Chapter 108: Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 108: Proposal
“Sign here, please.”
“But, Inspector…”
“Just write your name and it’s done.”
“I’m well aware of that, but…”
Staring at the marriage registration form shoved in front of him, Adler began to sweat profusely. He looked up at Gia Lestrade, a forced, strained smile on his face.
“This is a marriage license.”
“And?”
“If I sign this, you and I will be officially, legally married.”
Lestrade merely tilted her head as if to say, “Isn’t that the point?”
“I am aware. Now, sign the form.”
“Um, you do know what marriage actually entails, right?”
“Of course I do. That’s why I proposed, isn’t it?”
A look of grim determination sat on her face as she spoke.
“As I said before, to be honest, I don’t have the confidence that I can best you.”
“Why would you think that?”
“There is no one in the London Metropolitan Police Department more talented than Charlotte Holmes. Yet even she seems to be nothing more than a plaything to you, isn’t that so?”
“I think you’ve been listening to some rather exaggerated rumors…”
“The man who used Charlotte Holmes as a mere tool in this recent incident has no right to say that.”
Adler found himself unable to retort. Seeing him silenced, Lestrade looked at him with an ‘I knew it’ expression plastered on her face.
“I had my doubts, but Charlotte Holmes’ speculation was correct after all. You are indeed a very frightening person.”
“Silence doesn’t imply consent. You, of all people, should know that, Inspector.”
“You’re right. As a police officer, I can easily distinguish what a person’s silence implies, Isaac Adler.”
“…Hmm.”
“Frankly, I expected you to be at death's door soon, but Dr. Rachel Watson mentioned you have the means to restore your lifespan. To be able to obtain the extinct Dragon’s Tears… you truly are remarkable.”
“………”
She didn't back down, pressing Adler further. However, upon hearing her mention his conversation with Dr. Watson regarding his lifespan, Adler’s gaze lowered instinctively. Lestrade caught the movement, a puzzled look crossing her face.
“…Is it not true? I’m certain that’s what the doctor said in the room.”
“…Yes.”
“Hmm.”
When Adler nodded nonchalantly to her probing, her demeanor returned to its original, frigid state.
“Anyway, I’ve thought long and hard about this… and there seems to be only one way to legally bind someone like you before it’s too late.”
“…And that would be marriage?”
“Precisely. It is the only way I can legally tether you—a man who manipulates the British legal system as he pleases.”
Pale and desperate, Adler spoke in an urgent tone, trying to crack Lestrade’s resolve.
“But if you marry me, your last name will change. You’ll become Gia Adler. You won’t be a Lestrade anymore; you’ll be known by my surname.”
“I wasn’t at the top of my class, but I have enough common sense to know that.”
“Uh… and that’s not all. After the name change, you’ll have to live in the same house as me.”
“I would imagine so.”
“And you’ll have to put on an apron and cook for me every morning. Can someone like you really accept a life like that?”
“Why don’t I just work and earn the money, while you wear the apron and do the cooking?”
“Uh, that’s…”
Adler was left momentarily speechless by her sharp response. His mind went blank, his face a mask of utter perplexity.
“Well, if you don’t want to, I’ll take on the cooking as well.”
“………”
“If you wish, I’ll do the laundry and the dishes, too.”
Finally, Gia Lestrade—having made an offer that nearly every man in London would kill for—pointed to the corner of the registration paper once more.
“So, sign it.”
“…You’ll have to share a bed with me, though.”
Adler set the pen down gently, trying one last time to dissuade her.
“Sharing a bed is a marital duty. If that is troubling for you, I suppose I can’t help but—”
“I will.”
“…Pardon?”
Lestrade replied in a calm, steady voice after gazing at him for a few moments. Adler, who had been ready to end the conversation with a look of feigned regret, couldn't believe his ears.
“I will share a bed with you.”
“………”
“It would be ridiculous to refuse a marital duty when I was the one who proposed.”
Lestrade’s expression was unwavering, though she let out a faint sigh at the end.
“Inspector, do you truly understand the weight of what you’ve just said?”
“What is there to understand? It’s simply sharing a bed, isn't it?”
“I’ll be direct, then.”
After hesitating, Adler looked her in the eye with newfound determination.
“Can you have a child with me, Inspector?”
Silence fell between them.
“If your proposal wasn't a jest, eventually, you will have to carry my child in your womb.”
“………”
“Inspector. Can you truly intertwine your life with mine and bear my child? A child who might have my blonde hair and your silver eyes? Can you really do it?”
For the first time that day, Gia Lestrade’s calm facade began to contort.
“You will have to breastfeed that child and love it with all your heart. Without a mother’s love, a child cannot grow up properly.”
“…….”
“For your information, I’d like twins. It would be nice if our daughter had silver hair and golden eyes.”
Adler leaned in close to Lestrade. The inspector was looking down, biting her lip so hard it turned white, her mind clearly in turmoil. He whispered his final question.
“For the sake of protecting London from me… can you handle that?”
“………”
“…As I thought. It’s impossible for you.”
Her body began to tremble visibly, a visceral rejection of the scenario he had painted. When no answer came, Adler murmured in a low voice, as if he had expected this outcome all along.
“Let’s consider today’s offer null and void. Inspector, in the future, you should make such decisions more carefully…”
“…I will.”
“Pardon?”
Adler had already turned to leave, walking down the corridor with Moran—who had been standing by with a dazed expression on her face—when the determined voice reached him from behind. He spun around.
“What did you say…?”
“I said, I will do it.”
Gia Lestrade looked him in the eye and spoke with a clarity that left no room for doubt.
“I will have a child with you.”
“……….”
“That is what marriage is, after all.”
At her resolute answer, Adler’s mind went as white as a snowfield.
“I’m not entirely sure how one goes about making a child, but you likely know the details, so let’s move past that. I will carry the child and I will give birth.”
“………”
“Of course, I will breastfeed and love the child sincerely. Not only that, I will take full responsibility for the childcare. I’m confident in that regard, as I’ve acted as a parental figure for my siblings since I was young.”
Gia Lestrade’s words drove a wedge into his thoughts, pinning him down.
“Do you really have to go that far…?”
“If that’s what it takes to protect London from you—my greatest and worst enemy—I am willing to endure even more.”
“But…”
“Are you feeling guilty now, Isaac Adler?”
As Adler stuttered, Lestrade tilted her head and spoke in a mocking tone.
“Isn’t it a bit late for that?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“You’re such a sorry excuse for a man.”
“Are you really willing to sacrifice your entire life just to stop me?”
Lestrade stared intently into Adler’s eyes.
“I have no choice.”
Half of her was driven by disgust and moral obligation, but the other half was tinged with a feeling even she couldn't quite understand. She searched his face for a long time before finally answering in a low, calm voice.
“…Because I love you.”
With those words, she handed the marriage registration form back to Adler and turned to leave.
“It seems difficult for you to give an answer right away, so I’ll give you some time.”
“……..”
“Please have your mind made up by our regular date next weekend.”
She walked away down the corridor, her steps measured and calm.
“Inspector…”
“……….”
“You do realize we haven’t even kissed once, right?”
She halted in her tracks, startled by Adler’s exasperated voice.
“For now, shouldn’t we get used to physical contact first…”
“Don’t say things that make me feel sick.”
She cut him off before he could say another word and disappeared around the corner.
“What does having a child have to do with kissing, anyway…?”
Silence returned to the corridor.
“Phew…”
“Dad, I don’t want a mean stepmom.”
In the quiet, Celestia Moran, who had been watching the entire exchange, whispered to Adler. He let out another long sigh.
“…Just live with me.”
Adler replied faintly, gently stroking her head.
“I wish I could.”
“………”
Preoccupied with thoughts of Lestrade, Adler missed the brief, eerie flash of darkness in Moran’s eyes as he began to move.
“Miss Moran, please wait here for a moment.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just to the restroom.”
He walked away, his gaze drifting briefly toward Rachel Watson’s office in the neighboring building.
*
Meanwhile…
“…Hehe.”
Rachel Watson had returned to her office after her consultation with Professor Moriarty. For some reason, the usual exhaustion was gone from her face. Her cheeks were flushed as she hummed an elegant tune, her hand fondling something inside her coat pocket.
“I’ve already received the engagement ring…”
Swoosh…
“…So now, it’s my turn to give the wedding ring.”
In a few minutes, her fiancé—whom she felt she hadn’t seen in months—would walk through that door. The surprise wedding ring she was about to present to the love of her life sparkled enchantingly in her hand.