Chapter 21: A Confession That Feels Familiar

He pulled his lips away and raised his head. In his past life, he had hidden everything from Afrosa because he didn’t want to lose her. He kept the fact that he was of royal blood a secret, as well as the fact that she was an escaped slave who hadn’t gained her freedom. He kept silent about it until he returned to Travis. It was only after Afrosa accidentally arrived in Travis at his urging that she learned the truth about him.

He recalled the woman who had looked up at him with a stiff expression during the banquet that Lord Offrege had prepared. The memory of her frozen like a statue in Valery’s dress, staring at him, never faded. Their relationship had slowly begun to drift apart since then…

“What is it?” Afrosa asked, looking at him as he silently grasped her hand. Alec gazed at her with desperate eyes. At least, he didn’t want to hurt Afrosa like that.

‘I feel like an idiot,’ he thought.

He heard her voice break with emotion. The image of the woman crying while wearing a dress borrowed from a woman who wished to marry him lingered in his mind. Afrosa had cried with deep betrayal and self-loathing when she learned the secret he had hidden. After that, she had become afraid to appear in public and struggled to face him.

He didn’t want that to happen again. He didn’t want to cause her betrayal or self-doubt. He didn’t want to feel like he was losing her because of his own actions.

He wanted to change it somehow. To change things, he tried to save Orchen. By altering these small details, he believed their outcomes would also change.

“Promise me one thing,” he said.

“Okay.”

Alec swallowed his fear and began to speak slowly. Afrosa hesitated before nodding in response to her husband’s earnest gaze.

“Promise me you’ll believe in my love.”

He tightened his grip on Afrosa’s small hand. Afrosa had a puzzled expression. Alec insisted on hearing the answer, so he urged her to respond. Reluctantly, Afrosa nodded.

“I believe in your love.”

“Promise me you won’t leave me, no matter what happens. Promise me you’ll stay by my side, no matter what—whether it’s me or you, it doesn’t matter.”

His voice was desperate. Afrosa couldn’t understand her husband, and her lips moved in confusion.

It was natural for her to love him, no matter what. Since the moment they met, she had always loved him, so there was no need for a promise. But Alec was pushing her, urging her to answer as if he was being chased. It felt strange.

“Why are you saying this?”

“Rose.”

“I’ve always loved you.”

“Promise me you won’t leave. Promise me you’ll stay by my side forever, as my wife and the mother of my child.”

Afrosa remained silent. Alec’s voice trailed off. He pulled her hand back and kissed it again. Then, he finally spoke the truth.

“I am a prince.”

“My father is Leodegrance VII, and I am his only legitimate heir, born to Eloise of the Castro family, his consort.”

The words flowing from his dry lips were clear and precise. Afrosa listened intently to each word of his low, murmured voice, absorbing them all without letting a single one slip by. She felt that, should she ask him to repeat himself, Alec would not hesitate to speak again.

When he revealed that he was of such noble birth, and that Afrosa was someone who could never dare look up to him in such a way, Alec’s face twisted as if he might cry. His expression was painful, like someone who had been burned deeply, but Afrosa couldn’t understand why he was struggling so much.

“…I see.”

She replied briefly. Afrosa didn’t seem surprised or emotional. She didn’t even withdraw the hand he was gripping so tightly. She simply lowered her gaze, turning her eyes slightly away. She didn’t know much about royalty.

It wasn’t because she was uneducated, but because she had never had the opportunity to meet such people. Ordinary folks like herself didn’t know much about royalty. Of course, people in Travis might be different. Since they lived in the heart of the kingdom, their lives would be more intertwined with the royal family, and while they might not know every detail, they would likely understand more than the villagers here.

But Afrosa knew nothing. Like everyone else in the village, she had no opportunity to encounter high-ranking or noble individuals. In this place, even a simple baron’s arrival would make everyone tremble and bow low. The idea of royalty here was unimaginable.

She wanted to show proper respect, but since she had never been taught how to show respect to royalty, she was unable to do so. It wasn’t because she was a former slave, but because she had never had the chance to learn.

“Rose.”

Alec called her. His voice was heavy, as if it were made of iron. Afrosa slowly lifted her gaze from the floor, noticing that he seemed to be waiting for her to say something.

But she had nothing to say. Nothing came to mind. She wasn’t emotionally agitated or confused, so she didn’t feel any different. Her husband was of royal blood. Not just any royalty, but the biological son of the late emperor, making him a prince.

“Rose.”

“…But.”

A prince was the highest authority in the country, second only to the emperor and empress. She, on the other hand, was the adopted daughter of a minor noble and had lost her parents, who had been slaves. Was she even allowed to be here like this?

“Can I stay here?”

Alec, who had been waiting for her response, quickly asked again. Afrosa, with a worried expression, parted her lips once more.

“Is it okay for you to be with me?”

“I…”

Alec couldn’t respond. It wasn’t that he was hesitating because he didn’t know how to answer, but it seemed that he was confused by her reaction. Afrosa subtly withdrew her hand. The arm he had been pulling on had started to ache. Quickly, Alec grabbed her hand again.

“Is the person in the other room your brother?”

“No.”

“Ah…”

“He’s my uncle.”

“Ah.”

“He’s my late mother’s younger brother…”

“Then, he’s also nobility?”

“Rose.”

“Is our house too shabby to make you uncomfortable?”

Afrosa averted her gaze from him and stared at the dusty window. Alec’s mouth went dry. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

In her past life, Afrosa had been shocked to learn that he was of royal blood. It wasn’t just the shock of finding out his status in that moment, but the overwhelming confusion she felt about the vast difference in their ranks.

Her husband was a prince, and she was a runaway slave. The realization of these truths, the shock of learning them so late, was not easy to overcome, and she had felt deep self-loathing because of the insurmountable differences. She had also felt inferior to Valerie, who was the daughter of Marquis Offret, for the same reason. But now…

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

Alec said, looking at her intently. He wanted to turn her gaze back to him. But Afrosa, still unmoved, was looking out the window. Her expression remained sharp and emotionless.

“Rose.”

“Yes?”

Just as he was about to reach for her chin, she turned her head again.

“Is there anything else you want to ask me?”

Afrosa blinked. Alec calmly waited for her response. He was ready to answer anything. If she asked about his future plans, he would explain them step by step and try to persuade her. But Afrosa didn’t seem to have any particular reaction.

“Would it be alright if I got pregnant with your child?”

“…There’s nothing that can’t happen between you and me.”

Alec furrowed his brow. Afrosa just stared at him blankly. Not responding to him, Alec raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek. There was not the slightest trace of moisture. His chest tightened.

“We are husband and wife.”

“……”

“Nothing is more important than the fact that we’re married. It doesn’t matter who I am or who you are.”

His gaze locked with Afrosa’s blue eyes. His eyes were filled with an intense, desperate longing. But Afrosa, for some reason, felt suffocated by his gaze.

She didn’t want to be emotionally overwhelmed and cling to him like before. She found herself wanting to break free from him, to run away. Like an impulse. Yes, like an impulse, she wanted to shake off his hand and hide somewhere.

“Rose.”

He called her once more. His voice, flowing between his crimson, handsome lips, was smooth and elegant. Afrosa looked down at him as he whispered her name, like a line from a poem, and slowly nodded her head. She wanted him to stop.

“…Okay.”

She averted her gaze and lowered her head, nodding.

“Give me a kiss.”

It was an unexpected request. Afrosa stared at him with uneasy eyes, slowly lowering her head. His hand grabbed her cheek. When she moved to kiss him, his hand released her wrist, leaving her feeling empty. Slowly, she closed the distance and pressed her lips to his.

From beneath his nose, she could smell the scent of wood mixed with his body odor. As she closed her eyes, the kiss began to stir, as if he was devouring her. The warmth that spread between them felt like shedding snake skin. Afrosa pulled away from his lips and immediately gagged.

“Ugh—ugh—”

The sourness in her stomach made her head spin. Her chest burned with an unpleasant, sharp sensation. While she struggled, Alec returned with a tray from the kitchen. Afrosa covered her mouth with the back of her hand and shook her head at him. She felt like she needed to get outside. Alec, seeing her attempt to stand, gently pushed her back down and started patting her back.

Exhausted, Afrosa couldn’t push him away anymore and gagged again. The bile she had forced into her stomach mixed with the vomit that came up. After a few moments of struggling, she finally lifted her head. As she tried to wipe her lips with the back of her hand, a soft handkerchief gently wiped her lips instead.

“Are you okay?”

Afrosa stared blankly at her husband. His emotionless face flooded her mind, dark and clouded. She began to feel that something was wrong, and that feeling had started from that night.