Chapter 2 - Episode 2: Rixus Aktoum

Everyone in the hall roared at Rixus’s bomb-like remarks.

Meanwhile, in my head, I was searching for which method of killing was called ‘marriage proposal’.

Proposal, a method of killing that cleanses the soul…?

Did any of the new killing methods have a name like that?

It was exactly three seconds later that I remembered the exact meaning of the word and was bewildered.

“I have come to take you as my wife.”

Rixus, who put everyone in shock, was alone. He took a step towards me.

At the same time, swiiik! The guards drew their swords in unison. Dozens of blades pointed towards Rixus’s neck.

“Stand back! Don’t you dare approach without Her Majesty’s permission!”

“It’s okay.”

Intercepting the brave commander of the guard, I calmly raised my hand. At that signal, all the guards put down their swords.

‘What do you mean? Rixus…’

In fact, the relationship between Spinel and Aktoum was close to that of enemies. Besides, Rixus had never seen me in this lifetime.

But why was he proposing out of nowhere?

My eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Despite my skeptical gaze, Rixus quietly walked to the throne.

Then he held out the mysterious purple flower in his arms.

“Berylia Spinel, I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

To want to spend the rest of your life together… The comment was romantic, so it’s even scarier and suspicious, right?

Rixus was looking at me tenaciously. While his hot gaze pierced me, I also searched him with a tight gaze.

‘He isn’t armed at all.’

He didn’t even come with a single sword.

The black formal robe, which was draped over his wide shoulders in a perfect fit, was the traditional attire worn by men during wedding proposals.

And that purple proposal flower…

It was a flower that bloomed once every few decades from generation to generation in the imperial palace of Aktoum. Perhaps in the life of that crown prince, it might be a flower that would never bloom again.

But it was the flower that had been plucked from me.

‘If I refused, my marriage would be over in my life, but to break that… … .’

Rixius at least looked sincere.

But even so, there was absolutely no reason for me to accept this proposal.

‘Is there any woman who wants to marry the madman who will kill her in the future…?’

Rixus Aktoum is the nemesis of my life.

He was a man who would one day hunt me down mercilessly.

Thinking about a newlywed life with that cold-blooded person made me dizzy.

“Hmm.”

I looked down at him, tilting my nose and chin at an angle. Then I deliberately sat and spoke in an arrogant manner.

“If you kiss the back of my foot, I’ll accept your proposal.”

“!”

Those around me were even more startled by my request. The eyes of the guards that said ‘what!’ appeared to be growing inside the helmet.

Either way, I was relaxed. After all, it was because I was saying it to be rejected.

‘There’s no way he will kiss the back of my foot.’

How strong was Rixus’s pride? He was a man who would eventually die standing up even when he died on the battlefield. A man with such insanely strong self-esteem would never do this…

“If the Queen wishes.”

…He didn’t have it?!

Rixus knelt down on one knee.

Then he took my slim feet out of my dress and wrapped them in his big hands. My ankles got a bit hot. He rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly against my calf and whispered at the top of my foot.

“I’d love to lick these cute feet on our first night.”

A terribly low voice tickled my skin dangerously and languidly.

He smiled quietly with slender eyes.

My face turned completely red.

It felt like I was tricked.

Like this!

A sharp pillar of ice, created by my magic ability, broke through the floor and instantaneously aimed at his neck. There would have been a hole in his chin.

He looked at me with his eyes wide open, as if in amazement.

Trying to keep my composure, I said,

“Get off.”

Rixus quietly retreated. Then, with a relaxed smile on his lips, he entangled his gaze with mine.

“What good is it if I marry you?”

Since the provocation didn’t work, I chose to ask using the standard method. He answered without delay.

“Peace between Spinel and Aktoum. And a handsome and strong Crown Prince husband as a bonus.”

The former is natural. The latter…

‘How dare you say such a thing with your own mouth. Aren’t you really crazy?!’

I looked at him carefully.

Black hair, and blue-purple eyes were as mysterious as the dawn.

A clean forehead, a raised nose, and a strong chin gave off a masculine feeling.

On the other hand, the red lips protruding from his risqué white skin could make women impatient enough to want to touch it.

Although his voice was extremely low, he was a man with a charm that made my whole body relax because of his languid tone and vocalization.

…The latter was also acknowledged.

At this point, I was bound to be very curious.

‘Is he the craziest of the handsome guys, or the most handsome of the crazy?”

This was a greater dilemma than whether the chicken or egg came first. I frowned and thought, then said.

“…Let me think about it.”

I needed time. Time to sort things out for this great accident that happened in my eighth life.

What made him come all the way here without a sword?

Even for Rixus, it was a dangerous choice.

“Give Prince Rixus a room.”

“…….”

“If he shows any suspicious signs…”

I walked down the stairs one by one and looked down at him.

“You may cut his head off.”

Then hot fingers tugged my wrist. As I was about to pass by, Rixus caught me secretly.

At the same eye level, our gazes were densely intertwined.

A languid, low voice flowed from his thick lips.

“Berylia.”

His eyes darkened.

“Take it seriously, because I risked my life to come here.”

The feeling of the caught hand was numb. From the pulse of my wrist to my heart, it felt like an invisible fire was spreading in an instant.

His gaze penetrated me. Intensely, as if suffering from an unknown disease.

It was a look that would be remembered for a long time.

“…….”

I shook off his hand without answering.

And leaving Rixus behind my back, I left the hall.

* * *

“Are you going to accept the Prince’s proposal?”

The Duke of Orléans asked me. I sat in my office chair and looked up at him.

This gray-haired man with a monocle was a capable counselor who gave wise advice whenever I faced a headache.

Spinel’s smartest.

“What do you think of it?”

I asked, clenching my chin. Duke Orléans politely bowed his head and answered.

“Spinel and Aktoum are on bad terms, but they have maintained an alliance on the surface. You know, it’s because of their resources.”

“Yes.”

“Every time relations deteriorated and diplomatic ties were cut, the people had no choice but to suffer.”

Spinel and Aktum had opposite natural environments.

A country where it snows all year round, Spinel.

The continent where the Spinel dynasty bloomed was called ‘Andions’. It means the land of mystical snow.

Manastones were abundant in the topography, and there were many rare plants that had absorbed mana and grew in the snowfield above the manastone mine.

The magic stone gave Andions’ strength. Rare plants were used to kill and save people.

On the other hand, a country with four distinct seasons, Aktoum.

The continent where the Aktoum Empire was established was called ‘Romnia’. It means the land of colorful forests.

Due to the climate, the granary was vast, and the Frieze River, which connected the two countries, started there and flowed here.

Whatever was planted in this land grew well. The people of Romnia did not know hunger.

The two countries have been exchanging resources for many years.

Then, when diplomatic relations were cut off, the people of Aktoum died because they did not receive medicinal herbs to cure the plague, and their magic research was severely affected due to the lack of magic stones.

The people of Spinel died miserably from starvation.

After all, the barren Spinel could hardly produce any food if Aktoum responded harshly and dammed up the Frieze River.

“If you are married to the Crown Prince, we will move towards a unified empire.”

I listened quietly.

“Since diplomatic relations itself will not be cut off, we will create synergy with each other and establish ourselves as a prosperous country.”

“That’s right.”

“But… Your Majesty.”

Duke Orléans slowly looked up and faced me. Wrinkled eyes filled with worry.

“That is only possible if the marriage is peaceful and well done.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your Majesty will find it difficult to bear in Aktoum.”

I already knew what Duke Orléans meant. I just asked if there was any other meaning.

‘Because there are many people who hate me in Aktoum.’

If I were to marry, nobles who were not fond of Spinel would bite me like dogs rushing to rotten meat.

Was there any reason for me to go and be insulted?

I am already being eaten to my stomach in my own country!

‘I’m not going to apply for double criticism. What kind of crazy proposal is this…’

I closed my eyes, pressing on my stinging temple.

“It is a risky decision. If the relationship deteriorates during the holy marriage process, it will rather become a seed of war.”

Duke Orléans had always feared war between the two countries. I answered sweetly, but firmly.

“War will never happen.”

“…Your Majesty’s will is so strong, I am deeply relieved.”

No. It was not because of my will…

I was simply aware of the flow of the story. There had never been a war between the two countries.

Of course, the crown prince had also never proposed to me.

‘Why did the flow of the story change?’

It had been seven lives. In the meantime, the relationship between the two countries and the flow of my life had always been the same.

Of course, I did try to change the ending of being killed by Rixus. Until the 5th…

It was a miserable day when I did everything I could to survive.

But the story always returned to the same place.

With the ending where I am killed.

After a series of disastrous failures, I exhausted all hope. And the last two lives were lived in conformity with fate.

‘The surprising thing is that I was able to live longer because I was acclimatized.’

At least, if I failed… I wasn’t going to be miserable.

‘Will it make a difference if I marry Rixus? Rather, it might be a choice that hastened death.’

At that time, I had the illusion that the voice I heard in my last death was digging into my ears.

“Berylia Spinel, you are the worst human being that shouldn’t have existed in the first place.”

“Even if you die, no one will be sad.”

In the end, he will tear me apart again like nothing’s wrong, Rixus.

As if an old wound was fading away, the feelings that had been crouching deep in my heart began to wriggle.

I made a decision after careful consideration.

“The Duke of Orléans.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Go to Rixus right now and tell him that I’ll turn down the proposal.”

* * *

After a while.

I was wearing only a thin, sheer bralette in the bedroom.

Then I looked closely at my body in the front mirror.

‘The blue roses haven’t bloomed on my skin yet…’

When Rixus killed me, a blue rose pattern had always bloomed somewhere on my body.

The flower was a ‘sign of evil’.

After the blue rose pattern formed on me, an oracle was made in Aktoum that I would be possessed by a demon and destroy the world.

So I had a habit of taking off my clothes and examining my body like this, often out of anxiety.

I still couldn’t believe that Rixus came to me even though I didn’t have the pattern.

‘He couldn’t have come just for a real marriage proposal.’

“…Maybe on the sole of the foot…?”

It was when I was shyly looking at the soles of my feet.

Suddenly, it was noisy outside. There was the constant sound of something hitting, breaking, and being messing up.

I couldn’t understand why there was such a commotion in the royal castle and in front of my bedroom.

But then there was a voice.

“Get out of the way, if you block me, I’ll rip you to death.”

“!”

I looked at the door in surprise and hurriedly covered my naked body with my hands.

‘…What is that crazy guy trying to do?!’