Chapter 2: Give me time to think
I was sure that anywhere in the world, even the fanciest places, had a dark side. This also applies to Mesina, the capital of the Balthasar Kingdom.
The capital's center may be luxurious with many shops lined up and administrative buildings, and stately churches. But once visiting the outskirts, all that immediately turned around. Forget about grand buildings or just churches. What is there is primarily rundown pubs, hideouts for thugs, and brothels.
And it was there that Aeneas asked Selah to meet him.
"Watch out for him tricking me," Selah muttered as she tightened her grip on the knife beneath her robes.
She entered a seedy pub at the edge of an alley. The prostitute stood nearby while the thugs hurled obscenities. Selah became one of their targets.
"My, my. Where is this princess going?"
"Are you sure you want to go in alone? We can accompany you, you know."
"You stupid! That's not how you seduce a noblewoman!"
Damn it, Selah thought. "Move. You're blocking the door," she said firmly.
The group of thugs immediately whistled mischievously. They are busy all of a sudden.
"This noble lady is very arrogant, huh?" Suddenly someone embraced him from the side. "If you act like that, it could be dangerous, you know."
"It is precisely this attitude of yours that can invite danger." Selah brushed off the person rudely. It was obvious that he was the leader of these thugs. "You've been very impertinent to a woman. If caught, you could be punished."
The man smiled savagely. It looks like Selah was wrong for responding to him. This man was even happier when Selah continued to serve him.
The Selah hazard alarm immediately went off. Unfortunately, she came here alone without even saying goodbye to anyone at home. She would have a hard time getting out of this thug trap. No, even Selah still doesn't know what to do to get out of here.
This is all Aeneas' fault–
While thinking like that, a man suddenly appeared and stood up as her shield. A tan-skinned man with cropped hair came as if he wanted to help Selah.
"Please don't be impudent. She is my guest," said the man.
"Your girlfriend, Azel?" the group leader mockingly asked.
"Please don't be impudent," repeated the man called Azel in a cold and chilling stern tone. The thugs fell silent for a moment. "My apologies for the inconvenience, My Lady. We shall go inside now," he said, turning to Selah.
After appraising this Azel man for a moment, Selah following him. What mattered to her was getting out from the thugs. Even if this Azel man wasn't a good person, Selah could still handle him since he was a lone man.
But it seems Azel is really a good person. He led her to the 2nd floor of the pub, to a room with a small verandah where Aeneas was waiting.
"Looks like you're having trouble downstairs, Lady Selah?" greeted Aeneas.
"Next time, please make an appointment at a more appropriate place," Selah said, annoyed.
Aeneas chuckled, then motioned for Selah to sit down. "I hope you don't mind the food that Sir Azel is currently ordering. You have to try the sandwiches here. They are delicious."
"You didn't invite me here for lunch, did you?" she asked.
"Wow, you're a person who can't talk small talk, huh?" said Aeneas, amused. "Okay. You can already guess why I asked you to speak."
About his marriage proposal, Selah thought. Many men want to marry her. There's only one reason, and it's not because Selah is beautiful.
"Surely you can already guess the reason why I wanted to marry you: The Tullia Gem Mine," continued Aeneas with a grin on his face.
I'm right, Selah thought.
The Tullia Ruby Mine is a ruby mine discovered about a dozen years ago. The mines still yielded rubies no matter how many had been dug. The Tullia Mine is on the kingdom's border, within the territory, and has been managed for generations by Baron Tullia, Selah's uncle, the older brother of her late mother.
And that's what makes Selah desirable to many men.
Baron Tullia has no siblings, wife, or children anymore. They have all died horribly. Later, when he died, he would inherit the mine to Selah. If Duke Dulcia dies, Selah will also take care of his work and business.
Even though all of these treasures don't belong to her yet, Selah Dulcia will one day become the most influential and most affluent woman in the Balthasar Kingdom.
"You are very blatant, Prince Aeneas," Selah said. She looked Aeneas straight. "Does this mean you want the royal throne?"
Aeneas smiled broadly. "You catch my point very quickly," he said. "Yes, I want the king's position."
The king's position, not crown prince: Aeneas makes it very clear. Selah must be careful to avoid getting caught up in this struggle for the throne.
"So far, there has never been a political issue about you wanting a position in the kingdom. Why suddenly you want to be a king?" she asked.
"It's a secret," answered Aeneas with a smile.
Selah furrowed her brows disapprovingly. "You want to cooperate with me, but you hide the reason?"
"I can't say it now," said Aeneas casually. "But, let me tell you one thing instead. His Majesty the King is dying. Next winter, he will die."
"What?!" Selah was shocked to hear that. She only knew that King Tristan Seneca was sick, so Blair often replaced his job. Everyone also thought that King Tristan was just a normal illness. But if it was Aeneas who said that… "You… planned it?"
"Yes," answered Aeneas carefree.
Hard to believe. So far, Aeneas has been known as a prince who loves his family and has no political ambitions. Now all of a sudden, he said he wanted to kill his father and wanted to be king.
"Wait a minute, Your Highness." Selah massaged her temples. She had received too many surprises today. "Give me time to think, please."
"Of course. You don't need to rush. After all, I have already spoken to Baron Tullia. He said I may marry you," added Aeneas.
"Have you spoken to my uncle?"
"Yes, he arrived at Mesina yesterday. As soon as I found out, I immediately went there and spoke to him. It was a bit difficult talking to him, but—"
"All right, all right. Just get there, Your Highness."
Aeneas laughed, just as Azel came in with the food. "Eat before you go, Lady Selah. It's hard for you to think on an empty stomach," he offered. "Come on, come on. I guarantee it's delicious."
To be honest, Selah didn't have much of an appetite anymore, but she still ate it. What Aeneas said was true; it tasted good even though it wasn't enough to excite Selah.
Her only thoughts are on the uprising that Aeneas will soon create.
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