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Chapter 11
You’re Not My Child”
His golden eyes were calm, sinking into a serene stillness, showing not a trace of emotion.
Shaimon muttered in a flat, emotionless voice.
“Reproach, huh.”
He removed the monocle perched on the bridge of his nose and tucked it into the inner pocket of his shirt.
As if he didn’t even want to look closely, Shaimon lazily glanced down at Ruina from where he stood atop the stairs.
“I don’t see why Princess Ruina should have to hear the word ‘reproach’ from me. Pray tell, what connection do you believe exists between us?”
Ruina shivered at his cold gaze but forced herself to believe it was just her imagination, straightening her back.
She thought any man would inevitably be captivated by her.
In that sense, hadn’t Shaimon Terloen also created flames for her sake?
Trying to hide her trembling insecurity, she lifted her chin higher and spoke boldly.
“No. We have met before. During the last Oceanian naval battle, you saved me, didn’t you? And we met again yesterday.”
“Oh? Is that so? I had no idea.”
Shaimon smiled, folding his eyes as if hearing it for the first time.
It was a crooked smile that hardly felt warm.
“And what business is that of mine?”
“It matters. Because I must marry you. And I don’t think this proposal would be unfavorable for you either.”
“Whose idea is that?”
“Mine, of course. But I believe it aligns with your thoughts as well.”
This woman named Ruina had the foolishness to not read the atmosphere.
She arrogantly lifted her chin and responded confidently.
Shaimon, fascinated by a woman who could wipe away all arrogance in just ten minutes, stared at her with a mixture of disdain and intrigue.
‘A woman with the heavens beneath her feet.’
Even if she were a soldier of the enemy, there was a world of difference compared to Kalia, who he personally fed water to while she was dying right before his eyes.
Dealing with her felt like a waste of time.
Shaimon despised wasting his time on matters that did not please him.
Continuing this conversation would only sully the fleeting moment of supreme satisfaction he had just experienced.
“I apologize for my rudeness, but I see no reason to continue this discussion. Since you came here uninvited, I will not see you out. That is all.”
Shaimon turned away, leaving the princess trembling and bewildered.
As he lazily yawned and leisurely ascended the stairs, Ruina called out after him.
“Duke Terloen! Aren’t you at all curious why I came to propose marriage to you?”
“Not in the slightest.”
Shaimon’s firm reply instantly flushed Ruina’s face bright red.
“Hah!”
Shaimon let out a faint smile as he observed Ruina’s face, turning shades of red and blue in sheer disbelief.
Shrugging his shoulders and preparing to continue up the stairs, he suddenly remembered and asked Ruina:
“Ah, now that you mention it, there is one thing I am curious about.”
“Hmph! Whatever it is, I have no intention of answering obediently.”
Ruina crossed her arms and spun her head away, as if daring him. Shaimon asked anyway, indifferent.
“You said you saw Kalia this morning. Did Kalia see you as well?”
“I fail to see why that is of any concern to you.”
“Of course, it’s because I am worried.”
Even as Ruina’s face twisted in irritation, Shaimon’s voice remained remarkably gentle.
“I just hope… you didn’t say anything unnecessary to her, like before.”
His voice was sweet and concerned, almost like a man anxiously pressing for an answer to a love confession.
“Princess Ruina, please answer me.”
“…Ridiculous. You have no interest in my proposal, yet you are curious whether Kalia saw me?”
Her voice, slightly lower now, carried restrained anger.
“Oh… you noticed, did you? Correct. In this world, she is the only one I am curious about.”
Shaimon replied with an expression and tone full of regret.
“It’s… quite embarrassing, indeed.”
The gentle smile he added unexpectedly softened Ruina’s gaze slightly.
But that did not mean her anger had dissipated.
She bit her lip, gathered the book she brought, and stood abruptly.
Raising her chin high, she tried to salvage her pride, which had fallen to the ground.
In the most haughty voice she could muster, she said:
“Hah! If you’re so curious, ask her yourself. It doesn’t seem like you two are particularly close…”
Ruina’s cold glare accompanied a slight bend and release of her knees.
“Well, then, I’ll take my leave.”
With a sharp parting, she slammed the door behind her.
In front of the Crown Prince’s office.
Before opening the heavy door, Shaimon stood frowning, rubbing his chin.
‘The princess left, and the next day Kalia sent that absurd note. I was so frustrated I didn’t even ask her about it.’
No matter how oblivious or battle-focused a fool Kalia might be, in retrospect, it was clearly her fault.
Sending an apology note to the man she spent the night with!
Even thinking back, Shaimon felt a surge of anger.
In all the years he had known Kalia, he had never been this mad at her.
“Sorry? Sorry? Sorry? That word… it’s as if… as if the two of them—”
‘It’s as if she did something she shouldn’t have, Kalia.’
He pressed his fingers to smooth out the furrows in his brow while biting the inside of his lip.
“Hah.”
Just thinking about it made him sigh.
He had no idea how to awaken that dull-witted woman.
He admitted it: in the past, he had been foolish. Dumb, slow, and lazy, wrapped in his own pride.
Even at the academy, Shaimon busied himself with denying that he liked her.
Yet he constantly found himself thinking of Kalia, dreaming of her, and even believing some curse had fallen upon him the first time he had a wet dream.
To think he had fallen for a woman rougher than a pebble, utterly lacking delicacy…!
But now, he realized he had loved her from the very first moment he saw her.
‘And it took me five years to realize it, one year to deny it, and… one year to accept it. Seven whole years wasted.’
But after admitting his love for Kalia, he noticed her and only her, as if discovering a wound in a place he never knew hurt.
He loved Kalia.
‘I… I love Kalia. Really, I love her this much?’
It was both a surprise and a fascinating discovery of his own self.
Shaimon wanted to tell Kalia just how deeply he loved her.
If only that damn salt war hadn’t erupted!
‘And then another seven years!’
Because Kalia was always at the front line, Shaimon also volunteered there, becoming an unplanned war hero.
All he ever did was to protect Kalia…
But starting from the salt dispute with the island nation of Tollia, through the war with the pirates in the Oceanian seas, and Nathan’s opportunistic invasion,
War erupted almost without pause for seven years, and any lapse in vigilance meant Kalia returned drenched in blood.
In such a situation, a love confession was a luxury.
Whenever Kalia bled, Shaimon focused solely on ending this damn war as quickly as possible.
Her safety mattered more than the empire’s.
With the monstrous warrior General Kalia and the overwhelmingly talented Silver Mage fighting in unison, the war ended in seven years with minimal bloodshed.
Historians even claimed that what could have been a century-long war ended in seven years thanks to the two of them.
“…And yet, the next day, she sends me an apology note.”
Shaimon muttered cynically, catching the eye of a nearby guard.
Ignoring the guard, Shaimon glared at the closed door of the office, clinging stubbornly to his unease.
What did Princess Ruina say to Kalia? What on earth could it have been?
The last time he asked Kalia if she had met the princess, her expression had been slightly peculiar but not revealing much.
She had simply said they exchanged greetings, giving him a brief relief.
‘Shaimon… I really feel I’ve done something terrible to you. I should apologize again for that day…’
…But before Kalia could finish, she had gotten distracted, firing Fireballs like crazy, so he hadn’t asked in detail.
Though known for being cold and rational, Shaimon lost all reason when it came to Kalia.
His entire focus was on her, making him easily agitated and inflamed.
‘I need to calm down this impulsive temper first. Maybe tease her less… But can I even control this? What a dilemma… Perhaps I should try acting indifferent?’
He needed to reduce these overwhelming feelings for Kalia.
Maybe, if he tried, he could slightly lessen the intensity of his attention toward her.
Furrowing his brow, he shook his head and opened the firmly locked door of the Crown Prince’s office.
However, his cousin, whom he expected to be busy late into the night, sat perched on the terrace railing, drinking whiskey.
The unusual atmosphere made Shaimon frown.
“What’s going on?”
Luimond glanced briefly at his beautiful cousin.
Without a word, he beckoned Shaimon over.
‘What is he up to?’
“Come here, have a drink with me.”
“What? Why all of a sudden, Your Highness?”
Luimond shrugged without answering.
Shaimon, silently standing next to him, asked sharply:
“Did you have some unpleasant conversation with Kalia?”
