Chapter 498.1: Strategic Coaxing (1)

To someone who was already on the verge of death, all solutions offered to them were precious straws of hope to be grasped at. However, in real life, there were some solutions that simply couldn’t be accepted.

There was a famous saying in Roel’s previous life: The cure cannot be worse than the problem.

If a person had to sacrifice something more important in order to save their life, it was only normal for them to be averse to it. That was also the dilemma Charlotte was facing.

In her view, Roel had nothing to gain from what he was going to do. His body would only weaken from the depletion of his life force, and he might even lose his life while trying to bait out the Six Calamities.

To Charlotte who cherished her loved ones more than herself, this wasn’t an acceptable outcome.

She knew how agonizing it was for her body to slowly weaken toward death’s embrace but be completely unable to do anything about it. She didn’t want Roel to experience the same despair she did.

Furthermore, she knew that Roel would face far greater danger than her if he were to fall into a weakened state, for there were powerful enemies after his life.

The Fallens had been the nemeses of the Kingmaker Clan since a thousand years ago, and they had recently bared their fangs at him. This group of people had perpetrated many appalling incidents, and it would be wise not to underestimate their means. Roel couldn’t afford to fall into a vulnerable state right now, not when those people were still out on the loose.

Roel fell silent upon hearing Charlotte’s concerns.

How could he be unaware of the risks? Even so, he had no plans to change his mind.

“The intelligence we have gathered suggests that Mother Goddess’ Six Calamities are on hostile terms with the Savior. It’s impossible for them to join hands with each other. This is a matter of their faith. That means that it’s unlikely that the Fallens will learn about my weakening from them. Furthermore, Principal Antonio and the Genesis Goddess Church have been hot on their trail recently. I doubt that they would have the spare attention to come after me.”

“But that’s just a guess.”

“It is, but it won’t change my mind. I plan to brave through all hardships with you, be it the curse of the Six Calamities or the Fallens’ assault.”

Roel smiled at Charlotte.

“There’s nothing to rejoice about surviving alone. We have to be together in order to be happy. More importantly… I don’t want our child to be without their mother.”

“Our… child?”

“That’s right. Peytra has blessed the two of us with a fertility blessing. We have only done it once, but who knows? Our child might already be in there,” replied Roel as he glanced at her womb.

“!”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in agitation. She instinctively placed her hand on her womb as her mind fell into conflict.

From a young age, she had always wanted to find someone she loved, have a passionate romance, and form a blissful family together. While her wish might seem bland for someone of her stature, that was indeed her greatest pursuit in life.

She had managed to fulfill the first half of her wish after undergoing many hardships, and it looked like the second half of her wish might come true after the night they had spent together. Just the thought that there might be a little life in her tummy was enough to emotionally overwhelm her.

She couldn’t bear the thought of abandoning her child.

Accepting Roel’s proposal would place him in danger, but rejecting it meant that their child would be without their mother. Charlotte didn’t want her child to grow up in a single-parent family after the unhappy childhood she had been through.

While she was still struggling between the two options, Roel suddenly hugged her tightly.

“Darling…”

The warm embrace prompted her to raise her head, where she was met with Roel’s warm smile. He raised his hand and presented the two rings to her once more.

“Charlotte, do you know what the marriage vows are?”

“Hm? I do know of the one in Rosa…”

“I know it too. I recall a line in there that goes… Neither illness nor death shall do us apart.”

“!”

A jolt ran through Charlotte’s body. She stared at Roel with a look of disbelief.

“Darling, are you…”

“It’s not without reason that I’ve requested Peytra to craft these magic tools in the form of rings. We won’t be able to hold a ceremony due to your physical condition, but on the day we have become a true couple, I wish to place the symbol of my love on your finger.”

Under the starry night sky, Roel got down on his knee.

“For not just your health but our love as well, Charlotte Sorofya, will you accept this ring and become my wedded wife?”

“!”

As Roel’s proposal echoed in the room, Charlotte began trembling out of agitation.

For the scene she had dreamt of countless times to suddenly be realized, she felt a rush of emotions that left her light-headed. With this proposal, her final defenses came crumbling down.

“… Isn’t that too sly? You aren’t giving me any room to turn you down.”

“You mean to say…”

Before Roel’s nervous gaze, Charlotte raised her hand and smiled with glistening eyes.

“I accept your proposal.”

Roel’s nervousness instantaneously transformed into relief. He exhaled deeply before the edges of his lips joyfully inched upward. He carefully held her hand and gently slipped the crystal ring onto her finger.

Charlotte took the other ring and did the same for him too.

The two crystal rings glowed in unison, invoking the Primordial Earth Goddess’ blessing. Pale yellow mana enveloped the couple, tying their life forces together.

The two of them looked at each other. Countless words were at the tip of their tongues, but silence settled between the two of them instead. The atmosphere between the two of them grew increasingly heated with each passing moment. Their emotions had reached an intensity where words were no longer enough—there was only one other way to express themselves.

After sharing a passionate kiss, Roel adeptly lifted her up and marched off to the bedroom. As the door slammed shut, they commenced their second battle of the night.