"I'm going to need to see your mother's body," Shin stated plainly. "Get me a portrait of her while you're at it. With those two things, I can bring her back."
He paused, crossing his arms. "Of course, I highly doubt that alone will be enough. There's another crucial step I have to take to make the resurrection work, and the price on my end is pretty steep. Since we barely know each other, how am I supposed to justify going out of my way to help you? If I actually pull this off and bring her back, you'll have to pay up."
He aimed that last remark squarely at Alice, which immediately sent a shockwave through Lucy.
But Lucy was quick on the uptake. She realized almost instantly that Shin was just messing around...
She flashed a sly smile and leaned in. "Oh, my sweet, wonderful brother. I know you're just teasing her. You wouldn't actually do something like that to my sister, right?"
"Besides, look at her—she's practically throwing herself at you!" Lucy continued, her voice full of mischief. "If you really want to become the strongest in this world, you need a faction of your own. And what better faction than my father's kingdom? If you become my brother-in-law, Father would gladly hand the crown over to you. Then you could do whatever you want!"
"Of course, I'm just tossing ideas out there. I don't know what you're actually planning. But I do know you're the best, Shin, and you'll listen to me, right?"
Truth be told, Shin actually had a soft spot for the energetic little princess.
Alice, on the other hand, was entirely different. She acted completely reckless, disconnected from the world around her, and carried herself like a lonely orphan devoid of any real spark.
He had been looking for a chance to sit down and have a serious talk with Alice, but she simply never gave him an opening.
While Shin and Lucy were bantering, Alice suddenly stepped right in front of them.
"I don't care what you two are scheming," Alice declared, her voice unwavering. "But if you can truly save my mother, then I will gladly be your servant. I can start right now."
Despite the lingering gloom on her face, the pure joy of knowing her mother could be resurrected clearly won the internal battle.
Shin was absolutely dumbfounded. What exactly went on inside this girl's head all day? Did she really think he was some kind of twisted pervert?
He reached out, ruffled Alice's hair, and flashed a bright smile. "I can't believe you actually agreed to that. You idiot, I intend to marry you. Why would I make you my servant? Are you dreaming or something?"
Honestly, saying those words out loud felt incredibly cheesy to Shin. But if it meant securing a ready-made faction without lifting a finger, he was willing to take one for the team. Plus, having a capable, obedient girl by his side wouldn't be the worst thing in the world.
He looked at Alice and spoke seriously. "Since I've made up my mind, I've got your back. I don't have any established factions or grand goals right now anyway. So, how about this? I'll unite this world, and then hand the throne over to your father. Sound good?"
Both Alice and Lucy were completely bewildered. What on earth was Shin talking about? Thrones, world domination—what did any of this mean?
For some inexplicable reason, Alice felt a sudden, overwhelming urge to cry. She knew it made no logical sense, but the emotion hit her like a tidal wave. She couldn't even bring herself to look Shin in the eye.
"Let's put all of that aside for a moment," Alice said softly. "Can you truly resurrect my mother? Because if you can, I will do absolutely anything for you. I know I'm being shameless right now, but it's not that simple for me."
Shin let out an exasperated groan. Did this girl completely tune him out? She was entirely ignoring his proposal!
"Are you deaf?" Shin sighed heavily. "I said, if you're willing, I can marry you. Seriously, your personality is a bit warped. You're so young, yet you act so cold and overly mature. It feels like there's an incredibly heavy soul trapped inside that body of yours."
"I don't know if I should even be telling you this, but I really don't like seeing you act this way."
But Alice paid zero attention to his complaints, zeroing in on her only concern. "I understand all of that. But can you really bring her back?"
Shin finally reached his limit. "Are you serious right now? I told you, if I marry you, you're mine—and naturally, I will save your mother! Are you even listening to a word I say? Now I'm actually mad."
He was genuinely exhausted by the conversation. Saying those cheesy lines was embarrassing enough, but Alice deliberately ignoring him put him in an incredibly awkward spot.
"Fine. Since you won't agree, I'll save your mother just out of basic human decency," Shin huffed. "Honestly, trying to win you over is way too much work. And since I just got rejected, I'm feeling pretty helpless here."
"With someone as outstanding as you, I'm sure there's no shortage of guys lining up to chase you. So, since things turned out this way, I genuinely wish you happiness. And I know you'll find it—your mother laid everything out for you. With her foresight guiding you, I doubt your future could ever turn out badly."
It was only then that Alice seemed to snap out of her daze. She stared at Shin, her eyes wide. "Wait... what did you just say? Are you willing to marry me? Is it out of pity, or what?"
She paused, a conflicted expression crossing her face. "Is that really it? I can't say I'm thrilled about the reason... but I'm still really happy."
Shin was utterly speechless. "You're a walking contradiction, you know that? Are you happy or not? Seriously."
"Of course I'm happy!" Alice replied, her voice finally holding a spark of life. "I'm happy because I can finally fulfill my mother's dying wish!"
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