A Chemist's Interstellar Saga
Chapter 224: Getting Engaged

Chapter 224: Getting Engaged

Fleur shook her head and softly explained, "Arix, I’m not joking. I would never joke about something this serious."

Arix couldn’t believe what she was hearing—was she really being pushed into an arranged marriage?

"Mom, are you trying to get rid of me because I eat too much at home?" Arix asked, tugging at Fleur’s sleeve, feeling a mix of hurt and disbelief.

"Honey, this is way too soon. Arix is too young," Thaddeus chimed in, clearly not on board with the idea either.

Fleur pulled Arix into a tight hug, tears welling up in her eyes. She gently stroked Arix’s hair and said, her voice breaking, "Arix, I don’t want this either, but someone warned me that if you don’t get engaged to Cassian this year, you’ll be in danger again. I can’t take that chance. Please understand."

"But..." Arix started to argue but stopped when she saw the tears in her mother’s eyes.

As ridiculous as it seemed, Arix had a nagging feeling that her mother might be telling the truth.

"Honey, are you okay? Why are you saying such crazy things? Cassian might be the Crown Prince, but the Kering family isn’t weak. We can protect our daughter," Thaddeus said, concerned for both his wife and daughter.

"How can we protect her? Even Arix’s grandfather couldn’t," Fleur cried even harder. If there had been another way, she would never have considered getting Arix engaged so young.

When Thaddeus heard that even Arix’s grandfather couldn’t protect her, his expression turned serious. Most people didn’t know the full story, but the leaders of the Alliance were well aware: the Pontifex of the Empire was nearly like a demigod. Even the insectoids treaded carefully around him, which explained why they hadn’t gone all-out against humanity.

If someone like that couldn’t protect Arix, then who could?

"Honey, is this really the only way?" Thaddeus asked, his voice rough with tension.

Arix glanced at Fleur, her fists clenched tightly, feeling a mix of nerves and fear.

Fleur, still crying, nodded silently.

The room filled with a heavy silence.

After a long pause, Arix forced a smile, her voice shaky. "Mom, this whole situation is just absurd. Besides, I don’t want to ruin someone else’s happiness for my own. If it comes to that, then maybe it’s just my fate."

Fleur broke down into uncontrollable sobs, still desperate to persuade her daughter.

But just as she was about to speak, a firm voice cut through the tension from outside the door.

"What if I’m willing?"

Arix looked up in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Cassian? What are you doing here?" Arix asked, caught off guard and unsure how to feel.

"You got yourself into trouble, so how could I stay away? If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known you were being so stubborn." Cassian entered the room, his hand gently brushing through Arix’s hair with clear concern.

"I’m not stubborn! What are you talking about?" Arix pouted, her frustration showing.

"Right, you’re not stubborn, just a little naive," Cassian teased, ruffling her hair even more.

Arix huffed softly but didn’t push back any further.

After soothing Arix, Cassian turned his attention to Thaddeus and Fleur. He respectfully performed the Empire’s customary greeting, then spoke in a humble tone, "Mr. and Mrs. Kering, I’d like to speak with Arix in private. Could you give us a moment?"

Thaddeus and Fleur weren’t surprised by Cassian’s arrival—they had been alerted the moment he entered the Alliance.

The couple exchanged a glance, silently agreeing, and nodded to the young man. After giving their daughter a few last-minute reminders, they left the room together.

As Arix watched her parents leave, a small, embarrassed smile crept onto her face. Turning to Cassian, she said softly, "Cassian, just forget what I said earlier. I won’t let you sacrifice your happiness for me."

Cassian finally let out a laugh, clearly exasperated. Then, without warning, he grabbed the back of Arix’s neck, pulling her close. In one strong, assertive motion, he kissed her deeply.

Arix was stunned.

It took a moment before Cassian finally released her, leaving Arix thoroughly stunned. He rested his forehead against hers, his breath a bit ragged but his voice filled with satisfaction. "You didn’t even ask me. How do you know I wouldn’t be willing?"

Arix was totally caught off guard when Cassian suddenly kissed her. Her brain hit pause, her body went stiff, and her eyes popped wide open in shock.

Even after Cassian pulled away, she was still stuck in that stunned moment, struggling to process what just happened.

Cassian couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute Arix looked, completely frozen like that. With a charming grin, he smoothly dropped to one knee. Then he gently took her hand, and placed a soft kiss on the back of it.

Mustering up all his courage, he finally met her gaze.

"Arix, I’ve liked you for a long time," Cassian confessed.

It took a second for Arix to shake off the shock, but as soon as she did, Cassian’s words hit her like a ton of bricks. She swallowed hard, her thoughts still swirling. "Cassian, we’re still so young. It’s way too early to even think about marriage. We haven’t even gone on a single date. How could we just jump into marriage?"

Cassian sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement at Arix’s blunt honesty. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them with a playful smile. "Alright, how about we get engaged first? We can date after."

Arix was even more puzzled. "What? Are you just making this up as you go?"

Cassian laughed again, standing up and looking seriously into her eyes. "Arix, I swear by the royal name that I’ll love only you for the rest of my life. So, will you marry me?"

Arix was stunned by his sudden seriousness, but she quickly snapped back to reality. "Cassian, isn’t this a bit premature? To our parents, we’re still kids."

Cassian let out a sigh, half-joking, "What kind of kid weighs over 80 kilograms?" Then, rubbing his forehead, he smiled as if surrendering. "Okay, we can hold off on the marriage talk, but the engagement is something your parents are expecting. You can’t just say no."

His tone grew firmer when he mentioned the engagement. It wasn’t just a casual suggestion; it was about Arix’s safety. Whether she agreed or not, Cassian decided this was one time he had to be a little selfish.

Arix didn’t immediately shut down the idea. Instead, she hesitated, torn. She looked up at Cassian, the young man who’d always held a special place in her heart.

His looks had made her swoon from the moment they met.

But the thing that held her back was their age. No matter how perfect or genuine their feelings seemed, they felt as fragile as a sandcastle at the beach.

And then there was Cassian—so incredible in every way. Arix couldn’t promise herself she wouldn’t fall even harder for him in the future.

’But what if Cassian finds someone else, someone he truly loves later on?’

Just the thought of Cassian leaving her for someone else sparked a flicker of jealousy. It wasn’t that her feelings were all that deep yet, but her imagination was already working overtime, stirring up anxiety.

It was like getting so wrapped up in a novel or TV show that you start living the characters’ emotions, feeling every bit of their highs and lows.

Arix was still deep in her thoughts, unaware that her conflicted expression was sending all the wrong signals to the young man in front of her.

Cassian, who had started out hopeful, felt his heart sink as the silence dragged on. He watched Arix’s face, seeing hints of resistance, and it hurt more than he could have imagined.

His thoughts spiraled as he wondered, ’Does Arix not even like me a little? Even if it’s to save her life, she still wouldn’t want to be engaged to me?’

Believing his worst fears were true, Cassian felt a bitter taste rise in his throat, and his face lost all color.

Yet, he clung to a sliver of hope, forcing a lighthearted smile as he tried to lighten the mood. "Arix, am I really that bad? You’ve been thinking for so long."

"Huh?" Arix blinked, momentarily confused before snapping back to reality. She quickly smiled, a bit embarrassed. "Oh, no, Cassian. It’s not that you’re bad—it’s that you’re too good, and that’s why I’m hesitating."

"Re-really?" Cassian’s pale cheeks flushed with warmth, and he suddenly felt like he was bursting with energy, as if someone had flipped a switch inside him.

Arix nodded, then hesitated before sharing what was really bothering her. "Cassian, you’re handsome, and you come from such a powerful family. If you get engaged to me, wouldn’t you be losing out? I just want you to be happy, not tied down by some obligation." She looked down, feeling guilty for holding him back.

’He must be pushing himself to do this just to protect me,’ Arix thought, her heart heavy.

Meanwhile, Cassian felt like his head might explode from the confusion. ’I’m worried you don’t want to be engaged, and you’re worried I’m settling for less?’ He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

He wanted to shake some sense into Arix, to see if she was just messing with him. But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to do anything so harsh.

Instead, he sighed deeply, placed his hands gently on her shoulders, and spoke with a firm, serious tone. "Arix, listen to me. I’d be thrilled to get engaged to you. The only thing I’m worried about is whether you really want it. If, someday, things changed, I... I’ll let you go."

Cassian wasn’t sure what he felt as he said those last words. As much as he wanted to keep Arix close, her happiness and freedom meant more to him than anything.

But Arix completely misinterpreted his words. She thought he was saying HE might change one day and that he’d let her go when the time came.

Thinking she was getting the better end of the deal, Arix immediately nodded, her worries vanishing as she cheerfully agreed.

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