Chapter 2.1 – No Takebacks

Heizen Warkliber was a tall, dark man, just as Rizle remembered. In Kabakia, his face was often flushed, likely due to the heat, but now, in the cold corridor, it appeared pale.  

There was one more noticeable difference. Previously, it had been nearly impossible to read his emotions because his expressions hardly changed, no matter what he said. But now, it was easy to tell—his deeply furrowed brows made it clear to anyone that he was in a very unpleasant mood.  

So, he was human after all, not a stone. He had feelings. Rizle felt a momentary sense of relief before realizing this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.  

“Looks like he heard everything I just said!”  

Rizle whispered to Mary, panicking about what to do.  

You should be more careful with your words. 

Mary thought to herself as she cautiously observed Heizen’s reaction.  

Tap, tap.

Rizle’s ears perked up at the sound of footsteps approaching from behind her. When the footsteps stopped, her tension skyrocketed. Even without turning around, she could feel his gaze piercing through her. Her anxiety reached its peak.  

As Rizle pretended not to notice and avoided looking at him, Gilbert stepped forward.  

“I told you to wait quietly until the family meeting reached a conclusion. Why are you lurking around here?”  

Gilbert demanded in a harsh voice. Heizen, who had been glaring at Rizle as though trying to bore a hole into the back of her head, slowly opened his mouth.  

“I felt that if I stayed still, the situation might turn against me.”  

His voice wasn’t loud or imposing, but it carried a deep sense of anger. Rizle swallowed hard.  

“For example, someone might be trying to pretend that an already accepted proposal never happened…”  

He trailed off.  

Rizle realized he was talking about her. She admitted to herself that forgetting about it entirely was her fault. But wasn’t he also to blame?  

‘Who proposes to someone who’s completely drunk?’  

Surely, he must have known she wasn’t in her right mind. Even so, he had gone ahead with the proposal. 

In that case, he should have been prepared for something like this to happen!  

Rizle’s thoughts quickly reached a conclusion.  

“Hah!”  

Suddenly, Rizle spun around and lunged at him with a loud shout.  

Caught off guard, Heizen couldn’t avoid her sudden attack. He nearly lost his balance but managed to steady himself just in time. However, Rizle grabbed his arm and yanked him forcefully, pushing him into a nearby room.  

Click.

Rizle locked the door behind her.  

“Rizle! What are you doing?”  

Gilbert, startled by his sister’s unexpected behavior, banged on the door. Rizle shouted back that it would only take a moment, then glanced at Heizen with a determined look and let out an audible snort. Slowly, she began to approach him.  

“Are you planning to charge at me like a wild stag again?”  

Heizen took a cautious step back, spreading his arms wide as if preparing to push her away if necessary.  

“Before we face everyone, there’s something I need to confirm with you.”  

Her expression turned serious as she raised her right hand and pointed to the ring on her left hand with her index finger.  

“Did you really give me this last night, Count?”  

Still wary, Heizen nodded. Rizle lowered her hand and relaxed her gaze.  

“Why did you give it to me?”  

“Why?”  

A frown formed on Heizen’s previously expressionless face.  

“Did you carefully consider it before proposing? Are you confident you can handle me, Count?”  

Her face clearly expressed her belief that he wouldn’t be able to handle her. Heizen’s pride seemed wounded by her question, as his jaw tightened visibly.  

“I’ll let you live as you have been, even after we’re married. I’ve secured enough land and wealth for that.”  

“What?”  

“I’m also planning to purchase a mansion in Kabakia soon. If there’s anything else you need…”  

“Wait. Hold on a second!”  

Rizle raised both hands and interrupted him.  

“That’s not the kind of thing I’m talking about.”  

She hesitated to approach him too closely, as his current expression was too intimidating. Instead, she pointed her index finger at him with a serious look.  

“I’m talking about something a husband must absolutely do when he’s married to me!”  

This was it.  

Rizle tapped her cheek with her raised finger. Heizen tilted his head slightly, clearly not understanding her meaning.  

“You have to kiss me! Can you do that, Count?”  

Heizen, who had been watching her with gritted teeth, suddenly relaxed his jaw. After her unexpected body slam, now she was saying this? He was utterly confused.  

When Heizen didn’t respond right away, Rizle took his silence as a refusal and gasped dramatically.  

“What, are you planning not to kiss me even after we’re married?”

Rizle had grown up watching her mother, the Marchioness of Thruella, kiss her father every single day. Even now, they still did. Watching her parents, Rizle had dreamed of having that kind of relationship with her future spouse.  

But this dream wasn’t something she could achieve alone. It required a partner who was willing to participate.  

That’s why she was asking him before their marriage, yet he was making it so obvious that he didn’t want to.  

It seemed impossible now to achieve her dream. Rizle felt deeply disappointed.  

“Fine. I won’t force someone who doesn’t want to do it.”  

It seemed she’d have to live a married life without kisses. Rizle resigned herself to this fact. Though she accepted it in her mind, her lips pouted involuntarily from the frustration.  

Heizen let out a short breath. Rizle, thinking he was mocking her, glared at him with wide eyes.  

How could she spend her life with someone so cruel, someone who dismissed her dreams so easily?  

At this point, Rizle no longer wanted to simply reconsider the proposal—she wanted to pretend it had never happened at all.  

“Alright, alright.”  

Heizen stammered, as if realizing something midway through his sentence. Rizle squinted at him suspiciously, and Heizen cautiously approached her. Then, to her surprise, he leaned in and pressed his lips against her cheek.  

Feeling the soft warmth of his lips, Rizle’s eyes widened. She was so shocked that she couldn’t react. Her thoughts froze, allowing only one realization to surface.  

‘His lips are so warm!’  

And it wasn’t just his lips. The heat radiating from his body, now so close, was equally intense.  

While Rizle remained frozen, Heizen pulled away and stepped back. Rizle stared at him blankly, while he averted his gaze with a scowl.  

How much must he hate kissing to grimace like that? Rizle felt as though she had forced him into it, and her mood soured.  

“You’ll have to do this every day. Can you handle that?”  

“Doing it every day won’t be a problem.”  

Still avoiding eye contact, Heizen replied. Then what was the issue? Rizle narrowed her eyes and asked.  

Heizen hesitated, his lips twitching as if he found it difficult to answer. After glancing at her expression, he sighed through his nose and spoke in a resigned tone.  

“I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to stop there.”  

Rizle blinked innocently, not understanding what he meant. Before she could ask, Gilbert’s patience, worn thin from waiting in the corridor, finally snapped.  

“Are you coming out or not?”  

In the end, Rizle had no choice but to leave the room, carrying her confusion and frustration with her. Waiting in the hallway was Gilbert, who looked just as annoyed as she felt.  

“What were you doing in there?”  

“Nothing.”  

Rizle avoided his gaze and mumbled. Suspicious of his sister’s behavior, Gilbert narrowed his eyes.  

“Rizle Thruella, if you do anything strange in this house, I won’t let it slide.”  

Although his words seemed directed at Rizle, Gilbert’s eyes were fixed on Heizen. It was clear that the real warning was meant for him. His sharp glare seemed to say, ‘I’m watching you.’  

Heizen, meeting Gilbert’s hostile gaze, calmly responded.  

“Even as her brother, I don’t think it’s wise to interfere in matters between a husband and wife.”  

Gilbert let out a dry laugh in a stiff voice, utterly exasperated. Sparks flew between the two men in an instant. It seemed as though they might grab each other by the collar and break out into a fight at any moment. 

Mary, fearing that the situation might escalate and involve her, kept her lips tightly shut. Rizle, too, wondered whether she should intervene in the quarrel. If she were to stop them, which side should she tell to back down? The dilemma was troubling. At the same time, another thought crossed her mind.

‘If the two of them fought seriously, who would win?’

Gilbert’s swordsmanship was unparalleled among all the knights in Troskan. On the other hand, she had heard that Heizen’s skills with a sword were average at best. Would it be an easy victory for Gilbert, then? But hadn’t there been stories of Heizen suddenly displaying extraordinary strength during the war, as if he had become a different person altogether? 

Even though Heizen was supposed to be her future husband, Rizle couldn’t help but wish for him to lose to Gilbert. That way, she could use the duel as an excuse to call off the engagement to a man she disliked talking to, let alone kissing.