"What did you say?" Raphkiel turned around and stared at her directly.
Alisa panicked. She cursed herself for spouting such nonsense. She had already decided earlier not to tell him and yet, she almost shouted that she was pregnant with his child. Although the words that came out of her mouth were different, it was no better than what she initially thought of. But since it was already said, she could only go through with the flow.
"I said that... I want to marry you. It's not because I'm trying to sell myself or make amends to you, okay? I'm just thinking that maybe it would work for the both of us."
"In what way would it work? I don't understand what you mean. Why should I even marry you?" He turned around as he didn't want to listen to her anymore and was about to continue leaving again, but Alisa caught his hand and prevented him from running away.
Alisa thought that this man was quite difficult to handle. He was easily irritated and would take all kinds of matters to heart, be it small or big. She would have to put lots of effort to coax him but she wasn't really suited for that kind of thing. She barely interacted with her fellow humans so how could she possibly know how to deal with a partner? Not to mention that it's a cold and heartless man like Raphkiel, who was rumored to be a ruthless person to people who were his enemies, according to the gossips circulating in the military back then. Still, she had to try. Her baby couldn't be left fatherless at all cost!
"I'll prove it to you! Maybe you need a marriage partner or something so we can try for a trial marriage. If it doesn't work, you're free to divorce me and throw me out." She was so ashamed of herself that she nearly fainted. However, she had to persevere and successfully convince him. As for grunt, she had long forgotten that he was still there.
Grunt, on the other hand, was confused. He was supposed to be the main character for today. How in the world did his confession ended up being interrupted by his former marshal and stolen his woman away? He couldn't accept it. In a fit of rage, he grabbed Alisa's arm and pulled her away from him.
"What do you think you're doing, Alisa? You said you'd give me a chance if I found you again. How come you suddenly want to marry him instead of me? Do you even know that man's crimes? You'll just suffer in his hands!"
Grunt's voice was becoming agitated as he objected to her decision. She felt guilty for playing with his feelings, but she couldn't be with him. "I'm sorry, Grunt. But I have thought about this thoroughly. I'm dead set on marrying him."
"What can you even get from him? What's so great about him? He's nothing but a wanted criminal right now. He doesn't even have anything tied to his name."
That was true. She didn't know anything about the current Raphkiel in front of her. Since he was already casted away by the royal family, he naturally wouldn't have any assets with him as she was with him when he escaped from Sylpharia. He didn't bring anything aside from a small backpack that probably contained nothing but clothes. He also wasn't the type to steal valuable things so there was no way he brought jewelry from the palace. But if he was really poor, how come he became the president of the Eclipse Technology and Co.? Alisa turned towards Raphkiel and looked at him suspiciously.
"Are you really the owner of the Eclipse Technology and Co.?"
Raphkiel didn't answer immediately. He had been thinking all this time about what her motive was for suggesting a marriage. When he heard her asking about him being the owner of his company, his face darkened. He thought Alisa was after his wealth since he remembered her saying she was a poor girl and wanted to earn decently and even freeloaded for food which was the reason why she joined the military. He sneered in his heart but didn't let it show. So be it. He would deny it and see if she would still ask him to marry her. If she backed out, that only meant she was a gold digger. If she still wanted to go through with it, she probably had other hidden agendas. In any case, he thought she was hiding something.
"No. I only came there to deliver the boss's gifts. I'm just a driver of the company." He coldly denied it. He had already expected that she would look crestfallen upon learning that he wasn't rich, but instead, he was surprised to see her only making an 'oh' expression and smiled.
"That's fine then. I don't need your money even if you're rich. I have more than enough from my military merits."
Now that he thought about it, she had indeed received a lot of coins from the king. She was even able to buy a large villa as this one so she probably earned like several millions. Still, money won't last forever. She had already spent so much and soon, she would be left with nothing unless that company she started would bloom. He thought about helping her initially but his mind had already changed. He would see things first before making his next move. What Raphkiel hated the most was being betrayed after they benefitted from him.
The two had already reached the end of the deal and was about to seal it off when Grunt still wanted to object.
"Damn it, Alisa! Think it through. You'll only suffer if you're with him!"
"Sorry, but I have made my decision. It's not up to you to decide whom I should marry." She was starting to get annoyed by his continuous interference. She only agreed back then because she thought she would never see him again. Never did she expect that he would come flying here to chase after her. It was becoming such a mess and she felt a headache coming through.
Grunt finally snapped as he felt like he was being played like a fool. He pointed his finger towards her as he spoke with a voice filled with bitterness and a hint of sarcasm. "I can't believe this. I was being honest with you and this is how you treat me? Good! You're really so good! You'll pay for this."
He walked away in anger and sped off with his car. Alisa had a bad feeling about it. He was never that type of person back in the camp. It was surprising that Grunt had changed so much in just a short span of time. The way he looked at her felt like he was about to strangle her to death. Madness loomed beneath his well-tempered façade. It was better to be careful. She couldn't afford to lose her first child in any mishaps.
"So, what now?" Raphkiel spoke again.
"Huh?"
"Don't 'huh' me. What's would happen next? You're the one who brought up the marriage." His eyes narrowed as he glared at her sharply.
She got a little frightened by his piercing stares, not because she would fight him, but because he would soon become her husband. Yeah, what was she going to do next? There was only one thing to do and they had to get it done today so she could finally take a rest. She let out a sigh and took his hand.
"Let's get our marriage certificate now."
Raphkiel was shocked. He wanted to pull her hand away, but hesitated. On one thought, his mother had been pestering him to get married to a noble rich woman in Sylpharia and even threatened him to destroy what he built in Eidelweiss if he didn't follow her orders. It would be the perfect time to go against her wishes and get away from her shackling hands.
"Got it."
The two rode on his expensive bentley car with Raphkiel on the driving seat while Alisa sat on the passenger seat. The two of them didn't speak to each other as the car sped off towards the Civil Registry's Office. Alisa wanted to ask him how he got an expensive car but then remembered that he was working as an employee in the Eclipse company so he was probably able to bring out the cars wherever he went in case he would be called by his boss to drive.
After fifteen minutes, they arrived at the designated place and proceeded to the counter. They wrote their names on the certificate and then took a picture for their marriage photo. Alisa looked at it and frowned. Why can't this rigid man smile for a second?
But she was also no better. Being a cold-blooded killer for so long, she wasn't accustomed to smiling a lot, especially when it's not actually something worth to be happy about. She didn't have feelings for him, so she didn't know what to feel after getting married. Both of them received their own copies. Alisa still couldn't believe that she was married. She didn't change her surname, at least not yet. He, too, still used the surname Arnor.
"Pleasure to meet you, my wife." He greeted with a cold smile. Alisa was nervous. She was already starting to regret her decision. Raphkiel then added, "I have to make things clear to you, though, so we should make some rules between us."
"Wh-What is it?" She nervously asked.
"One, you must never betray me. During the whole duration of our marriage contract, you are not allowed to have affairs in public. The same goes for me. If I ever catch you betraying me, don't blame me for what I'm going to do."
"Second, let's keep away from each other's business. Never enter my room unless I tell you so."
"Three, we should decide if you want to live in my house or I should move in to your villa. As a married couple, we have to at least show that we are living together. This is not negotiable. That's all."
Silence enveloped the two of them. Alisa didn't answer immediately. However, she thought that what he was asking was just the right thing to do since they were just marriage partners. Whatever motives he had for agreeing, she didn't care. She just wanted a father for her child, and since it was the father himself who agreed to marry her, it wouldn't be a problem to agree to his conditions. She would just pretend that he didn't exist.
"Alright, I can accept to that. In that case, you should probably stay with me. Don't worry about the money. I can pay for myself. You just do what you need to do and I won't get in your way at all." She said and nodded her head in agreement.
"I'll see you later tonight then. Goodbye." He turned towards the car and left without even waiting for her reply.
"Goodbye, Mr. Arnor..." She couldn't bring herself to call him her husband or his first name anymore. It sounded too awkward unlike when they still had nothing to do with each other. She wondered how she was going to live a life together with a man now. It would be a new experience, but it would also feel mentally taxing and exhausting probably. Especially right now, she was already angered when she realized that he left her in the civil registry's office without even sending her home.
She sighed and cursed him in her mind silently for being a jerk. Alisa called for a cab to send her home.