Chapter 54

“You should obviously call me Alpheios.”

A handsome face curved into a smile.

Yes, I figured as much.

Alpheios was treating me exactly the same as he did before.

Though he spoke casually, it had been a long time since I was treated as Lady Peroa.

Yet, I was surprised at how little it moved me.

Alpheios probably expected me to be happy that he was acting no differently than before.

I met Alpheios’s gaze and curled my lips into a smile.

“Alright, Alpheios. So, can I ask why you’re here?”

I tried to hide my irritation and speak kindly.

Maybe it worked, because Alpheios looked quite pleased with himself.

“Asking about each other’s well-being feels a bit cliché between us, doesn’t it?”

I answered with a smile instead of words.

There was only one reason I wanted to get to the point.

The longer we talked, the more likely it was that he’d run into Riorem.

Just as Alpheios hated Riorem, Riorem, too, spent much of his emotional energy dealing with Alpheios.

So I wanted to send Alpheios back before we ended up in an awkward three-way encounter.

But instead of getting to the point, Alpheios knelt before me with a grand, exaggerated motion.

His movements were, of course, elegant and flawless.

Every motion of his hands and head exuded dignity.

I was almost surprised that this scoundrel could act so princely.

But all such thoughts vanished the moment I heard what he said next.

“Marry me, Cherni.”

I was speechless.

The formal tone, the soft cadence of his voice, and the distinct royal Arethean accent—it was a proposal fit for a prince.

But the man making it was none other than Alpheios du Arethe.

“…Marriage? With me?”

“Yes. I want you to be my consort.”

What kind of madness was this?

“You seem to be forgetting something, Alpheios. I’ve lost my title along with my country. I’m just a lowly slave now.”

“I know that, of course.”

Alpheios nodded.

Then, as if making some grand proposal, he said in a proud voice:

“If you marry me, none of that matters. You’ll live as a noblewoman again, just like before.”

“Hmm.”

A smile naturally formed on my lips.

It was such a terribly cliché offer.

Suddenly, I thought of Riorem.

He had both stunning looks and remarkable talent, yet no royal ever proposed to him.

Marrying a man of slave origin would be seen as throwing away one’s noble dignity.

‘But here we have a foolish prince trying to marry an actual slave.’

I looked at Alpheios with cold eyes.

But all he seemed to see was the smile on my lips.

He politely handed me something—a box that probably held a jewel or some such trinket.

“I never said I’d accept your proposal.”

“I know. It’s just a gift.”

Alpheios smiled.

“I have a fine estate. I’d forgotten about it while off at war… but when I visited it recently, I found it had a sea.”

“Oh.”

This time, I was genuinely impressed.

Even this war-crazed man, who didn’t uphold any royal duties aside from fighting, owned an estate.

Seeing that I was interested, Alpheios spoke more enthusiastically.

“You’ve never seen the sea, have you? It’s quite something. Completely different from the farmland estates like this one.”

“Judging by your words, it sounds like you own more than one estate.”

“That’s right. I found conquering new lands more fun than managing the ones I already had… turns out I earned quite a few territories for my achievements.”

With that, Alpheios placed the jewel box in my hand.

“And that’s not all. There are also estates passed down only to princes. Until now, I’ve just had others manage them…”

Suppressing a laugh, I asked,

“And now that you’re thinking of marriage, you plan to have your wife manage them?”

“Exactly.”

His crimson eyes curved gently.

“You’re good at that kind of thing. Even the Grand Duke of Peroa once said it—if the young duke had died early, he might’ve passed the title on to you instead.”

Blatant flattery.

I forced myself to swallow the words that had risen to the back of my throat.

My father had said something like that before—not really boasting about me, but more like advertising a product.

“Since she’s so smart, she’ll bear a smart child,” or something like that.

Everyone present knew.

My father wasn’t really the kind of man to say such things sincerely.

If my eldest brother had died early, perhaps only the terms of my mother’s contract would have changed.

Something like “The marriage continues until a son is born” might have been added as a special clause.

Alpheios must know at least that much.

Yet he was now shamelessly flattering me by quoting my father’s words.

It was amusing to see him make such a pitiful marriage proposal, but by now, I was curious about his reasons.

“Why?”

I asked, feigning warmth in my voice.

“Why suddenly bring this up, Alpheios? Did you actually think about marrying? You’ve managed fine without even an engagement until now.”

Alpheios’s expression stiffened at my question.

Between his cracked smile, a chill leaked out.

That was more like Alpheios, so I waited calmly for his answer.

His twisted lips finally muttered the truth.

“I thought by now you’d have lost interest.”

Alpheios lifted the corner of his mouth.

In those mad eyes, bloodshot from wandering battlefields, a deep anger flashed.

His eyes spoke plainly:

Since you slept with that bastard, isn’t it about time you got bored?

“Oh.”

I sighed without realizing it.

I was surprised that Alpheios hadn’t outright said such a lowly truth.

Was it because he was trying to keep up appearances with this proposal?

‘It’s surprising he even noticed something had changed.’

Riorem did act a bit differently after we slept together.

But he wouldn’t be the type to brag to others about it.

How did Alpheios find out and come here?

Of course, Alpheios was the kind of man who might say directly, “Now that we’ve slept together, it’s only a matter of time before you get tired of me.”

Maybe he’d sensed it instinctively.

As I deliberately drew out my answer to tease him, a sharp knock suddenly sounded.

Before I could respond, the parlor door abruptly opened.

“Your Highness.”

A knight I hadn’t seen before entered.

I raised an eyebrow watching the scene.

Alpheios was not the owner of this mansion.

The knight must have known it was rude to barge into someone else’s parlor.

Especially when a woman was present.

Ignoring my glance, the knight whispered something into Alpheios’s ear.

It was obvious news: Riorem was returning.

Since the report was urgent, the royal castle must have already departed.

Alpheios, perhaps uncomfortable meeting Riorem in Riorem’s own territory, stood up obediently.

Instead of following the knight who was urging him, he took my hand abruptly, as if to snatch it away.

Drawing a graceful arc, Alpheios bowed his waist over the back of my hand.

Smack.

His lips pressed moistly.

I glanced sideways at the knight standing behind him.

The knight’s face was twisted in a mess, clearly offended by my presence.

This man tests even his own followers.

Even as I thought that, Alpheios pressed his lips firmly onto the back of my hand.

Then, in a deliberately gentlemanly voice, he said:

“I’ll come again, Cherni.”

His dangerously crimson eyes looked up at me.

He smiled gently while staring intently at my face.

“So wait for me.”

Like marking prey.

He pressed his lips against my hand once more before finally standing.

Then, with quick steps, he left the parlor.

I sat still, listening to the fading footsteps of Alpheios and his party.

Then I threw the bouquet the man had left on the floor.

The maid, who was tidying up the teacups, shuddered in surprise.

I smiled to reassure the young maid.

But from my lips came only a cold voice.

“How dare he.”

How dare he tell me to live as a noblewoman by becoming the wife of a prince with no claim to the throne.

Despite his good bloodline as an Arethean prince, his solid background as the current queen’s son, his perfect etiquette, and his achievements as a commander—he was still full of arrogance enough to be unsellable.

“And to top it off, he doesn’t promise gold or jewels or luxury. Just ‘allowing’ me to manage his estate.”