Married To The Enemy Kingdom's Illegitimate Prince
Chapter 36 — Can I Kiss You?

Chapter 36: 36 — Can I Kiss You?

As the sun set, the peach-orange hue washed over the sky, gradually blending into violet. Cynthia wandered through the narrow alley in a daze, her thoughts elsewhere.

She couldn’t shake the memory of the strange man she had encountered earlier. Following his thin figure, she had entered a shabby building, only to find herself in a shop brimming with magical items.

She recognized many of them—Vincent had filled his room with similar objects, and though she had never been particularly interested, she remembered his explanations well. Each time she visited him, he would eagerly explain their functions, and she had made an effort to understand, even if the details escaped her.

"You seem to know quite a bit about these," the man’s voice broke her thoughts, startling her.

Cynthia flinched, turning sharply toward the shorter, elderly man. "Why did you bring me here?" she demanded, her glare sharp.

The man smiled faintly.

"Well... let’s just say I sensed a strange mana within you," he replied.

Cynthia scoffed.

Not this again.

She had grown to despise anything related to magic, even though she had long accepted her lack of it.

In her previous life, the nobles had tormented and outcasted her precisely because of this absence. They added to her misfortune, her already hellish life, using her inability to wield magic as a weapon against her, further isolating her from society.

It felt to her as if the gods were mocking her. She had once pleaded desperately for magical power, hoping for a divine intervention that would bestow her with abilities beyond her own. But they had not granted her wish, leaving her powerless.

Yet now, as she began to redirect her focus towards other means of gaining strength, people kept appearing with claims that she had latent magical abilities.

She no longer desired their approval or their magic.

Not anymore.

If she did possess such powers, why hadn’t they manifested earlier, when she turned fifteen? That was the age when everyone underwent a rigorous test to evaluate their mana levels. It was a universally acknowledged rite of passage.

In her past life, Cynthia had tested negative for magic, leaving her with nothing but a sense of futility.

This time around, she hadn’t bothered to test her abilities; she had simply told her brothers that she had no magic at all. She had never undergone the week of "Yune"—the so-called awakening period for mana owners.

Yune was a grueling week during which those with magic would endure a range of symptoms: intense physical pain, periods of unconsciousness, severe dizziness, and other debilitating effects.

Each person’s experience varied, but at least one symptom was inevitable— physical pain.

Cynthia had never experienced any of these, except during a fight, from which she recovered quickly, usually within a week. Hence, it wasn’t due to the Yune.

The man had told her that her case was unusual. She didn’t just possess magic; her magic was special—she was special.

With a mocking laughter, Cynthia left the building without a backward glance, despite the elderly man’s desperate calls.

"So this is where you’ve been," a sharp, familiar masculine voice came from behind her.

Cynthia turned slowly to see a panting young man before her, his white shirt drenched with sweat.

Was he... running around looking for me?

The thought made Cynthia’s lips curl into a faint smile, though she quickly regained her composure.

Lucian? Looking for me? Seems my plan didn’t completely fail after all.

Before Cynthia could speak, Lucian’s firm grip encircled her wrist, and he dragged her through the once-bright alleys now shrouded in darkness.

"I can’t believe you disappeared on purpose! If you wanted attention so badly, you could’ve just said so. I’d have arranged for people to entertain you."

Despite his rambling, Cynthia recalled the old man’s warning.

"You need to be careful! No one should know about your magic powers. Otherwise—"

"Otherwise what?" Cynthia thought, but quickly dismissed it. "He was just spouting nonsense. When did I start believing in such nonsense?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Cynthia found herself seated in a carriage, Lucian sitting across from her. A glimmering red stone shone through Lucian’s shirt, a detail she hadn’t noticed until now.

"You took it back?" she demanded.

"Did you think I’d let you keep it? If you have a thing for ruby jewelry, I’ll buy you some. But don’t lay a hand on this stone. I doubt you even know what it is."

Of course I know. I saw plenty of them in Tervland during the war. It’s strange we never crossed paths during the battles though...

Cynthia wanted to voice her thoughts but remained silent. The day had been too long, and she was too exhausted to argue with Lucian.

The couple didn’t speak a word to each other during the remaining journey. They simply watched the dark scenery as the cold breeze of the night brushed against their skin.

After an hour, the carriage came to a stop in front of the grand duke’s mansion.

Lucian stepped outside the wagon and extended his hand towards Cynthia, something he couldn’t do last time when they went to their wedding reception banquet.

With a smile, Cynthia placed her hand on his palm, her cold skin touching warm palm.

They say a person with warm hands tends to have a colder heart. It is true, isn’t it? After all, you have a cold heart, Lucian.

"One last thing. I hope this will be the last time you do this. Because next time, I won’t bother myself to look for you," the dark-haired man spoke, his emerald irises glimering in the darkness of the night as he looked up at Cynthia who still stood inside the wagonz

With a bright smile, Cynthi leaned closer to Lucian without descending, looking deeply into his eyes, wondering how come he would never make eye contact with her now.

He always tried to avoid locking his gaze with her.

Even in her past life, he wouldn’t do it. So why was he making eye contact with her now?

"What are you looking at?" Lucina demanded, his eyebrows furrowing.

"I was wondering if..." Cynthia paused, the suspense grew, the distance between their faces gradually narrowed as she leaned closer.

"If?" Lucian raised an eyebrow, waiting for her reply.

"Can I kiss you?" Cynthia asked with a bright smile.

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