Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: The Proposal
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Beth collapsed to the floor beside him and crawled over on her knees. The pounding in her ears could have been her heartbeat or the echoes of those footsteps from moments ago—she couldn’t tell.
All she could see was Dever’s forehead, bowed low. Beth suddenly felt like bursting into tears. Even when she placed her hand on his trembling shoulder, he wouldn’t meet her gaze.
It felt like the fullness in her heart was crumbling away. It was always like this. Whenever something good happened, something bad followed right on its heels. Everyone who drew close to her ended up hurt, and everyone she cared for drifted away.
Was happiness always such a heavy price to pay?
She hurriedly opened the medicine kit and patted his back a couple of times. His shoulders still wouldn’t stop shaking.
But something was off.
The faint tremors grew into heaving sobs. She could hear him stifling gasps, like he was fighting back something bursting out. At first, she thought it was just ragged breathing, but it wasn’t.
Beth’s hands suddenly cupped Dever’s ear and jaw, lifting his face. The moment their eyes met in the dim light, laughter exploded from him. It poured out from the deep dimples beside his curved lips, bright and tinkling.
Beth could only stare in stunned silence. It was as if someone had fixed her face in place—her gaze clung stubbornly, refusing to let go.
Leaning his head against the wall, he tilted it back and let out a long breath toward the ceiling. He was trying to rein in his laughter, but it didn’t seem to be working.
“Did I scare you?”
He lightly stroked the cheek of the woman whose face looked ready to crumple into tears. Normally, Beth would have slapped his hand away or backed off glaring, but for some reason, she stayed still.
Dever tilted his head, locking eyes with her more deeply.
“Did I scare you a lot?”
Of all the things to say right now.
Overwhelmed, Beth clenched her fist around the medicine kit to hold back the flood of emotions. She’d known it all along—this man wasn’t right in the head.
Not even aware of what she’d been thinking.
She bit down hard on her lips, which she’d pursed tightly to hide their trembling.
“Sorry. I was just messing around.”
Dever grabbed Beth’s wrist as she tried to bolt up, speaking in a more serious tone this time. There was still a hint of laughter at the end, but hearing his apology softened her anger a little.
“I wanted to rest somewhere, and this was the only place that made sense.”
It was sincere. Beth’s scheming friend had signaled him discreetly, but he couldn’t just swallow that bait whole. A gentleman had his principles, after all.
Now that her shock was fading, Beth’s round eyes suddenly turned icy. Dever felt a tickle in his chest at the sight, but he pressed on as casually as he could.
“For real. Resting anywhere else would be... a bit risky.”
His thumb, which had been brushing her cheek, slowly slid past her red lips and down. It traced her pointed chin, then lightly encircled the slender nape that seemed too delicate to grasp.
Dever’s eyes narrowed slightly. He withdrew his hand plainly. Any further would be dangerous.
Beth let out a deep sigh. A genuine breakdown would have been worse than some drunken prank. Still, she had no intention of letting it slide. Keeping her stern expression, she flipped his hand over toward her.
[Is it really not hurting?]
She dug in her nails deliberately to write the words. A petty revenge this man might not even notice.
“If I said it hurt, would you be nicer to me?”
Dever, holding her small hand, now traced his finger over her palm. An unfamiliar tickle made Beth’s hand twitch, but he didn’t let go.
Invisible feelings were being etched onto her small palm.
[Listen up.]
What could this be about? Beth waited tensely for what came next.
In the quiet warehouse, only Dever’s finger moved stealthily, marking the passage of time.
[Has the alcohol worn off yet?]
After all that buildup, it was just some silly drunk talk. Beth’s tension deflated.
Dever caught her hand as it went limp and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her to her feet. Her feet dangled in the air, lifted against her will.
He set Beth lightly on the side table. Leaning in with both arms planted beside her, their eyes met at the same level.
Unlike the lame joke from before, the weight of the shifted atmosphere made Beth roll her eyes. Dever waited quietly until her averted gaze returned to him. Even in the dark, her fluttering black lashes trembled like butterfly wings, clear as day.
“You can’t be drunk.”
His voice slid smoothly into her heart.
“I can’t propose to a drunkard.”
Propose. Beth tilted her head at the surreal word from his lips. She must have misheard.
A proposal. From this man, a duke of the Empire, no less.
Dever’s finger touched the furrow between her brows.
“Don’t frown. It’s a good day.”
She wasn’t the drunk one—it had to be him. Drunk on his own joy, not even knowing what he was saying. The thought made her chuckle softly.
This man, and her too—they were both intoxicated by this unfamiliar atmosphere. Just like the people enjoying that little party inside her.
Beth grabbed his arm and pulled it down.
[You’re drunk—]
“I’m not drunk.”
Dever’s breath drew closer.
“I’m not joking. And definitely not messing around. I’m not that entertaining of a guy.”
Watching her eyes widen, Dever wrestled between a surge of passion and reason. A base desire clawed at his chest—to tilt her head and claim those lips so close, filling them with his breath.
He felt his suppressed urges writhing beneath the guise of gentlemanly restraint. Faces of men he’d dismissed as horny dogs flashed by. In the end, he was just one of them.
Dever decided to postpone his desires a bit. Anything with this woman would come in time.
“When the war ends, come to the ducal house.”
Instead, he pressed a brief kiss to her smooth forehead, letting his overflowing heart pour out there.
A soft smack accompanied the warmth, and Beth quickly cupped her forehead with both hands. Dever’s expression remained calm.
“I’m proposing to you right now.”
The proposal fell with the kiss, leaving Beth’s lips parting soundlessly. Unaware of how her red lips fidgeting in the dark tormented the man before her, she bit and released them restlessly.
Dever tsked like he was soothing a child and lightly tapped her self-tormented lip. Beth tucked her lips away quickly and tried to calm her pounding heart. This time, it was definitely her heartbeat.
Did this man not grasp the weight of a proposal?
His eyes, insisting it wasn’t a joke, were grave. Her reflection filled his steady gaze. That only made it harder to understand. Why me, of all people?
Beth knew Nexus inside and out. She’d felt its rigid class structure more keenly than anyone—how intricate it was, how it left no room for cracks. Shattering even one part of that frame took more than throwing your whole body at it. Yet this man claimed he’d do it for her.
[Why me?]
Why would you go that far for someone like me?
Beth wished it was all just drunken nonsense. If it was a feeling that would fade with the dawn, better to let the winter wind scatter it away.
“Because it’s you.”
His firm voice took root in her heart.
A seed ready to bloom had been planted.
“It has to be you, Beth Jens. No one else.”
It was a disarmingly pure confession. Beth shook her head shortly, as if to say it didn’t make sense.
Dever gently cupped her small chin. Even in the darkness, the hairpin in her hair gleamed like moonlight. He tenderly brushed back the stray locks falling over her forehead.
“It’s true. It has to be you.”
Dever’s voice dropped lower.
“You didn’t pass me by.”
Her dark eyes questioning his reasons were adorable. He didn’t care if it stemmed from pity. Whatever it was, he wanted to bind this woman to his side.
Even if their feelings didn’t match perfectly, that was fine.
“I don’t care where your reality lies.”
Dever remembered Beth crumpling over a mere letter. He hadn’t forgotten her wandering gaze when asked if she had anywhere to return to after the war.
If her heart was adrift without anchor, he wanted it to settle in him. If so, he could cling to her vulnerabilities over and over.
No guilt to hold him back.
“If you need a place to run to, hide with me.”
Dever tilted his head.
“I’ll keep you hidden from everyone.”
Sweet words. A confession potent enough to shake Beth’s heart. In that moment, she realized she didn’t feel frustrated at all by her silence.
Her hand rose, tracing his prominent brow bone, straight nose bridge, and faint cheek dimples. Dever swallowed dryly at the teasing brush of her fingertips.
“You keep doing that, and I can’t hold back.”
His gray eyes rippled. Suppressed emotions swelled to bursting. He gently encircled her exposed nape and drew her in.
“There’s no windowsill to push me away from now.”
With that, Dever’s lips met Beth’s. The seamless press shared their heat fully.
Beth’s hand, clutching his shirt collar, trembled faintly. Without breaking the kiss, Dever took her hand and guided it to his neck. Soon, her fingers tangled in his soft hair.
Each turn of their heads released ragged breaths. Veins bulged over Dever’s hand on the rustling fabric of her dress. Fleeting kisses, echoes of their deep one, trailed from her jaw to her throat.
Pressing his lips to her pale collarbone, Dever buried his face in her white nape. Her pulse throbbed unfiltered against him.
“You’re driving me insane, really.”
He pulled Beth tightly into his arms. Their chests pressed together, hearts pounding in unison. Only after drawing her scent deep into his lungs did the intoxication hit.
He adjusted his hold, firm and secure. So she couldn’t escape.
He had no intention of letting go now.