away, he’d be lost forever.

"I’m looking for someone," the man continued.

"Looking for someone? And who might that be?"

Mikael tried to puff out his chest in an attempt at confidence, but his trembling body betrayed him. Despite his expression remaining largely blank, there was an undeniable fear in the air—an almost palpable chill that clung around the man’s golden eyes.

"I’m looking for… children."

"You’re looking for children? What do you mean?"

Trying to sound assertive despite his quivering, Mikael replied, "It’s not meant as a threat…"

"What do you mean by threatening?" the man pressed.

"…Never mind."

The brown-haired man offered a sheepish smile and stepped down from his mount. Up until now, he had been the biggest man Mikael had ever seen—at least, until just moments ago. Now, in his place, a man with those same striking golden eyes had descended, his size even more imposing, leaving Mikael at a loss for words.

"Sorry to startle you, but if you’re willing, can you help us find someone? I won’t shortchange you for your trouble."

"For what exactly?"

"Well, you see…"

As the brown-haired man furrowed his brow, the golden-eyed man stepped forward confidently. At that moment, the faces of both children went pale. Up close, the golden-eyed man was overwhelmingly huge and intimidating.

"If you help us find the person I’m looking for, I’ll give you this."

He removed an ornate accessory from his own garment—a sparkling jeweled brooch that glinted under the sun. Mikael stared at the object, gulping as he did. It was beautiful; he thought it would look perfect pinned over his mother’s heart.

"If you find the person I seek, I’ll give you even more."

Noticing the longing in the boy’s eyes, the golden-eyed man quickly added, "I’ll give you everything I have on him."

Mikael, ignoring Chris tugging at his sleeve, cautiously picked up the brooch.

"Okay then. But if I help you find this person, does that mean you'll give us everything you have?"

"…"

"Kid, you must understand—this man is not your 'uncle'…"

"Titles don’t matter," Mikael insisted.

The golden-eyed man shook his head indifferently. Despite sneaking glances at him, Mikael found that the object in his hand made the man seem less frightening than before.

***

"Sir, do you really know our mom? How do you know her?"

"…"

"Why do you keep ignoring me? Can’t you hear what I’m saying?"

"…"

"Tsk…"

After receiving no response despite his persistent chatter, Mikael finally stopped shaking and lifted his head to stare directly at the golden-eyed man. Though forced to lean on him while riding, Mikael found some comfort in the solid presence beside him.

"We’re here. That old shack over there is our home," Mikael said with a bright smile, pointing with his finger.

The golden-eyed man said nothing, but dismounted from his horse. In that moment, a hand as slender as a frond reached out and clutched the edge of the man’s garment tightly.

"...What are you doing?"

"You must come down with me as well."

"…"

After a tense moment, the golden-eyed man gritted his teeth and helped Mikael down to the ground. As soon as his feet touched the earth, Mikael didn’t look back—he bolted off immediately.

"Mom!"

Amidst the fluttering laundry, a glimpse of deep reddish hair could be seen. The golden-eyed man—Cabelenus—stood motionless, watching the scene unfold. As his eyes followed the drifting strands of hair, he finally saw the face he had longed for in his dreams.

"You're home early today, my son."

A woman's laughter, radiating unadulterated happiness, reached him. Cabelenus clenched his jaw as a surge of warmth rose in his throat. Every time he followed the traces of the woman’s gaze and gentle touch, his breath caught in his chest. At last, he understood her choice. She hadn’t been unable to return—she had chosen not to return. She had chosen the child over herself. For the past eight years, his time had been filled with her, yet there was never space for him in her life. The realization struck him like a blow, and his heart sank. It felt as though all the years he had fought so hard would collapse in an instant.

"Mom, look what I got today!"

"What is it? Did you pick some pretty flowers for me…? What is this, Mikael? Where did you get something like this?"

"That man gave it to me."

"That man?"

Their eyes met. The moment she became aware of it, Alicia instinctively spread her arms and wrapped them around the child. Thump, thump. She couldn’t tell whether the rapid beating belonged to her own heart or to the child who had been running—and perhaps, she didn’t even want to know. Her arms, holding the child, tightened.

“So, after all, it’s your child.”

The voice fell like a death sentence, and for an instant, Alicia’s vision spun. The sensation of sweat trickling down her spine sent a chill through her, making her body recoil repeatedly. If possible, she longed to just run away—but in her arms was the child.

“Well, it doesn’t really matter.”

Cabelenus strode purposefully toward Alicia. Though she knew it was a futile gesture, Alicia clumsily shielded the child’s face with her hand, determined to keep it hidden from him. Despite the child having inherited red-tinged brown hair and ashen eyes, he bore a closer resemblance not to her but to someone else—a fact she feared he might notice. He had once tried to kill the child even before Mikael was born. Even now, nothing would change that.

“Alicia.”

Just the sound of her name was enough to set her cheeks ablaze, and Alicia bowed her head deeply. In the past, she had loved it when the man called her name in that way—knowing that each time, a faint smile would break through his indifferent expression. Now, even if he spoke her name, he would no longer smile.

“I told you not to lower your head in front of me.”

A firm hand raised Alicia’s chin. Feeling the warmth of another’s touch on her skin, she nervously chewed on her lower lip. Her eyes stung so badly that unless she forced them to stay steady, tears threatened to spill at any moment. Even though his command was delivered in a tone she knew all too well, his touch remained as careful as ever—and that fact tightened her throat every time.

“In front of the child.”

Though it should have been forgotten by now, that familiar touch so easily resurrected memories of the past. Alicia forcefully pushed his hand away.

“What did I do?”

She hadn’t truly wished to do anything at all yet. Cabelenus’s lips contorted ever so slightly.

“Return. Nothing will change now.”

Alicia averted her eyes from him. Knowing full well that his gaze had been fixed on one spot from start to finish made her throat tighten even further.

“Nothing will change?”

Cabelenus laughed.

“Ha, indeed. Yes—nothing will change.”

The man’s hands clenched tightly around Alicia’s shoulders. Alicia swallowed hard as the unrelenting scrutiny upon her made her feel exposed.

“Once you return,” he murmured as his lips brushed against the back of her hand while she tried to push him away. Alicia, her face on the brink of tears, attempted to turn away—but it was useless. She could not forget the warmth his lips had given her.

“Let’s go back, Alicia.”

His hand caressed her cheek. The hand, rough and calloused from years of wielding a sword—its grip molded like a sword’s hilt—felt startlingly coarse, and carried a faint whiff of iron.

“…I have a child.”

“If a mere child mattered, I wouldn’t have come here like this.”

Cabelenus’s eyes shifted toward Mikael. Under that piercing gaze, Alicia clutched the child even tighter.

“You can’t speak so lightly. I don’t want to be a disgraceful mother to my child. His Majesty surely already has a wife, and—”

“A wife?”

Before Alicia could finish, the man ground his teeth and leaned in close—so near that their noses almost touched. Feeling his breath on her lips, Alicia reflexively swallowed; the warmth of his exhalation was uncharacteristically intense.

“Ha! Yes, indeed. It seems that today you are to have a wife.”

He glared at Alicia, his lips twisted in disdain.

“Gajev.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Take the child.”

Before Alicia could grasp his meaning, he raised his hand.

“Mother!”

“Mikael!”

Instinctively sensing danger, the child reached out toward his mother, sobbing. Alicia tried to pursue the retreating Mikael, but was soon blocked by a firm arm.

“What is the meaning of this?! Give him back! He’s my child! My son!”

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill him. You wouldn’t dare harm a child destined for noble blood.”

“Cabelenus!”

“…It seems that only in such circumstances will you be able to hear my name.”

The man let out a hollow laugh and cocked his head slightly. Alicia, clenching her lips, felt her eyes begin to tremble.

“I will not revoke my decision. If you wish to reclaim the child, then become my wife. That is the only way to have him returned to you.”

“…Do you have any idea who that child is?”

“Had that mattered, I wouldn’t have come here like this.”

“Cabelenus.”

Alicia, her eyes burning with determination, gripped his arm. His cold, piercing gaze was unfamiliar, yet when she thought of the child, she could not turn away.

“Even if it were another man’s child—if their blood did not mingle, even if he were the offspring of a traitor—I would raise him as my own.”

“You propose to raise a child whose father you don’t even know as His Majesty’s own bloodline?”

“Yes.”

There was not even the slightest hesitation in his reply. Alicia forgot to breathe as she stared fixedly at the man before her. Even now, the golden eyes that captured her entire being shone as brilliantly as the sun—just as in the bygone days when that radiance had left him dazed.

“Don’t ever think of fleeing by using the child as your pretext.”

The man, clutching Alicia’s shoulders, growled like a ravenous beast.

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“Even now, I am barely restraining myself from crushing that little life which has taken you from me.”

Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists tightly to stifle the rising sobs, Alicia felt the searing heat of his rough, calloused hand against her skin.

“If you so much as harm even a single strand of my child’s hair, I will never forgive you, no matter who you are.”

“I told you, I won’t let him be harmed. I will raise him as my own.”

Cabelenus struggled to force a smile, but ultimately his emotions overcame him, and his face twisted in distress. Even though it had been eight years since their reunion, it was not one of joy but of vicious, cutting words—and he couldn’t stop. In just a brief glance, he recognized it all: the tone of Alicia’s voice, her every action, all of which betrayed her boundless love for the child. Alicia’s entire world was not herself—it was that tiny child. No matter what she did, she could never triumph over that little life. Eight years ago, or now—always. And that fact was unbearably tragic.