"What is the reason behind this sudden proposal? Honestly, I’m tired of being disappointed. So, just say what you want outright," Neonidas said, slipping into his characteristic role.
Allea’s eyes glowed eerily in the dim room, reflecting the firelight with a captivating intensity. Only one side of her face was visible, illuminated by the flickering flas of the fireplace. She remained silent for a mont, clearly lost in thought.
"Do you rember the days we used to play by the river when we were kids?"
Neonidas paused briefly as he searched his mory, and then he rembered. Years ago, he and Allea would constantly play together. The two of them had been engaged even back then—or rather, they had a betrothal. But neither of them had the faintest idea what marriage was; they had only heard from adults that they would always be together. And so, they had happily grown to enjoy playing with each other more and more.
Allea had always harbored a curious love for nature, especially rivers. Back then, nothing was as complicated as it was now. Their entire world revolved around the gas they played on the riverbanks.
Allea had been a cheerful and curious child. There was always a smile on her face, and an adventurous sparkle lit her eyes. Watching the beams of light dance on the water’s surface by the riverbank made it easy to understand her love for nature. She always carried a small flower or a pebble in her hand, treasuring each one as if it were the most valuable thing in the world.
"Neo, do you see this shiny line inside the stone?" she’d exclaim excitedly. "This is the river’s gift to it. We’re all gifts of the river." At the ti, those words had seed like nothing more than a child’s imagination to Neonidas, but now he could grasp the depth of that innocent statent.
Allea’s innocence blended seamlessly with her love for the world around her. Whenever she saw an injured bird, she would do everything she could to nurse it back to health. So days, she would dip her feet into the cool waters of the river and tell Neonidas about the fantastical worlds she dread of. "One day," she’d say, "the river will take us into its own world. Maybe we’ll beco fish, or maybe we’ll flow freely with the river."
Allea’s laughter had been like a lody to Neonidas back then. The pure joy in her voice could make him forget all the world’s complications. When she placed flowers in the river as offerings to the River God, a sparkle would light up her eyes. "If we do this, the river will love us too," she’d say.
"Those were good tis," Neonidas admitted as he pulled himself out of his mories.
"Back then, everything was rosy for . I approached everything around with curiosity and love. But as I grew older, I changed. Do you know why I changed?"
Neonidas hesitated when he heard Allea’s question. He felt a deep curiosity to understand how the once-innocent girl had turned into who she was now. Yet, he wasn’t sure what to say. So, he simply asked, "No, why did you change?"
Allea’s gaze shifted to the dancing flas of the fireplace, and for a mont, her eyes seed dull. The sparkle they once held as a child had vanished, now swallowed by the flickering firelight. She took a deep breath and began to speak slowly.
"Because the world wasn’t as beautiful as I had imagined it to be. Back when we played by the river, everything felt like a fairytale. But over ti, I realized how weak fairytales were in the face of reality’s cruelty. That river where we used to play was my sanctuary. But even that sanctuary couldn’t protect from the truths of adulthood."
Neonidas could hear the bitterness in her voice. He was beginning to understand how the joyful, nature-loving girl had turned into soone so dark. Allea continued:
"You know, that river dried up one day. No matter how much I tried to understand why, I never could. Maybe nature got tired of us, or maybe people consud everything. But that river changed, just like , and disappeared. That day, I realized nothing lasts forever in this world, Neo. Not innocence, not gas, not even people. That’s why I changed—because I had to, to survive."
As Neonidas listened to her words, his expression betrayed no emotion. Yet, deep down, he understood her inner pain and disappointnt. The darkness in Allea’s eyes had replaced the innocent sparkle of the past. For Neonidas, accepting people as they were or exploiting their darkness wasn’t a matter of preference; it was a strategy. When he spoke, his tone was calm but carried his characteristic pragmatism.
"You changed because you had to," he said slowly, locking his eyes onto hers. "But that’s not a bad thing, Allea. Survivors are those who choose to survive. You just adapted to your surroundings, just like I did."
His cold pragmatism slightly took aback Allea, but couldn’t deny that she understood Neonidas’s perspective. "Like you? Have you really changed, or were you always like this and just chose to hide it?" she asked, her expression a mix of challenge and curiosity.
"Let’s not change the subject, Allea. You recently proposed marriage to . Let’s return to that," Neonidas said, abruptly steering the conversation back.
Allea paused montarily at his sudden shift in focus. She pulled her gaze away from the dancing flas and looked at him. A faint smile appeared on her lips, but beneath that smile lay a whirlwind of emotions. Suddenly, she stood up and walked toward him. Lifting her long dress slightly to avoid tripping, she revealed her pale, shapely legs. Before Neonidas could process what was happening, she sat down on his lap.
Her hips rested directly on his thighs in a way that allowed her to balance easily. She cupped Neonidas’s face with both hands, gently caressing his cheeks with her fingers. "You and I, Neo, together, we can turn the entire world into our backyard. I won’t lie to you—I’m not in love with you. Honestly, I don’t even know what love is," Allea said.
With the world’s most powerful sorcerer in his arms, Neonidas of course did nothing... He was already comfortable with the situation he was in.
Allea gently ran her fingers through Neonidas’s blonde hair, tidying it and giving it shape. "Do you rember when you said I would choose another man instead of you in the future? Even at that ti in the future I probably wasn’t in love with him either. Choosing him was probably a strategy. "
"And now, is choosing the sa kind of strategy?" Neonidas asked.
Allea grabbed his chin and gave it a light squeeze. Even in such a small gesture, her strength seed to roar, as if proclaiming its presence. "Yes… But at least I’m honest with you, and as far as I understand, honesty is the first step to a happy marriage. Isn’t it?"
Neonidas looked at Allea with mixed feelings, caught between her sincerity and her manipulative approach. He kept his hands resting on his knees. He could sense the faint but unmistakable magical energy emanating from her arms. It wasn’t as though she was using her power to influence him, but it was clear she was determined to maintain control of the conversation if necessary.
"Honesty…" he repeated. "The first step to a happy marriage, or its most convenient excuse? Allea, you wield honesty like a weapon, but if you think that will convince … you’re mistaken. In my view, the essence of a happy marriage lies in genuine love between both parties. Everything else just makes the marriage more bearable."
Allea chuckled softly. She slowly withdrew her hands from his face and placed them on his shoulders instead. Then, narrowing her eyes slightly, she gave him a look full of understanding. "In that case, I promise you this: Even though I’ve never felt this emotion before, I’ll try to love you. At the very least, I’ll do my best to share this thing called love with you."
Neonidas stayed silent for a mont, processing what she had said. He locked his gaze on her, hesitant to reveal what he truly felt inside. As always, this woman was cold, calculated, and precise with her words. Yet the subtle conflict and glimpses of sincerity within her made it difficult for him to remain completely indifferent.
"Well, that’s a reasonable offer," he finally said, his tone calm but softer than usual. "I don’t have to believe you. But I’ll accept your words. If you’re truly going to make an effort, it’s a start. Now, what do you want from in return?"
At this, Allea’s hands slid toward Neonidas’s neck. Though she applied no pressure, the threatening aura she exuded was palpable. "First, I’ll want you to share your knowledge of the future with . You’ll work alongside . And I also want you to kick your bitches out of the house."
"And what assurance do I have that you won’t use and then discard afterward? My knowledge of the future is limited; after all, thanks to you, I didn’t live very long," Neonidas replied.
Allea responded to his words with a slight smile. Her fingers lingered lightly on his throat, and though the nacing tension softened a little, it didn’t disappear entirely. Her shift in deanor didn’t an she was surrendering. While she doubted so of what Neonidas said, her confidence in his intellect was unwavering.
"How can you know I won’t use you and throw you away? That’s a good question…" she said, locking her eyes onto his. "Because now I see your potential. For now , you’re no longer just soone with knowledge of the future. To , you’re soone talented enough to rule alongside ."
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I added Cassandra’s illustration!
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