Chapter 12
Father’s eyebrows twitched violently. My own eyes widened.
What is going on? Why is the story suddenly taking this turn?
“What did you just say? You want to consider a marriage alliance between Hillington and Belkius positively?”
“That’s right. Just as I said.”
Father’s eyebrows twisted again, clearly losing their patience.
No one on our side looked pleased.
“Now, of all times? Don’t you think you’re a bit late, Belkius?”
“Not at all. I believe the timing is just right.”
Not backing down one bit, Gabriel spoke with a brazenness that didn’t suit his young age at all.
“Unbelievable. So it’s ‘the right time’ just because it suits you?”
Father’s voice was laced with disbelief—and so was my entire mind.
Why now?
When did he even see Rose, to suddenly change his attitude like this?
And let’s not forget—he literally tried to steal the relic last night just to break off the engagement.
I saw the whole thing!
I had to fight the impulse to jump out of my seat, point at him, and shout, “Everyone! He was the intruder from last night!”
I had no idea what he was playing at.
It wasn’t like there were sparks flying between the main characters either.
Rose just tilted her head slightly, as if she found the handsome boy vaguely puzzling.
Wasn’t he supposed to come here to break off the engagement? Did that suddenly change?
I glanced over at Father’s face.
He looked just as bewildered, which meant this hadn’t been discussed beforehand.
To be fair, a marriage between House Belkius and House Hillington wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
I already knew how beautiful a couple Rosériel and Gabriel would become in the future.
Given that, there wasn’t much reason to oppose it.
But this sudden, drastic shift—completely outside the original plot—made me uneasy.
What should I do…?
What would Father say?
Somehow, I was more nervous than Rose herself and had to swallow hard.
And then, Father finally spoke.
“No.”
A beat of silence.
Huh? What?
I blinked.
“Duke, what did you just—”
“No.”
Looking at the stunned people around him, Father repeated himself with the finality of an axe cutting through air.
“Absolutely not.”
“Duke?”
“I said no. My daughters are not objects. There’s no reason to accept or reject based solely on your whim.”
“……”
‘So back off. While I’m still being polite.’
The sheer irritation in that blunt refusal left not only me, but Gabriel—and even the knights behind him—visibly shaken.
I had never expected Father to shoot him down so curtly, like some sulky child.
But Gabriel wasn’t about to back down either.
“I refuse.”
“What did you say?”
“I said, I refuse.”
The boy smiled brightly, as if he had no intention of retreating.
“Is the Duke saying he intends to disobey a direct imperial decree? His Majesty seems to hold House Hillington in very high regard.”
Father’s lips twisted.
“A marriage proposal can’t be a royal command. You know that. That’s why we’ve put it off until now, Belkius.”
“I only delayed it because I wasn’t secure in my position as heir. But now, there’s no reason to hesitate.”
“Ha!”
Father let out a full-on scoff, so bold it made the onlookers flinch.
“What a load of nonsense. Not even a passing dog would believe that. If you’re going to lie, at least try not to choke on your own words.”
“Hmm? That’s strange. I’m saying it’s true—what does a passing dog have to do with anything?”
A cold sweat ran down my back.
Yep. He’s definitely the male lead, alright.
‘Why is that kid so good with words?’
Only twelve years old, and already he was engaging in a verbal battle with grown adults — and holding his ground just fine.
“Duke. I am not spouting nonsense. As one who holds a token of the pact, I am simply exercising my rightful claim.”
“……”
“You know you can’t refuse that, don’t you?”
“Where does a pup like you get the nerve to make threats?”
Father’s voice was low and growling, like a wild beast ready to strike — the kind of tone that should’ve been terrifying.
And yet, Gabriel just smiled gently and politely, like a well-mannered young noble.
“Since you have two daughters, I’ll leave the final decision to House Hillington.”
He gestured toward us.
Why is this conversation turning out like this?
I frowned deeply. Rose, meanwhile, just curved her lips in mild amusement.
Father, seemingly on the same wavelength as me, snorted coldly.
“Acting like you’re bestowing us with some grand generosity, are you?”
“Still, before that, I’d like to be given the chance to prove myself worthy of their choice.”
“What?”
A brief silence passed.
Gabriel placed his hand politely over his chest and smiled again.
“As you know, I’ll be leaving for the battlefield soon. So I ask for a chance before then.”
“And if I grant you that chance, but my daughters reject you — what then? Will you step back quietly?”
“……Perhaps not quietly, but I will accept it.”
A strange sense of foreboding crawled over me.
I looked toward Gabriel.
Our eyes met.
“What do you say, Lady Hildea?”
What chance?
And what does he mean by two daughters? He’s going to be engaged to Rose anyway, isn’t he?
And yet…
Something was definitely off. I hadn’t been imagining it.
Gabriel was staring at me like he wanted to bore a hole straight through me.
I swallowed dryly.
Why is he looking at me like that?
His gaze was intense, almost aggressive — it sent a shiver down my spine.
Nothing like the quiet, cool way he looked at Rose.
This stare was hot. Burning. Obsessive.
Even when I turned my head or shifted my posture, I could feel his eyes tracking every movement.
I suddenly felt deeply wronged.
Even if he doesn’t remember me, I still saved his life!
And this is how I get treated?
Normally, isn’t this the kind of situation where the person rescued ends up falling for their savior?
Not that I expected him to fall in love with me — but still.
There’s no need to treat me like some mortal enemy, is there?
I bitterly turned my head away.
“Does my opinion really matter here?”
“Yes. It does.”
“But the outcome’s already been decided, isn’t it?”
“Even so — it matters.”
Maybe because I’d held a faint affection for him, I ended up feeling hurt, too.
Knowing how politically savvy Gabriel was, the fact that he couldn’t even pretend — that he seemed to outright despise me — made it sting more.
There was even a time when I seriously worried over what to say and how to act when I would finally met him.
I looked up and met my father’s eyes.
He gave a small nod.
His expression said he was waiting for my answer. I turned toward Rose.
“I don’t really care either way. Rose, what about you?”
“Huh? What did you say, sis?”
Rose looked like someone caught completely off guard, as if she’d been daydreaming this whole time. I nearly burst out laughing despite the tension.
The idea that our innocent little Rose would one day marry him?
That was so ridiculous, I couldn’t even picture it.
“They’re asking what you think of his proposal.”
Rose tilted her head.
“Hmm? So that oppa is saying he wants to stay with us? And marry one of us?”
“Cough! Khmm!”
One of the knights from the Belkius family gave a strangled cough at her blunt words, but I just nodded.
“Yeah, that’s the gist of it.”
Rose scrunched her nose.
“So whoever likes him gets to marry him? We can both say no, too?”
“I suppose so.”
And you’ll be the one he ends up with, Rose.
Rose gave a bright, carefree smile.
“Sounds fun! What about you, sis?”
As expected, the answer came just as I’d predicted.
“…If you’re okay with it, then I am too.”
As if that alone made everything fine, Rose clapped her hands, and the tense atmosphere in the room softened a bit.
She leaned toward Gabriel, eyes sparkling.
Had the Marchioness been present, she surely would’ve scolded her for such unladylike posture.
“So then, oppa, you’re staying here? Until you leave? Huh?”
“If the young lady permits.”
Oh wow.
Unlike the tone he used with me, his voice to Roze was oddly feeble, as though he had no strength at all.
As if he were pleading not to be cast out.
I was honestly speechless.
‘They weren’t kidding about him being a good actor.’
At that moment, Father gave the table a light thump and rose from his seat.
“Then it’s decided.”
But, of course, he didn’t leave without throwing in a final warning.
“But remember — this wasn’t a decision I made willingly. I hope you keep to yourself and behave while you’re here, Duke Belkius.”
Funny. He said “behave,” but it somehow sounded a lot like “get lost.”
Gabriel, no longer looking meek like he did in front of Rose, answered sharply.
“Very well, Duke Hillington. I’ll set a date and return.”
“Tch.”
Watching the sparks fly between them, I found myself clenching and unclenching my fists.
It’s all happening a little earlier than expected, that’s all.
There’s no future where I fall for Gabriel.
No future where he falls for me.
And no future where he doesn’t marry Rosériel.
. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
“Are you all right?”
He’d endured all kinds of hardships without faltering. And yet, just a few words spoken today left him visibly tense.
As soon as they arrived at the estate, Gabriel slumped into a chair like all his strength had drained out of him. His lieutenant looked genuinely concerned.
“Was I strange?”
“Pardon?”
“Did I… seem strange?”
“…Of course not, sir. You handled things very well today.”
But the lieutenant looked like he wanted to ask the real question:
Why?
Why was all this playing out this way?
“But, my lord…”
“…”
“Why did you act that way today?”
Why.
Why indeed.
Gabriel couldn’t even answer himself.
He didn’t know why he felt this way.
“Nothing shall ever pierce him.”
Gabriel von Ellen Belkius.
A relative of the Emperor and heir to the mightiest military house in the Empire — the Belkius Duchy — was born under such a divine blessing.
It was said that just by breathing, just by living, he grew stronger than the day before. A living sword.
“Ha ha! What a blessing for the Empire!”
The Emperor had laughed heartily in celebration.
But no blessing comes without a flaw.
Though no one else knew, that powerful divine gift had one fatal loophole.
His heart was frozen.
