112. Alexander’s Proposal

“Alexander said he wants to formally get engaged to Rose.”

“Engaged? Oh my goodness!”

Late at night. Anette, who had returned to the bedroom after chatting with Rose for a long time, jumped up from her seat as soon as she heard Darius’s words.

The slight disappointment and jealousy she had felt toward Darius had disappeared somewhere, and her eyes sparkled.

“I knew it! I knew there was something between them! Today she said she had a secret to tell me but kept bringing up completely irrelevant topics. Now I see, Rose wanted to ask about Alexander’s feelings but was too shy. How cute. And I was so clueless, talking about other things. If I had known, I would have brought up Alexander first!”

No, that was a lie she made up to separate me from you and have you all to herself.

“That’s right. It’s unlikely that only one side had feelings. There must have been something between them.”

“Lady Temeri already told me that Alexander definitely had feelings for Rose. She said that based on her experience, Alexander would probably propose within a week or two. And sure enough, he consulted with you. Ah, I should quickly let Lady Temeri know too!”

“And Alexander asked what he should propose with since he doesn’t have a family heirloom ring or tiara right now, so I told him not to worry about that for now.”

“Yes, there’s no need for anything so grand at just the engagement stage.”

“I think we just need to arrange a comfortable place for them to talk. We’ll leave them alone quietly in a suitable time and place with no people around.”

“Yes, I’ll ask the maids where would be good!”

* * *

The news that passed from Darius’s lips to Anette’s, and then from Anette’s to just one maid, spread quietly among the castle people as soon as day broke.

The people of Castle Inkheart had watched Rose grow up since she was little. Everyone knew her.

Of course, they hadn’t just adored her unconditionally since she often behaved quite arrogantly when she was out of control, but still, when they first heard this story, everyone basically thought, ‘That little miss who was this small is receiving a proposal!’

Lady Temeri was the first among the Temeri people to learn about it through Darius’s quick tip-off without going through Anette, and naturally, Sir Lucion, who was part of Rose’s family, also heard about Alexander’s upcoming proposal.

The boy’s secret proposal plan, like all rumors, eventually became known to everyone except the person concerned.

When Alexander and Rose entered the secluded, atmospheric back garden of Castle Inkheart on the day Alexander planned to propose, both carried a heavy tension.

Though the garden seemed empty and quiet, countless hidden eyes and ears were fixed on them.

Among them, Darius and Anette were waiting at the back of the garden with fireworks for the moment of the proposal, and Lady Temeri, who had to witness the once-in-a-lifetime moment of her daughter receiving a proposal, had secured a spot on the second-floor terrace with a good view of the garden.

And Sir Lucion, who had nowhere to go because other people had taken all the prime spots, had to endure the humiliation of crawling on the garden’s dirt floor.

It was a scene that would have made Rose scream if she had seen it.

Today, Castle Inkheart was unusually crowded, and everyone seemed to have a talent for hide-and-seek.

“Rose.”

Alexander, who knew nothing, recalled with a pounding heart the day he first saw her. The girl who peeked at him from behind the Grand Duchess, hiding her face shyly.

They were awkward at first, but while staying in the castle that had emptied as the army departed for the northern mountains, Alexander got to know Rose more and more, and came to like her.

“I enjoyed being here with you, and that’s why I want to be with you in the future too.”

Hoo-eup, suddenly the sound of people inhaling could be heard from here and there.

It must be my imagination.

The nervous boy thought so, but sadly, it was not his imagination. It was the sound of meddlesome adults.

“Will you get engaged to me?”

The sunset glow of evening. A secluded back garden with no people. A bouquet in hand. And above all, Alexander’s serious and neat demeanor as he proposed.

Everything felt perfect.

Rose opened her eyes wide. The girl’s blonde hair, tied in two braids, shook with surprise.

“I hate it.”

“What?”

“Ah, why?”

“The kid is fine!”

“No way, you have no eye for men!”

Bang, crash.

Before Alexander could digest the shock of the sharp rejection, tactless adults rushed out from their hiding places.

Alexander’s flushed face turned ashen in an instant.

“Ah, my lady! You were here! I was wondering where you went after telling me to talk here!”

Rose spotted Anette among the people who suddenly burst in and ran forward with a smile.

Thud.

Alexander’s face darkened even more.

* * *

‘I was completely wrong!’

I had believed without a doubt that Rose and Alexander would make a good pair!

But why?

Wasn’t it Rose who stepped forward to save Alexander when he was suspected because of his godfather Count Alexei? Wasn’t that all because she liked Alexander?

How adorably everyone had viewed the two of them!

Shocked, Anette couldn’t help but ask Rose for the reason behind her rejection.

〈It’s not that Alexander is a bad person. On the contrary, I think he’s an extremely good man.〉

〈Then why did you reject him?〉

〈Because I’m still young. Besides, how can I decide on something as important as marriage based on a relationship of just a few months? You need to know someone for a long time before marrying them.〉

〈But Alexander is the heir to an eastern county title, and with his excellent character, there must be many young ladies after him?〉

〈If a better lady who captures Alexander’s heart appears, then that’s just how it is.〉

Instead, I told Alexander we could remain friends even after he returns to the East. I said I would write to him too. ……Rose added nonchalantly, then suddenly put on a solemn expression and added one more thing.

〈While you were away on the subjugation, my lady…… I did a lot of thinking. And I realized something. That a woman has a great mission she must fulfill!〉

I have no idea why she looked at me so intensely while saying that.

And so, on the day Alexander, who had stayed in the North briefly to discuss engagement with Rose, was returning to the East without having succeeded in the engagement. I came out to see him off because I had grown fond of him during his stay, but Alexander’s face was terrible.

“Um, Alexander…… hang in there.”

Why wouldn’t he feel bad? It’s already a sad situation that he came with his godfather but is leaving alone, and the engagement he thought would surely happen didn’t materialize because of the prospective fiancée’s rejection. This journey was nothing but a loss for him.

“Goodbye, Alexander. Write to me when you get back.”

But Rose, whether she knew Alexander’s feelings or not, waved to him with a face that showed not a trace of shadow, only brightness.

“Can’t even win over a girl’s heart, what a fool. And I thought we’d finally get Rose away from Anette’s side.”

Darius seemed to be muttering something beside me, but I let it go in one ear and out the other. Surely he wouldn’t say something mean just because Alexander was rejected by Rose?

“Rose.”

Alexander gathered his wits and spoke to Rose. Despite being rejected by Rose, his feelings for her remained unchanged, and a faint blush colored his cheeks as he looked at her.

“Will you reply?”

“Yes.”

At Rose’s cool response, Alexander nodded and turned his back.

“Then I’ll wait. In the East.”

* * *

After Alexander, who had maintained good relationships with everyone in Castle Inkheart, left, Rose became even more free than before. Previously, Rose would visit Anette under the pretext of seeking love advice about Alexander, but now she would come saying she wanted to ask about spirits.

After all, Anette and Rose were the only spirit mages in Inkheart.

Darius countered this powerful excuse with an even more powerful feigned illness. Anette’s worry reached its peak as she failed to notice the causal relationship of Darius’s health—which she thought was finally improving—suddenly worsening whenever Rose appeared.

Perhaps because of this, even when she finally made it to the office, her thoughts kept returning to Darius.

‘What if his fever has spiked again by now? I shouldn’t be sitting here holding a pen.’

“My lady? What’s wrong? Are you worried about something?”

“Daniel……”

Anette confided her concerns to the knight she trusted with an extremely serious face.

“These days, I’m worried because Darius is too fragile.”

“Pardon?”

Daniel, who had been thinking it strange that the usually diligent lady couldn’t concentrate on work today, changed his mind.

Beyond not being able to concentrate on work, her thinking itself seems strange today. Who is fragile and worrying her?

“Darius is…… sickly. I shouldn’t be here like this. I should go back and hold his hand once more. What if he’s coughing in this breeze right now?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that?”

“Ah, poor Darius! All this time, as a lord, he couldn’t even say he was in pain when he was! Only recently has he started telling me little by little where it hurts, and it breaks my heart so much.”

As if it was fortunate that she had confided her worries, Anette’s face was serious as she spoke anxiously, and the more sincere Anette’s seriousness was, the deeper Daniel’s shock became.

That man, coughing? Suffering from minor ailments without others knowing?

‘Are you sure you’re talking about our lord, the sword expert and robust knight?’

It wasn’t that Daniel thought this because he didn’t know what Darius had gone through. He had participated in this subjugation and had seen what kind of superhuman strength Darius had displayed when he lost Anette.

Even though he had used great power at the cost of his lifespan, Daniel had known from before how healthy and excellent a warrior Darius was.

So of course, he had immediately noticed that the recovered Darius was now feigning illness.

〈Are you dense? How many years have you been following me?〉

Even to him, who was so perceptive, Darius had coldly rebuked him to mind his own business and not disturb his time with Lady Anette, looking the very picture of health.

Worried that his superior wasn’t recovering well, he had visited him separately, only to…