Cold-Blooded

Alisa felt her hairs stood on end as she looked back and forth between the two arguing lovers. She couldn't understand how in the world her reward had become a marriage. Was he going crazy? She wanted to split his skull open to see what was inside it to be able to say something outrageous.

And just exactly what she feared, Meryl glared daggers on her like crazy. If stares could kill, she had long been stabbed infinitely to death by her deathly gaze.

'Good grief, Raphkiel! Now her attention is focused on me.' Alisa cursed him in her mind. 

Meryl went forward and spat in disdain. "You want to marry her? As if you're suited for someone who can't even afford her own clothes!"

"What are you talking about? Isn't she dressed well like a noble?" Raphkiel countered. 

She scoffed as she pointed at Alisa. "No wonder I find her clothes familiar. It turns out she took some of my designer clothes from the wardrobe! A woman who steals clothes from others can't be that good. What do you even see in her? She's poor as hell." 

It was Alisa's turn to frown. Her eyes darkened the moment she heard Meryl insulting her. Despite being poor, she had a clear integrity and principles. One of those was to never steal. She was an assassin, not a thief! 

"Excuse me. I apologize if I had taken your clothes without permission but I planned to tell the truth to the owner later for borrowing one of her dresses. You can insult me all you want but I am not a thief and I didn't steal your dress. If you want, I'll return it to you immediately." She coldly explained.

"The evidence is already clear. How dare you deny it? And who the hell are you to talk to me like that? You're just a bitch Raphkiel had picked on god knows where!" 

"Enough, Meryl! Don't cross the line. Whatever you say won't change anything. We're done and that's final." Raphkiel lost his patience and he spoke with a voice that was devoid of warmth that it made Meryl shudder. Still, she had no plans of backing down but she didn't want to offend him further or he would really come to hate her for good. Instead, she turned to Alisa to pour her anger out.

"Look at what you did, you scheming bitch. You've ruined our relationship. I'll beat you to death!" She raised a hand to slap Alisa in the face.

Alisa's face sank. This was how the world worked. Whether it was here or in the past life, all of these nobles and rich people were a bunch of snobs and liked to bully those who were powerless against them. Too bad for this girl, she was anything but weak and powerless. Before Meryl's hand could land on her face, she intercepted it and caught Meryl's wrist. Meryl was shocked and nervous while trying to pull her hand away but it was like an iron grip was grabbing her, making her unable to break free.

"Let go of me!" 

"I don't know what happened between you two but it's none of my business. Earlier, you have insulted me and even accused me of stealing and I let it pass. However, resorting to bullying twice to the point of even getting physical with me is something I can't tolerate. Do you really think I'm a pushover? If you haven't been disciplined by your parents properly, then I'll take liberty into disciplining you." 

"Wh-what are you going to do?" She paled in fear as Alisa let out a murderous and cold aura that seemed to freeze the entire surroundings. Even Raphkiel felt a chill and a sense of danger towards her. However, she didn't feel the slightest sympathy towards Meryl. She deserved it anyway.

Alisa wasted no time in spatting out another word. Her other hand shot forward and landed Meryl's face, producing a crisp sound throughout the room. Meryl's face was searing in pain due to the powerful slap Alisa had given her. 

"How dare you slap me?!" She lunged forward to scratch her face but Alisa was faster and sent out another tight slap. She finally realized her situation and she shivered in fear while feeling Alisa's frightful gaze. The woman was a nutjob! It won't do her any good if she kept on antagonizing her.

Alisa's face went closer to her ears and she whispered.

"I already warned you. Be good and leave me out of your affairs. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude. If you want, I can murder every single one of you here, including your entire family. You better stay far away from me or you'll regret it." With every word she enunciated, the temperature dropped several degrees and made the air chilly. Meryl was frozen in fear, but was awoken by Alisa who was gently patting her face.

Since the problem was already solved, she proceeded on her way out of the room and took one last glance at Raphkiel, who seemed to be watching her actions earlier. She snorted in irritation before walking away and disappeared from his sight. She was disappointed. It looked like she won't be receiving her reward any time soon. She had enough of this country. It was time to go back to her motherland in her previous life where she belonged. 

Raphkiel left the room as well, leaving only Meryl alone. Once Alisa was gone, her temper flared up once again. She was intimidated by her domineering presence, but upon remembering the fact that she couldn't even afford her own clothes, her fear disappeared. Fetching her mobile phone on the table, she dialed a number and a gentle voice greeted her from the speaker.

"Why have you called, sweetheart?"

"Clyde, I need you to do something for me. I want you to eliminate a woman named Alisa Hayworth. Make sure she dies a horrible death once she gets out of the palace, got it? Do it or we're over!" She angrily said and immediately disconnected the line without waiting for his answer.

"Just you wait, bitch! I'll make sure Raphkiel never sees you again. No one can take him away from me. He's mine and mine alone!" A mad laughter rang across the room as Meryl showed her true self. 

Alisa went back to the banquet area but didn't feel eating anymore. She lost her appetite after what happened there. She needed someone to talk to in order to find out more about how the world worked. Her knowledge wasn't enough to survive outside the military. Despite being a girl, she barely knew a thing about earning a decent income aside from killing people. Although the pay was good, she promised herself she would finally turn over a new leaf.

Thus, she looked for Timothy around, but he was nowhere to be seen. The people were already so drunk and the soldiers together with the nobles and higher officials were singing and dancing, which made it harder for her to stride into the crowd. A few moments later, she saw Grunt walking towards her instead. She was disappointed that it wasn't Timothy.

"Alisa, can I have a bit of your time?"

"Sorry, I'm busy right now." She coldly replied and walked past him. 

Grunt didn't want to let go of this opportunity so he chased after her and blocked her way.

'Please! It won't take long. Just hear me out." 

"Fine."

Upon hearing her agree, he was delighted and he gestured for her to follow him. They arrived a secluded corner where it was less noisy. The two of them sat down at the table. Alisa's arm was on the table, placing her hand on one side of her cheek while her fingers pressed lightly on her skin. She looked at him impatiently and spoke. 

"What do you want?" 

"I want to make a deal with you." He said earnestly. She didn't reply and simply raised one of her eyebrows. Seeing her interest being piqued, he cleared his voice and continued. "You said before during the enlistment in the military that you don't have a home to go back to, right?"

 Her memory replayed back to the time she entered the military and she had indeed said something like that. She nodded at him and said while taking a sip in her glass of water. "What about it?"

"Here's the thing. Alisa, I like you. I can take care of you and provide for your needs if you want. I want you to marry me." 

She almost choked from the water she was drinking and spat it out accidentally. Her cold expression was finally broken and was replaced by a nervous and tense look. She immediately stood up and took out a few table napkins then moved towards him to wipe the mess.

"I-I'm sorry for spilling water on you. Your words shocked me just now. Geez, you men are keeping on blurting out nonsense lately." She grumpily said, but she wasn't angry at him.

He didn't mind it. In fact, he was happy to see her getting flustered. It was such a rare occurrence and he felt that it was priceless. He chuckled and said while taking her soft hands. "Don't mind me. I'm okay. So, are you going to accept my proposal? I'm really serious about it. I promise you won't be mistreated and you won't be lacking of anything."

She blushed and looked away. "Sorry, but I can't..."

There goes away his chance. He was crestfallen upon getting rejected immediately. "Can you tell me why?"

"I want to leave Sylpharia and go back to my motherland to live a peaceful and simple life and marriage is currently not in my plans. But I'll think about your offer if you're courageous enough to go there one day." She slightly displayed a grin, revealing her beautiful white teeth.

Grunt was captivated by her radiant smile. His mood was instantly lifted up when he heard her latter statement. He abruptly stood up and leaned closer to her which startled her. "Really? Do you mean it?"

"Y-yes... Anyway, back off a bit, will you?" She pushed his face away.

He chuckled nervously as he returned from his seat. He was as happy as a puppy. Alisa secretly giggled upon seeing his cute behavior. she felt that he wasn't bad at all, but she also wasn't in a hurry to get entangled in romance. 

Somewhere far away from them, a handsome young man with jet-black hair had seen their seemingly intimate interaction. His expression darkened a lot and revealed a frosty, grumpy look that made the other person beside him shudder. Those two were none other than Timothy and Raphkiel.