Kingdom Building Game: Starting Out With A Million Upgrade Points! Chapter 195: Heart Burdened With Desire Part Two

"Back then, Father used to get furious when we trampled his roses. I rember you took the bla, though. Always the gallant one."

Roland laughed, a deep, hearty sound that echoed softly in the quiet path.

"Soone had to keep you out of trouble," he said, his tone fond. "But look at you now—leading armies, serving the emperor himself. Your father's proud, you know. So am I. It's been too long. Mind if I walk with you? I'd love to catch up."

Seraphine's tension eased slightly, her lips twitching into a hesitant smile.

"Of course, I'd like that." She fell into step beside him, her armor clinking faintly as they wandered toward a quieter path lined with flowering shrubs, the courtyard's clamor fading behind them.

Roland paused, his expression sobering as he glanced at her. "And you? How's life treating you, Seraphine? The court, the war… it's a heavy load."

Seraphine's smile faltered, her fingers tightening around the scroll as her thoughts drifted to Arkanos.

She blushed slightly.

She shook her head, forcing a lighter tone.

"It's… demanding," she said, her voice catching slightly.

"But I manage. What about you? Still roaming the countryside for Father? Start a family yet?"

Roland chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "Well, if you can believe it, I'm still single. Guess I've been too busy chasing your father's errands to settle down."

That drew a loud laugh from Seraphine, the tension easing from her shoulders.

"Still single, huh? For so reason, that doesn't surprise ," she teased. "You're not getting any younger, Roland. Are there seriously no wife prospects yet?"

Roland's smile turned rueful, his hand lingering at the back of his neck as he chuckled. "About that," he said, his voice lowering, a hint of nervousness creeping in. "I've been aning to change that, actually. With your help, I hope."

He stopped walking, turning to face her, his brown eyes locking onto hers with sudden intensity.

Seraphine's smirk faded, her sapphire eyes narrowing as she tilted her head.

"My help?" she asked, her voice a bit cautious, her gauntleted hand shifting to her hip.

"What do you an?"

Roland took a deep breath, his posture straightening as he dropped to one knee, the gravel crunching beneath him.

He reached for her hand, his calloused fingers closing gently around her gauntlet, his gaze unwavering.

"Seraphine Valebright," he said, his voice steady but thick with emotion, "I've admired you for years—not just as a knight, but as a woman of strength and grace. I want to spend my life by your side, to make you the happiest woman in the empire. Will you take my hand in marriage?"

Seraphine froze, her breath catching as her erald eyes widened, her face flushing a vivid scarlet. Her hand stiffened in his, the scroll slipping from her grasp to flutter to the ground.

"Marriage?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, her heart pounding like a war drum.

Roland remained kneeling, his gaze never wavered despite the silence stretching between them.

The breeze stirred the flowering shrubs nearby, but he didn't move, didn't falter.

'Why now!?'

Seraphine's mind reeled. Roland—faithful, kind Roland—had always been there.

A man she once admired from her youth, a friend she could rely on, a piece of her past untouched by the court's shadows and bloodstained battles.

She should've felt sothing more—joy, warmth, maybe even love. But instead…

Her thoughts wandered, unbidden, to Arkanos.

'Why him?'

She asked herself, the question echoing bitterly.

The emperor was charismatic, commanding, shrouded in power and secrets... especially his recent relationship with the head Priestess.

Yet her heart stuttered at the thought of his gaze, the way his voice sounded when speaking her na, the rare monts he allowed himself to be… human.

It wasn't duty that made her breath catch when he was near.

It wasn't loyalty that stirred warmth in her chest when she caught a glimpse of his rare, fleeting smile.

But what did it an?

'This isn't right.'

She thought, a wave of guilt rising in her throat.

'I shouldn't feel anything for him. I can't. Allowing those emotions to bloom would be dangerous...'

For her, for her position, for her soul. Maybe accepting Roland's proposal could silence the storm in her chest, ground her before she fell too far.

But the words wouldn't co out of her mouth.

She looked down at Roland, still kneeling, still waiting, hope etched across his face like a man baring his heart for the first ti.

'He deserves better than this heart in confusion...'

She thought, pain blooming in her chest.

He deserves soone who looks at him the way I… the way I look at Arkanos.

Her throat tightened.

'I can't lie to him. Not like this.'

Seraphine's breath hitched. She took a step back, her heart thundering in her chest. "Roland… this is all so sudden."

"I know," he said quickly, rising to his feet, his hands half-raised as if to keep her from pulling away.

"I know it's not the best ti. But when is it ever? We live on borrowed monts between battles and duties. If I keep waiting for the perfect ti, I'll lose my chance forever."

She looked away, her eyes scanning the path ahead, but he stepped closer—not demanding, but earnest.

"I've thought about this for years, Seraphine. You've been in every decision I've made. Every ti I returned ho, it was your face I rembered. I don't want to keep pretending that what I feel is just friendship. It's more than that. Always has been."

Seraphine's fingers clenched around the scroll. "Roland…"

"I'm not asking you to drop everything. I know your world is complicated. But I needed you to know how I feel. And I needed to ask—not just to get it off my chest, but because I believe we could make this work. Together."

She blinked, torn between the warmth in his voice and the weight pressing on her shoulders.

"I… I didn't expect this," she said, voice barely above a whisper. Her gaze t his again, full of storm and softness. "I'm not saying no, Roland. But I need ti. Just… so ti to think."

Relief flashed across his face, followed by a grateful, almost shy smile.

"Take all the ti you need," he said gently. "I'm not going anywhere."

Seraphine gave a small nod, exhaling slowly as so of the tension drained from her shoulders. They stood in silence for a mont longer, the unspoken words lingering in the air between them.

Then, quietly, she turned and continued walking—her steps slower this ti, her thoughts far more turbulent than before.

Roland watched as she left with a faint smile on his face.