Chapter 84 Will You Marry Me, My Dear?
He wondered if he had heard correctly. Looking at Killion’s slightly dazed face, Veronia spoke again softly.
“I like you, I’ve liked you for a long time, long enough that when I decided to leave the palace, I stepped in your snow. No, you were the only one trampled in the snow.”
“…”
“I’m so sorry that I dragged you into this deception of the world and the falsification of history, and I’m so grateful that you were willing to go along with it, and I’m so relieved.”
“Your Highness, ah, Nia…”
Killion stammered, obviously embarrassed, and Veronia, seeing this, calmly spoke.
“Thank you for deciding to marry me, I’ve been meaning to tell you this.”
“I would like to kiss you. May I kiss you?”
“…”
Killion turned to Veronia, but he didn’t exactly wait for her to answer. His question was so abrupt that Veronia hesitated for a moment before their lips met.
At first lightly, then deeper and deeper, their lips locked together, coveting each other’s breath.
But the kiss didn’t last long. Killion pulled back in disappointment. He needed to control his desire. He couldn’t let this thing called desire run wild without restraint. Not yet.
After a passionate kiss, both of their faces lit up with excitement. There was a real sense of regret in the way they looked at each other.
Killion wiped away the traces of Veronia’s lips. Veronia, blushing even more at his touch, reached up and wiped the smudge from her own lips.
“Phew.”
“Hahh.”
Perhaps it was the distance or the awkwardness of their close proximity, but laughter broke out before anyone could tell. Once it started, it lasted for a while.
Veronia found it refreshing to be able to laugh so easily with Killion.
Killion felt the same way. To be so close to Veronia, to be able to see her face to face, he felt like a lifelong dream had been fulfilled.
Killion pulled a small box from his pocket. Inside was a ring.
“My mother gave it to me. She said it belonged to my grandmother. It’s a duchess’s ring that’s been in the family for generations.”
Taking the ring from the box, Killion slipped it on Veronia’s finger. It fit her finger nicely, neither too large nor too small.
The lion’s head, the coat of arms of House Drea, was engraved inside the yellow diamond.
“I will ask you one last time, and this time, like last time, I will not force or hasten your answer.”
“…”
Killion opened his mouth, looking somewhat nervous. Veronia could hear the faint tremor at the end of his words.
“Will you marry me, my dear?”
“…”
It was neither Princess Veronia nor Lady Nia. Killion had addressed her as ‘you’. As if it didn’t matter what title he addressed her by.
“Yes. I will marry you.”
The corners of Killion’s mouth curled up in a smooth arc at Veronia’s answer. It was the face of a man who had everything in the world.
“But.”
But Veronia’s next words put the brakes on Killion’s joyous heart.
“… But?”
“Don’t forget, you still owe Jediel ten points.”
“Oh… Yeah. I guess I’d better hurry.”
Phew, haha! The sound of their laughter echoed quietly through the silent garden.
***
As soon as Veronia returned to her bedroom, a maid approached her and told her that her bath was ready.
Veronia followed the maid to the bathroom, which was even more opulent than the bedroom, with marble and gold ornaments.
“I’m fine, I can do it myself, I’m used to doing it myself.”
“Yes, I understand, My Lady.”
Understanding Veronia’s words at once, the maid left the bathroom. Left alone, Veronia undressed herself and stepped into the steaming bath.
“Ah… good.”
So much had happened yesterday and today. In just forty-eight hours, her and Jediel’s lives had taken a 180-degree turn. It felt good to let her body, stiff with tension and fatigue, loosen up.
Veronia leaned back in the tub and closed her eyes. She remembered Killion’s face, his gentle smile, and the passionate kiss she’d shared with him.
“…I think you’re crazy.”
A rush of embarrassment, as if no one was looking inside her head, made her face heat up. Veronia patted her cheek to clear her thoughts. She ran her fingers through her hair unnecessarily.
“Ouch!”
Veronia winced at the sharp pain, the back of her hand scraping against the magic stone piercing in her ear, leaving a long-awaited gash. It was deep enough that blood slowly oozed from the wound.
“Ugh…”
Drops of blood from the back of her hand dripped into the bath water. Veronia watched in disbelief as the red droplets dispersed in the clear water.
She had bathed with her piercing every day for the past five years, but it had never hurt like this before. A strange feeling of anxiety washed over me.
“…It’s just a scratch.”
She tried to sound nonchalant. The blood quickly stopped, but the uncomfortable feeling lingered.
***
Veronia was reading in a quiet voice to Jediel, who was lying next to her. But Jediel couldn’t concentrate on the story. Nor was he sleepy. He kept glancing towards the door.
“Mr Killion, no, the Duke would get a point for reading me a story.”
Jediel said pointedly, and Veronia smirked.
“I thought you said he already got one point today, so he can’t get any more?”
“It’s almost 12 o’clock.”
Jediel said, looking at the wall clock. Veronia, tempted to tease him, lowered her eyes and the corners of her mouth.
“Do you want the Duke to read to you, not your mum?”
As expected, Jediel responded immediately. The child’s eyes darted this way and that, unable to meet his gaze, waiting.
“It’s not that… mum has the best reading voice in the world, grandma’s second, grandpa’s third… I was just wondering, Duke Killion, what he’s reading voice ranks.”
It was cute how he stretched his folded fingers one by one as he said ‘best’, ‘second best’ and ‘third best’. Veronia held back a laugh and said in a rather serious tone.
“So, when Mum meets the Duke tomorrow, can I drop a little hint?”
“Hmphhh…”
Jediel pursed his duck lips and pondered. But his deliberation didn’t last long.
“I think a hint would be fine, okay.”
The way he nodded his head so emphatically, as if he had made a great decision, was so adorable that Veronia wanted to hug him tightly.
But the child suddenly stirred and sat up, his head whipping around to check the right and left ends of the bed.
“Jediel, what are you doing?”
“I’m seeing if the three of us can lie in this bed together.”
“You want the Duke to lie here with you, really?”
“Only if you want me to read to you.”
Veronia asked in surprise, and Jediel shook his head and answered meekly.
“Ah… can’t Jediel just go to the Duke’s bedroom?”
“…Is that so?”
The child’s face contorted into an increasingly puzzled expression. And then, as if on cue, her eyes widened and she asked Veronia.
“What? Mummy doesn’t want me to lie down with Duke Killion? Don’t you like each other? Did you have a… fight? Already?”
Veronia’s face slowly heated up, as if Jediel’s barrage of questions somehow cut to the core.
“Not really, I just thought the bed might be cramped.”
At this lame excuse, Jediel scanned the width of the bed again, his eyes twinkling.
“I think the bed is big enough, don’t worry, Mum!”
“…Yes.”
Veronia began to read the storybook aloud again. But Jediel was still glancing in the direction of the door, seemingly unable to concentrate.
Finally, Veronia put the book down. It was now past midnight, and it was time for Jediel to go to sleep.
“Do you want me to sing you a song instead of a book?”
“Yes! The baby squirrel song.”
“Good.”
Veronia gathered Jediel into her arms, patted him on the back, and sang.
“Degurrrr acorn rolling. Dodo dodo baby squirrel. Dodo dodo dodo.”
Veronia’s song rang out quietly.
“Where are you going, baby, when mummy asks. Dodo, baby squirrel. Dodo dodo dodo in mummy’s arms.”
Veronia sang for a long time. In Veronia’s arms, Jediel was fast asleep. Veronia closed her eyes as she listened to the sound of his breathing.
***
It was after midnight when Killion entered the unlit building of the Ashmore Intelligence Guild. Onyx greeted him.
“Why did the Lord Chancellor ask to see me?”
“To see what you’re capable of, and to request an investigation.”
Onyx smiled weakly at Killion’s reply. It was a false smile.
“Assess my abilities? I’m disappointed. You mean to tell me that the highest ranking member of the Imperial Executive still doesn’t know what we, the Ashmore Intelligence Guild, are capable of?”
“I’m not the type of person to just take a report and be done with it. I like to see things with my own two eyes.”
Onyx frowned at Killion’s answer. He seemed to be underestimating Killion’s ability to deflect his attacks so well.
“So what is it you want me to do for you? Just tell me. I’ll show the Chancellor what I made of it.”
“To find the true method of killing the Emperor.”
Onyx’s eyes narrowed at Killion’s answer.
SHE SAID YESSSSSSS🎉💕